John Boyega shared his interest in the upcoming James Bond film as long as director Steve McQueen is involved with the project. McQueen and Boyega are from London, and both have tasted immense Hollywood success over the last decade.
John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega, professionally known as John Boyega, is a British producer and actor. He is known for his role as Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy: The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker, and The Force Awakens. He later featured in many films including, the science fiction film Pacific Rim: Uprising, the drama film Imperial Dreams, the historical drama film Detroit, and four episodes of the television series 24: Live Another Day. Boyega was awarded by the Trophée Chopard at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016 and the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2016.
Whereas Steve McQueen is a British director and a video artist. He is known for his historical adaptation of a slave memoir, 12 Years a Slave. The director also won an Academy Award for the Best Picture, the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture-Drama, and the BAFTA Award for Best Film. McQueen is the first black director who has received the Oscar for Best Picture.
The Oscar-winning director also received the Turner Prize for his artwork in 2006. McQueen was featured in the top 100 most influential people in the world for Time magazine.
The director and actor duo has collaborated to work on a period anthology Small Axe. The miniseries are based on discrimination and racism lived through London’s West Indian community from the ’60s to ’80s. The series premiered on 15 November 2020 in the United Kingdom on BBC and on 20 November 2020 on Amazon Prime Video. The series title refers to a proverb that reads, “If you are the big tree, then we are the small ax.”
The series featured John Boyega as Leroy Logan alongside Black Panther actress Letitia Wright as Altheia Jones-LeCointe, Shaun Parkes as Frank Crichlow, Malachi Kirby as Darcus Howe, Alex Jennings as Judge Edward Clarke, and Rochenda Sandall as Barbara Beese.
Critics praised Boyega’s performance and McQueen’s direction. The connection between the two is so strong that now Boyega is interested in another iconic British history piece. In a recent interview with MTV News, Boyega shared that he would love to be part of the upcoming James Bond if his favorite director, Steve McQueen, was on the team. He added that Steve could bring a unique spin on the secret agent movie while maintaining the film’s essence that has grabbed the audience’s attention for over 50 years. Actress Letitia Wright suggested Boyega’s name, knowing that he would love to take on 007. Boyega said in an interview, “Ooh! Hey, listen, if McQueen is directing the movie, then let’s do it!” He added that they both could bring something different to the film keeping the franchise’s sophistication. James Bond has to be James Bond, but they could do something better with that.
MTV News also pitched Daniel Kaluuya to Letitia Wright for the choice as Bond, as both the actor Kaluuya and Boyega are young enough to endure the required physical stunt for Bond’s character. According to Letitia, Boyega would be perfect for the role as he has a big personality, and that would be perfect for playing the character of an iconic British spy.
Boyega has received substantial critical praises for his previous work, which makes his willingness to jump into the popular franchise of James Bond. However, it could be risky to appoint a director like Steve McQueen, who infuses his work with personal beliefs and background. Still, it would be fun to watch Boyega in the iconic role of James Bond.
Source: John Boyega Wants To Play Steve McQueen’s Version of James Bond
