The one movie Halle Berry will always regret not making: “Should have happened”
The debates and conversations around the upcoming James Bond film have been endless and tiring, with constant discourse around every possible iteration of the story and how Amazon will approach the iconic character. Everything from the race, gender and outfits of the future secret agent has been discussed, with all on the internet chiming in with their thoughts on which actor should portray the character and how the story should be handled.
Each aspect of the creative process is being scrutinised, with former Bond actors adding their thoughts on how the franchise should evolve under the surprising hand of Denis Villeneuve, with the Dune director being announced as the next captain of the ship for the beloved series.
However, while many names have been thrown into the hat as potential stars to play James Bond, such as Harris Dickinson and Regé-Jean Page, some have questioned whether it might be best for a woman to reprise the lead role and add a new twist to a very familiar story. This is a sentiment echoed by Halle Berry.
Halle Berry is no stranger to this concept after playing Catwoman in 2004, with very few superhero movies being made at the time with women in lead roles. The film was a flop, something that perhaps pointed towards the fact that many audience members were not ready for this kind of progress, and Berry was criticised for her involvement in the film.
Over the years, it has been debated whether gender-swapping is a good idea in film. It is suggested that, in order to mend the gender gap in cinema, screenwriters should simply rewrite popular films in which the lead male characters are played by women. It is an awful solution that does not lend itself to progress, with many proposing the apparently radical alternative that we simply write new roles for women instead of copy-pasting them into tired old stories.
However, while Berry was sceptical about the idea of Bond being played by a woman, she was keen on the idea that her previous character in the Bond universe, Jinx, be given a spinoff series, saying, “There was a time that that could have happened. Probably should have happened. I would have loved for that to happen”.
Jinx first appeared in the 2002 film Die Another Day, starring Pierce Brosnan, playing another secret agent who works alongside him to uncover a North Korean terrorist. She became famous for her portrayal of this character, and there is no doubt that many fans would have loved to know more about her mysterious backstory and past missions.
Sadly, many of the previous Bond women have been viewed as accessories to the titular agent, and while Jinx might be incredibly interesting on her own, at the time of the film’s release, producers would perhaps not have considered that she could be worthy of her own story.
Perhaps the times are now changing, and with Amazon behind the franchise, if there is more demand for it, maybe we can expect to see spinoff series about future or even past Bond women with a heavier focus on their personal histories.
