The biggest missed opportunities in the Bond franchise

1235717

Comments

  • Posts: 1,143
    Lazenby and Dalton not having the chance to cement themselves in the role, each actor clearly had more to offer and both should have done at least one further movie. Whereas prehaps Connery and Moore both had one too many. (DAF & AVTAK being their last movies in question)
  • edited May 2012 Posts: 7,653
    Another missed opportunity was not taking Ronin, drop Robert de Niro and exchange it with James Bond, no changes to the script. It would have been a legendary Bondmovie. O:-)
  • Posts: 562
    - Connery as Bond from '62 through '69
    - Lazenby as Bond from '71 through '81
    - Dalton as Bond from '83 through '95
    - Clive Owen as Bond from '97 through '02
    - A Fleming-faithful Moonraker
    - Hitchcock directing
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Monica Bellucci being absent from the Bond series
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    edited May 2012 Posts: 3,262
    Here's a few:

    A 3rd and 4th Dalton Bond film.
    Catherine Deneuve and Faye Dunaway as 1960s Bond girls.
    Rachel Ward as a 1980s Bond girl.
    Henry Mancini and Jerry Goldsmith scoring a Bond film.
    David Hedison making more appearances as Felix Leiter during the Moore years.
    Lee Horsley(1980s TV cowboy detective Matt Houston) as Felix Leiter in the '80s and '90s Bond films.
    Caroline Munro and Barbara Bach switching roles in TSWLM.
    A plot involving the UK's returning of Hong Kong to Red China in the 1990s.
    Patrick Macnee(Sir Godfrey Tibbett) never being cast as M(although I'm OK with Robert Brown).
    A decent script for QOS, making it a better follow up to the superior CR.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    * A Dalton film after LTK, preferably 2 or even 3.
    * Lazenby in DAF with a stronger continuity towards OHMSS.
    * A Craig film in 2010.
    * YOLT, MR and TMWTGG scripted much closer to the novels.
    * A John Barry score for DN, LALD, TSWLM, FYEO and all films after TLD till the sad day of the master's departure.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited May 2012 Posts: 6,304
    DarthDimi wrote:
    * A Dalton film after LTK, preferably 2 or even 3.
    * Lazenby in DAF with a stronger continuity towards OHMSS.
    * A Craig film in 2010.
    * YOLT, MR and TMWTGG scripted much closer to the novels.
    * A John Barry score for DN, LALD, TSWLM, FYEO and all films after TLD till the sad day of the master's departure.

    Very much agree, especially with the missed novels.

    I'd add:

    Continuity in casting with Blofeld and Leiter

    Switching order of YOLT and OHMSS

    and above all:

    A satisfying, definitive ending to the Bond/Blofeld conflict
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    Adding one today ...
    Donna Summer singing a Bond theme song
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,217
    An intelligent celebration of the 40th anniversary.

    Not having Barry do a Brosnan era score, especially for Goldeneye. I like some of Serra's score, but this could of been Barry's perfect swansong, ushering in a new era while ending his own.

    Dalton not doing a few films earlier. LTK would have been a better end for him in that regard.

    Lazenby being an ass and not returning for DAF.

    Conti's music for FYEO, which really isn't cool anymore, although I like the gunbarrel.

    QOS not having a memorable henchmen for Bond to do battle with. Hopefully Patrice in Skyfall will see Craig having his own Oddjob, Jaws, or Stamper.

    Purvis and Wade not stepping aside after DAD.



  • Posts: 2,189
    ...not having Fiennes play Blofeld. Biggest missed opportunity EVER!!!
  • Donald Pleasence not returing for OHMSS. He was great as Blofeld, very menacing. Such a shame he only did YOLT... But Tells Savalas still did a good job at Blofeld aswell.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    The entire Brosnan era.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    - James Brolin or Dalton in OP and AVTAK,

    I think you misread the title of the thread Captain. Its called 'Missed opportunities' not 'Dodged a bullet'.

    Unbelievable to think there are people out there who think bringing in Brolin (have you even seen his pitiful OP screen tests?) could be an improvement over Rog in one of his most polished performances.

    This is practically heresy even if you are not a Rog fan. In days gone by Captain_Nikoli would be burnt at the stake in the town square and thats no bad thing in my book.

    As others have mentioned QOS is one big missed oppurtunity. Just wish theyd have delayed it a year rather than press on with such an unpolished script.

    Other ones just off the top of my head:

    - Antony Hopkins in TND.

    - The lost Dalton films in 91 in 93. As a fan would like to have seen them but Tims general unpopularity with the public might have sunk the series if they had pressed on regardless.

    - Not even one more Laz film.

    - No Barry score for GE. GE brought Bond back with a bang but if Barry had replaced Serras dismal dirges then GE would probably be solid top 5 material.

    - No proper send off for Blofeld. The DAF finale is shockingly poor and the confused FYEO is somewhat unsatisfactory as well - why is he still in a neck brace? Are we supposed to forget DAF ever happened (wish I could) or do we assume he sustained those fresh spinal injuries in the bathosub? All thanks to Kevin and his lawsuits I suppose, and its just struk me that probably only done as EON got wind that Kev was planning NSNA so wanted to get in first and piss on his cornflakes. Otherwise why suddenly bring Blofeld back from nowhere 10 years after his last appearance rather than do it earlier?

    - And while we're at it what happened to Irma Bunt? DAF is embarassingly poor in dealing with the aftermath of Bonds bereavement.
  • A direct sequel to OHMSS should have happened but unfortuantly it didn't :( and instead we got Blofeld in drag... I've always gone with the logic that DAF happened BEFORE OHMSS not after.
  • Posts: 2,341
    Lazenby in DAF in a serious revenge flick post OHMSS

    Dalton in Goldeneye (would have been a tour de force and good farewell to TD)

    Brosnan putting more into his portrayals and not just "being there"

    QoS not being all over the map and concentrate on the Bond versus White/Quantum
  • Henry Cavill in Casino Royale.
  • edited May 2012 Posts: 12,837
    The entire Brosnan era.

    Nah. I don't think that's true. The only really bad film in the Brosnan era is DAD. GE is a great story that explores the character a bit as well as being a classic. TND is a fun popcorn film. TWINE is a dark and personal film with a lighter side. I don't see Brosnans era as a missed opportunity.


    The biggest missed opportunity is that we only had 2 Dalton films. Tim had created the best Bond ever and only got to show it in 2 films, which today are sadly underrated.

    DAF was a missed opportunity. DAD was. QOS was.
  • 002002
    Posts: 581
    fjdinardo wrote:
    To me the biggest mistake in the bond franchise was not having a 5th Pierce Brosnan movie. The producers should have made a deal with Pierce to make a 5th bond movie before Die Another Day started production. They could have made a good deal with him and then they could have started pre production for a 5th Brosnan bond film during post production for Die Another Day for release in November 2004. The 5th film could and should have been Everything or Nothing that would have made a great film for Pierce to end his bond career on. And say if that did happen they could have used Pierce to help the producers scout out a new Bond for the Reboot of the franchise for Casino Royale in 2006.

    totally agree man
  • bring back the same writers who almost destroy Bond! NP and RW........how they still employed is still questionable and why EON cant afford some better screenwriters.....
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    bring back the same writers who almost destroy Bond! NP and RW........how they still employed is still questionable and why EON cant afford some better screenwriters.....

    As far as Purvis and Wade are concerned I can't gauge how good of scriptwriters they are because they are so inconsistent, the Nic Cage of the profession. So either they are talented but only at certain times, or they have great script doctors on tow.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    Anyone know how their reputation among their peers is? I'm curious.
  • Posts: 115
    Here's mine...

    - DAF (What should've been the true version)
    - A third Dalton outing in 1992 (Not the one with the robots but something like Colonel Sun).
    - Agent Under Fire as Brosnan's fourth outing, released in November 2001 (The Vanquish appearing for the first time in this film), plus Nightfire for his fifth outing, released in November 2003. Nightfire, whilst a classic amongst fans and the general public, showed what route the producers would be taking if they continued to make more films like it and they decided to go back to basics for a third time.
    - Quantum Of Solace's production is held back until the Writer's Strike ends, with the film finally being released in October 2009.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    Henry Cavill in Casino Royale.

    And not have Craig? No sir. ;-)
  • Posts: 278
    DarthDimi wrote:
    Henry Cavill in Casino Royale.

    And not have Craig? No sir. ;-)



    Carvill could of been in CR, as the Bar man... "Do I look as though I care"!? ;)
  • Posts: 11,425
    The entire Brosnan era.

    yup
  • Posts: 1,548
    DB5 wrote:
    MR. I HATE that movie!!

    You have horribly bad taste.


    That's a little rich coming from someone who prefers Moore to Craig!

  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited May 2012 Posts: 15,718
    LeChiffre wrote:
    DB5 wrote:
    MR. I HATE that movie!!

    You have horribly bad taste.


    That's a little rich coming from someone who prefers Moore to Craig!

    and to prefer Moore instead of Craig is wrong and blasphemous ? so there's a new rule here stating that no-one can love Moore more than Craig ?
  • Posts: 12,837
    DarthDimi wrote:
    Henry Cavill in Casino Royale.

    And not have Craig? No sir. ;-)

    Ewan McGregor in CR.

    Campbell apparently wanted him and he's younger/looks younger than Craig so I think he'd be more suited for the rookie Bond. Craig could've taken over when Ewan was done if he wasn't too old by then.
  • Posts: 11,425
    DarthDimi wrote:
    Henry Cavill in Casino Royale.

    And not have Craig? No sir. ;-)

    Ewan McGregor in CR.

    Campbell apparently wanted him and he's younger/looks younger than Craig so I think he'd be more suited for the rookie Bond. Craig could've taken over when Ewan was done if he wasn't too old by then.

    Not sure about that at all.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,304
    YOLT diverging so much from the source material, which paved the way for similar script missteps in all of the '70s Bond films.
Sign In or Register to comment.