We’re still awaiting word on who will play the next James Bond following Daniel Craig’s retirement from the iconic role in 2021 after five films. But on Thursday night (Dec. 11) we learned that rock icon Lenny Kravitz will slip into the role of a Bond villain named Bawma in the upcoming video game 007: First Light.
Kravitz attended last night’s Game Awards to make the announcement. “I’ll be bringing the character of Bawma to life in 007 First Light. @007gameIOI,” Kravitz tweeted after the show. “Introducing Bawma, the largest black-market dealer in the Western Hemisphere who’s as charismatic as he is unpredictable. He rose from nothing, broke free, and built his own Kingdom of Aleph.”
The game, set for release next year, will star Patrick Gibson(Dexter: Original Sin) as a young Bond in a third-person action-adventure game that is described as a reimagining of the super spy’s origin story at age 26. A one-minute trailer depicts the youthful Bond leaping between buildings, beating up and disarming bad guys, scaling treacherous mountains and squaring off against the ominous Bawma.
“I am sometimes asked, ‘Bawma, how is it that you hear every whisper in every corner of Aleph,” Kravitz’s character says ominously in the game’s new trailer as he sits in perfect Bond baddie shadow while the held-captive super spy hangs suspended from his ankles in his nemesis’ lair. “And I answer, ‘I built Aleph with my will, my blood, my whole self.’”
As he slowly rises from his leather chair with the aid of a cane, we then get the first glimpse of Bond’s latest power-hungry archenemy who looks, well, kind of like Lenny Kravitz. Shirtless, naturally, with Kravitz’ signature 6-pack abs and a torso covered in animal-print tattoos and sporting facial piercings and Lenny’s long locs, Bawma says, “this city is an extension of my being. My body… today it became infected,” as an unfortunate victim is shoved into an alligator pit to his doom.
“Easy girls, plenty of meat for everyone,” Bawma sneers as the always quippy Bond laments, “the girls, of course.”
In a statement, Kravitz added, “The Bond franchise has such an incredible legacy in video games, so to step into it with a brand-new character like Bawma is amazing. He’s magnetic and unpredictable, there’s danger in him, but also heart and purpose. He’s not just a man with power; he is a man who has to fight for every inch of it. Bringing that energy into 007’s world felt incredible.”
In addition to Kravitz, the game’s cast also includes Priyanga Burford (Steve) as Bond boss M, Lennie James (The Walking Dead) as Bond mentor John Greenway, Kiera Lester (Ruby Speaking) as M’s secretary, Miss Moneypenny, Alastair Mackenzie (Backdraft 2) as Bond gadget man Q, Noemie Nakai (Tokyo Vice) as the elusive Miss Roth and Gemma Chan (Eternals) as Selina Tan, an MI6er who helps Bond land his 00 gig. The game is expected to be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC through Steam and Epic Games Store.
Kravitz is new to the gaming world, but he’s flexed his acting chops a number of times over the years, playing himself in Zoolander and appearing in 2009’s Oscar-winning Precious, two Hunger Games films as Katniss’ stylist Cinna, as well as 2013’s The Butler and 2022’s Shotgun Wedding.
