James Bond: Winston Duke Should Be The Next 007

Now that Daniel Craig has left the James Bond franchise behind, the door is open for the next big name to slide into the role. Henry Cavill has been floated around. Idris Elba was another great suggestion. While the list can go on and on for the next great James Bond, why not think a little outside the box with someone like Winston Duke. Most of you will recognize him as M’baku from Black Panther, but he’s someone who could fit the role nicely.

As much as I’d love to see Idris Elba as the next Bond, he doesn’t exactly allow for a long-running franchise. While he’s still young enough to have success in the role, if they were turned over as quickly as when the franchise began it would be one thing. However, the time between Bond movies isn’t a year or two anymore. Between stunts and effects, the production has gone up. Elba would be great as a one-off 007, but he’d be starting the franchise at almost the same age as Daniel Craig ended his run. He absolutely fits the role, but sadly we may have lost the opportunity by starting too late for a multi-film run. He would, however, make a great villain.

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When it comes to Bond, you’ve got to have a certain style about you. You have to be able to command a room. His presence demands attention even without him making waves. Most of these qualities can be said of Duke’s performance in Black Panther. He was a powerful leader who commanded respect. He flashed a humorous side with a quick-witted quip in his throne room so he posses the charming demeanor. As far as the James Bond look, he has all the similar qualities that you’d find in Idris Elba. He’s got the sense of style, the intense stare that could burn a hole right through you, and a lighthearted smile to accompany his charm.

At just 35 years old, he’s the perfect age to build a franchise like James Bond around. Looking back at Daniel Craig’s epic run as the character, he did 5 films in 15 years. Up until now, the Bond character has always been a white, male, protagonist but with Hollywood shifting gears to include more representation now is the perfect time to find someone like Winston Duke for the role.

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The problem is however, Hollywood isn’t known for finding diamonds-in-the-rough for these big roles. More often than not, they want the big names who people have already connected with. Gone are the days of the big gamble at the box office. That’s why when it comes to representation in movies and shows, we see the same 3-5 actors or actresses representing a culture or community. It’s the reason people instantly jump at someone like Idris Elba with his rugged good looks and charm to play the next 007. Big franchises don’t often get turned over to young stars who have yet to prove themselves in a way that makes Hollywood look very lazy. They don’t want the next Idris Elba, Lin-Manuel Miranda, or Sandra Oh. They’d rather just cast the names that everyone recognizes knowing they’ll get audiences to watch.

Quite frankly, Winston Duke as the next 007 with Idris Elba as the antagonist with the right script could be a huge success for the studio. However, we won’t know who the next one will be until another film is announced.