The Next 007 Is a Black Woman, but People Are Disappointed She Won't Be James Bond

The name's Bond. White Man Bond. At least that's the way it has always been. But there's been a bit of new casting news that has shaken up the Bond world recently, and there's a lot of ambivalence about it. The amazing news is that the new 007 will be played by Lashana Lynch, a black woman. But the less than amazing news is that James Bond will still be played by resident white dude Daniel Craig. 

Lashana Lynch is best known for her role as Maria in Captain Marvel. It has just been announced that the British actress has been cast in Bond 25 as Bond's 007 replacement. Someone on the inside told the Daily Mail, "There is a pivotal scene at the start of the film where M says 'Come in 007,' and in walks Lashana who is black, beautiful, and a woman.

"It’s a popcorn-dropping moment. Bond is still Bond but he’s been replaced as 007 by this stunning woman."

On the one hand, this is awesome, fantastic news. With Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve) having polished the script, it seems like this Bond film will be more inclusive and exciting than any other before it. Waller-Bridge is pretty much a storytelling genius, and I do trust her to tell this story right, plus it is thrilling to see a woman of color will have such a powerful role.

Still, some are disappointed because casting a black woman as 007 isn't the radical move some were hoping for. Many are ready for a James Bond who isn't a white man. We've had a lot of those. In fact, all of the James Bonds have been white men. And even with a new 007, that fact isn't changing in this new film. 

Daniel Craig will still be Bond. According to The Sun, the movie will task 007 with bringing Daniel's Bond out of retirement in Jamaica "to thwart a 'global crisis.'" Let's hope it comes across less white savior-ish than it currently sounds. 

This will be Daniel's last film as Bond, which means it will be the next next film, Bond 26, in which we'll meet a new James Bond. And there's no word on who that will be yet.

So yeah, it's very cool that Lashana Lynch is the new 007. She absolutely killed it in Captain Marvel, and she 100 percent deserves to play a badass British spy. It's something we should be excited about.

But knowing that there will be a new Bond introduced in Bond 26 takes a bit of the wind out of our sails. 

Not only will Lynch have to make room for Daniel to return as Bond, but unless she changes her name and takes on the James Bond moniker in Bond 26, she most likely won't be the actual new James Bond. 

This is the second edge of that double-edged sword. 

Of course, this doesn't mean a different woman and / or person of color can't take up the mantle as James Bond in Bond 26. It just probably won't be Lashana Lynch. 

Predictably, there are some real racist, sexist, backward people out there who are up in arms over the decision to make 007 a black woman. 

Wowsers, what a take. It's incredible that there are still people in 2019 who don't believe that women can drive fast cars, get with hot women, and be a woman of excellence, focus, and competency. In fact, when it comes to excellence, focus and competency, women surpass men every single time. How is that not apparent to everyone yet? 

While whiny white men are complaining that the rest of the world is way cooler than they are, we're just over here basking in the glory of a black woman as 007. Lashana Lynch will no doubt do justice to the role while looking extremely attractive, which is exactly the purpose of James Bond. She's going to absolutely kill it.

Once you've recovered from seeing those photos, there's even more news about Bond 25 to take in. We now know that Christoph Waltz will reprise his role as the creepy villain Blofeld after he was spotted on set. 

Christoph introduced us to Blofeld in 2015's Spectre, and even though he originally claimed he wouldn't be back in the next movie, he's definitely been on set. 

I don't know if any of this news about the movie was supposed to get out, but here we are. 

This production has been met with "several calamities," according to The Sun. There have been three on-set explosions, including one that took off part of the studio's roof and resulted in a crew member injury. 

Grace Jones also quit the film, reportedly after learning how few lines she had in her cameo. 

Additionally, Daniel Craig delayed production when he tweaked some ligaments in his ankle. Bond 25 has already handled its fair share of catastrophes. 

Let's hope that they don't botch the awesome opportunity it is to finally have a black, female, totally badass 007 on board.