Idris Elba considered for James Bond

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  • edited December 2014 Posts: 1,778
    I'm sure I'll be called a racist by some posters but honestly I don't care. I don't understand why some people are obsessed with this idea of making James Bond black. It seems like the idea has been floating around consistently for the past 15 years. And not even for a good reason. It's just so the producers, those involved, and those who've supported it to say "Hey look at me. I supported a black James Bond. See how progressive I am". This isn't a matter of Elba being the best actor for the job. I've seen Elba in a wide variety of different roles and while I do think he's a very good actor I've never seen him in anything to make me think, "This man simply must be the next James Bond. He's got everything Connery had and more". Elba will be nothing more than a poster boy for a P.C. message and agenda. And if anyone believes this will somehow bridge the divide between white and black people in some small way, I live in Brooklyn only a few miles away from where those two police officers were executed in cold-blood only days ago. Believe me there are bigger sociological problems going on right now than who's playing James Bond.

    I'm all for more black heroes in film, television, and pop culture. So be my guest and create some instead of taking a character with 60 plus years of history and making him black just to make yourselves feel better.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    edited December 2014 Posts: 16,351
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Cut-throat, Murdock. This new crisp and succinct attack mode you've been exhibiting lately is very impressive.
    Thanks. It must be this Dalton avatar rubbing off on me. :))

    aspie wrote: »
    “Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."
    "Man who farts in church sits in own pew."
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    If someone gave me a good enough reason why, after 50 years (with the LATEST film being the most successful) James Bond NEEDS to be black, then I'm interested. I'll still watch it, but...why?

    My viewpoint on this has constantly changed. Besides, Idris will be nearly 50 by the time a new Bond actor starts shooting, so it won't be him.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,217
    I'm sure I'll be called a racist by some posters but honestly I don't care. I don't understand why some people are obsessed with this idea of making James Bond black. It seems like the idea has been floating around consistently for the past 15 years. And not even for a good reason. It's just so the producers, those involved, and those who've supported it to say "Hey look at me. I supported a black James Bond. See how progressive I am". This isn't a matter of Elba being the best actor for the job. I've seen Elba in a wide variety of different roles and while I do think he's a very good actor I've never seen him in anything to make me think, "This man simply must be the next James Bond. He's got everything Connery had and more". Elba will be nothing more than a poster boy for a P.C. message and agenda. And if anyone believes this will somehow bridge the divide between white and black people in some small way, I live in Brooklyn only a few miles away from where those two police officers were executed in cold-blood only days ago. Believe me there are bigger sociological problems going on right now than who's playing James Bond.

    I'm all for more black heroes in film, television, and pop culture. So be my guest and create some instead of taking a character with 60 plus years of history and making him black just to make yourselves feel better.

    Very well said. This sort of thing echoes sentiments Christian Bale had about critics of Western-actors playing non-Western roles.

    "If people start supporting those films more and more, then financiers in the market will follow. The audience has to show financiers that they will be there, and then they could make a large budget film."

    I think the same sort of thing applies here. I think people of other race and colour should absolutely be able to go out and create their own classic heroes and characters. But as far as already established ones go - the undeniable fact is that people are different and Bond as a creation has certain elements that are set in stone by Fleming, and his skin colour is one of them.

    I love Elba, and Luther is one of my favourite shows on TV, but he should not be let near Bond. Give Luther a big screen adaptation instead, I'll be first in line to see it.
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    If someone gave me a good enough reason why, after 50 years (with the LATEST film being the most successful) James Bond NEEDS to be black, then I'm interested. I'll still watch it, but...why?

    No one has said he needs to be, or even ought to be.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    edited December 2014 Posts: 12,480
    Murdock wrote: »
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Cut-throat, Murdock. This new crisp and succinct attack mode you've been exhibiting lately is very impressive.
    Thanks. It must be this Dalton avatar rubbing off on me. :))

    aspie wrote: »
    “Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."
    "Man who farts in church sits in own pew."

    =)) Love this, @Murdock. Thanks for making me laugh, Christmas Day.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    My Pleasure @4EverBonded. I just love to make people laugh. :)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    @Sark, well feel free to show me where nobody has said that. Because ever since the news broke that Amy Pascal wanted Idris as Bond, I've seen many people online saying it.
  • I'm sure I'll be called a racist by some posters but honestly I don't care. I don't understand why some people are obsessed with this idea of making James Bond black. It seems like the idea has been floating around consistently for the past 15 years. And not even for a good reason. It's just so the producers, those involved, and those who've supported it to say "Hey look at me. I supported a black James Bond. See how progressive I am". This isn't a matter of Elba being the best actor for the job. I've seen Elba in a wide variety of different roles and while I do think he's a very good actor I've never seen him in anything to make me think, "This man simply must be the next James Bond. He's got everything Connery had and more". Elba will be nothing more than a poster boy for a P.C. message and agenda. And if anyone believes this will somehow bridge the divide between white and black people in some small way, I live in Brooklyn only a few miles away from where those two police officers were executed in cold-blood only days ago. Believe me there are bigger sociological problems going on right now than who's playing James Bond.

    I'm all for more black heroes in film, television, and pop culture. So be my guest and create some instead of taking a character with 60 plus years of history and making him black just to make yourselves feel better.

    Very well said. This sort of thing echoes sentiments Christian Bale had about critics of Western-actors playing non-Western roles.

    "If people start supporting those films more and more, then financiers in the market will follow. The audience has to show financiers that they will be there, and then they could make a large budget film."

    I think the same sort of thing applies here. I think people of other race and colour should absolutely be able to go out and create their own classic heroes and characters. But as far as already established ones go - the undeniable fact is that people are different and Bond as a creation has certain elements that are set in stone by Fleming, and his skin colour is one of them.

    I love Elba, and Luther is one of my favourite shows on TV, but he should not be let near Bond. Give Luther a big screen adaptation instead, I'll be first in line to see it.

    Thankyou @CraigMooreOHMSS. I don't understand why this is something unique to Bond. I don't recall ever hearing anyone say that Denzel Washington should be the next Batman, or that Will Smith should've been Superman in Man of Steel, or that Samual L. Jackson would be a shoe-in for Sherlock Holmes. For whatever reason there are people out there who are seemingly obsessed with seeing a black James Bond but specifically Bond.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    edited December 2014 Posts: 12,480
    On this forum, I don't read people saying there needs to be a black Bond; like it is time for that no matter what, the next one really should be a black actor. I think here folks are Just saying how that plays out for them, positive or negative. Maybe on lots of other places on the internet people are calling for it as definitely necessary, but I don't find that here. I don't find people here posting like they are obsessed with this one issue, that Bond needs to be black next time around.
  • edited December 2014 Posts: 1,778
    On this forum, I don't read people saying there needs to be a black Bond; like it is time for that no matter what, the next one really should be a black actor. I think here folks are Just saying how that plays out for them, positive or negative. Maybe on lots of other places on the internet people are calling for it as definitely necessary, but I don't find that here. I don't find people here posting like they are obsessed with this one issue, that Bond needs to be black next time around.

    No not on this site but I have heard people passionately make a case for it elsewhere. And the fact that it's kept on coming up over the last 15 years or so. Even when the current actor playing Bond is nowhere near the end of his reign. I remember the subject coming up on a radio show back in 2006 after Casino Royale was released. At that point Craig had atleast a decade ahead of him as Bond but people were already talking about the possibility of replacing him with a black actor.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Birdleson wrote: »
    I think the next @Murdock should be black. It's past time.
    Get Kenan Thompson and we got a deal. :D

  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    aspie wrote: »
    a homosexual Bond

    Babs and Dan already broke that wall in SF or at least that he is bisexual.

    33798b30d355bcc9c22111da5aa309c3afff325919b5fa9679ee5b0813daf17a.jpg
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    doubleoego wrote: »
    aspie wrote: »
    a homosexual Bond

    Babs and Dan already broke that wall in SF or at least that he is bisexual.

    33798b30d355bcc9c22111da5aa309c3afff325919b5fa9679ee5b0813daf17a.jpg

    Ha ha.
  • Posts: 1,993
    This again? OK then how about Idris Elba as Jason Bourne, Batman, Superman, Han Solo,Sherlock Holmes, Mike Hammer, Matt Helm, Benjamin Gates, Captain Ahab, Ishmael, Jay Gatsby, Hannibal Lecter, Rhett Butler, Derek Flint, etc.

    Would I continue to see the Bond films with a black actor? Yes. But do I think Bond should be black? No. Is that racist? No.

    How about a series of films like the Bond/Bourne films featuring a black actor?
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    Wisdom at last! Thanks, @CrabKey.

    A black spy in a brand new film series which may even challenge the Bonds? Give it to me! Meanwhile let's keep whatever is left of the Bond tradition intact. ;-)
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    You know what's interesting, people often say, create an alternative or an original concept with a black hero or whatever and I agree. Sure, there are some characters who I dont mind if they changed his/her skin colour but in the case of original ideas, sometimes they're just squandered. For example Neo from the Matrix movies. The role was originally intended for Will Smith but he turned it down and has been kicking himself ever since. He turned down the role of Neo for that pos movie wild wild west. However, he sort of made up for it with Hancock an original superhero movie. My point is, there is an effort being made for protagonists for people of colour in film and TV and there's an impressive few on TV bit it's also about the actors taking a chance themselves on the material.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    doubleoego wrote: »
    You know what's interesting, people often say, create an alternative or an original concept with a black hero or whatever and I agree. Sure, there are some characters who I dont mind if they changed his/her skin colour but in the case of original ideas, sometimes they're just squandered. For example Neo from the Matrix movies. The role was originally intended for Will Smith but he turned it down and has been kicking himself ever since. He turned down the role of Neo for that pos movie wild wild west. However, he sort of made up for it with Hancock an original superhero movie. My point is, there is an effort being made for protagonists for people of colour in film and TV and there's an impressive few on TV bit it's also about the actors taking a chance themselves on the material.

    True. Like Sly turning down Beverly Hills Cop. The rest, as they say, is history.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,718
    Has the films ever put forward Bond's race in a particular scene? I remember the 'fetch my shoes' from DN that Bond said to a black character, but are there any other? Sure Fleming wrote Bond as a white male, but I think book Bond and movie Bond are quite different. The newest films are set in the 2000's where it's a lot more acceptable for minority people to behave like James Bond has been doing for 52 years. The bottom line of my point is that Bond's race has never been an issue in the movies, and you can replace Craig/Brosnan by a black actor without altering the films and how the movie Bond is portrayed. I don't see how saying 'but this opens up the gates for a female Bond, a gay Bond, a handicapped Bond' is relevant because those are much, much bigger changes than a black British Bond. A female Bond for example would totally rewrite the character and the way the films are made, and it would be contrary to everything Bond stands for, movie wise and book wise. A black actor can be written exactly the same way Craig's Bond and Brosnan's Bond were written. A female, gay or handicapped Bond can't, IMO.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    LALD sort of touched on Bond's whiteness and how he sticks out in Harlem not to mention Kanaga calling Bond a honkey.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited December 2014 Posts: 18,281
    doubleoego wrote: »
    LALD sort of touched on Bond's whiteness and how he sticks out in Harlem not to mention Kanaga calling Bond a honkey.

    Indeed it does. Bond was a real Englishman Abroad or "fish out of water" in that one!
  • Posts: 11,425
    aspie wrote: »

    So it's John Calley we have to thank for 4 of the worst Bond movies. No wonder Babs hated him. As she so succinctly put it, he sounds like an *sshole.
  • Posts: 43
    Getafix wrote: »
    aspie wrote: »

    So it's John Calley we have to thank for 4 of the worst Bond movies. No wonder Babs hated him. As she so succinctly put it, he sounds like an *sshole.

    Not only did Babzy not want PB but Cubby didn't either, according to John Glen in his book, who said it was a tough sell for TLD. Of course, Babzy was committed to Tim in other ways
    ;))
  • Posts: 43
    Getafix wrote: »
    aspie wrote: »

    So it's John Calley we have to thank for 4 of the worst Bond movies. No wonder Babs hated him. As she so succinctly put it, he sounds like an *sshole.
    Plus he's dead, leave it be.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Getafix wrote: »
    aspie wrote: »

    So it's John Calley we have to thank for 4 of the worst Bond movies. No wonder Babs hated him. As she so succinctly put it, he sounds like an *sshole.

    Really...you really think all of Brosnan's films were worse than TMWTGG? You lost all credibility now. =))
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited December 2014 Posts: 24,183
    @Murdock, you and I both love GE so yeah, I'd turn things upside down and call at least one Brosnan film infinitely better than the majority of films in the series. ;-)
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    @Murdock, you and I both love GE so yeah, I'd turn things upside down and call at least one Brosnan film infinitely better than the majority of films in the series. ;-)

    I call 3 out of his 4 films better than most in the series. ;)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Murdock wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    @Murdock, you and I both love GE so yeah, I'd turn things upside down and call at least one Brosnan film infinitely better than the majority of films in the series. ;-)

    I call 3 out of his 4 films better than most in the series. ;)

    And those three are DAD, DAD, and DAD, correct? ;)

    Though I'd say all of the films are infinitely better than TMWTGG, I find it insane that someone thinks TMWTGG is much better than GE.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Murdock wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    @Murdock, you and I both love GE so yeah, I'd turn things upside down and call at least one Brosnan film infinitely better than the majority of films in the series. ;-)

    I call 3 out of his 4 films better than most in the series. ;)

    And those three are DAD, DAD, and DAD, correct? ;)

    Though I'd say all of the films are infinitely better than TMWTGG, I find it insane that someone thinks TMWTGG is much better than GE.
    Not enough vodka in one's martini. :))
  • Posts: 1,181
    I'd have to agree that GE, TND, and TWINE all significantly outperform TMWTGG hands down.
This discussion has been closed.