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Casting suggestions: the pros and cons
This is a casting thread, but with a twist, and I hope this will stir interesting debates: you give a actor or an actress's name and you give the pros AND cons of such potential casting choice. So this is not merely suggesting an actor you like, but ponder of this casting choice's potential. For example:
Gary Lewis as the main villain.
Pros: -Experienced actor not overly famous.
-Most known for his roles of broken men, so a villain would be casting against type.
-Ten years older than Craig, so can be this evil fatherly figure many classic villains were. About Ralph Fiennes's age, which means he could be seen as M's opposite number (à la Blofeld in the novel TB, according to M's own words).
Cons:-British. Not that they never used British actors for villains, but since the Craig's tenure they were mainly foreign. Also, villains with British accents (presuming he would keep his Scottish one) are a cliché if there is ever one.
-Balding. That might sound silly, but a certain villain has been depicted as bald and spoofed to death. I am afraid this might bring comparisons.
-Can he get out of his comfort zone and excel at playing someone else than a broken man?
Gary Lewis as the main villain.
Pros: -Experienced actor not overly famous.
-Most known for his roles of broken men, so a villain would be casting against type.
-Ten years older than Craig, so can be this evil fatherly figure many classic villains were. About Ralph Fiennes's age, which means he could be seen as M's opposite number (à la Blofeld in the novel TB, according to M's own words).
Cons:-British. Not that they never used British actors for villains, but since the Craig's tenure they were mainly foreign. Also, villains with British accents (presuming he would keep his Scottish one) are a cliché if there is ever one.
-Balding. That might sound silly, but a certain villain has been depicted as bald and spoofed to death. I am afraid this might bring comparisons.
-Can he get out of his comfort zone and excel at playing someone else than a broken man?
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Comments
Pros- Very talented and experienced actor who deserves more recognition.
-Good at playing villains which is what I'd like him to be doing.
-Very varied career that shows just how talented he is, he's played everyone from Jesus to Doctor Who to John Lennon. So he has no real comfort zone that he'd need to break out of.
-Bond fan.
- He's worked with Daniel Craig before (on the brilliant Our Friends In The North).
Cons- His recent career choices might put the producers off. He's gone from Danny Boyle films and brilliant TV dramas to Thor and GI Joe.
Great thread idea btw :)
I think he could definitely do a foreign accent if needed. And I think the cliché is villains with posh English accents, I think if he kept his natural accent then it wouldn't be a problem (we've never had a manc villain before).
To be fair though that was a pretty bad film all round. Watch Our Friends In The North, Shallow Grave, etc. He's a really good actor.
Making him a Drax-modeled villain or a Grant-modeled villain (i.e. not a clone of Robert Shaw, but a Mancunian version of the novel's) would be the way to go. My reservations are still about his recent movies in Hollywood. Regardless, he is an amazing actor.
Here is another one:
Natalie Dormer as a Bond girl
Pros:
-Has the acting skills.
-Beautiful
-Relative unknown
Cons:
-British. So far during the Craig era, most Bond girls have been exotic beauties, even Vesper was played by a French woman. There was Gemma Atterton, but she was considered one of the weakest and there was Naomie Harris, but their relationship remained (probably) platonic and she became Moneypenny.
-Getting too famous now?
-I said she has the acting skills, but she was not exactly outstanding in anything, as far as I know.
It's not going to happen any time soon now.
Pros: -Perfect age opposite to Craig's
-Somewhat similar background to Javier Bardem (recent Oscar winner, veteran actor)
-Now a British household who freed himself from the role of Darcy and romantic comedies.
-Playing a villain would actually be against type
-Although the Dorian Gray movie he played in was rubbish, he played a quite sinister Henry Wotton.
Cons:-Too much of a British household?
-British. Since Craig's tenure villains have been played by foreigners.
-His face. It might be too... common? Compared to Mikkelsen, Amalric and Bardem, and regardless of makeup, they have more striking look than Firth.
This is off topic unless you give the Pros and Cons.
I'm sorry.
Pros: He is very talented and experienced. Look trustworthly. Man with dignity. He could easly play father figure in MI6.
Cons: To famous?
I would add maybe too old. And there is also a father figure with the current M.
Mallory is more similar to Bond than he is a father figure. I always thought that SF set Mallory and Bond up as equals. Mallory having left the service at the right time and Bond staying on beyond his time.
Possibly Caine could play Mallory's father. that would be interesting. Plus I wouldn't buy Caine as an Mi6/Government type, he has too much of a working class, cockney manner to him. I always felt (regardless how wonderful he was in the role) he was a little miscast as the butler character in the Batman films. Despite this, I would love to see him in a Bond movie. He has a long association with Connery and Moore so it be nice for him to finally get to play the Bond sandbox.
I personally would love to see Leonardo Dicapro play a villain.
Pros - He's a great actor and has huge amounts of credibility. He really played a marvellous villain in Django and I'd love to see him bring do something in a similar vein in a Bond film. He has also worked with Sam Mendes before, so that bodes well.
Cons - He's a little too big. While SF had big name actors in it, they weren't really 'movie stars' in the same way as Leo is. There may be a concern from the prods that he'd overshadow Daniel Craig.
He really did kill it in Django:
Caprio is a fine actor, but too famous, and I think he looks too youthful also.
Suggestion: Vincent Cassel as Villain
Pros:
- I think he's big enough to where people will recognize him and other good work he's done, but he's not so big that you have to worry about him overshadowing the cast. This has a chance to be his most famous role so far, which is a positive thing in my book.
- he played a terrifically despicable and yet unsettlingly engaging quasi-bad-guy in Black Swan.
- he's comparable in age and look to Craig and I think they have the potential for good back and forths like the ones that made Skyfall great.
- he has the striking features that can set a villain apart
Cons
- I've seen him dance but I've never seen him fight. Hand-to-hand combat with Craig, or anyone else, could be a laughably one-sided affair
- I'm not sure how he stacks up as the one to follow immediately after Bardem. But that goes for whoever they pick, basically.
- he's french, so he sets up the stereotypical British vs. French tension.
PRO: He is a good singer. He was offered the Max Zorin a plum role in 1985 but declined it down. Maybe the time is ripe for a return now that Daniel Craig has bring more credibility to the Bond brand? He can be Blofeld or Quantum or just a cool friend to have..
CON: Can he act? In music video Blue Jean he play a powerful genie but it just sorry to say just does not come off. He is laugherble.
Notice I say villainS with an S. That's right, I think it's time for the Spang brothers from Fleming's novel to come to the big screen. Twins, one a country western theme, one a gangster mob theme. This can bring to life on the silver screen. Bowie is the perfect coup for this one.
Pro:
Played earlier with Mathieu Amalric.
Naive looking chacter where it not be clear or he is a villian or ally.
Born in Belgium
Con:
Some people wil think, not another France actor again.
Do he speak English ??.
He is orginaly be sugestion i did for the part of Mr S (Ian Fleming chacter) for 2 movies as part of duo with Miss V played by Andrea Riseborough or Susan Egan if older actor and actres be consider for the parts.
Andrea Riseborough who i already consider as Bond girl since 2011 or so and get now more fame with that Oblivion with Tom Cruise movie and QOS (and i hope Bond 24 or/and Bond 25) Bond girl Olga Kurylenko. When i saw them all 3 on promotion picture i realy think i made a very good sugestion as i did in 2004 with Mad Mikkelsen. Andrea Riseborough should get a part in Bond 24 or Bond 25. I think it is intresting to if producers consider to bring Mr S and Miss V to movie screen it is big part.
Pro:
She always look difrent on each picture.
I get idea she be drama/human side actres but with humor too. Mabey this made both people who dislike and like Vesper/Eva Green will be happy.
Con:
Playing with Tom Cruise mabey see as highlight already.
The Chacter development. Iam a litle bit afraid for same result as Vesper with not get enough screentime for drama or human side or no humor,what i think be a big flaw of Vesper.
Where i think Vesper faild is that i don't believe she loved Bond or whant to be around him. So can there make it more believable that in example of chacter of Miss V be involved with Mr S, other people and/or her with Bond.
Susan Egan:
Pro:
Theater actres
Voice actres/singer for animated movies
Singer
She look like on modern Rosa Klebb (Russian/German look)
Con:
In her 40's but look older.
Expect playing earlier a villian then ally. But let her be ally is what i like to see.
Vincent Cassel would make an excellent physical match for Craig's Bond I think. He played real-life criminal Jacques Mesrine in two movies (duology?) and he was plain nasty. I have no problem, if well choregraphed, seeing him in a hand to hand combat and being credible in it. But your other objections stand very well, especially the last one. Also, he played nasty and evil French men over and over again, so his casting may seem lazy. And maybe it is too early after Amalric to cast a French actor.
Pros:
1. Look at her.
2. She's pretty good in Graceland
3. She seems to have a fairly open schedule when Skyfall would be filming.
Cons:
1. She may look too young for Craig
2. She's never worked on a project anywhere near this level of production.
3. It would continue Craig's streak of never sleeping with blondes.
Pros:
-VERY impressive physique, the guy is 7'1 and MASSIVE. People want a physical match for Craig, he'd be Oddjob, mixed with a hint of Grant and the overall appearance of Bane from the Batman series.
-Would not look like a clone of Grant, or indeed any famous henchman.
-Has a pretty good filmography, but is still pretty much an unknown.
Cons:
-Since he plays or played a silent, nasty brute in Game of Thrones, he would not exactly be playing against type.
-Possibly limited acting skills, and nowadays even dumb brutes need more than physical appearances to be convincing.
I've said this before and i'll say it again: I would love to see Charlotte Gainsbourg play a bond villain
Pros:
-she's good at playing crazy. has done so in Antichrist and the upcoming Nymphomanic (in which she's supposed to be fantastic). She could give a great performance as a mentally unhinged but brilliant character a la Silva (so maybe we should wait for Bond 25).
-female main villain, which I can't get enough of
-she's older than Bond girl age (42 at the moment), which would mean Bond can't bed her, but young and beautiful enough to not be a Rosa Klebb
-she's a great actress with great credentials, but she is usually more of an independent film type, so she's not a high-profiler.
-the type of character i had envisioned for her (unhinged but not totally insane like Xenia, a manipulative mastermind who gives off a mysterious but not necessarily sinister air) is a new, fresh addition to the series
Cons:
-she's french and resembles Sophie Marceau slightly, so to many she'd come off as another Elektra
-she's a film festival type actress, so she's never really done something like a Bond film before
-the character she normally plays would be underdeveloped in many Bond films
-Pros. Friends with Craig. Good at playing villians without ever seeming to resort to stereotypes. Check out Kick Ass or Welcome To The Punch
-Well known but not to famous
-Cons...None
This thread is about honestly pondering about the pros and cons of casting suggestion, not merely suggesting whoever you like. I can see some Cons about Mark Strong: mainly played villainous roles, so it would be typecasting. He is also British and so far during the Craig tenure villains have been played mainly by non British actors whose mothertongue is not English. Furthermore, a villain with a British accent is a cliche if there is one.