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The problem with James Bond

For weeks the Internet has been buzzing with rumours that Idris Elba might be the next James Bond. If you remember this isn't the first time these rumours have come about.
Even Idris Elba (unfairly) teased his fans when he tweeted "Elba, Idris Elba" last week adding more fuel to the rumours that he would be playing the iconic part after Daniel Craig completes the next film. I was disappointed when I saw the tweet. It felt like a Kardashian move. In any case, Idris put the rumours to rest recently when he was attending the premiere of his directorial debut Yardie and a reporter for Good Morning Britain asked him if she was looking at the next James Bond. His response? A straight up 'no' as he walked down the red carpet.
Despite the media frenzy over nothing, this non-story reveals that people still need to see, if not Idris Elba as the new James Bond, someone different. Someone outside of what has been classified as the norm. It's a tired conversation that will continue to resurface over the next couple of years when the new Bond will eventually be cast. It's a topic where my opinion hasn't and is unlikely to change over the next few years.
I'm a big Bond fan - from Ian Fleming novels (I can't wait to read Anthony Horowitz's latest Bond novel Forever and a Day) to some of the iconic movies. But do I care who will be the next James Bond? No. If he's Henry Cavill, Idris Elba, Chris Hemsworth or Riz Ahmed, any of them would be great. I don't think the next Bond should be a man of colour nor do I think he should be white. Whatever his ethnicity is, he'll be facing a lot of criticism either way and the movie will struggle to find a balance between staying true to the Bond formula as well as pleasing the masses. Can it be done? Of course - is it necessary? I don't know.
Personally, I'll feel no satisfaction if the next Bond is black, Arab or Asian. I don't believe that as minorities in Hollywood, we will "arrive" and be at a level playing field with what has always been perceived as the norm if we take on white characters. In theory, this might make sense. Young boys seeing men who look like them on screen playing the famous James Bond can never be a bad thing. But I can't help thinking about Get Out.
Jordan Peele's innovative horror-comedy, written and directed by him is one of the most successful micro-budget blockbusters ever with a production budget of $4.5million, making $254 million in the global box office. Get Out isn't a big blockbuster action flick that the Bond films are meant to be. But it is an original script. Not unlike another movie that is currently breaking box office records - Crazy Rich Asians - or the hugely successful Blank Panther.
It makes more sense to me that instead of arguing whether or not actors and people of colour will feel validated and represented through the casting of the next James Bond film, we should move the discussion to how we can create more original content for people of colour. - maan@khaleejtimes.com