Fans of the James Bond franchise are expressing cautious optimism at reports that 007 will be played by British actress Lashana Lynch, known for her role as fighter pilot Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel, in the forthcoming installment.
However, the news isn't exactly what it seems, with Daniel Craig slated to reprise his role as Bond - and Lynch's character simply adopting his famous secret agent number following Bond's retirement from MI6.
"Bond, of course, is sexually attracted to the new female 007 and tries his usual seduction tricks, but is baffled when they don’t work on a brilliant, young black woman who basically rolls her eyes at him and has no interest in jumping into his bed,” a source close to the film explained to the Daily Mail.
“This is a Bond for the modern era who will appeal to a younger generation while sticking true to what we all expect in a Bond film,” the source added.
“There are spectacular chase sequences and fights, and Bond is still Bond but he’s having to learn to deal with the world of #MeToo.”
While Lynch's casting doesn't equate to the boundary-pushing Bond re-cast that many fans have been campaigning for, some remain hopeful that it's a sign of progress for the popular spy film series - particularly given that Fleabag and Killing Eve writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been brought in to work on the script.
