To date, there's been a grand total of six actors who have played the role of James Bond, the agent codenamed 007.
However, if the latest rumour surrounding 'Bond 25' turns out to be true, there'll be a seventh actor to take on the mantle of 007 - and it won't be Daniel Craig. A report by DM.co.uk claims that there'll be a scene in the as-yet untitled Bond movie that will see Ralph Fiennes' character, M, call in 007 - which will be revealed as Lashana Lynch.
It makes sense, considering that at the end of 'Spectre', Bond had retired from MI6 and the codename 007 would conceivably pass to someone else. Throughout the entire Bond franchise, there's a been a couple of other 00 agents identified on screen. 'Goldeneye', for example, saw Sean Bean play Alec Trevelyan, codenamed 006. 'Octopussy', meanwhile, had a 009 agent has did 'Spectre'.
In other words, other people can take on the codenames if the person holding it dies or retires, and since Bond retired, it makes sense.
The only snag to all of this is that 'Bond 25' has more false leaks and rumours than any other movie franchise out there, save maybe 'Star Wars'. While the idea of Lashana Lynch playing 007 would definitely be an intriguing one, odds are that that's not actually the case.
At any rate, 'Bond 25' is slated for release on April 3rd, 2020.
