Fans of James Bond are still waiting to learn what the next film, known as Bond 26, will look like under the Amazon MGM Studios banner. The project is expected to bring together director Denis Villeneuve and writer Steven Knight. While the film is still in development, another major Bond project is arriving much sooner. Musician and actor Lenny Kravitz has been announced as the new villain in the upcoming video game James Bond: First Light.
The reveal came during the Game Awards, where several major entertainment announcements were made. Among those was the debut footage from next year’s Street Fighter movie and Kravitz’s introduction as the character Bawma in the new 007 video game, which is now available for pre-order.
I’ll be bringing the character of Bawma to life in 007 First Light. @007gameIOI
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.… pic.twitter.com/TNBthnZFVJ
— Lenny Kravitz (@LennyKravitz) December 12, 2025
In a post on X, Kravitz shared a message about the role, writing: “I’ll be bringing the character of Bawma to life in 007 First Light. 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.”
Kravitz is best known for his career in music, but he has appeared in several major film projects before. His acting credits include The Hunger Games films, Lee Daniels’ The Butler and Precious, as well as Shotgun Wedding with Jennifer Lopez and Blink Twice with Channing Tatum. He has also done voice work for the animated Marvel production Spider-Man Rocks!
In James Bond: First Light, Kravitz will join Patrick Gibson, who voices a young version of the British secret agent. The story follows Bond as he faces a mission that will define his path toward earning his license to kill. Gibson, known for his role in Dexter: Original Sin, discussed the experience of seeing himself as 007.
“Seeing yourself as a video game character is one thing and then seeing yourself as James Bond is kind of even stranger. But also just the likeness I was kind of taken aback by. I wasn’t fully expecting it to look like me,” Gibson said in a recent interview.
For some time, fans speculated that the younger Bond featured in the video game might connect to the next live-action films. Reports had even suggested that Tom Holland was being considered to play a rebooted version of the agent. Those claims have since been played down, especially as screenwriter Steven Knight has described the next film adaptation as darker in tone, much like his past projects including Peaky Blinders.
As Amazon MGM continues to shape the future of the franchise, it appears the Bond universe may expand beyond traditional filmmaking. With new actors, new media, and a wider storytelling approach, the next phase of 007’s legacy is taking shape in ways that reflect the modern entertainment landscape while staying rooted in Ian Fleming’s original creation.
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English (US) · 