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How would you feel if a black JAMES BOND was cast?

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  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    Posts: 12,837
    BAIN123 wrote:
    I remember Pierce Brosnan on the DAD commentary said that the actor who played Robinson in TND, TWINE and DAD (can't remember his name) might have made a good Bond. What are people's thoughts on that?

    Colin Salmone. I think he maybe could've done it but I don't think he'd have been as good as Craig. He was also nearly the 1st black Doctor Who before Matt Smith got it.
    doubleonothing wrote:
    I honestly wonder if this is an issue for black people. Are they slighted and offended that Bond has never been black? I doubt it. I really wonder at the motivations of people who suggest that it would be a good idea in the first place.

    I'm black and I'm not offended at all. I just really, really don't care. If he's eventually played by a black actor, fine. If he never is, also fine.
  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    I love going into one of these "What if Bond was [insert]" threads and looking at all the hate people have for changing things. Do you look at it as "They've changed what I love, now all of what I love is tainted, even what came before!"? Suppose they make a black Bond for one film - ONE FILM - and, say, release it alongside a white Bond film, why would that be the death of Bond?
    thelivingroyale wrote:
    If he's eventually played by a black actor, fine. If he never is, also fine.

    This is probably the best thing I've read on this thread. This is what most people should aspire to do.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Unfortunately you have some people with the idiotic notion that if you're happy with a Bond that isn't White then you're not a real Bond fan or some garbage like that. Me personally I don't give a damn what colour he is as long as these 2 things don't change I'm happy; Bond should always be male and secondly he has to be British!
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    Some good points were posted in this thread long ago. Including a video that may be worth a look.

    http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/1271/is-a-black-james-bond-inevitable-/p1

  • Master_DaharkMaster_Dahark
    edited May 2012 Posts: 4,813
    WTFGeorge-1.jpg


    All kidding aside, I did like the actor they used in that little film, but I'd rather see him with Bond, not as Bond.
    Maybe one day we can get another quick scene like from Thunderball, where it shows all the OO agents gathered. Put that guy in there- have him go on a mission with Daniel Craig's Bond. Bottom line, he's not Bond.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,718
    yes, not exactly George's brightest moment there.....
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,526
    To me it would would be political correctness gone mad! Its well established who James Bond is full stop. The next thing is why can't he be gay? or Asian? or a woman.......etc? You could go on and on and on!
  • thelordflasheartthelordflasheart
    Posts: 1,370
    This thread comes up every now and again and it's interesting to me how polarizing it is. Some people seem to think that the only reason that a black actor would be cast would be to be "PC"...but what if he was the best actor for the job?

    Then some people seem to think that if you don't want a black actor as Bond then you must be racist. But what if they feel that the films should hew as close to the novels as possible?

    Sometimes people on this forum use extreme arguments to make their points and it really doesn't aid in any reasonable discussion.

    Here are my thoughts:

    If a period film were made at some point in the future, or a continuation novel were written set during the 50s or early 60s then a black Bond would be ridiculous. Based on where black people were in society in the 50s and how the majority of the population viewed them Bond being black would become a major element of the character and the stories. That would change them tremendously.

    However, if a black actor was cast as Bond in the films they are making now it would be a different matter. Bond's defining trait is his nationality, not his race - the inverse of the character of Shaft (who is the "black private dick", not the "American private dick" much as Bond is always "British secret agent James Bond" not "white secret agent James Bond"). As long as Bond is English in the modern films that is my main concern.

    I wonder if my thoughts have been influenced because of people that I've known in my life. A friend of mine, who is English and black, has that smoothness, class, wardrobe, and effortless confidence that has made some people joke about how he's a real-life James Bond. I also watch a lot of British TV so when I think of a black James Bond I think of my friend or someone like Adrian Lester or Colin Salmon. I never think of Americans like Will Smith or Jamie Foxx and I never think of more "thuggish" actors either.
  • TouchMyButtonsTouchMyButtons Banned
    edited May 2012 Posts: 228
    TheWizardOfIce wrote:
    doubleonothing wrote:
    Why do we have to entertain the idea, anyway? Is it out of some kind of need to satisfy equality or be PC? Surely, there are roles that are meant to be racially distinct? Can't we have that anymore, or will someone throw up their arms and declare it racist?

    Like I said, if they got a fantastic actor to play the part, then fine. But it would be a long way from Fleming's hero, just by definition. I'd not hate it, but I think I'd be disappointed. Not because the actor was black, but because society is so bloody scared of offending anyone these days that poor decisions are made to appease a minority. And I'm not talking about a black minority. I'm talking about a hardcore of bleedingheart extreme PC liberals who believe that black people or other ethnic groups "might" be offended.

    When that small group has enough power and influence to turn James Bond black, then I'll be very sad. I won't be sad because we have a black Bond, but because idiots will have succeeded in messing up something that really isn't broken.

    I honestly wonder if this is an issue for black people. Are they slighted and offended that Bond has never been black? I doubt it. I really wonder at the motivations of people who suggest that it would be a good idea in the first place.

    Well said Sir. Finally some intelligent analysis of this tedious topic.
    Volante wrote:
    As long as the best actor for the job is chosen, I'll be happy.

    I see people wheeling this point out time and again (quite probably, it seems to me, in a concerted effort just to point out how much of a racist they arent) as a justification for a black Bond but I find it a somewhat fatuous argument.

    The 'job' in this particular question is portraying a suave, athletic white man in his mid to late 30s. The best actor for said job would therefore be someone who meets those criteria. So no matter how good his audition is Ving Rhames would not get the job - for the simple reason that he is plainly not the best actor for this job. This is of course not to say hes not a good actor or indeed the best actor at the audition in terms of talent. But hes not the best actor for the job. In the same way if I were casting Huggy Bear from Starsky and Hutch I wouldnt turn to Pierce Brosnan or Roger Moore.

    What this stupid 'the best actor for the job' argument is saying is that anyone can come in and as long as they blow you away with their interpretation of Bond in the audition then any fundamental facet of the character on the page can be changed to accomodate them. So Heather Mills, Gary Coleman, Bella Emberg and Warwick Davis are all equally in the running for the role if you follow this preposterous logic to its conclusion.


    Amen ... I completley agree with you wizard , great post.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    I would have loved Colin Salmon as Bond - I just love British people in general. Their accents always seem so suave and cool, and Salmon held himself well enough that I would have believed him as Bond.

    Just like @thelordflasheart stated, Bond is a 'British secret agent', not 'white secret agent'. If he's British, and a black man stepped up and was best for the role, then why not? But, I do tend to see a lot of British actors portraying Americans, and not so much vice versa. Is it because a British accent is hard to obtain? Robert Downey Jr. holds a great one in the Sherlock Holmes films, so imagine the wider scope of possible Bond actors if some were chosen to play Bond, if they went through proper classes and sessions to achieve a truly believable accent.
  • TouchMyButtonsTouchMyButtons Banned
    Posts: 228
    RogueAgent wrote:
    To me it would would be political correctness gone mad! Its well established who James Bond is full stop. The next thing is why can't he be gay? or Asian? or a woman.......etc? You could go on and on and on!

    I agree 100% rouge agent. Bond is well established as a white male, it's like making a movie about Rosa Parks but portraying her as a white woman. Flemings books alongside the Cinematic History of Bond has established 007 as a white British male just as factual history has established Martin Luther king, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks as great iconic black figures of history, it just wouldn't make sense to make them white, just as it wouldn't make sense to make bond black.


    BOND WILL ALWAYS BE A BRITISH CAUCASIAN MALE, IF IT EVER CHANGES I will just stop seeing the films and disown the franchise . Its not because I am racist, I know many great black people, but bond is not black, its as simple as that. If bond was changed to Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Muslim etc I would disown the franchise as well.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited May 2012 Posts: 6,304
    TheWizardOfIce wrote:
    doubleonothing wrote:
    So Heather Mills, Gary Coleman, Bella Emberg and Warwick Davis are all equally in the running for the role if you follow this preposterous logic to its conclusion.

    Zombie Bond, then?
    TouchMyButtons wrote:
    RogueAgent wrote:
    If bond was changed to Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Muslim etc I would disown the franchise as well.

    You Only Live Twice?
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    I think @RogueAgent means ethnically, not in disguise.
  • TouchMyButtonsTouchMyButtons Banned
    Posts: 228
    Luds wrote:
    Frankly, it would suck. It would be a PC move on an already established character. Bond is a Brit and white. That's defined and shouldn't change. I was already ticked off they cast a black Felix Leiter! I'd feel the same way if they cast an Asian as Moneypenny or a Spanish guy as Q...


    amen..nobody says it better
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    TouchMyButtons wrote:
    Bond is well established as a white male, it's like making a movie about Rosa Parks but portraying her as a white woman.

    I actually worry for the future of the Human race when I read comments like this. You are an idiot. An absolute buffoon.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    TouchMyButtons wrote:

    I agree 100% rouge agent. Bond is well established as a white male, it's like making a movie about Rosa Parks but portraying her as a white woman. Flemings books alongside the Cinematic History of Bond has established 007 as a white British male just as factual history has established Martin Luther king, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks as great iconic black figures of history, it just wouldn't make sense to make them white, just as it wouldn't make sense to make bond black.

    Read this part of your post again and try and find which part(s) make you sound like a moron.

  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    What people don't understand is the nonfiction historical figures, the tangible people, can not be compared to fictionalized characters in this argument. That's like saying "well, Bond could work as a black man. I mean, they could totally do a biopic where our founding fathers were all black, and that'd be fine too, so why can't Bond go that way?" He can't, because that argument makes no sense, and I have seen it so much it is annoying. You don't mess with fictional Bond, you don't mess with nonfiction history. END. OF. STORY.
  • TouchMyButtonsTouchMyButtons Banned
    Posts: 228
    doubleoego wrote:
    TouchMyButtons wrote:

    I agree 100% rouge agent. Bond is well established as a white male, it's like making a movie about Rosa Parks but portraying her as a white woman. Flemings books alongside the Cinematic History of Bond has established 007 as a white British male just as factual history has established Martin Luther king, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks as great iconic black figures of history, it just wouldn't make sense to make them white, just as it wouldn't make sense to make bond black.

    Read this part of your post again and try and find which part(s) make you sound like a moron.

    Sorry, I love the post I wrote and I just can't find any moronic statements in it. Instead of calling others morons try offering something more useful to the argument buddy.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    TouchMyButtons wrote:
    doubleoego wrote:
    TouchMyButtons wrote:

    I agree 100% rouge agent. Bond is well established as a white male, it's like making a movie about Rosa Parks but portraying her as a white woman. Flemings books alongside the Cinematic History of Bond has established 007 as a white British male just as factual history has established Martin Luther king, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks as great iconic black figures of history, it just wouldn't make sense to make them white, just as it wouldn't make sense to make bond black.

    Read this part of your post again and try and find which part(s) make you sound like a moron.

    Sorry, I love the post I wrote and I just can't find any moronic statements in it. Instead of calling others morons try offering something more useful to the argument buddy.
    If you need help, the faulty bits in the argument where the spots where you tried to rationalize that because the fictional Bond is established in cinema like tangible historical figures have been in history, it isn't okay for his skin color to change to. Come to think of it, that was the whole post. Good catch @RC7 and @doubleoego.

    You simply can't compare real figures in history to fictional characters when it comes to debating their skin color. They are two absolutely different things and the argument is pointless to make and impossible to present without coming off as shallow or thick in the head.
  • TouchMyButtonsTouchMyButtons Banned
    Posts: 228
    You're misinterpreting my argument. Im simply trying to say this.

    Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Kunte Kinte and along with many other famous historical black figures are set in stone throughout history as being black, BECAUSE THEY ARE AND WERE BLACK. NOW im sure if a movie came out about MLK being portrayed as a white man people, especially the African American community would be very upset because quite clearly it wouldn't make sense due to video's, TV interviews and documentaries clearly showing MLK's ethnicity as being black.


    James Bond as well, has long been established as being a white British male through 22 films ,countless novels , memorabilia and must I say, even James Bond Jr the animated series acknowledged the fact that Bond was a white British male . It would simply just not make any sense at all to change bonds race and nationality.

    Regardless of the fact that im comparing long established historical figures to a long estsablished cinematic figure doesn't bring down my argument, its simply saying constant repitition and legacy of seeing somebody as they are portrayed over years and years whether they be fictional or nonfictional should stay true to the original race.

    TRADITION IS EVERYTHING.
  • Master_DaharkMaster_Dahark
    Posts: 4,813
    Do you know what I just noticed? Around 2:30 in that video the girl says 'who are you' and he clearly answers OO9. There's your answer right there.
    That 'Travolta' character actor even said there are a lot of agents and we could explore them. Not that I'm looking for a spin-off mind you, but I think you get where I'm going
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Even then, as much as Bond has been established as a white male throughout the books, films, games, etc., it isn't fact, as is MLK, Rosa Parks, etc. being black. THAT is fact. This fictional character has been established as white.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,304
    TouchMyButtons wrote:
    TRADITION IS EVERYTHING.

    If tradition were everything, MLK would have still been a slave. :0

    Mixing fact and fiction is not sound rhetoric.
  • TouchMyButtonsTouchMyButtons Banned
    Posts: 228
    and if tradition weren't everything we wouldn't have 23 bond films would we?

    And im not mixing fact and fiction, im simply comparing the long standing significance of two equal figures of importance. MLK being a non-fictional famous black rights activist who has long been established as black and James Bond being a famous fictional cinematic figure of espionage action films who has long been established as white.

    YES I GET THE FACT THEY BOTH ARE ON THE OPPOSITES OF REALITY BUT THEY BOTH ARE WELL KNOWN BY THEIR RACE, THEREFORE IT WOULD MAKE NO SENSE TO CHANGE THEIR RACE. AND IF THEY DID CHANGE BONDS RACE- IT WOULD BE PURELY A PC MOVE.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Martin Luther King wasn't "established" as black, he WAS black for crying out loud. Real, tangible, breathing people aren't "established" as their race. MLK isn't portrayed as white because he was black, that's simplistic. He is portrayed how he was because he was in every inch the sacrificing, brave, and powerful man that led a change in race relations. He wasn't a black man who happened to be a brilliant man. He was a brilliant man who just happened to be black.
  • TouchMyButtonsTouchMyButtons Banned
    Posts: 228
    Exactly ! and james bond was a brilliant fictional spy creation that happened to originally portray him as a white British male... so with your previous post and this current one, it absolutely would make no sense at all to change either in terms of race in any future movie about the two.

    point concluded
  • X3MSonicXX3MSonicX https://www.behance.net/gallery/86760163/Fa-Posteres-de-007-No-Time-To-Die
    Posts: 2,635
    Well, i'd love to see a black James Bond in at least 1 movie in the series and i think that it wouldn't make me less Bond fan as i've always were. I know that there are some things in life, and in universe, that should never be changed, but why not to just try something different? Maybe it could work, yes. But maybe not. The point is, there's no racism here, the point is that Bond could never be changed by it's skin, because if Ian said he was white, so he will forever be white. All Bonds were white, but it doesn't prevents the fact that he could be Black. Just as said right above, IF any day Bond gets black, it will be nice. If not, nice too. And remember, there are very few things in life that works in different ways. Bond could be one of them. Or not.

    Just saying, In my Film Fiction, my Bond is a black man. No racism, jokes or rudeness intended, just something i'd like to see, and when i end the filmfic, i'd like to see your opinions about it. Wesley Snipes could work greatly on the role if he were like 5-10 years younger. and repeating, i'm Just Saying this.

    In my honest opinion, if a black Bond were quoted to the role, i'd like that. Nothing wrong with it, however it's a pity that not everyone would like of sort an idea like this.


    And off-topic, @Creasy47, nice Brosnan's profile picture. :) \m/
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    But just because he may have been concocted or portrayed as white all throughout time, James Bond is still a fictional character. Fact. If he was ever changed and was played by a black actor, with all of the same attributes, then I would give it a try.

    But someone like MLK will ALWAYS be played by a black actor, in any film or television show you watch. It's just how it is. He's an African American, and will always be portrayed as such.

    @X3MSonicX, thank you :) I felt it was time for a change after hitting the 1,500 post mark, and I figured another black-and-white of Brosnan smoking would do just nicely.
  • X3MSonicXX3MSonicX https://www.behance.net/gallery/86760163/Fa-Posteres-de-007-No-Time-To-Die
    Posts: 2,635
    Creasy47 wrote:
    But just because he may have been concocted or portrayed as white all throughout time, James Bond is still a fictional character. Fact. If he was ever changed and was played by a black actor, with all of the same attributes, then I would give it a try.

    But someone like MLK will ALWAYS be played by a black actor, in any film or television show you watch. It's just how it is. He's an African American, and will always be portrayed as such.

    @X3MSonicX, thank you :) I felt it was time for a change after hitting the 1,500 post mark, and I figured another black-and-white of Brosnan smoking would do just nicely.

    Exactly what i wanted to say. If Bond would be played as a black actor just for one time, i'd give a try too. It would be cool, if you think and rethink better.

    @Creasy47 I noticed :D and it is a good picture of him. nice choose. :)
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    How would you feel if a black JAMES BOND was cast?

    Call me a racist but I would be finished with the 007 series. It is not something I would bewilling to watch. The same goes for the what if he is played by a woman, probably makes me sexist too. I do not care from any deviation from the original character as has happened so far.
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