Fans of the James Bond feature franchise will want to be sure to check out this 007 poster from yesteryear, reimagined with Charlize Theron as the eponymous Agent 007. Fresh off recent reports that Daniel Craig is set to return as Bond in the upcoming Bond 25 - despite previous comments from Craig that suggested 2015’s Spectre would be his final outing as the suave secret agent - it appears as though there is finally some real progress being made on the next installment in the larger James Bond movie franchise now.
Ever since the theatrical debut of Dr. No way back in 1962 - with Sean Connery taking on the role of 007 on the big screen - the iconic Bond character (created by novelist Ian Fleming in 1953) has since cemented himself as a constant fixture of the pop cultural imagination around world. In addition to Connery, James Bond as thus far been played sequentially by George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and most recently Craig. However, one 007 fan in particular has recently seen fit to recast the role with a prominent actress taking on the mantle of the secret agent (wo?)man.
In an article published by W Magazine, prominent comic book illustrator Nicola Scott - whose most recent work can been in the DC Comics revamping of Wonder Woman - has reimagined the classic design of a Connery era 007 theatrical poster with none other than Theron as James Bond. Seeking to call further attention to some of the most entrenched gender stereotypes that have served to define the character going on for several decades now, Scott has recast the archetype of male masculinity with one intriguing image (see below).
Considering the fact that Theron’s action/thriller vehicle Atomic Blonde (from John Wick co-director David Leitch) is slated to hit theaters next week (at the time of writing this), it should perhaps come as no small surprise that an illustrator like Scott might use Theron as a muse in her own reimagining of James Bond, right now. Speaking to her intentions in creating the piece, Scott stated:
It’s definitely interesting to see someone take on some of the more patronizing tendencies towards women as depicted in the Connery era 007 films, and as such it makes the case for recasting James Bond while keeping a broader imagination in mind - specifically in regards to both race and gender - doubly complicated. Many fans might balk at the very idea of erring from the image that has become so iconographically equated with Fleming’s classic secret agent, but here’s to hoping that others might see the possibilities presented by Scott’s female sendup to the character.
“The classic Bond posters in the Sean Connery realm are just him standing with a gun, and more often than not some naked lady clutching his thigh or something or other. [In my poster] Charlize in a really sort of fabulous suit, with a man behind there that’s specifically meant to be a generic bimbo.”
Source: W Magazine
