When you think of British cinema, who is likely the first character to pop into your mind that isn’t Matthew Macfadyen’s 2005 portrayal of Mr. Darcy? The answer is likely my favorite action protagonist, Bond. James Bond.
When I return home from college and have a movie night with my parents, my first pick is always a Daniel Craig Bond film. The action, star-studded casts, exciting mysteries, complex character building and my parents’ enjoyment of the films make them the obvious choice for our collective viewing.
My personal feelings about 007 aside, Bond is an institution in British literature and film, first brought to life in Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel “Casino Royale.” On screen, six actors have portrayed Bond, starting with the legendary Sean Connery, followed by George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and finally Craig.
Moore takes the cake for the most films at seven, and Lazenby the least with one.
Despite the differences between each actor’s number of appearances and nationalities (English, Scottish and Australian, to be precise), these gentlemen have one thing in common: all of them are white.
When Fleming was first penning his novels over fifty years ago, he gave his leading man the “unromantic, Anglo-Saxon and yet very masculine name” of American ornithologist James Bond, the physical characteristics of American singer Hoagy Carmichael and the personality traits of himself, according to author Ben Macintyre’s Bond lore book “For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming + James Bond.”
Despite the narrow source material, Bond can absolutely be played by a non-white actor. The character’s occupation in British intelligence, romance side plots and internal struggles between what is right and what he must do are not fun facts that can only be portrayed by white actors. These universally applicable aspects of the character transcend exclusionary ideas of who can be a leading man.
The U.K. is also an increasingly multicultural society, with the percentage of non-white Britons reaching a record high of almost 20 percent in the U.K.’s 2021 census. The next film could shatter ceilings by daring to provide a more complete representation of British society.
Considering these factors, diversifying Bond’s onscreen representation is more than possible in the upcoming “Bond 26.”
Finding a new beau to fill the role has been an elusive process up until this year. Denis Villeneuve (director of the “Dune” series) now officially holds the keys to the directorial castle, Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”) is on writing duties and Amazon MGM Studios has acquired the rights from the original producer’s child and step-child, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
The BBC has put out a list of its 40 potential candidates for the role, ranging from “white boy of the month” archetypes like Callum Turner and Harris Dickinson to frequent Jordan Peele film frontman Daniel Kaluuya, certifiable cutie Henry Golding and even Pierce Brosnan… again?
The Eagle polled American University students to gather their thoughts about the possible options.
The poll received nearly 60 votes, and respondents were divided. However, one clear-ish hopeful emerged with a total of nine votes: Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Two runners up, Idris Elba (who, interestingly, has said he does not want the part, yet is still in the running) and “Divergent” heart-throb Theo James received five votes each.
Elba has been a name on the Bond-hopeful list for years and was even tapped by Broccoli as a frontrunner before she sold the rights to Amazon MGM. But between his age (though sickeningly handsome, he is 52) and his outward apathy towards the role, his candidacy may not get off the ground.
How likely is the general public (a small sample of American and international students who live in D.C.) to get its wishes?
According to reporting by British GQ, Amazon MGM was looking for a British actor in their 20s, knocking out students’ choice picks like Colman Domingo. There have been no reports about the desired fame level, but Bond actors have traditionally lacked A-list roles on their resumé before taking up the franchise.
However, Amazon MGM’s age limit appears to be more flexible, with reports that Scott Rose-Marsh has already been brought in to audition for the part. Rose-Marsh is British, but he’s also 37 years old, blowing the age range wide open. This means that choose-your-own pick Jack O’Connell and every other shortlisted British thirty-something may still be eligible.
Come to think of it, who would be the next Bond girl?
We’ll have to wait for Villeneuve, Knight and Amazon MGM on this one, seeing as the race for Bond himself remains undecided. What we do know for sure is that the next lead has big shoes to fill, particularly because of the hugeness of Craig’s legacy and Bond’s death in his final film, “No Time to Die.”
Only time will tell who will be granted the next license to kill.
This article was edited by Alfie Pritchard, Jessica Ackerman and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting and Emma Brown.
