As you’d imagine, pearls were being clutched all across the dustier corners of the internet when it was confirmed that Lashana Lynch had been cast as 007 in James Bond blockbuster No Time to Die. Unfortunately, the actress has revealed that some reactions were unpleasant, to say the least, and many of them didn’t even consider the context of the narrative.
When No Time to Die opens, James Bond is enjoying his retirement, so it’s not as if MI6 were going to retire his code number like he’s some kind of legendary sports player that’s spent his entire career at the same team. Lynch’s Nomi inherits the 007 mantle, but she’s not the one leading the franchise into the future, which makes the backlash all the more absurd.
In a new interview with GamesRadar+, outgoing leading man Daniel Craig had nothing but the highest praise to lavish upon the Captain Marvel star, who’s also rumored to be returning for the currently-shooting sequel The Marvels.
“We were incredibly lucky to get Lashana. She didn’t need advice. We just got on with it. I didn’t need to give her anything. Any advice. She’s a consummate, brilliant professional actor, and just came in and knocked out of the park.”
Should Nomi survive No Time to Die, then maybe she’ll be invited back to become a recurring part of the mythology. Then again, with a new actor in the role and Amazon having acquired MGM, the more likely scenario is another top-to-bottom reboot of James Bond.