A new interview with Lashana Lynch, who plays Nomi in No Time To Die, confirms her character inherits the title of agent 007 from James Bond.
A new interview with Lashana Lynch, who plays Nomi in No Time To Die, confirms her character inherits the title of agent 007 from James Bond. Lynch appears in the 25th official Bond movie, due for release in April 2021 after being delayed twice by the coronavirus pandemic, as an entirely new character called Nomi. Daniel Craig will appear as James Bond for the fifth and final time in No Time To Die, retiring from the role after 15 years as one of cinema’s most iconic characters.
Directed by Cary Fukunaga, No Time To Die also features Rami Malek as Safin, a mysterious villain whose face is disfigured by scars, and Ana de Armas as Paloma, a CIA agent and Bond girl the actor calls empowered and realistic. Lea Seydoux and Christoph Waltz also appear, reprising their roles from Spectre, Dr. Madeline Swann and Blofeld respectively. Lynch’s casting seemed to cause the most consternation, though, given it was rumored back in 2019 that she would be playing the new 007, a piece of news that many misconstrued as confirmation that she’d be replacing James Bond entirely. However, Lynch hasn’t confirmed those rumors in the past, but that has changed.
A new interview in Harper’s Bazaar confirms that Lynch will play the new 007, saying that Nomi has replaced James Bond in the in-film universe following his retirement from active service. Lynch also took the opportunity to confirm the fact by talking about the responsibility of taking on the role. She adds that while the attacks on her from social media and other online outlets hurt, seeing her delete social media for a while, she also understands the attacks weren’t personal and that her taking on the mantle of 007, as a black woman, is about something bigger than one person. You can see her full comments below:
The confirmation that Lynch is the new 007 ties in with what was seen in the latest trailer for No Time To Die, which sets her up as not only a comedic foil for Craig’s Bond, but also as an equal, with the pair seen embarking on the movie’s central mission together. Whether Lynch’s character lives up to the title is another matter entirely, especially since there are also hints in the trailer that Bond is betrayed by another character, which may well turn out to be Nomi if it isn’t Madeline Swann or Paloma as expected.
Regardless of that, it’s exciting to see that No Time To Die will be a Bond movie where the secret agent not only has to deal with a supervillain but also a fellow agent who is just as capable as him, and is perhaps out to prove that she’s a better version of 007 than he ever was. Hopefully Lynch does the character justice, and it sounds like she will, based on her comments saying how seriously she takes the responsibility
