James Bond: Will Lashana Lynch’s 007 replace Daniel Craig in future movies too?

Last week a Bond 25 leak alleged that Lashana Lynch’s Nomi character is the new 007. No, not the new James Bond, but the MI6 agent to take on the same Double-O status following the retirement of Daniel Craig’s incarnation in Spectre. This means that James Bond is no longer 007 and 007 is no longer James Bond. So is this a plot device just for this movie or a franchise plan going forwards?

The Bond reboot is a funny thing, with the earlier ones seeing the same character in the same universe played by a different actor – all the while being seemingly ageless through the decades like a cartoon character.

Even after the Berlin Wall fell, Brosnan’s incarnation was called “a relic of the Cold War”.

But then came Craig with Casino Royale and the setting was very much a different universe, with Bond getting his Licence to Kill having just qualified as 007.

Fans have often speculated if 007 is just a codename used for multiple agents or if it’s only Bond’s – but clearly with Lynch taking it on it’s now canonically the previous.

Certainly, it’s not something new, with Anthony Horowitz’s official prequel to the Casino Royale novel starting with the death of 007 before Bond takes on the alias.

But the real question is whether this is just a narrative piece to end Craig’s story arc – i.e. the character of Bond apart from his codename – or if it’s the beginning of something new without him.

If it’s the latter, we could be set for a Bond cinematic universe, with Nomi 007 getting her own spin-off on TV or film.

It does seem unlikely that Bond 26, the inevitable reboot with another actor in the role, would just be Lynch.

Although, this is appealing to some fans because it means different characters can be 007 without literally being James Bond.

What is probably more likely is some sort of Nomi 007 spin-off for a while before a male actor is cast as James Bond 007 for the Bond 25 reboot.

After all, producer Barbara Broccoli has confirmed that Bond will also be male – but she’s perfectly open to non-white stars taking on the role.

Bond 25 will be released in UK cinemas on April 3, 2020.