Lenny Kravitz was involved in shaping the morally grey character, Bawma in 007 First Light.
007 First Light is starting to show its hand, and it’s not just Bond drawing attention this time. Fresh details coming out of a Game Rant interview are giving players a clearer look at what IO Interactive is building behind the scenes.
The real hook pulling players deeper into the hype cycle right now? Lenny Kravitz. And it looks like he’s not just along for the ride, as he might be shaping one of the game’s most intriguing characters from the ground up.
007 First Light
Release date: 27 May 2026
Price: Standard Edition: US$69.99, Specialist Edition: US$69.99, Collector's Edition: US$199.99, Legacy Edition: US$299.99
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Developer: IO Interactive
Who is Lenny Kravitz playing in 007 First Light?
Lenny Kravitz is playing Bawma, a central antagonist in 007 First Light, but he won't be a traditional Bond villain in the classic sense. Instead of a straightforward mastermind or final “big bad”, Bawma is being positioned as a complex, morally grey character whose role sits between enemy and potential ally.
In practice, that means Bawma isn’t just someone Bond is expected to fight head-on. He’s designed as a shifting presence in the story, someone whose intentions may not always fully align with Bond’s, and who could operate as either opposition or uneasy collaborator depending on the situation.
CEO and First Light director Hakan Abrak has suggested Bawma is "not all-out evil," adding that the character has "more sides to him that could maybe turn out surprising." Narrative director Martin Emborg also clarified the positioning of the character, stating that Bawma is "a villain, but not necessarily the villain."
How is Lenny Kravitz involved in creating Bawma in 007 First Light?
Kravitz’s involvement goes beyond performance, with the Game Rant interview confirming he played an active role in shaping the character’s design and identity.
"When it comes to Lenny Kravitz and creating this character of Bawma, that was extremely exciting as well. We had a very good collaboration with him,” they said in the interview. “When it came to the character design and costume design and creation, we actually worked directly between our character artist and his team and a team of stylists. He really shaped who that character is, as he is shaped by his background and his own trauma and the things that he's gone through."
This confirms that Kravitz contributed directly to multiple creative layers of the character, from visual design and costume work through to shaping aspects of Bawma’s personality and backstory. Rather than being a purely external casting decision, Bawma was developed through close collaboration between Kravitz and IO Interactive’s creative teams.
That kind of setup opens the door for a Bond story where allegiances aren’t immediately clear. If Bawma lands the way IO Interactive are building him, he won’t just be another obstacle in the way, but someone who forces Bond to constantly reassess who he’s dealing with, and why.
007 First Light comes out on 27 May, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
