The James Bond franchise has been entertaining moviegoers for decades, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Cary Joji Fukunaga's No Time to Die will mark Daniel Craig's final run as 007, and will feature a mixture of new and returning characters. One of these newcomers is Lashana Lynch's Nomi, another 00 agent that Bond will have to work with. And now she's teasing that the upcoming sequel will be empowering its female characters.
The Bond franchise hasn't had a great track record with its portrayal of women. Early moves were rife with misogyny, and a ton of Bond Girls have been unceremoniously killed off throughout the years on the big screen. But No Time to Die marks a new point in the franchise, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge coming in to help contribute to the movie's script. Lashana Lynch recently described this seismic change for the women of 007, saying:
I think with women's current agency, [it's] the way in which they view themselves and the way in which they portray themselves as being – with the women that I've been in contact with – completely authentic and completely knowing that they're enough. You see that oozing through the characters in this, both the female characters that have [already] existed within the franchise, and the brand new ones like myself. You just have this whole sense of empowerment that is really important to feel when you're going to work, but also important to show younger generations coming up.
Well, that's intriguing. It looks like No Time to Die is giving much more agency to its female characters, both new and returning. This includes the likes of Léa Seydoux's Dr. Madeleine Swann as well as newcomers like Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas. Only time will tell how that shakes out when the highly anticipated Bond flick finally hits theaters.
Lashana Lynch's comments to TechRadar will no doubt excite the generations of Bond fans who can't wait for No Time to Die's arrival. Cary Joji Fukunaga's highly anticipated blockbuster was delayed a number of months due to global health concerns. There's a ton of pressure associated with the 25th movie in the Bond franchise, especially the pressure of giving Daniel Craig's 007 an appropriate sendoff.
There's a lot going for No Time to Die, which is why audiences are so eager for more information about the upcoming movie. Daniel Craig's tenure as James Bond saw the franchise embrace serialized storytelling, which each release moving the protagonist forward, and also featuring returning characters. As such, fans are wondering how it'll all end, and if Craig's version survives No Time to Die's runtime.
There's a ton of hype around Lashana Lynch's Bond debut in No Time to Die, and the trailers tease that she's a formidable agent who will likely be an amusing foil to Daniel Craig's James. The actress also had a supporting role in Captain Marvel, with fans hoping she'll reprise that role sometime in the future of the MCU.
It'll be interesting to see of No Time to Die sticks with its current release date, or if the movie is pushed back yet again. Blockbusters that have arrived to newly reopened theaters like Tenet failed to bring in as much money, so its a financial risk on the part of MGM and Eon Productions. But all of the recent marketing seems to be sticking to the current date.
At the time of writing No Time to Die will hit theaters on November 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.
