In case you may have somehow forgotten, amidst current events and all, we’re on the cusp of seeing a new actor cast as James Bond in the near future. With Daniel Craig’s final adventure No Time To Die standing in the way of the search for the new 007, there’s a lot of candidates that have their hats in the ring-- whether it was tossed in by themselves or eager fans. And now Zack Snyder’s Justice League actor Harry Lennix has become the latest self-starter to say they want the gig. Furthermore, he wants to even the scales a bit when it comes to portraying world-famous icons like Bond, and the many DC superheroes he’s worked alongside.
Lennix, who’s about to finally be seen in his true form as Martian Manhunter in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, couldn’t help but put into the world his wishes to be the new Bond for a new era. While speaking with ComicBook.com, Harry Lennix engaged in this thought because, as we’ve seen in the world of DC and Marvel superhero movies, British actors have played American metahuman icons. Speaking about that dynamic, he playfully made this statement:
Those British people are always coming over here, playing our parts. We can do something back.
Just in the DC Extended Universe alone, we’ve seen the great American boy scout from Krypton (Superman) played by English actor and mustache enthusiast Henry Cavill. And it isn’t the first time that DC’s reached across the pond for some creative hero casting, as Christian Bale was Bruce Wayne/Batman for a time in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. Plus we’re about to see that trend continue with Robert Pattinson’s The Batman. But flights sail both ways in the transatlantic crossing, and the world of James Bond is looking to diversify, so why couldn’t Harry Lennix play 007?
It’s a notion that’s definitely going to ruffle some feathers, as James Bond is a standard bearer for UK culture, and has always been proudly played by someone who’s from the realm or its former colonies. So to suggest that an American actor could play Her Majesty’s greatest operative is a heresy so great, you may as well claim your SPECTRE ring after finishing that sentence. Then again, we’re in an age where Whoopi Goldberg has repeatedly wanted to become the first American Time Lord on Doctor Who, so this isn’t the first UK icon to get this sort of attention.
Not to mention, the Bond series was shepherded by the American-Canadian team of Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, respectively. Perhaps the 007 family could stand to be a little more diverse in its geographic casting. If Burt Reynolds could almost be cast as James Bond, then surely there’s some room for discussion. But whether it’s as Bond himself, or maybe in another role in the franchise, it would be awesome to see Harry Lennix exude his brand of command and action skills in that world of spies. That is, if Lennix isn’t tied up with any potential DCEU follow ups as Martian Manhunter before such a decision is made.
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