Lashana Lynch Photo: IC

According to a report from the Daily Mail on Monday, black British actress Lashana Lynch will be the next 007. The story quickly went viral on social media.

The topic entered the Top 10 Trending List on Sina Weibo on Tuesday morning.

Lynch played a major supporting character in Marvel's first female superhero movie Captain Marvel.

On Sina Weibo, some netizens, including many traditionalists, couldn't accept the notion that a black actress would replace the classic white male spy.

"I say no to this change. Filmmakers can create a female hero film, but it's not appropriate to change a traditional film character," Netizen Youzi posted on Sina Weibo, adding that it was disrespectful to fans of the 007 series.

Other netizens posted that the move wasn't that big a deal since Lynch will only be taking on the agent number 007 and the role of James Bond will still be played by a white actor.

"Many netizens claim the change is a hypercorrection," Shao Ziqi, a 21-year-old student studying in Beijing, told the Global Times.

Shao said that since the first James Bond film till now, even though the actor who played James Bond has changed many times, all the actors have a common fixed "characteristic," that is they have been strong middle-aged white men.

"When it comes to the choice of a black actress to play the Little Mermaid, I think there is room for discussion there," said Shao.

"There are a few descriptions of the character in the original story. The image of a white girl with red hair was established by Disney in the animated film later."

"But about 007, I will accept the change if they can give a good answer," said Shao.