Last year, IO Interactive revealed that musician and singer Lenny Kravitz would be making his video game debut in 007: First Light – not as the singer of a film-like Bond Theme, but as an actual character in the game. Cast as Bawma, a charismatic pirate king with a mysterious edge, Kravitz’s video game debut promises action, intrigue, and a dash of rockstar theatrics. I had the opportunity to speak with him about his role in the game, his decades-long love for the Bond films, and to try to glean a little bit more about his character’s role in this twist on a traditional Bond story.
Originally announced as “Project 007” in 2020, IO Interactive has started to loosen the valve on information about its upcoming game starring the international man of mystery. While we still haven’t had a chance to go hands-on with the project, it looks promising. Blending Hitman-style stealth-action with the globetrotting cinematic shine and sense of humor you’d expect from any silver screen adventure starring your pick of the actors who’ve held a license to kill, it feels appropriate that its villains would be larger than life, just like in the novels and films. That all starts with a bit of blockbuster stunt casting.
Though he’s new to the series as an actor, Kravitz’s love for the James Bond movies as a fan goes back to his time lining up to see Roger Moore’s films in junior high and high school. “I used to line up on the first night it would be in the theater with a friend of mine,” the musician told me, making sure to pay lip service to his favorite leading men, Roger Moore and Sean Connery. “The theme songs were always amazing, too, always epic,” he told me, reminiscing on Carly Simon’s Nobody Does It Better from The Spy Who Loved Me before shouting out his favorites: Shirley Bassey’s iconic Goldfinger, Wings’ Live and Let Die, and Duran Duran’s A View To Kill.
Kravitz’s cool charisma and rockstar persona feel well-tuned for the role of a pirate king. But he insists that he’s not just playing himself or sending up his favorite campy villains of bygone Bond films. Instead, he looked inward, drawing on his own experiences for inspiration. “I’ve met some folks that are… similar to his character. I grew up in the Bahamas as well as New York City and there were guys who had [Bawma’s] vibe and were doing similar things in the islands.” The musician told me the hardest part of playing Bawma was finding that voice and personality. “It’s really all in the voice,” he assured me. “It took a moment, but eventually we found the sweet spot.”
But Kravitz isn’t just a prolific performer. He also brought some of his expertise as an icon in the fashion world to the character, even getting involved in giving notes to the art and design team, weighing in on Bawma’s costume as seen in his reveal trailer. From the cut of his jacket to the placement of tattoos and scars, the final design in the trailer was the result of deep collaboration between Kravitz and the IO Interactive team.
During our conversation, Kravitz dropped a few hints that Bawma might not be an outright bad guy, though, painting him as more of a morally ambiguous antihero, rather than a straightforward villain. “He’s an interesting guy. We’re not quite sure how he’s going to turn.” IO Interactive CEO and 007 First Light Director Hakan Abrak told me, “We wanted more than just a one-sided villain, like we wanted to have some kind of charisma.” Abrak added that he’s not all-out evil, teasing, “He has more sides to him that could maybe turn out surprising in the story. You’ll need to wait to see that until the game comes out.”
That depth played into IO’s casting for Bawma, Abrak told me. During early meetings, IOI realized they needed a performer who could captivate a crowd to fit the character they’d written. He told me, “The way Lenny moves, the way he draws sympathy and empathy kind of drags you in as a person” played a big role in pushing IO to choose the rockstar for this role.
Since these interviews, IO Interactive has announced that 007 First Light has been delayed from March 27, 2026, to May 27, 2026. For more on 007 First Light, check out our first big preview from last year.
