I have written about the James Bond film franchise before as being a “problematic fandom”. Dr. No, the first Bond film, was released in 1962 around the time when the Civil Rights Movement was happening in the U.S. Many of the Bond films are horrendously sexist and racist. With the diverse casting of Rami Malek and Lashana Lynch, I have hope that this Bond film will be epic.

Rami Malek being cast as a Bond villain is so spot on. Why hasn’t he been considered for a Bond villain before? He plays a man named Safin who is hinted at being involved with Spectre. For those who aren’t aware, Spectre is a terrorist organization that’s been featured in past Bond movies. This organization hasn’t been touched since the 1970’s Bond films, but Daniel Craig’s era is starting to bring this to the movie screen. Rami Malek’s face is scarred and he’s heard narrating the last half of the trailer. I showed my friend this trailer because she’s a big Rami Malek fan and she’s excited to see this movie with me.

Lashana Lynch was cast as Nomi a “00” agent who started when Bond retired. I approve of any casting decision that would cause Ian Fleming to roll in his grave. Fleming wrote his Bond novels in the 1950’s and to me, they are unreadable. The amount of offensive content has turned me off to reading any of them. Yes, I understand they take place in the 1950’s, but can that be used as an excuse? Anyway, Lynch is seen throughout most of the trailer and she seems as capable as Bond.

No Time to Die is being directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga who I had never heard of before this Bond film. He directed the first season of True Detective on HBO. True Detective is a show I haven’t watched yet, but has received excellent reviews. I have faith in Fukunaga to make a solid Bond film.

There’s no doubt that the Bond film franchise has problematic elements in prior film adapatations. However, it seems the film franchise is making steps in the right direction. I’m curious to see how this movie performs and how these characters are utilized throughout the plot. April 8th 2020 can’t come fast enough.