Who should/could be a Bond actor?

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  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    doubleoego wrote: »
    doubleoego wrote: »
    Bond shape have the Body of Sean, Roger or Pierce. Slim, toned but not over-muscled or butch. Anyone who read the books knows the idea of Bond lift weights in a gym 10 hours a week is completely crazy, and not Fleming. Why does Craig keep putting these hours in, when they are making him less authentic in the role? Its like getting Lazer eye surgery to play Harry Potter.

    Aidan Turner is definitely no wimp himself, but in a suit he looks no different than how Bond SHOULD look. The traditional tall dark and handsome which Fleming gave as a template.

    Lifting weights 10 hours a week? Anyone that needs to spend that much time just to look like Craig even in CR is a very different kind of subhuman species.

    People overstate Craig's physique for the role. When you consider all the things Bond has done and is expected to do; coupled with advancements in knowledge of nutrition, health and fitness Bond at the very least should have a physique like Craig's in Tomb Raider/Layer Cake or Matt Damon's in Bourne Identity.

    Lazenby was tall and lean and tough but his body lacked tonal definition. There are teenagers who go to the gym only twice a week that look physically/aesthetically better.

    Bond needs to at least look decent and believable.

    But unlike Damon and Craig, Lazenby didn't just talk the talk. They might look like they could kick some ass, but Lazenby actually could.

    That's because he was a martial artist. The guy wasn't even an actor. Sammo Hung would/could murder anyone that's ever been cast in a Bond film but that doesn't mean we need an actor of his size cast inn the lead role just because they CAN actually kick ass.

    Why haven't I thought of Sammo Hung as Bond before? #makeithappen
  • Posts: 17,753
    fanbond123 wrote: »
    On the subject of hair - or lack of (!) - it's doubtful it would be a major issue. Sean Connery wore a wig for all his Bond films. A future balding Bond could wear a wig too.

    I suppose if the actor were dramatically short of hair before he were cast it might cause some Twitter comments like "we don't want a bald Bond!" I doubt anyone knew Sean Connery was a bit thin on top when he appeared in Dr. No. They didn't have social media back then so it helped.

    208316533e9b34b308ffe008ac2b4178--mark-strong-to-the-moon.jpg
    To late for Mark Strong as Bond? :D

    To be serious, though, I totally agree. If a potential Bond actor have "the look", as well as the acting skills required (and of course the right amount of screen magnetism - as mentioned by @bondjames), then the lack of hair isn't something a wig can't solve.
  • edited June 2022 Posts: 937
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  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,253
    peter wrote: »
    talos7 wrote: »
    Craig has set a new standard of fitness; there is nothing extreme about his physique. He's built the same as the majority of members of Special Forces; those guys are lean, agile and are muscular but not freakish roid monsters.
    As far as Cavill, he and Hemsworth , and Jackman for that matter, are the same in the sense that they have to train up to their superhero weight. It involves a lot of lifting and a lot of eating; if Cavill or Hemsworth were cast as Bond it would be more than easy for them to train down to suit the role.

    Agreed @talos7 -- Craig's fit and looks like he could slip into the training regiment of any Special Forces.

    He is not, and has never been, a bodybuilder-- those types of (freakish) bodies could never compete in anything remotely associated with military drills.

    Future Bonds will certainly trim themselves to this modern standard (methinks Brosnan will be the last Bond to not regularly hit the gym to be in character).

    Reading Dr. No I wouldn't call it 'modern' standard. In the novel, for over a week all Bond does is getting fit, running, swimming, exercises, only to be interrupted by hardening his skin to the sunlight and food and sleep.

  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    Unless I'm missing something in what you're saying, Commander, Dr. No is not modern.

    I think the exercise regiment as described in several of Fleming's book could be recognized at the time as being what one would do to remain fit.

    But we have come along way from the 50s and 60s. Our fitness programs are very thorough and are based on the science of the body. Many athletes, soldiers, and "gym rats" are far more sophisticated now than even ten years ago.

    Gyms like Equinox have introduced super-compensation training to the average person who wants to get fit (this programming is how the modern athlete trains).
    So I imagine, future Bonds will continue looking more and athletic (and this is not to say muscle-bound super-men).
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,253
    peter wrote: »
    Unless I'm missing something in what you're saying, Commander, Dr. No is not modern.

    I think the exercise regiment as described in several of Fleming's book could be recognized at the time as being what one would do to remain fit.

    But we have come along way from the 50s and 60s. Our fitness programs are very thorough and are based on the science of the body. Many athletes, soldiers, and "gym rats" are far more sophisticated now than even ten years ago.

    Gyms like Equinox have introduced super-compensation training to the average person who wants to get fit (this programming is how the modern athlete trains).
    So I imagine, future Bonds will continue looking more and athletic (and this is not to say muscle-bound super-men).

    you are indeed missing the underlying message: Bond goes through a very thorough training (one that would be very challanging for even modern athletes) and thus the idea of Bond looking 'over trained' is quite ridiculous. Of course modern training is based on advanced sience, but even when Fleming wrote Dr. No he envisaged a man going to the limits of human possibilities.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    I agree with all of this Commander. Fleming Bond would be doing the thorough training of his day.

    I agree, and also think if Fleming were here today, his creation would be going through the rigorous physical tests that we demand. Therefore I think Craig, and the Bonds that will follow, will continue to look and be more athletic than Moore, Dalton, Brosnan (and even to a degree, Lazenby).
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    fanbond123 wrote: »
    There was this guy called Net Geek - used to post on IMDB during the early years of Craig's run as Bond - he posted a photo and he looked like a younger James Bond. He wasn't an actor but he used to say EON should find someone like him. A total unknown type.

    We had a member like that, years ago. Posted photos of himself, and thought he should be Bond. Only problem was his hairline, it had already drastically retreated.

    Yes, what was his name? Hilarious.
    When the first trailer came out for CR he posted videos of himself delivering the lines and claiming he did them better.

  • Posts: 15,114
    NicNac wrote: »
    fanbond123 wrote: »
    There was this guy called Net Geek - used to post on IMDB during the early years of Craig's run as Bond - he posted a photo and he looked like a younger James Bond. He wasn't an actor but he used to say EON should find someone like him. A total unknown type.

    We had a member like that, years ago. Posted photos of himself, and thought he should be Bond. Only problem was his hairline, it had already drastically retreated.

    Yes, what was his name? Hilarious.
    When the first trailer came out for CR he posted videos of himself delivering the lines and claiming he did them better.

    Wasn't there a YouTuber who did the same thing around 2005?
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    giphy.gif
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,569
    fanbond123 wrote: »
    There was this guy called Net Geek - used to post on IMDB during the early years of Craig's run as Bond - he posted a photo and he looked like a younger James Bond. He wasn't an actor but he used to say EON should find someone like him. A total unknown type.

    We had a member like that, years ago. Posted photos of himself, and thought he should be Bond. Only problem was his hairline, it had already drastically retreated.
    NicNac wrote: »
    Yes, what was his name? Hilarious.
    When the first trailer came out for CR he posted videos of himself delivering the lines and claiming he did them better.
    Not to mention this guy:

    https://www.mi6community.com/discussion/3175/mi6-community-poll-could-i-be-james-bond
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    QBranch wrote: »
    fanbond123 wrote: »
    There was this guy called Net Geek - used to post on IMDB during the early years of Craig's run as Bond - he posted a photo and he looked like a younger James Bond. He wasn't an actor but he used to say EON should find someone like him. A total unknown type.

    We had a member like that, years ago. Posted photos of himself, and thought he should be Bond. Only problem was his hairline, it had already drastically retreated.
    NicNac wrote: »
    Yes, what was his name? Hilarious.
    When the first trailer came out for CR he posted videos of himself delivering the lines and claiming he did them better.
    Not to mention this guy:

    https://www.mi6community.com/discussion/3175/mi6-community-poll-could-i-be-james-bond

    Ah, yes the infamous Buttons! Please @QBranch, I was supping on a cup of tea, when I clicked that thread. One should have warnings about these things!

  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,569
    "You changed your shirt, Mr. Royale." ;)
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    QBranch wrote: »
    "You changed your shirt, Mr. Royale." ;)

    "A little. But I won't consider myself to be in trouble until I start weeping tea."
  • edited June 2022 Posts: 937
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  • Posts: 4,408
    I think Eon will rebrand again when they reboot.

    I think much is dependent on the tone the franchise adopts after Craig leaves. With Brosnan there was a definite sense that they had tried the “edgy and dangerous” route and now wanted someone more fun, charming and suave than Dalton. The opposite was the case in 2005. They wanted someone younger, rougher and a little more iconoclastic.

    I think Eon will rebrand again when they reboot.

    A more entertaining Bond:

    I think much of the fan community want a return to the old Bond pictures which were designed purely to entertain (personally, I like the rougher and more subversive Craig films and hope they continue down this road with the next actor). The Craig era has been full of gloom and portent and I think Eon may move towards making more “fluffy” films. There was certainly a feeling in 2005 that reboots needed to be “gritty” and “dark”. Now with the Marvel films ruling the critics and box-office alike, I can see Eon wanting to follow the tone set by those films and make something a tad lighter.

    Who could play this type of Bond? Probably not someone like Daniel Craig. In turn, the more edgy choices probably wouldn’t be considered (no Tom Hardy, Jack O’Connell, Idris Elba, etc) and perhaps names like Henry Cavill, Tom Hiddleston or James Norton would be more apt (boring white guys).

    The only actor we know Barbara has on her list currently is Jack Huston (Baz Bambigboye reported he was under consideration in 2017) – however, I’m sure there are plenty of other people on her list.
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4299532/BAZ-BAMIGBOYE-ponders-play-007.html
    He seems to suit this archetype more than the “dark” or “gritty” Bond. Personally, I think he’s a little bland.

    JACK-HUSTON-788134.jpg

    The other name suggested by Baz is Sam Claflin – though this seems more of a personal choice from Baz himself. He also fails to inspire too much confidence in me.

    39643970954_7c0a46526e_c.jpg

    I feel in a risk-adverse studio system, we won’t get another Daniel Craig-esque piece of casting. Someone more agreeable will play the role next time out.
  • Goldeneye0094Goldeneye0094 Conyers, GA
    Posts: 464
    Not to sound predictable but my money is on James Norton he has the ability to bring a lighter and togue and cheek side to bond yet continue the depths of the character started by craig he isn't yet a household name and he's only 32 I bet EON will seriously consider him


  • edited July 2018 Posts: 17,753
    Not to sound predictable but my money is on James Norton he has the ability to bring a lighter and togue and cheek side to bond yet continue the depths of the character started by craig he isn't yet a household name and he's only 32 I bet EON will seriously consider him


    He has a very soft voice, though. Have a feeling that will be commented upon if he gets the role. Decent actor, though.
  • Goldeneye0094Goldeneye0094 Conyers, GA
    Posts: 464
    Not to sound predictable but my money is on James Norton he has the ability to bring a lighter and togue and cheek side to bond yet continue the depths of the character started by craig he isn't yet a household name and he's only 32 I bet EON will seriously consider him


    He has a very soft voice, though. Have a feeling that will be commented upon if he gets the role. Decent actor, though.

    True his voice is quite soft but that really shouldn't be a problem when it comes to playing bond
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,134
    NicNac wrote: »
    fanbond123 wrote: »
    There was this guy called Net Geek - used to post on IMDB during the early years of Craig's run as Bond - he posted a photo and he looked like a younger James Bond. He wasn't an actor but he used to say EON should find someone like him. A total unknown type.

    We had a member like that, years ago. Posted photos of himself, and thought he should be Bond. Only problem was his hairline, it had already drastically retreated.

    Yes, what was his name? Hilarious.
    When the first trailer came out for CR he posted videos of himself delivering the lines and claiming he did them better.

    Bond_fan I believe.
    He had posts on YouTube, but sadly removed them after he was severely ridiculed.
    Happy times.

  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    Who should/could be a Bond actor?
    Neymar Jr.

    He is one hell of an actor!
  • Posts: 348
    Not to sound predictable but my money is on James Norton he has the ability to bring a lighter and togue and cheek side to bond yet continue the depths of the character started by craig he isn't yet a household name and he's only 32 I bet EON will seriously consider him


    He has a very soft voice, though. Have a feeling that will be commented upon if he gets the role. Decent actor, though.

    That's the sort of thing actors can have training to fix.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Benny wrote: »
    NicNac wrote: »
    fanbond123 wrote: »
    There was this guy called Net Geek - used to post on IMDB during the early years of Craig's run as Bond - he posted a photo and he looked like a younger James Bond. He wasn't an actor but he used to say EON should find someone like him. A total unknown type.

    We had a member like that, years ago. Posted photos of himself, and thought he should be Bond. Only problem was his hairline, it had already drastically retreated.

    Yes, what was his name? Hilarious.
    When the first trailer came out for CR he posted videos of himself delivering the lines and claiming he did them better.

    Bond_fan I believe.
    He had posts on YouTube, but sadly removed them after he was severely ridiculed.
    Happy times.

    I didn't want to say his name, in case it brought him back, like Candyman. But yes, that was him.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    Benny wrote: »
    NicNac wrote: »
    fanbond123 wrote: »
    There was this guy called Net Geek - used to post on IMDB during the early years of Craig's run as Bond - he posted a photo and he looked like a younger James Bond. He wasn't an actor but he used to say EON should find someone like him. A total unknown type.

    We had a member like that, years ago. Posted photos of himself, and thought he should be Bond. Only problem was his hairline, it had already drastically retreated.

    Yes, what was his name? Hilarious.
    When the first trailer came out for CR he posted videos of himself delivering the lines and claiming he did them better.

    Bond_fan I believe.
    He had posts on YouTube, but sadly removed them after he was severely ridiculed.
    Happy times.

    I didn't want to say his name, in case it brought him back, like Candyman. But yes, that was him.

    Bond_fan
    Bond_fan
    Bond_f........
  • edited June 2022 Posts: 937
    .
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,395
    I think Eon will rebrand again when they reboot.

    I think much is dependent on the tone the franchise adopts after Craig leaves. With Brosnan there was a definite sense that they had tried the “edgy and dangerous” route and now wanted someone more fun, charming and suave than Dalton. The opposite was the case in 2005. They wanted someone younger, rougher and a little more iconoclastic.

    I think Eon will rebrand again when they reboot.

    A more entertaining Bond:

    I think much of the fan community want a return to the old Bond pictures which were designed purely to entertain (personally, I like the rougher and more subversive Craig films and hope they continue down this road with the next actor). The Craig era has been full of gloom and portent and I think Eon may move towards making more “fluffy” films. There was certainly a feeling in 2005 that reboots needed to be “gritty” and “dark”. Now with the Marvel films ruling the critics and box-office alike, I can see Eon wanting to follow the tone set by those films and make something a tad lighter.

    Who could play this type of Bond? Probably not someone like Daniel Craig. In turn, the more edgy choices probably wouldn’t be considered (no Tom Hardy, Jack O’Connell, Idris Elba, etc) and perhaps names like Henry Cavill, Tom Hiddleston or James Norton would be more apt (boring white guys).

    The only actor we know Barbara has on her list currently is Jack Huston (Baz Bambigboye reported he was under consideration in 2017) – however, I’m sure there are plenty of other people on her list.
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4299532/BAZ-BAMIGBOYE-ponders-play-007.html
    He seems to suit this archetype more than the “dark” or “gritty” Bond. Personally, I think he’s a little bland.

    JACK-HUSTON-788134.jpg

    The other name suggested by Baz is Sam Claflin – though this seems more of a personal choice from Baz himself. He also fails to inspire too much confidence in me.

    39643970954_7c0a46526e_c.jpg

    I feel in a risk-adverse studio system, we won’t get another Daniel Craig-esque piece of casting. Someone more agreeable will play the role next time out.

    You asked "who could play this type of Bond?" I.e lighter and designed purely to entertain, but then you left out the prime candidate.

    Aidan Turner fits that bill so perfectly, it's seems like the only way he won't be become the next James Bond, IMO, is if Nolan prefers to cast from his own pool of actors, Tom Hardy for instance.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,134
    Of course other than some fans wanting Christopher Nolan to helm Bond 26, there is absolutely no proof or even a thin veil of it that he will direct the next Bond outing.
    The question was asked on the Facebook page ForBondFansOnly whether Turner would make a good next Bond.
    The answer seemed to be a resounding...
    NO!
  • edited June 2022 Posts: 937
    .
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    edited July 2018 Posts: 7,021
    I think the criteria by which we generally evaluate former and future Bond actors can be summed up in three concepts: charm, danger, presence (plus acting ability, but let's leave that aside since the other aspects should be evaluated first). Some actors have had more charm than a sense of danger (Moore), and others have been the opposite (Craig). Others have perhaps been more balanced (not that having more of one aspect means having less of the other). I don't know, YMMV. What all the actors have had, in my opinion, is presence. Even David Niven, probably the least threatening Bond, had considerable presence-- if the guy had been a general, I would've followed him into battle. The thing about casting Bond is that the actor who plays him has to naturally look and feel like he's not a brat. You have to look at the guy and feel he has been around the block a few times. He may be a "lover" Bond, a "brooding" Bond or a "balanced" Bond, but he has to have some gravitas. No matter how human his take on the character, no matter how young, you have to admire and look up to the guy.

    I was just looking at some photos of Craig in Tomb Raider. He was 32-33 when he made that, and in terms of presence, he was already cut out for Bond. I don't get that from some of the potential names mentioned here. They grow beards to look masculine but they have the distinct smell of "pretty-boy-ness." Jack O'Connell might (might) some day develop into a decent candidate for Bond, as he conveys some sense of danger, but right now he still mainly a brat. He looks like he is eager to become a man, which is good, but Bond has to be a man already. Aidan Turner has no doubt a more Bondian quality to him, but I still have my reservations about him. As I said, it appears some of these guys have to grow beards to look masculine enough, which makes me a bit nervous. Luke Bracey has a good look to him. I thought he was adequate in The November Man (save for one particularly bad moment) and much better in Hacksaw Ridge. But I'm not convinced either. Maybe all these people are just too young. Two actors I've noticed that have presence and Bondian looks (but whose casting is by now totally out of the question) are Michael Fassbender and Jon Hamm (I know I'm not the first to mention them).

    So who would I cast? I don't have a clue. I know who I wouldn't cast and for the most part, I'd rather avoid speculating about who they should cast, and leave that to EON, who appear to know what they're doing.

    As for the type of Bond the next Bond should be, I hope we go back to one with a lighter touch (once again, this is different from having presence-- Moore and Brosnan were lighter and had presence). I'm not convinced they wouldn't be willing to go for a Craig-style Bond because it would be 'risky.' We just had a very successful Craig-style Bond: Daniel Craig. It would be within the realm of reason to get someone like him, since the public has embraced his type of Bond. But then again, it would also make sense to go in a different direction, not only to avoid comparisons with Craig, but to shake things up. So it's a bit of a grey area. Anyway, I would definitely prefer the next Bond to be less brooding and intense than Craig.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    I'm sure these the top actors are good at their job, but I think with them starring in it, the films would be boring. I want to drive Ferraris, Porches, speedboats. I want to do some skiing, play ice hockey, do some parachute stunts and kick-ass using martial arts. I want a top actress as Moneypenny and many Russian hot models to appear in every picture. The series is missing its fantasy element; they need to include some excitement and awesomeness!
    +1. You hit the nail right on the head, sir!
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