Has there ever been a Bond film quite as hotly anticipated as Bond 25? There was the star-studded announcement at Golden Eye, where Ian Fleming famously lived while in Jamaica. Then, it was confirmed that Phoebe-Waller Bridge would be writing the script, helping to modernise the representation of female characters. The absolute kicker? It’s now been revealed that Lashana Lynch will be playing the first black, female 007 – taking over the agent’s fabled number while James Bond remains the shaken-not-stirred character beloved by traditionalists.

As The Daily Mail reports, “A movie insider said: ‘There is a pivotal scene at the start of the film where M says ‘Come in 007’, and in walks Lashana who is black, beautiful and a woman. It’s a popcorn-dropping moment. Bond is still Bond but he’s been replaced as 007 by this stunning woman.” As for Bond himself, he’s enjoying a quiet retirement in Jamaica at the beginning of the film – until spymaster M (Ralph Fiennes) calls him back to duty when faced with a “new global crisis”.

Raised in Britain but with Jamaican heritage, Lynch made her big-screen debut in 2012’s Fast Girls, which follows a team of relay sprinters competing in a World Championship. Her breakthrough role, however, came in this year’s blockbuster Captain Marvel. The 31-year-old transformed into the fighter pilot Maria Rambeau, the best friend of Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers. Just as noteworthy as her acting credentials, however, is her style – from the bright fuschia Stello gown she wore to Captain Marvel’s London premiere to the pale blue Emilia Wickstead suit she chose for the Bond announcement.