Mercy Muroki: Create new iconic roles for women and black people, don't crowbar them into the image of Bond

The latest James Bond film, No Time to Die, is set to Premier in the UK on September 30th. The wait for this latest addition to the six-decades-old franchise will have been the longest this century – the first in six years. Its planned launch in 2020 was, of course, delayed because of Covid.And with that anticipation comes that question again – that old chestnut: Should the next James Bond be played by a woman, or perhaps even a black man?

And this was precisely the question recently put to James Craig, who has graced our screens as 007 since his debut as the secret agent in Casino Royale in 2006.

Now, this is the first Bond film to be produced in the MeToo era – and of course, the first to be made post-George Floyd and the international expansion of the Black Lives Matter movement. So – I would've bet good good money on the fact that Craig – who has no incentive to upset left-wing luvvies in the arts – would’ve answered: “yes, absolutely – why shouldn’t the next Bond be a woman, or black.”

In fact, given the seeming moral monopoly of radical diversity advocates in the arts, it would not have surprised me if Craig had been pressured into saying that it would be nothing short of ‘racism and misogyny’ if the next Bond was not a black woman. After all, he had previously said that there was no reason a woman couldn’t be Bond.

But I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how sensible and moderate his response has been. Asked if he supported, quote, “a more diverse appointment” to replace him, he responded this: “The answer to that is very simple. There should simply be BETTER parts for women and actors of colour. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”

He goes on to say: “We’re still trying to entertain an audience. We’re not trying to shove a political message, or any message, down anybody’s throats.”

Good for you, Craig. And I’m inclined to agree. Now, as a black British woman, of course I’d like to see a character on screen who has unashamedly British sentiments, who's intelligent, mysterious, sexy AND who ALSO has my skin colour… Why wouldn’t I?

But Craig is right, isn’t he? – just plopping a black or female actor into Bond's shoes for the sake of diversity is actually quite lazy. It's completely unoriginal, and I suspect would cause many an eye-roll across the country and beyond.

Maybe we should just stop trying to unimaginatively crowbar women and black people into the image of Bond, or indeed any established male role on screen. Surely, the great minds of the arts world can come up with something better, with more originality, and more longevity that establishes a female character - perhaps even a black woman character - as a cultural phenomenon.

It's a mammoth task - but wilder things have been achieved. In fact, with investment in excellent actors, thrilling scripts, good directors and producers, and a sprinkle of audacity, those who think Britain is not ready for a British action film icon who isn't a white male, might just be pleasantly surprised.