British actress Lashana Lynch will become the first ever female 007, according to the UK’s Daily Mail. Lynch will star in the James Bond franchise’s 25th movie, currently being shot in Italy and the UK.
She’s not the new Bond, the daily says, but a new character who takes over his secret agent number after he leaves MI6.
The story begins with Bond retired in Jamaica. But spymaster M — played by Ralph Fiennes — calls him back in desperation to tackle a new global crisis.
“It’s a popcorn-dropping moment. Bond is still Bond but he’s been replaced as 007 by this stunning woman,” a source tells the Daily Mail.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who wrote the BBC comedy ‘Fleabag’ and the female-led thriller ‘Killing Eve’, was recruited to ensure the 57-year-old franchise moved with the times, it adds.
“There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not Bond is relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women. I think he’s absolutely relevant now. [The franchise] has just got to grow. It has just got to evolve, and the important thing is that the film treats the women properly. He doesn’t have to. He needs to be true to his character,” she tells the Daily Mail.
Lynch, 31, had a breakthrough role as the fighter pilot Maria Rambeau in ‘Captain Marvel’, released earlier this year.
