John Boyega reveals why he doesn't think that he'll be the next James Bond. First hitting the big screen in the early 1960s, the Bond franchise continues to be a success with audiences today, with a long line of actors having taken on the iconic role. After first joining the franchise in 2006's Casino Royale, Daniel Craig bid farewell to the role of Bond with last year's No Time To Die. In a first for the franchise, the film ended with Bond dying, valiantly sacrificing his life to ensure the safety of his family and the rest of the world.
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Since Craig's very definitive departure from the Bond franchise, rumors have been swirling about who could next take on the role. Even before Craig's exit, actors like Tom Hardy, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, and Richard Madden were often fan-cast in the role of the iconic super spy. Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson previously said that the next version of 007 will be a total reinvention of the character, but fans are still no closer to finding out who is officially in the running. After Boyega expressed interest in playing James Bond last month, the actor now explains why he's doubtful it'll ever actually happen.
In a new interview on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, Boyega initially balks at the thought of actively vying for the role of Bond, citing his race as a major factor. The actor explains that he's skeptical at the thought of any Black actor becoming Bond, saying that if the studio does go that route it would be "very surprising" to him. Check out Boyega's full comment below when asked about his interest in the role:
"I’m sorry, but I’m Black — I don’t know how….When you’re Black, I don’t know how that goes. You as a white man grew up in a society as a white man and that’s normal. That’s normal to you. Even the mention of a Black Bond to me is like, ‘Oh, OK.' You know, I'm just like here like, okay, I don’t necessarily believe that, but if that’s what they’re doing then, okay, that is very surprising to me."
Although the franchise has now been around for 60 years and a host of stars have come and gone, the only actors to ever play Bond have been white men. No Time To Die made history upon its release for featuring Lashana Lynch as the first Black and first female to take on the 007 designation, a major milestone, but the actual character of James Bond remains one that only white men have played. Although Boyega is clearly skeptical, his comments do come amidst repeated calls from fans for Elba to take on the role, even if the actor himself doesn't seem entirely interested.
With promises from producers that the next iteration of Bond will be a completely new interpretation of the character, the door is wide open for an actor who isn't white to take on the role for the first time. Lynch's casting in No Time To Die was an important step in terms of diversifying the franchise, but it remains unclear whether the actor will return to the series in the future. While Boyega is clearly doubtful that he'll ever be cast as Bond, the actor also doesn't recant his previous statement about being interested in the role, meaning, at the very least, he could still be in the running.