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No he didn’t. Otherwise, he would have.
To be honest, I suspect he might actually have done had the opportunity/concept of reality shows in its current form been around in his time. Cubby wasn’t immune from using elaborate television specials as publicity or extensions of the brand, and he certainly kept an ear to the ground in terms of media. Hell, technically we got James Bond Jr. under his watch (even though MGW worked as producer on it).
Honestly, I actually think MGW and BB have been quite restrained in terms of these sorts of ‘parallel Bond’ shows.
But the television specials were in direct support of the latest film.
Can we fire Cubby posthumously? As an entitled fan, I'm feeling bereft of what I am owed.
So we are all going to just casually overlook the fact that they didn't have a choice between 1989-95. The situations aren't the same.
[John Calley has entered the chat]
Sure, but having seen some of them I’d argue they could be far more strange than anything we’ll get with Road to a Million. Maybe it’s just a case of them being ‘of their time’ though. I find them a bit bizarre and not always well thought out personally. I don’t think Cubby would have been immune from such a reality show anymore than he was towards the earliest Bond video games (which weren’t always based on the latest films).
Like I said though, I think EON have always been quite good at keeping Bond it’s own thing/protecting the brand, even with the occasional James Bond Jr.
It’s also perhaps not fair to compare Cubby’s output to what we get nowadays. Even with many of the behind the scenes issues of the Craig era, films of this scale nowadays just have slightly longer schedules, particularity when it comes to post production. So even with a steady output we’d likely have three year gaps as opposed to two year ones.
They have a choice now? Pandemics caused delays of "No Time to Die" then their financier went broke/was bought out by a conglomerate then there were two strikes shutting down the industry.
SPECTRE was released in 2015, the pandemic didn't arrive until 2020. EON had plenty of time to work with.
Selective (recent) memory, lol.
You know better than this. You know they hired Danny Boyle and fired him in that period, with significant production work accomplished up to that point, which set back the final NTTD product significantly. Not to mention you had Daniel Craig begging to quit right after Spectre released, so who knows how long it took to actually calm him down and get him serious about another movie again, even. They weren't doing nothing between 2015 and 2021. And they aren't doing "nothing" now, they are limited by the environment they work in, and there are strikes! You know this!! Stop pretending you don't just to whine. They would make a movie if they could. They would be making money if they could, which is why we get the TV show and video game. I don't want a rushed video game, or movie. That's how you get mobile crap that's only discussed, even on this forum, for like 3 days before everyone moves on. We deserve better, and they consistently deliver, so just be patient.
Nobody is making movies with the locations Bond visits, the sets Bond builds, the stars Bond attracts, for the cost Bond charges, any quicker than Eon. The Mission: Impossible films reflect this, and perhaps even thrive at not over-stimulating and flooding the market. Each new movie feels like a treat because you earned it with patience.
This is a valuable post. I wish more would take the time to read what @LucknFate composed (in a nutshell, he pretty much has nailed it), and like the Bond Experience video, he's asking for a little common sense. It would be wise to consider.
I'd say that post was post of the year. Let's frame it and put it on the wall in every Bond26 related topic. Seriously, well said, @LucknFate.
That being said, I still don't like the idea of the reality tv show.
It takes very selective memory indeed to state that only Cubby did right by Bond.
I'd say CR (which is clearly Barbara taking charge) rates favorably next to almost all of the Cubby output, with the *possible* exceptions of the early '60s and OHMSS. And a lot of those benefited from the Broccoli-Saltzman partnership. It wasn't all Cubby. It was a team effort.
Not to mention that Cubby himself would be happy that his daughter had built on his legacy so well. Sheesh.
I was worried about this when the decided to end NTTD with death. Death Is So Permanent. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and I will BE FAIR HERE and agree that it is suspicious, perhaps, that the franchise as a whole wasn't a little better prepared for the interim period between actors. There should have been a video game ready, new Blu-Ray/DVD collection, perhaps another documentary in the works. But I also do think we have to be fair to THEM and respect the TV show as one of these offerings of peace in the downtime.
His hiring was a mistake.
Anyway, It was a mistake.
I never said they have a choice now. But there were the legal issues that arouse that got in the way, plus a studio head that refused to greenlight another Bond.
What I don't understand, is if it's a WGA strike, then why not hire writers outside the US? But Bond has access to British writers anyway, so they won't be scabs for hiring their (usual) writers.
Of that old team, Richard Maibaum needed to realize he was part of the EON team. He probably deny it, and say that a movie’s certain failure was because someone didn’t do his script the way he envisioned it. I’m guilty of blaming one person for a Bond movie’s shortcomings. However, I realize after listening to his ego, I can’t single one person out anymore. Bond (and entertainment media in general) is a team effort. There’s not really one person that we can blame. Let’s try to avoid being like Richard Maibaum, and realize that everyone has different opinions and viewpoints. Bond will return, let’s just try to be patient, we got A LOT of Bond material than other fandoms do in their worlds.
Since there is no actual news or hints as to where it is or could go at this point I think you can rest assured that topics will continue to repeat.
The writer's strike is over. Yes, they could start on the story but they may be waiting for the actor's strike to finish so they can interview possible Bond actors so they can get an idea as to what kind of story tone they want to go with.
I'm not suggesting what I want to happen, but what WILL likely be the case. If I had my way Edgar Wright would do a TND "day in the life" mission based bond outing with with lots of sharp edits and really tight script filled with humour. I realise this is highly unlikely, but it's my idea of what Bond needs in the present era. What EON will do is most likely a modern day FRWL style film, basically a back to basics thriller that establishes the world of Bond, without focusing on the character like Craig did. If Casino Royale revitalised the series with a reinvention of Bond the man, then Bond 26 will reevaluate the world he lives in in the same way. Essentially in the last few years the geopolitical world has changed dramatically, and Bond 26 will address this head on, the same way CR did with 9/11. Obviously there will be some creative license and imagination involved, but if I had to guess they will go closer to "Sicario" in tone than the Guy Ritchie type "man from uncle" that people might be expecting. The next director will be a alfonso cuaron (gravity) type, and the budget will likely be 150 million or less. It will be about starting small and establishing a foundation that they can build on with subsequent films. I do believe the next actor will be much more comedic than Craig overall, and much less introspective, but that's something they will grow into as time moves on.
Because Bond films from the very beginning have been American financed productions, going all the way back to United Artists. This is why both strikes had an impact. And as the writers strike is about to wind down with new rules and regulations, there’s still the actors strike, which is the biggest of them all. Doesn’t matter if the actor is British, if they’re to be the next Bond they have to join SAG because of MGM being the owner of production.
Yeah exactly. I think how the entertainment landscape has changed is also worth mentioning. The time Cubby was releasing films in may not have been that long ago, but it’s a whole different world to now, where it’s never been easier to access more entertainment options than ever. Making a blockbuster that appeals to “everyone” enough to justify its massive budget has never been harder, because we’re so spoilt for choice.
I miss having a film every two years, but when I think back to that time, half the people who came to see the Brosnan films with me probably wouldn’t want to now. Going to see the latest blockbuster whether you were excited for it or not because it’s “something to do” just isn’t a thing anymore. We call carry around phones that are a million times more advanced than the computers you’d only ever use at work/school back in the day (if at all). We’ve got too many blockbusters to count at home, just a few clicks away. Sex is just a few swipes away. There’s streaming services for video games, same day delivery, it’s never been easier to get into whatever niche inaccessible hobby you’d have never heard of when you were a kid.
I wish they were filling the gap with something other than the reality show, but I do think they’ve been smart in positioning Bond as an event that comes every few years.
Exactly. And honestly, I don’t think they’ve done too bad a job. A reality show and a video game aren’t bad things to tide fans over or potentially get new fans onboard (video games are especially good - I have memories of my non-Bond fan friends getting a kickstart at CR/the Craig era with Everything or Nothing).
As you said as well, there’s also an element of cinema (and by this I mean going to see movies in the theatres, in itself I’m sure a Barrie definition) needing to be ‘grander’ in order to simply get people interested in order for them to go and see it. Bond needs to be an event, similar to SF in 2012.