There’s an old fan theory about the James Bond movies that suggest that the character’s name is as much a part of his title as Agent 007 is, and that the various actors who have portrayed the character are actually portraying different characters using the same call sign. That theory may have just been indirectly confirmed, as a producer for the franchise is saying that the next iteration of the character may be a person of color or a woman.
James Bond franchise producer Barbara Broccoli recently spoke to Daily Mail about where the franchise is headed. When asked about the possibility of there being a non-traditional portrayal of the character, Broccoli played coy about the future, but she didn’t say ‘no’ to anything:
“These films tend to reflect the times so we always try to push the envelope a little bit — anything is possible. Right now it’s Daniel Craig, and I’m very happy with Daniel Craig, but who knows what the future will bring?”
Since James Bond has traditionally been portrayed as a white man, having a person of color or a woman portray 007 would thereby suggest that “James Bond” is simply an alias that a number of spies use — provided, of course, that the movie is treated as a sequel and not a reboot, like how Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale was with relation to the other movies in the series (which starred the likes of Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan in the title role).
Such a move is likely to be applauded provided that they stick the landing with whomever plays the character after Craig.
The currently-untitled Bond 25 is set for a November 8, 2019 release date. Daniel Craig will return in his final performance as James Bond.
Source: Daily Mail
