No Time To Die Set Visit Report: Lashana Lynch & Ana de Armas Are Taking ‘Bond Women’ To New Heights

Nearly 60 years after Sean Connery brought James Bond to the big screen — Daniel Craig is taking his final turn as the 007 agent, in his fifth and final film, No Time to Die. The BAFTA-Award nominee has brought an emotional depth to the beloved character that we haven’t seen before previously. Though his successor has not yet been revealed — No Time to Die hints at a new direction of the James Bond franchise through two of the film’s leading women.

The 25th Bond film opens with the retired 007 agent living in Jamaica. However, when his old friend, CIA’s Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), summons him to go on a quest for a missing scientist in Cuba, he encounters two women. Ana de Armas’ Paloma, a CIA agent, tasked with assisting Bond on his mission, and Lashana Lynch’s Nomi — a mysterious woman who turns out to be a 00 agent.

Late last year, on a rainy day at Pinewood Studios just outside of London, BlackFilm.com sat down to speak with de Armas and Lynch on the No Time to Die set. We talked about the secrecy surrounding their characters, continuing the Bond franchise, bringing their diverse backgrounds to the story, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s imprint on the narrative.

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EXCLUSIVE: Naomi Ackie Gets Candid About Her Mysterious Character In ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’

Four years after it was first introduced — Stars Wars’ Skywalker Saga is coming to an end. Helmed by J.J. Abrams — Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will chronicle the year after the events of The Last Jedi. The remaining members of The Resistance — Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), and Poe (Oscar Issac) team up once again for a final battle against the First Order. The conflict between the Jedi and the Sith is also set to explode in this epic conclusion.

The Skywalker Saga won’t be going out quietly. As things come to a head, new members of the Resistance are introduced, including an old friend of Poe’s —Zorii Bliss (Keri Russell) and a mysterious new character, Jannah, played by relative newcomer Naomi Ackie who plays a pivotal role in the fight to the end.

Ahead of The Rise of Skywalker’s premiere, blackfilm.com talked to Ackie about stepping into the Star Wars franchise, embodying Jannah, and why she’s not concerned about any potential backlash.

“It’s something that doesn’t even click in now,” Ackie said wistfully of becoming a part of the epic space opera. “It’s weird. You take it day by day, and sometimes forget on purpose that you’re in it because otherwise your mind gets a bit blown. When I think about the scale of this film — how far-reaching it is, how many people it touches; it sometimes messes with my head. But, I really do try my best to celebrate it. Thankfully you’re part of an ensemble cast. They’re all bearing the brunt of it together.”

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Image: Instagram.

Review: Rick Famuyiwa's 'Dope' Is Like a John Hughes Film Flipped on Its Head

If you aren't careful, the world will try to tell you who you are, and you might be dumb enough to believe it.

Rick Famuyiwa's "Dope" follows high school senior Malcolm (Shameik Moore), and his two best friends Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), as they struggle to fit into their Inglewood, California neighborhood that's affectionately coined The Bottoms. Obsessed with 90's hip-hop culture, the trio hide behind the stylish and musical nuisances of a past time, instead of facing their 21st century environment. A film that initially felt like it could be another "Boyz N the Hood" or "Menace II Society," I thought I had seen some version if this story before. It turns out, I was dead wrong.

Instead of a typical coming-of-age tale, "Dope" is like a modern day Black "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986), or almost any other John Hughes film. Average American teen nerd who, in an ambitious act of self-exoneration, becomes cool, and/or has a sexual encounter with a girl seemingly out of his league. "Dope" is somewhat like that. Also, Malcolm breaks the fourth wall, speaking to the audience, and his constant self-analysis is much like Ferris’.

Though he’s known for his “grown up” films like "The Wood" (1999) and "Brown Sugar" (2002), director Famuyiwa really captures the essence of coming-of-age in Obama’s America.  He encapsulates John Hughes nostalgia, and flips it on its head to incorporate the vitality of John Singleton’s films. In doing so, Famuyiwa gives a voice to today’s young black male, while removing the "hood-homeboy" element that we’ve often seen in the past.

Continue Reading at Shadow and Act.

Image: 'Dope' Film/Rachel Morrison