John Boyega would play James Bond – but only if Steve McQueen directs

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Boyega and McQueen recently worked together on Small Axe

John Boyega in Small Axe
(Image credit: IMDb)

John Boyega has said he’d be interested in playing James Bond – but only if Steve McQueen is directing. 

The pair worked together recently on the Small Axe anthology, a series of films about London’s Black British community in the 20th century. Boyega stars in Red, White and Blue, the third film in the series that airs weekly on BBC iPlayer in the UK and Amazon in the US. He plays a young man who joins the police force in the hopes of tackling racism from within, after he witnesses his father being assaulted by two police officers. The film is based on a true story.

In an interview with MTV News, his Small Axe co-star Letitia Wright (who starred in the series’ first instalment, Mangrove) put forward Boyega’s name when the role of 007 was brought up. 

“Ooh! Hey listen, Steve McQueen directing, let’s do this!” Boyega responded. “We could show them something different. We still bring that sophistication. You know, James Bond has to be James Bond. But we could do something with that.”

Boyega is no stranger to blockbuster franchises – he’s perhaps best known for playing Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, although he’s been vocal about the racism that shaped his experience playing stormtrooper-turned-hero Finn. This perhaps explains why he would only be willing to get on board with another franchise if a Black director was involved.

With No Time to Die being faced with a series of delays, however, it’s been a while since we’ve seen any incarnation of 007 on our screens. 

Emily Garbutt
Emily Garbutt
Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.