Lashana Lynch's Nomi will inherit James Bond's 007 number in No Time To Die, but will she receive her own spinoff? On the surface, it only makes sense for the newest agent, 007, to get her own film, but there are several reasons for both optimism and skepticism as it relates to the possible spinoff.
Lynch first joined the cast of No Time To Die in April of 2019. Several months later, she was confirmed to be playing Nomi, an MI6 agent who ultimately adopts Bond's 007 mantle after he goes into retirement. The announcement received some unfortunate backlash from more closed-minded sects of the Bond fanbase, but Lynch is only the latest in a long line of budding BIPOC talents to take on a role previously reserved for white men and women. A Black woman inheriting the 007 mantle is historic, but it remains to be seen whether or not that history will manifest into another film or remain confined to the 25th installment of the Bond franchise.
Rumors of a Nomi spinoff have inevitably come and gone, but while producer Barbara Broccoli seemed to take the idea off the table, there's no official confirmation regarding whether or not there ever will be a spinoff in the future. Lynch had a sizable role in No Time To Die; she initially chased down the same leads that brought Bond back into the action after five years, ultimately working with Bond and bestowing the mantle of 007 upon him before they headed out on the film's final mission. As it stands, however, Lynch's future with the franchise is unclear. Her previous work on the MCU's Captain Marvel suggests she would be more than capable of handling a Nomi solo film, but there may be forces beyond her control that hinder the odds of receiving such a spinoff. Eon Productions would likely love to continue the Hollywood trend of diversifying firmly established IPs - Phoebe Waller-Bridge's writing credit on No Time To Die is a historic subversion in and of itself - but spinoff films have struggled to gain momentum in the Bond universe. Not to mention, the COVID-19 pandemic may have already stalled too much of No Time To Die's momentum for the film to spawn any others.
Several different Bond spinoffs have entered development over the years, but none have made it to the silver screen. The most high-profile among these scrapped spinoffs was Jinx, a solo film centered around Halle Berry's Bond girl in 2002's Die Another Day. Jinx continues to be regarded as one of the greatest Bond girls in the franchise's history, but even that reputation wasn't enough to get her solo film off the ground. No Bond girl has appeared in a second film, and while many thought Berry's Jinx would be the first to do so, that distinction now belongs to Lea Seydoux. Jinx was ultimately scrapped in favor of a clean Bond reboot: 2006's Casino Royale.
However, Jinx wasn't the first Bond spinoff to be scrapped. Eon Productions considered a spinoff for Michelle Yeoh's Tomorrow Never Dies Bond girl Wai Lin in 1997. The film would have even featured a cameo from Pierce Brosnan's Bond, but there were concerns about whether or not Wai Lin could carry a whole film. One can't help but sense a slight bit of misogyny related to the studio's apprehension. Both Jinx and Wai Lin are among the most successful characters to appear across the franchise's 25 films, and yet they still were deemed unworthy of a solo flick. It is worth noting Quentin Tarantino also briefly flirted with a 1960s-set version of Casino Royale, but that never came to fruition. Perhaps most bizarrely, Tomorrow Never Die's eccentric villain Dr. Kaufman was also briefly considered a potential subject for a spinoff.
While previous attempts at a Bond spinoff have come up short, it doesn't mean Lynch's Nomi film would suffer the same fate. Jinx, for example, was abandoned largely due to budgetary concerns. Eon also had an exciting opportunity to reboot the franchise with an actor of Daniel Craig's caliber. No such actor seems to be on the horizon for the production company unless Anthony Hopkins wants to take them up on their offer decades later. Eon could certainly take a swing on another franchise reset as they did in 2006 with Casino Royale, but if Nomi is well-received by audiences, actress Lashana Lynch just might become the biggest box office draw at Eon's disposal. With no future iterations of James Bond on the horizon, Nomi could be the perfect stopgap for the franchise. Focusing a spinoff around Lynch's character would allow fan favorites like Ralph Fiennes' M or Naomie Harris' Miss Moneypenny to still appear in future Bond films, as the spinoff would almost certainly be set in Craig's Bond universe.
What's more, a Nomi spinoff could cover the two years since she assumed the title of 007, following her adventures and missions that likely took her to various locations around the world. More importantly, however, a spinoff centered around Lynch's Nomi would be historic for all the right reasons. Several contemporary reboots have aimed to assign popular characters new genders or races. And yet, there does remain a worthwhile conversation to be had regarding providing the BIPOC community with new and original characters that uniquely speak to their experiences. Nomi may be adopting the 007 mantle, but she is not a new Bond. She is a uniquely crafted character who could represent an underrepresented group onscreen via a spinoff film.
Lynch's Nomi absolutely deserves a spinoff after No Time to Die, but the odds may not be in her favor. No Time To Die was a highly anticipated film, arguably the most highly anticipated film to release in this post-pandemic window. Still, the COVID-19 pandemic will likely hinder the film's box office performance ever so slightly. The pandemic already forced several delays for No Time To Die, and the lingering anxiety surrounding returning to the theater won't go away anytime soon. These factors may convince Eon and MGM that the best course of action would be to take a clean break from No Time To Die and look towards a full reboot of the Bond franchise.
And because an eventual Bond reboot is inevitable, producers may not want to release a Nomi spinoff set in the Craig universe. Doing so would set up a scenario in which two different Bond continuities are ongoing at the same time. This dynamic played out just once before, in 1983 when Roger Moore and Sean Connery played Bond at the same time. A Nomi spinoff wouldn't lead to two onscreen versions of Bond simultaneously, but it would lead to conflicting continuities that would either confuse or alienate audiences. Daniel Craig is done with his tenure as Bond, so a Nomi spinoff could only be made if Eon was absolutely comfortable with allowing her to carry Craig's Bond timeline.
Ultimately, however, if No Time To Die successfully delivers on its promise, a Nomi spinoff will likely become a no-brainer, and any lingering concerns will vanish. When asked about a potential Nomi spinoff, longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli shared (via Fandango) that there were no plans for a spinoff in the future. That said, Broccoli did add, "But, you know, who knows?" there at the end of her answer. So while a Nomi spinoff is not on the table, for now, it might be a never say never situation. Whether a spinoff for Lynch's character ever does happen remains unclear, but it's not likely movie fans should expect to see anytime soon.
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October 20, 2021 at 03:00AM
