Why Global Citizens Should Care 
The UN's Global Goals work to achieve equality for all people, regardless of gender, sexuality, age, race, disability, ethnicity, religion, or any other status. The casting of Lashana Lynch in a James Bond film is a significant cultural moment, and it could represent a real turning point in a franchise that is so deeply entrenched in sexist and racist attitudes. Join the movement by taking action here to make inequalities a thing of the past.

It’s finally happened: 007 is reportedly going to be played by a woman. 

Lashana Lynch, from Hammersmith in London, is set to take on the iconic role according to reports and, if true, it would make her both the first woman and the first person of colour to play it. 

Daniel Craig will apparently still be playing James Bond himself — with Lynch instead taking the code name of 007 in the 25th Bond film. 

The character of Bond, according to the franchise executive producer Barbara Broccoli, will "probably" never be played by a woman. 

The film will reportedly begin where Spectre left off, with Craig playing a Bond who has retired to Jamaica. The code name 007 has passed to a new agent, Lynch, who, it’s believed, is sent to bring Bond back from retirement for one last mission. 

Somewhat predictably, Twitter has a lot to say about the announcement — and a lot of the reactions are from people who are suitably hyped about the idea of a strong, black, female 007.

The news follows years of speculation about who would be next to take on the title Bond role — including names like Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hardy, and Richard Madden. 

But Lynch’s involvement in the film, which is set to be released on April 8, 2020, has been kept very much under wraps until now. 

Marvel fans will already know of her, though, after she played fighter pilot Maria Rambeau, the best friend of Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel. 

Killing Eve writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge is co-writing the film, with the hope that her feminist edge will bring the franchise up to date. 

“There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not Bond is relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women," Waller-Bridge is quoted as saying in the Daily Mail. “I think that’s bollocks. I think he’s absolutely relevant now.” 

“[The franchise] has just got to grow,” she continued. “It has just got to evolve, and the important thing is that the film treats the women properly. He doesn’t have to. He needs to be true to his character.” 

The announcement comes just a couple of weeks after US singer Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in Disney’s live action remake of The Little Mermaid. The decision to cast a black teenager in the role of a Disney princess was also widely praised as a very significant moment.

TopicsUKBritain007James BondDisneymarvelBondHalle Bailey

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Lashana Lynch Will Make History as First Black Woman to Play '007'

By Imogen Calderwood