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Cut to today, and Lynch is part of The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Gen list, alongside fellow Bond girl Ana de Armas. According to de Armas, Lynch “wears the pants” in the new Bond film. Also, fun fact: sources reported that Lupita Nyong’o was initially eyed to portray Nomi, but the deal never went through. Reminds me of the time DeWanda Wise was initially set to portray Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel before Lynch took over.

But, of course, THR had to get to the nitty and the gritty of this whole 007 deal. THR referred to the aforementioned rumor as “the biggest leak” of the film, and naturally, asked Lynch to confirm. The actress did not confirm that 007 rumor, though THR reports that “sources close to the film” have informed them the rumor is accurate.

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“It doesn’t dishearten me. It makes me feel quite sad for some people because their opinions, they’re not even from a mean place—they’re actually from a sad place,” Lynch said. “It’s not about me. People are reacting to an idea, which has nothing to do with my life.”

Though she’s decided to stop responding to trolls entirely, her initial method was to kill the hatred with kindness. “Then they’ve been like, ‘Oh my gosh, thank you so much!’ But it’s an interesting test because it reminds them that they definitely wouldn’t say that to someone’s face,” Lynch noted.

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Of course, should this particular casting detail be true, it will be a welcome change in the franchise, which is known for its hypersexualized trope of Bond girls. With No Time to Die, director Cary Joji Fukunaga brought on Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve) to help pen the film’s script with a “fresh female perspective.”

Though I’m sure Craig’s Bond will eventually come out of retirement and reclaim his code name in the film, seeing Lynch take the lead, if even for a moment, would be pretty badass. Plus, she would make history as the first black female 007. Hell, she’d be the first woman ever to take over the agent code name. Shit, she’d be the first non-James Bond-person to be named “007.”

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No Time to Die will bring the nonstop action into theaters April 8, 2020.