There’s probably a small voice within a lot of us stating that no, Lashana Lynch cannot be the next 007. Go ahead and ignore that voice as much as you can since the truth is that while taking up the 007 mantle might not be the best idea, bringing in a new face and someone that could possibly keep the super spy movies going might work out in a big way. There’s nothing saying that the next Bond character couldn’t be a woman, apart from the fact that some people will, and already have spoken out against it. Seriously, if she can act the part and make it work, then let her do so since that’s all it is in the first place, acting. Some might want to take it further and say that this is such an iconic role that it can only be taken by someone that can embody who Bond is and what he does, but it’s likely that it’s time to simply retire Bond and move on with someone else in MI6 that can take his place and make it work just as well. Lynch has apparently been confirmed as the next 007 and even if some people don’t want to support her it’s more important to sit back and reserve any judgment until we get to see what she can do and if she’s really worthy of the mantle. If she is then great for Bond fans since she’ll be giving them another character to follow that could be a lot of fun to watch and could be quite adept at the job. If not, well, it was worth a try and maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board or admit that Bond is a character that needs to simply retire.
The funny thing is that people will likely take Lynch and see if she can continue to do any good rather than see the Bond movies fade away for good, but it doesn’t feel as though it will come to that. What it does feel like is that Lynch will actually do fairly well if not even better and rock the role she’s being given, but as with anyone, no matter their color, gender, nationality, etc., she’s going to have to earn it and keep earning it with each minute she’s on-screen. It’s not a man or a woman thing, it’s not a race thing, it’s an acting thing. The problem with so many fans, hardcore to casual, is that in recent years too many of them have become fixated on what roles a man or a woman can take, or what roles should go to POC’s or white people, and it’s become a massive headache for people that just want to see a good movie. There are some roles in movies and TV that absolutely need to go to men or women, or POC’s or white people since the fact is that they could be period pieces and in order to be as accurate as possible, for example, Barbarians on Netflix needed white Europeans since there weren’t a whole lot of POC’s around that part of Europe during that time. Another example is, of course, Black Panther, which is set in a fictional African nation and thus needed a lead that could reflect the majority of those that would live in such a location. That’s what it is, finding the right person for the role, no matter who they are or where they come from, and that’s the deal with Lashana in the role of 007. If she can rock this role, and a lot of people believe she can, then it’s time to accept the change and move on with it. If she stumbles somehow, which doesn’t sound likely but could happen, then it’s time to find someone else.
But what people really need to do is to simply accept that some actors are going to be better than others at certain roles that don’t necessarily need one type of actor to make it work. The time for Bond to retire has been coming for a while, and while I don’t fully agree that his designation should be taken over, I do agree that Lynch could be a fresh face that could help the franchise continue to move forward, providing the storylines begin to change a bit and become just as interesting as they used to be. The whole ‘world is in danger’ bit is starting to wear kind of thin and has been for a while. But if Lynch can take this role and do something great with it then it’s time to accept that a female POC MI6 agent might be what’s needed to change things up a bit. If she can act the part then let her, and let it go.
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