007 First Light Reveals New Details About Its Characters

On March 4, 007 First Light developer IO Interactive released the second episode of its behind-the-scenes video series, Beyond the Light, which highlighted some of the characters surrounding James Bond. In the upcoming 007 First Light, Bond will have an impressive cast of characters both on his team and to face off against, including a potentially memorable villain in Lenny Kravitz’s Bawma. The recent episode highlights what the team had in mind when crafting the cast.

007 First Light is expected to release on May 27, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. The game features a young James Bond as he gets his start as an 00 agent, acting as an origin story for IO Interactive’s take on the famous spy. IO Interactive aims to make its version of the IP feel distinct from its Hitman series. As such, the developer specifically wanted to showcase the character arc James Bond goes through to grow into the skilled, suave secret agent that most people are familiar with. According to the developer, this iteration of James Bond is only as good as the characters around him.

007 First Light Cast Revealed, Including Who is Playing James Bond

After much speculation among fans, 007 First Light reveals who plays James Bond and other key characters in the upcoming action-adventure game.

IO Interactive and the 007 First Light cast talk about bringing characters to life

In IO Interactives’ latest episode of Beyond the Light, the developer’s deep dive series into the game, Bond IP creative director and narrative and cinematic director Martin Embrog, Moneypenny voice actor Kiera Lester, and Q voice actor Alastair Mackenzie discuss creating the characters around Bond. In the video, Embrog talks about building these characters with Bond in mind, asking how he might’ve grown into the spy most people are familiar with today. The team wanted to show players where James Bond may have picked up some of his mannerisms and personality traits as he becomes a skilled agent. In the video, the team discuss their design philosophy behind creating the cast, including 007 First Light‘s villain Bawma.

“When we meet him, he is a young man that steps into the world of espionage, steps into MI6, where he’ll meet the surrounding cast. And the way that we work with the surrounding cast is that we’ve imbued these surrounding characters, like M and Greenway and Moneypenny, with some of those qualities that you know from Bond, and so that they can inform the character,” Embrog said.

In addition to highlighting series staples like Q, M, and Moneypenny, Embrog also provided some details about a brand-new character created by IO Interactive. Greenway, played by Lennie James, is a mentor figure for the young James Bond. It also sounds like he’ll be somewhat antagonistic, as he views James Bond as a lucky upstart and not fit for the 00 program. The team is also taking a fresh take on M, the leader of MI6. This version of the character, portrayed by Priyanga Burford, is younger than people might expect from previous iterations. According to Embrog, in 007 First Light, M is ambitious and the one who sees a role for Bond in the 00 program, despite Greenway’s misgivings. The team also said that there would be more departures from the source material in other characters, including altering Moneypenny’s role in the organization and creating a more talkative James Bond. It seems like the team has had full creative control of the Bond IP, though IP-owner MGM did have a few stipulations.

A Closer Look at Moneypenny and Q

Moneypenny is the voice in Bond’s ear as he goes on missions. It’s a departure from the character people may be familiar with from the James Bond books and movies, where Moneypenny typically plays a secretarial role. In this version of the character, she’s a field analyst who assists Bond on his missions. The two characters are expected to have a lot of back and forth as they both grow into their roles. “Their dynamic treads this line of cheekiness, but admiration. There’s a lot of respect, but there’s still kind of pushback when needed,” Lester said in the video.

IO Interactives’ version of Q — the creator behind Bond’s Q Watch and Bond’s spy car, the Q car — is played by Alastair Mackenzie, and acts as yet another mentor for the protagonist. “We see [Q] as a slightly younger man, and we see him as somebody who’s experienced in the field. He has to kind of teach Bond how to become an agent effectively,” Mackenzie said in the video. Q provides Bond with all of his flashy and dangerous gadgets, but also has to make sure this young version of Bond takes his job seriously and treats the tools with respect. Alastair said that the team’s version of Q has a respectful, authoritative, professor-like demeanor, but who also acts as a friend when needed. Players will get to see the full 007 First Light cast of characters, new and old, when the game launches on May 27.