One of the mainstays of the James Bond universe, both in books and on the big screen, has been the British spy’s friendship with American CIA agent Felic Leiter. The character has appeared in half of the 22 Bond films we’ve seen, most recently appearing in the two films that compose the franchise’s relaunch in the form of actor Jeffrey Wright.
But it looks as if Wright won’t be back for the upcoming Bond 23. Speaking to Coming Soon at the Toronto Film Festival, the actor told the website that he has not yet been contacted about appearing in the upcoming film. Granted, filming hasn’t begun quite yet, so there is still time for him to be brought into the cast.
But let’s realize that Wight’s possible exclusion from the film doesn’t mean that the character of Leiter will be recast. The answer could be just as simple as the character not appearing in the film. Granted, that would be a shame, as I’ve been enjoying how the relationship between the two spies has been developed so far in Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace. Also, I doubt that producers will recast the role given that the producers have been very attentive to keeping the films internally consistent so far.
