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He's decent in The Fall. Not sure he has that twinkle in the eye, though. I'm much more concerned about screen presence than look.
Your posts make it sound as if every actor is in a race to become the biggest movie star they can be. How do you know that Aidan hasn't been offered a leading role in some upcoming reboot of a popular franchise and simply turned it down for one reason or another?
Anyway, you are allowed to have whatever opinion you like regarding Turner's screen presence. Craig's Bond is a very sympathetic character. I feel like Turner could bring that edge back, where you're on the outside looking into Bonds world. It takes the right kind of actor to portray a character that is both deadly cunning and just likeable enough to keep the audience on side. If you watch ATTWN, I think Aidan negotiates that fine line with stunning deftness.
You're right that Craig and Hiddle are probably superior actors to Turner from a variety and overall skill point of view. However, I feel that for this particular role at this particular point in time, Aidan Turner is a far more compelling package.
I don't believe anyone is in any sort of race, I'm suggesting that their body of work defines their trajectory.
As for Turner turning down high-profile roles, let's just say that's highly dubious. Many class acts are passed over for roles, they just get on with it. To assume Turner is picking and choosing his roles in Hollywood is, frankly, absurd.
I see the visual appeal of the guy and don't completely discount him, the same way I don't think Hiddleston is the only option, far from it, but I maintain that his screen presence is an issue and I believe that's part of the reason we've yet to see him in a high profile cinematic role.
The Thomas Crown Affair, for instance, just to name one.
Craig has yet to be in a movie that has some sort of success and isn't a downright flop, outside of Bond.
Craig simply hasn't any star power, so it puzzles me to hear people moan about Aidan or Hiddy not "standing out". That's utter nonsense. They are already more famous than Craig would ever have been had he not been cast as Bond.
So cut those possible candidates some slack.
In 2004 anyone suggesting Craig as Bond would have been the laughing stock of the year.
The former was a chance to work alongside a living legend, directed by a man who had taken a B-Level Marvel character and kick started an entire franchise. On paper there was every chance this was going to be superb. The latter was an epic literary trilogy that, again, on paper, had every chance of working. Unless Turner is some sort of devine prescient entity, which I'm sure for you he is, then I'd hazard a guess that he too would've jumped at the chance to do both. If you really think this guy is swanning around Hollywood turning down directors and producers left, right and centre you're more deluded than I had imagined.
Well, it's a matter of perspective isn't it? The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is perceived as being a superior film to Thomas Crown, critically, and also outstripped it at the Box Office (inflation adjusted too). A fact for you there, not just conjecture.
Please also note, I don't use the phrase 'star power', just 'star'. Star power is a thing of the past, the market isn't built on names, it's built on vehicles, franchises and directors. Being a 'star' is a different kettle of fish. It means you have the tools to exist on that silver screen, you have an energy and a command of a scene. Whether that's in a shit film, which is poorly directed, or a great film is neither here nor there. If you have that ability you'll get hired. As I pointed out above, Turner has had plenty of auditions, but is yet to land a prominent role in Hollywood. Perhaps he will, or perhaps the decision makers, like some viewers, aren't sure whether he can cut it at that level.
For the record - I'm not saying he can't pull it off. All I'm saying is that from what I've seen there's something missing. If this can be ripped out of him by a director then I'll certainly change my opinion, but on the evidence I have nobody has done that so far.
TCAffair 1999 124 million BO 48 million cost.
GWDT 2011 232 million BO 90 million cost
I agree Girl isn't a flop, but it was supposed to much much more successful, so it is considered a disappointment.
My overall point is, we should not be too negative about possible Bond actors just now.
I am sure whoever it will be will be doing fine.
Craig seemed to be a huge gamble, and probably was, but Campbell and EON made it work.
Well, they're very good at that, but it's a very different kettle of fish with Turner. Turner's profile in the UK is pretty big thanks to Poldark. Craig was known, but he certainly wasn't gracing magazine covers. The advantage they had with DC is that they knew what a class act he was, but the audience by and large didn't. It was a devastating curve-ball when most of the general public cottoned on to the fact that this guy who didn't 'look like Bond', could actually boss the screen. I don't think Turner bosses the screen in the same way as Daniel, so we're already taking a step back there. I just can't see how he's going to pull the rug out and blow everyone away. Perhaps people don't want that and are satisfied with a solid, Dalton-ish performance, in which case I could see him working. However, I'd love to be proved wrong and see him pull something incredible out of the bag.
It was borderline a laughing stock in 2005 but Daniel Craig had the last laugh. As for having no star power I'll let others be the judge of that, I say however that he has tremendous acting power. Before playing Bond he was a veteran actor respected and admired by his peers and the critics who played memorable small and main roles in various works. Turner has yet to have this professional reputation.
However, I don't want to sound too opinionated, but neither of the candidates look the part. Not from where I'm standing, right now. They all look too boyish, too young and definitely not rugged, which is what Bond should be. Rugged.
Acting-wise? I have nothing to say there. Turner is good as Poldark. Hiddleston was good in The Night Manager.
None of them scream Bond to me, however. Then again, I can easily be proven wrong.
Daniel Craig is a living proof.
Don't forget most of them are still (too) young. Once one of them is Bond, he's at least 3 years older than now.
Craig also looked awfully young in 2004.
Courtesy of Sony Pictures, "Layer Cake" (2004)
He looks rugged enough to me, here.
Just saying, actors need to get to a certain age to look the part. Brosnan was perfect in 1995, in 1987 he would have been much too young.
And that is why I'm saying, not only acting abilities should be concerned about, but the rugged look of the actor, as well.
I didn't think Craig would have the screen presence either and didn't look anything like 007,so it's a similar situation.....
Unless of course they find screenwriters who are actually able to mix action/thriller with drama.
But that's unlikely I say.
Hiddleston would be a good choice, he's popular too. I don't want another ****isnotbond.com situation.
In this time and age of the stupid generation on social media someone like Craig would be slaughtered before the film has hit the screen.
Just imagine the Jamie Bell rumours are true and he gets chosen. That would create the biggest shitstorm on the social media ever and subsequently in the print and online news media as well and Bond 25 would be the first flop in the franchise.
There is enough time for an out of the blue candidate to appear but whether MGM and the new distribution studio would go with a near/total unknown seems unlikely. If you look at the recent Ben-Hur remake, the main lead is
Jack Huston
I'd never heard of him but I looked at his IMDB credits and he's done tv work: Boardwalk Empire - which I think was a hit and popular. But it's not as if Jack Huston was a major new film star but the studio risked his casting as Ben-Hur. Okay, the film has flopped, but Bond is Bond - much wider universal appeal - so it could work with an actor even less well-known than Huston.
I would even dare to say I think the James Bond franchise is unique in that I think a total unknown - assuming he's decent in the role - could work and bring in the box office. Everyone knows who James Bond is - the films and the character sell the hype, get people interested - so I think EON/MGM are in the lucky position that they could 'risk' someone hardly anyone has ever seen before and it can work. But I don't think Jack Huston will be the next Bond. Sorry, Jack! ;))
The answer to that is, there is no one today that we're familiar with that can do what Connery did as described as above. Connery just had "it". That natural effortlessness, wrapped in a fabric of charismatic charm and an emotional disposition of being ultimately suave and not giving a fuck made him one of a kind. A true alpha, which sadly, in today's world is like finding a needle in the proverbial. People are too soft and are trying way too hard to be something they're not and it just comes off looking blatantly artificial.
If I were a producer at EoN, the criteria for acting and presence wouldn't just be the FRWL hotel suite scene? It would be the following:
The entire introduction/casino scene from DN
The killing of Dent
The dinner scene in DN' lair
Bond meeting Karina for the first time in FRWL
The hotel room/love scene in FRWL
The "I've made a few calculations of my own" scene from GF
and...
The scene where Bond finds Fiona in his bathtub from TB.
If an actor more or less has the look and can nail these scenes, sign the contract!
Agreed. Any hopes he may have had are forever dashed. The field has been whittled down by one.
I think Pierce Brosnan had this cool vibe like Sean Connery. You could see from the beginning in Goldeneye he was born to play Bond.
The only flaw there was came from the hair and dress style departments, He just needed a better fitted suits and better hair cutwhich were fixed right away in his second film but his acting was great since his first film.
That coolness, Charisma and Charm to me is more important than the fighting and action skills.
Anyway saying so i agree with you the screen test should have more than just one scene and all the ones you mentioned are the perfect ones to know if an actor is right for Bond.
Jamie Dornan could work he definitely has the good looks and but he is much more aimed at the female crowd.
i know I've always said i want a Bond actor which will be loved by the females and could make them look forward to watch Bond as long as the next actor stays but now im afraid Jamie could alienate the guys which is the fan base i guess Eon cares more about.
We need a bond actor which will be almost equally loved by both gendres like Sean Connery did