Rapper Skepta says he decided to create a film about a black undercover secret service agent after he “got bored with conversations about who was going to play the black James Bond.”
Speaking about his first film, Tribal Mark, Skepta tells the BBC that he is determined to make an anti-hero character for black actors.
Known as one of the pioneers of British grime music, it is the first time the 41-year-old artist, whose real name is Joseph Olaitan Adenug, has ventured into film directing, producing and acting.
His new short film follows the journey of a Nigerian immigrant, Mark, who moves to London as a child and adapts to a new culture and way of life. As a teenager, he struggles to fit in and ends up in prison for possession of a firearm.
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Fast forward to the present day, and a well-dressed Mark, played by Skepta, is eating Nigerian staples of pounded yam and Egusi soup.
He introduces himself to the camera as: “I’m Mark. Tribal Mark,” echoing the famous line: “The name is Bond. James Bond.”
Speaking about the inspiration behind the film, Skepta says it was about the “dissociation of an immigrant living in the UK”, something he could relate to.
However, the musician, who was born to Nigerian parents and grew up in Tottenham, north London, was quick to stress that this is not a biopic of his life.
“I’m not a hitman like Mark is,” he adds jokingly.
‘James Bond more complex’
The grime artist has called Tribal Mark a prequel to his vision of a broader cinematic universe starring black men.
It will focus on a “hitman working for the black secret service” who will be “an antihero character similar to James Bond, but more complex.”
He has compared his short film to the 2019 Oscar-winning film The Joker, which tells the backstory of Batman’s enemy, and said his film “shows us how and why Mark becomes Tribal Mark.” “.
Skepta says he wanted to do a “character for black actors” because he “got bored with the narrative” about whether a black actor could play James Bond.
“It wouldn’t make sense if a lot of white actors kept asking to play Black Panther, because he’s black,” he said.
Agent 007, created by novelist Ian Fleming, was most recently played by Daniel Craig, having been played by white actors since he first hit the big screen.
Since Craig confirmed his departure from the role in April 2020, speculation has been rife about who will take on the role next, with the question of whether a black actor will play Bond coming up regularly.
Idris Elba was one of the names that came up, but he recently told the SmartLess podcast that the racist backlash he received “made the whole thing disgusting and disgusting.”
