No Time to Die star Lashana Lynch has questioned what her being cast as the next Bond would mean for the long-running spy franchise.

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The actor made headlines back in 2019 when it emerged that she would be playing an MI6 agent in No Time to Die with the designation 007 – the very same that has been associated with James Bond for decades.

It prompted speculation over whether Daniel Craig would pass the baton to Lynch in the film, leaving the franchise in her hands, but this proved not to be the case.

Rather, the hunt is currently on for another man to play the role, echoing Barbara Broccoli's earlier comments that Bond would never be played by a woman (via The Guardian).

Earlier this year, Aaron Taylor-Johnson emerged as a frontrunner in the race to be Bond, but talk of his imminent casting has since died down. Does that leave space for a resurgence from Lynch?

She seemed doubtful during a conversation with Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett for their podcast Dish from Waitrose.

"I don't know… I just don't know if the world... you know what the world's like," began Lynch. "I think it's an exciting idea… and a revolutionary idea. I just feel like people would be like, 'Yay... hold on, what does that mean?'

"And then, like, 'What does it mean for her? And what does it mean for the franchise? And, like, for me as a fan, I've been a fan for 50 years, and what does that mean with, like, my beliefs in this franchise?'"

She concluded: "I think it just throws up so many questions, you know? I dunno. I'm not contracted, by the way."

Later this month, Lynch can be seen in another MI6 role, playing a British intelligence operative tasked with tracking down a notorious assassin (played by Eddie Redmayne) in Sky's The Day of the Jackal.

Dish from Waitrose is available on all podcast providers.

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Authors

David Craig
David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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