Moonlight director Barry Jenkins wants to do a James Bond spinoff movie about Moneypenny. The character is a fixture of the 007 franchise, with her significance and input having grown over the years from M’s receptionist, to a more prominent and informative member of MI6 in the recent films.
In terms of willingness to change its approach and alter the style of its more traditional elements, the 007 series has never been one to steer clear of new concepts. There have been numerous changes to everything from Bond’s general outlook and style to how he takes his iconic vodka martini, and the entire franchise has come a long way from the days when Sean Connery first took on the megalomaniacal Dr. No. But while there has been ongoing talk about the potential of Idris Elba taking over the 007 role from Daniel Craig, it remains to be seen if such a historic alteration to the ongoing story of Bond will ever materialize. One thing’s for certain, however: some diehard Bond fans can be just as rigid in their traditionalist ways as the outspoken fans of other franchises like Star Wars or even Ghostbusters.
For those diehard fans, the idea of a Moneypenny spinoff film might meet with some resistance, but the truth is, Oscar-winning Moonlight director Barry Jenkins is interested in putting the 007 franchise’s current Moneypenny - Naomie Harris - into a film of her own. The idea was brought up while Harris was a guest on Good Morning America promoting her latest film Black and Blue. Bond producer Barbara Broccoli apparently wasn’t interested in the spinoff concept when Harris pitched it to her, but as Harris states in the video clip below, “the conversation has started at least”:
Without preemptively criticizing the idea, a valid question regarding a Moneypenny spinoff is how and where it fits in with the 007 franchise. There’s no doubt that Harris’ Moneypenny character has already been placed in some pretty tense situations in the more recent Bond outings – far more so than anyone dreamed her character would ever have to handle – and her time onscreen in these action sequences did add something to Bond’s overall intensity. In addition to this, other hit franchises like Star Wars and the Bourne series have had their own spinoffs, with varying degrees of success. The potential for a Moneypenny spinoff also becomes far more intriguing when one considers that Jenkins has reportedly been interested in it for some time now. If Jenkins were to direct, it could indeed be something special.
Perhaps the biggest problem with a Moneypenny film, however, is that the Bond franchise has grown too big over the years to really make such a spin-ff necessary. One would think that a Moneypenny film would see the character taking on various degrees of global espionage. The problem here is that Bond already does this to such an extent that another character doing something similar – be it a male or female character – might not offer enough of a different take to merit its existence. There’s already been talk of a female 007 operative in future installments, and even that seems to make more sense than a Moneypenny spinoff. But, as Harris said in the interview, the conversation has started. Where it leads next is anyone’s guess.
Next: Bond 25’s Title References 1969’s Divisive 1969 007 Movie
Source: Good Morning America
- Bond 25 Release Date: 2021-10-08
