Greta Gerwig has an idea for who should play the next James Bond.
Speaking with Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast, Gerwig recalled directing Kingsley Ben-Adir in one of the last scenes of 2023’s Barbie. After telling Ben-Adir to “ascend the throne” when filming his final big moment in the Margot Robbie-led movie, Gerwig was convinced the actor could portray the next 007.
“Everybody’s jaws dropped,” Gerwig said. “I was like, get this footage to whoever is making James Bond immediately.”
Ben-Adir plays Basketball Ken in Barbie, a character who is constantly seen hanging around Ryan Gosling’s Ken. Prior to Barbie, Ben-Adir also starred in 2017’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, 2018’s The Commuter, 2019’s Noelle, and 2020’s One Night in Miami… In addition to having a main role in Marvel’s Secret Invasion miniseries from 2023, Ben-Adir will next be seen as Bob Marley in the upcoming biopic, Bob Marley: One Love.
Is another James Bond movie coming?
James Bond was last seen in 2021’s No Time to Die, which served as a send-off to Daniel Craig’s interpretation of the character. A reboot is being planned; however, franchise producer Barbara Broccoli recently told The Guardian that it will likely be a while before the project gets off the ground.
“Daniel gave us the ability to mine the emotional life of the character . . . and also the world was ready for it,” Broccoli said. “I think these movies reflect the time they are in, and there’s a big, big road ahead reinventing it for the next chapter and we haven’t even begun with that.”
Prime Video is releasing a James Bond-themed competition show featuring Succession’s Brian Cox, 007’s Road to a Million, on November 10, 2023. Barbie, meanwhile, is currently available to purchase on physical media and digital streamers.
