10 Upcoming Movie Sequels That Aren't What You Think

9. Bond 25 ISN'T Setting Up A Black, Female James Bond

Though there's a thick air of intrigue surrounding any James Bond movie, the rumour mill is decidedly more active than usual for the still-unnamed 25th Bond flick, which is of course set to be Daniel Craig's final outing as 007.

And pervasive recent rumours have suggested that the film will end with Bond passing his mantle over, possibly through his death, to Lashana Lynch's new MI6 agent Nomi.

In effect, the rumours are implying that Bond 25's narrative through-line will be to usher in a new age of James Bond - a black, female Bond as has naturally made so many "purists" angry.

But the racists need not worry, because this isn't actually what's happening at all. Yes, Lynch will reportedly be playing the new 007 while Bond is away from MI6, but she won't be inheriting the James Bond moniker in any way.

Even ignoring the fact that the next Bond likely won't be cast for another couple of years if we accept that Bond 26 will probably be released sometime in 2023, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has confirmed that there are no plans for a "gender-swapped" Bond.

In a recent interview, Broccoli said, "I always feel that Bond is a male character, that is just a fact."

This certainly invites another interesting wrinkle many fans haven't considered: the possibility that Lynch's character will turn heel when Bond returns to get his 007 title back, making her a secondary villain.

If the series is about to give fans one of their most significant female villains ever, it'd make sense that Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge was brought onboard to punch up the script and iron out Bond's problematic areas.

But to confirm - the tabloids are wrong about this, and the online scuttlebutt is nothing more than a panicked game of Telephone. Lynch is 007, it seems, but she isn't James Bond.