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Woah, in opinion of some Spectre is disappointing, But lets look at it's numbers, ok it did not exceed Skyfall.
$880,674,609 against Skyfall the highest grossing $1,110,526,981which still makes Spectre the 2nd highest grossing Bond ever made. Spectre is hardly a flop or disappointing too many.
My biggest problem with it was the lack of surprise, between Sony leaks, production video diaries and the trailer we already got to see the best bits of the movie before seeing it in the cinema. If you had managed to avoid all of that seeing Spectre would have been far more enjoyable IMO.
Right, but someone (Barbara) just can't ignore peoples' opinion for the films.
I just think it would be really cool for EON to not rest on their laurels.
If Dan stays for 1 or 2 more, with Mike and Barbs getting on I think their involvement officially will end with Dan's reign, and with Gregg and David G already heavily involved, I think when Dan goes it will be Gregg and David G picking the next Bond and it will be their vision for what Bond is when that time comes.
He said he would keep doing it as long as he kept enjoying it and felt up to it. Other quotes were "I might do another one, maybe another 2, I don't know, now is not the time to think about it". Yet an even earlier quote was "I don't want to be the old guy, and it looks awkward, when the day comes when I am too old for it I hope someone tells me".
I suspect he will do one, unless the plan is make 2 in quick succession and withhold release of the second I would have to agree 2 would be a push, but entirely possible. The rumour he had been offered $150M for 2 films. The amount was denied, but not that there had been an offer.
If they have the feeling SP is their only way to do a "standard" Bond movie, then they have done all they can (with Craig) and it's time to release Craig and start fresh with a new tone of the movies.
To me, the Craig era deserves one last, bookending entry with all the now trademark elements Craig brought to the role: Personal background of Bond, serious relationship, hard-boiled action, less gadgets.
But any cheesy thing like the foster-brother "twist" and such must be avoided - same as the "one-man-army" thing the third act of SP showed. Of course Bond is larger-than-life ... but Craig's other entries showed he suffers greatly to achieve his goals .. where in SP he walks away, shoots some guards and the whole Blofeld HQ blows up... WTF?! SO please let's avoid that.
IF EON is able to get a script together which focuses on the Craig-Bond-trademark elements, mix in ingredients from Novels (OHMSS, MR are my choices) plus escapism (less but more explored locations like in DN or TB) I am absolutely sure we would get a well done and very successful bookend for the Craig era.
If all that's not possible and the only way they think they can do it is like especially SPs third act (which wipes out all the most excellent elements of acts 1 and 2) - then please start over with another actor and find a new balance ... maybe go back to the traditional formula which may suit the new actor better. If they stick to the "new formula", it will be (too) hard for any new actor not to be compared to Craig's version and he will not be able to show his strengths as he could otherwise (see Dalton's first movie with too many elements suiting Roger Moore for example).
Hopefully not Logan, although he did seem to come in tow with Mendes. From what I read about Spectre it took Jez Buttrworth and an embarrassing climb down to reproach to Neal Purvis and Robert Wade to fix the holes and add some humour to Logan's script. Too many cooks spoil the broth. I would give the gig to Mark Gatiss. A self proclaimed super fan his writing on Sherlock and guest writing on Dr Who went down well. he is a really creative guy and I think he could nail a classic adventure.
I don't think Craig is on board with the idea of shooting films back to back. The only way I could see it happening is if they could find a director that he really wanted to work with. They would have to rely much more on stunt doubles and other tricks to avoid any halts in production caused by Craig getting injured.
Personally I feel there is something odd about the type of answers were getting. Barbara has never mentioned anything about the distrobutor holding things up. That business could be sorted out by now for all we know, and Craig still said in October that " tiredness" was the cause for delay. Meanwhile we have had several reports throughout the year of Actors being flown to LA to talk with Barbara herself. That could be harmless talks, but it does raise the possibility that they are stalling for time, until an announcement is made.
I don't quite agree. If they bow out in my opinion would be closer to what happened after DAD. SP really comes off to me as Craig's DAD.
There are elements that DAD and SP share, the celebratory atmosphere being a prime example, and the dodgy CGI being another. I can certainly see where you're coming from, however I see a lot of the "just one more" rhetoric which lead to DAF and AVTAK. In other words, EON clinging to a successful actor in almost a nostalgic fashion, instead of innovating and adapting to the changing world around them. How much does todays climate resemble the one which Craig emerged from in 2006?
Yes you're right there is that one more rhetoric I don't recall after DAD.
I don't recall the dodgy CGI in SP, I do many times in DAD? For me, although I prefer the tone of say CR, SP was a good character arc for Craig's Bond. Brosnan's Bond faltered midway through TND.
Todays climate is pretty similar to the one which Craig emerged from in 2006, post 911 and out of the 2008-2012 recession.
I think SP is a pretty good sendoff. Better than DAF or AVTAK or DAD. It wrapped things up nicely for Craig, gave him some nice symmerty. A woman was what created his Bond (Vesper) and now a woman was what caused him to leave (Swan). Plus it set up Blofeld to reappear sometime down the line. The damage is done as far as the brother angle is concerned. No way we can reverse that decision now.
I think the world has changed dramatically in the last few years, and Bond is already being slow on the uptake if you ask me. Trump would never have gotten elected in 2008, for example. There seems to be a huge cultural shift happening and if Bond continues like business as usual then its going to find itself left behind. Then another huge reboot would be needed to catch up and "prove" again that Bond is still relevant. I'd really prefer to avoid that.
I think the change in tone, with Barbers comments, and with Dan finally talking about that something has happened. I suspect your right that his aspect has been sorted but it is being kept on the down low until the ink's dry on the contract. As for the other actors auditioning, I think the rumours are true, but I feel it is has been more to do with covering their own backs while awaiting Dan. I don't think he is saying one thing to the press and one thing to EON, I think the indecision is genuine but with a us now nearly a year on from when Craig was doing the Spectre PR and he has had time to forget about Bond and focus on other projects he had warmed to the idea and knows he is not ready to give it up.
I think it's actually escalated than faded away, al-quaeda has given way to ISIS with their beheadings etc. Bataclan was only a year ago.
They could just ignore the foster brother angle.
Reading this gives me mixed feelings. On one hand there's the comforting and recognisable reliability; but then there's the predictable, formulaic, been there done that 100 times before perspective.
http://theconversation.com/how-brexit-and-trump-will-affect-james-bond-67094
I agree... there's the nostalgia of the way it was done, but, really, after fifty plus years, to go back to that structure, there's no room for growth and the series would quickly get stale again.
CR was the perfect balance of taking from the past, while not being afraid of the modern context and where Bond stands in this world.
To have 007 waltz back in the office to flirt with 'Penny again, get his orders, grab his gadgets, and so on, would be death.
The world moves in mysterious ways?!!!! >-)
I don't think it's meant to be taken seriously, look at this paragraph
Brexit will certainly have an impact on his mobility. In most of the films featuring airports, including the earliest Dr No (1962), Bond is depicted as walking through them with brio, as a man untroubled by the “petty sovereigns” (as literary critic Judith Butler might have it) who administer and police airports. Travel could become more complicated for a post-Brexit Bond. His ability to glide through customs and border inspections airports and seaports would certainly diminish.
Where it is serious, it actually feels like a natural step from the world presented in Spectre.
I didn't say it was, but it raises some interesting questions nonetheless.
Well said!
I want Craig back for one more to close out his era properly. The story and tone of SP were so muddled, and because of it, Craig gave the worst of his four performances.
For Bond 25, my hope is that they ignore the worst aspects of SP (the foster brother angle, and possibly Swann, whose relationship with Bond never quite jelled for me). Blofeld is likely to reappear, since Eon spent all that money to get the rights.
But it will have to be a director Craig wants. I could see Campbell (if he wants it, and is up to the task at his age). I could even see someone like Greengrass (whose revival of Bourne kind of blew up in his face). Or someone like Villeneuve. Let's face it, most directors would give their right arm to helm a Bond film.
I really hope--although past behavior does not give me a lot of comfort--that Eon uses this downtime to hire a good writer and leave P&W in the past (their contributions to SP took the franchise in the wrong direction, IMHO). And like a new director, most writers would give their right arm to write a Bond film.
That being said, a good writer does not need years to write a good script. He or she just needs a good starting point, such as the novels YOLT, OHMSS, or MR, as you've basically suggested.
And I now wonder if a certain redhead being elected leader of the free world (!) makes a neo-Drax more likely to appear in Bond 25.
It wasn't his best performance as Bond.
I disagree. He looked bored and out of place in SP. CR remains his best performance, with QoS a close second. Even the lighthearted moments in those two films are better ("We're teachers on holiday who won the lottery") than the forced ones in SF or SP. It is pretty clear in retrospect that Craig and Mendes had different ideas about the direction of the character but that Craig, like most actors, trusted his director.