With David Craig career as James Bond about to end with the upcoming Bond 25, there has been some speculation that perhaps it is time to have the iconic spy played by a black actor; Idris Elba and John Boyega have been mentioned.
But they are not the only eligible actors, another versatile black actor is also throwing in his hat, in the person of British-Nigerian David Oyelowo, 42, who spoke with the British Times regarding his interest to be cast as the first black James Bond and its cultural significance with regard young black people’s need for someone to identify with.
According to Oyelowo, casting him in the iconic 007 role will “expand horizon” and would give black youngsters “a superhero to identify with.”
“The significance of someone like me playing a role like James Bond is not lost on me. It is going to be something that will expand horizons. One of the most beautiful things I have seen in America on Halloween is white kids running around in Black Panther costumes.
“I did not have a superhero to identify with growing up on a council estate in Islington. It was all Superman. That these things are very important is not lost on me.”
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Landing the role wouldn’t be the first time Oyelowo would be breaking barriers either. He was the first black actor to play an English king in productions of Henry VI parts I, II, III by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
In any case, he has seen some progress in the industry to make him believe that it could happen.
He says: “When I was at drama school [Lamda, where he was the only black student in his year], the idea of a black James Bond was so far removed from everyone’s thinking.”
“We are talking about real progress. Society is beginning to tell the industries what they want to see,” he adds.
Industry watchers, however, are of the opinion that the chances of the Les Miserables actor landing the role is very slim with Bodyguard star Richard Madden and Tom Hardy leading the odds. Yet, the fact that the Nigerian-British actor had been previously involved in the 007 franchise might play in his favour.
In 2015, he voiced 007 in the audiobook version of Trigger Mortis, an official Bond book written by Anthony Horowitz, and commissioned by the estate of late James Bond creator, Ian Fleming. Of significance was that his voice casting was a direct invitation from the Ian Fleming estate, and the actor said he was “very honoured” to be chosen for the part.
Who knows what might happen next. Our fingers are crossed as we wait for the future to reveal all.
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