After Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond in Skyfall opposite Craig and was updated to reflect the changing times. The character was given a first name (Eve) and her backstory was altered to include time spent as an MI6 field agent.
While usually relegated to a smaller role, wherein she and Bond exchange flirtatious dialogue, Harris’ Moneypenny was able to be far more active and assisting Bond on missions throughout Skyfall and 2015’s Skyfall, she announces her retirement from fieldwork and becomes secretary to the newly-appointed M (Ralph Fiennes). That said, she doesn’t stay desk-bound for long and is set to play a larger role in the No Time To Die.
With rumors abound Bond might be gender-swapped in the future, a spinoff featuring Harris’ Moneypenny as the lead would be a good way to test the waters and, perhaps, convince Bond’s more conservative fans that women can (and should) amount to more than simple eye-candy in an action-packed spy narrative. It would appear director Barry Jenkins agrees with this sentiment, having discussed a potential Moonlight. That said, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli didn’t seem particularly interested in the concept, but - as Harris later told the hosts of Good Morning America in 2019 - “the conversation has started at least”.
The idea of a Bond spinoff isn’t particularly new, with various attempts being made throughout the years - including pitches focusing on Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) from Tomorrow Never Dies or Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson (Halle Berry) from 2002’s Die Another Day. Unfortunately, none of these potential spinoffs amounted to anything in the end, rejected on rather questionable grounds which implied a woman of color couldn’t possibly lead a hit action movie. Nowadays, the market (and studios) seem more receptive to female-driven genre films - provided, at least, they’re part of a well-known franchise.
With Daniel Craig’s departure from the Bond series set to occur after GoldenEye, it runs the risk of becoming a “relic of the Cold War”.
