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What Directors Should Helm A Bond Film?

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  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,047
    I think most importantly, we need a director who understands Bond as well. A director might be very good, but doesn't know how to make a Bond film feel like a Bond film.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,217
    SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ wrote: »
    I think most importantly, we need a director who understands Bond as well. A director might be very good, but doesn't know how to make a Bond film feel like a Bond film.

    Partially why I'm a bit cautious about the idea of Chan-Wook helming a Bond film. He's a wonderful director but most of his films have an anti-establishment theme, and I don't think I like the idea of an anti-establishment Bond.
  • ByRoyalDecreeByRoyalDecree
    Posts: 784
    CraigMooreOHMSS wrote: »
    SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ wrote: »
    I think most importantly, we need a director who understands Bond as well. A director might be very good, but doesn't know how to make a Bond film feel like a Bond film.

    Partially why I'm a bit cautious about the idea of Chan-Wook helming a Bond film. He's a wonderful director but most of his films have an anti-establishment theme, and I don't think I like the idea of an anti-establishment Bond.

    I mean every single Craig film was very anti-establishment.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    edited October 2022 Posts: 8,217
    ByRoyalDecree wrote: »
    CraigMooreOHMSS wrote: »
    SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ wrote: »
    I think most importantly, we need a director who understands Bond as well. A director might be very good, but doesn't know how to make a Bond film feel like a Bond film.

    Partially why I'm a bit cautious about the idea of Chan-Wook helming a Bond film. He's a wonderful director but most of his films have an anti-establishment theme, and I don't think I like the idea of an anti-establishment Bond.

    I mean every single Craig film was very anti-establishment.

    No, not really. I'd say the only one that fits that bill is QoS, and even then Bond is still driven by his duty to the crown.
  • ByRoyalDecreeByRoyalDecree
    edited October 2022 Posts: 784
    Maybe not Skyfall. But CR hinted at government corruption and immoral pragmatism. Spectre was about the formation of the global surveillance state. And NTTD was about a government involved in secret biological weapon experimentation.

    Dalton was arguably anti-establishment too in how many times he avoided following his orders albeit for the benefit of the "establishment".
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,217
    ByRoyalDecree wrote: »
    Maybe not Skyfall. But CR hinted at government corruption and immoral pragmatism. Spectre was about the formation of the global surveillance state. And NTTD was about a government involved in secret biological weapon experimentation.

    Dalton was arguably anti-establishment too in how many times he avoided following his orders albeit for the benefit of the "establishment".

    Pragmatism can't be moral or immoral. It exists outside of those boundaries because in the context of espionage it is always to serve the idea of "the greater good".

    If CR is "immorally pragmatic", then all Bond films are. And none of them are anti-establishment. If they were anti-establishment, then Bond would be trying to take down his superiors like Bourne.

    It might be an interesting change, but it would be a huge change nonetheless.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,551
    Yeah Bond is extremely pro-establishment.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,047
    CraigMooreOHMSS wrote: »
    SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ wrote: »
    I think most importantly, we need a director who understands Bond as well. A director might be very good, but doesn't know how to make a Bond film feel like a Bond film.

    Partially why I'm a bit cautious about the idea of Chan-Wook helming a Bond film. He's a wonderful director but most of his films have an anti-establishment theme, and I don't think I like the idea of an anti-establishment Bond.

    Exactly. That's the worry, as good as he is.
  • ByRoyalDecreeByRoyalDecree
    edited October 2022 Posts: 784
    I don’t think there is as much of a need to make the good guys morally ambiguous as much as it is important to make the bad guys grey.
  • Agent_Zero_OneAgent_Zero_One Ireland
    Posts: 554
    Bond is the archetypal Establishment Man, although I think Lazenby, Dalton and Craig played around with it a bit performance wise.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,551
    I think maybe the sole example is LTK when it is much more personal for Bond than other missions, but otherwise with Craig and especially Lazenby, they only go outside the establishment when he feels he can do a better job than the establishment allows him to. But he is always working for the establishment.

    I think anti-establishment would be if Bond worked to undermine the British Government/Britain generally, which is so antithesis to Bond.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,217
    An important distinguishing trait between Bond and a character like Jason Bourne.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,047
    I think Gareth Edwards would do a good job.
  • Colonel_VenusColonel_Venus
    Posts: 579
    What Bond 26 needs is buzz and quality. It has to be as good as GoldenEye, Casino Royale and Skyfall, which in my opinion all are top 5 Bond films. Nolan would pretty much guarantee both the buzz and the quality. What other director would?
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,047
    I love Nolan. But after Tenet (which I didn't mind) he's not popular right now. But I think Oppenheimer might get him back into the spotlight he enjoyed consistently for over a decade.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,216
    SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ wrote: »
    I love Nolan. But after Tenet (which I didn't mind) he's not popular right now. But I think Oppenheimer might get him back into the spotlight he enjoyed consistently for over a decade.

    When it comes to Nolan, I’m not in either camp; bunt he shouldn’t be judged by one clunker
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,047
    talos7 wrote: »
    SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ wrote: »
    I love Nolan. But after Tenet (which I didn't mind) he's not popular right now. But I think Oppenheimer might get him back into the spotlight he enjoyed consistently for over a decade.

    When it comes to Nolan, I’m not in either camp; bunt he shouldn’t be judged by one clunker

    Sure, even the best directors in film history, had one or two not so great films.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 1,649
    Colonel_Venus wrote: »
    What Bond 26 needs is buzz and quality. It has to be as good as GoldenEye, Casino Royale and Skyfall, which in my opinion all are top 5 Bond films. Nolan would pretty much guarantee both the buzz and the quality. What other director would?

    As others have discussed previously, I think by now Denis Villeneuve would assure some level of quality and a moderate level of buzz. Maybe we'd get a bigger role for a French-Canadian Bond woman this time around.

    Martin Campbell would surely generate headlines and explainers a third time around, the Bond launcher extraordinaire.

    Maybe Kathryn Bigelow?

    My wildcard suggestion: Sofia Coppola
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    edited October 2022 Posts: 7,551
    I'd be very happy with Villeneuve. He doesn't really make "Bond" type films but would certainly turn in something unique and high quality.
    LucknFate wrote: »

    My wildcard suggestion: Sofia Coppola

    My wildcard suggestion: Alfonso Cuaron
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 1,649
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    I'd be very happy with Villeneuve. He doesn't really make "Bond" type films but would certainly turn in something unique and high quality.
    LucknFate wrote: »

    My wildcard suggestion: Sofia Coppola

    My wildcard suggestion: Alfonso Cuaron

    A name that comes up that often is hardly a wildcard, but I wouldn't be mad.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,551
    LucknFate wrote: »
    NickTwentyTwo wrote: »
    I'd be very happy with Villeneuve. He doesn't really make "Bond" type films but would certainly turn in something unique and high quality.
    LucknFate wrote: »

    My wildcard suggestion: Sofia Coppola

    My wildcard suggestion: Alfonso Cuaron

    A name that comes up that often is hardly a wildcard, but I wouldn't be mad.

    I didn't realize people had been suggesting him.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,807
    the-digital-fix-logo-580x334.jpg
    Park Chan-wook wants to
    make a James Bond
    movie, and we should let
    him
    https://www.thedigitalfix.com/james-bond/park-chan-wook


    Acclaimed director Park Chan-wook has revealed his 007 love, and it's time we start the petition for him to direct the next James Bond movie ASAP

    007.jpg
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Shared that on the previous page. I'd welcome such a director taking a stab. It'd certainly be an interesting vision.
  • Colonel_VenusColonel_Venus
    Posts: 579
    I would love it if Park Chan-wook directed a Bond film, but not Bond 26. The first Bond film of the next actor needs to be a guaranteed home run and an instant classic but Park Chan-wook would be a risky choice.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Colonel_Venus wrote: »
    I would love it if Park Chan-wook directed a Bond film, but not Bond 26. The first Bond film of the next actor needs to be a guaranteed home run and an instant classic but Park Chan-wook would be a risky choice.

    I don't see it happening but I'd love to get Campbell back one last time. The man knows how to kickstart a Bond era, that's for damn sure.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    edited October 2022 Posts: 2,047
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Colonel_Venus wrote: »
    I would love it if Park Chan-wook directed a Bond film, but not Bond 26. The first Bond film of the next actor needs to be a guaranteed home run and an instant classic but Park Chan-wook would be a risky choice.

    I don't see it happening but I'd love to get Campbell back one last time. The man knows how to kickstart a Bond era, that's for damn sure.

    I agree...unflinchingly.
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    edited October 2022 Posts: 3,152
    Although I just saw Memory and thought it was pretty pedestrian throughout, tbh. But then, it was just a middling thriller - I'm sure Campbell would be more motivated to rise to the occasion if he was launching a third new Bond.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    edited October 2022 Posts: 2,047
    It's funny how Campbell doesn't do well when directing other films, but makes Bond a Titan, when directing him. Seems like Campbell is naturally suited to direct only Bond films.
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    edited October 2022 Posts: 3,152
    Yes, something about Bond does seem to bring out the best in him. He's like a boxer who sinks to the level of his opposition and can only really get motivated for the top fights!
  • battleshipgreygtbattleshipgreygt
    edited October 2022 Posts: 1,220
    Give this guy the resources and production that Barbara and Michael can give offer him with Bond and he’ll make something jaw dropping, I’m convinced. He (rightly) gets praised for his action chops but Gangs of London showed me he can also deliver on a story/character level as a writer/director. Particularly considering it’s a genre/scenario we’ve seen a lot of but feels completely fresh.



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