Who should/could be a Bond actor?

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  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    Posts: 5,970
    I wonder if this site will crash when the actor's announced haha :D
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,702
    MI6HQ wrote: »
    Univex wrote: »
    One think we can all agree with, an actor is as good as the script. Sean Connery was lousy in DAF, Moore was awful in AVTAK, Brosnan sucked in DUD, Craig was cringeworthy in some places in SP (and in that M office scene in NTTD), and Lazenby, who was a car salesman, was good (not great) in OHMSS. A good script does wonders for the actor(s).

    So, we should all be worrying about the new script, penned by P&W, no less.

    100% Agreed too, and I would also add, the director.
    A performance of an actor, as for me, depends on the director, and yes, to the lesser extent, the script, but it's the director who takes care of the execution and acting/performances from the cast.

    That’s true as well. EON needs to stop with artsy Oscar bait directors for a film or two.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,511
    @Denbigh ... I love this thread. It's interesting. Whether I agree or disagree with any one choice, it reveals the different tastes and perspectives people see in this one character. And even if I do disagree or agree that doesn't make one right or wrong.

    But it does show how bloody hard it is to cast this character.

    As BB said earlier in the year: Bond is much more than a man in a tux. It will be a decade long commitment (in other words he has to be more than a good looking man in a piece of costume, as is @007HallY 's point from earlier).
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    edited December 2022 Posts: 5,970
    peter wrote: »
    @Denbigh ... I love this thread. It's interesting.
    +1
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    Posts: 3,158
    Lazenby in DAF and TMWTGG? Yes. Two more Daltons between LTK and GE? Also yes.
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited December 2022 Posts: 3,800
    Venutius wrote: »
    Lazenby in DAF and TMWTGG? Yes. Two more Daltons between LTK and GE? Also yes.

    100% agree!

    Let me change the topic a bit, is it true that ATJ already had his screen test? I mean it's even stated that he impressed the producers on that screen test.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/1708562/Next-James-Bond-odds-Aaron-Taylor-Johnson-Daniel-Craig/amp

    Just browsing the internet then suddenly saw this article popped up.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,255
    Parroting of the same , unconfirmed, rumors, some from years ago.
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited December 2022 Posts: 3,800
    talos7 wrote: »
    Parroting of the same , unconfirmed, rumors, some from years ago.

    Oh thanks, 😮‍💨

    I don't know why that same article keep popping in the internet?
  • Posts: 4,308
    Perhaps instead of predicting who will actually be cast as the next James Bond we can instead try and predict who will be the next actor to be rumoured for the part? None of whom will get the role, of course.

    Kit Harrington perhaps?
  • peterpeter Toronto
    edited December 2022 Posts: 9,511
    I think now that Cavill is out of DC, he will rise to the top again (as far as rumours are concerned).
  • edited December 2022 Posts: 4,308
    Oh, didn't realise he wasn't actually Superman anymore. Yes, I think he'll get some rumours about this in that case. His agent needs to keep his name in the press after all...

    Have we had a proper Harry Styles rumour yet? Seems overdue if not.
  • edited December 2022 Posts: 1,661
    As mentioned previously...

    Henry Cavill has been let go by Warner Bros/DC. Official. Cavill's Superman era is over.

    Cavill's post:

    “I will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” Cavill wrote. “After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.”

    That makes him available for Bond 26 subject to not having other film/tv work getting in the way. Cavill recently quit The Witcher so he's not coming back to that show. Cavill still under contract to play Superman or with a potential option to return to the role made it very unlikely/or impossible Eon would pick him. I don't think they'd want the current Superman playing Bond. I reckon Cavill was never in with a chance whilst playing Superman.

    I don't think Cavill will be be the next Bond, his time has passed perhaps, and my gut feeling it won't be Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Johnson is this month's flavour of the moment. A few months ago it was Rege-Jean Page, and we had 'why Idris Elba must be the new Bond' media items for the last few years. If I were in Eon's shoes I'd keep the name of the next Bond close to my chest. Keep it as secret as possible. I wouldn't tell the Sun or Daily Mail "yes, we've chosen the new guy and he's done the gun barrel and he's driven the new Bond car and he's signed an eight film contract!"

    ;))

    You want to reveal it when you feel the time is right. Don't let the tabloids spoil the big announcement.

    One potential negative thing about ATJ... his voice? His natural voice isn't very Bond masculine. I don't think his voice suits Bond. All the other Bond actors had a Bond appropriate type voice.



    If he can lower his vocal register he'll probably sound a bit more convincing.




  • Posts: 4,308
    Not a fan of Cavill in general, much less his version of Superman, but it does seem a bit of a mess getting him back only to have the new heads tell him he's out.

    I suppose it makes sense - they want to reinvent the franchise without the bad taste of Batman v Superman and Justice League (the latter of which I've actually never seen) in audience's mouths, but I wonder why he was asked to return so soon before Gunn and Peter took charge?
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,186
    Cavill's case is almost like Brosnan's Post-DAD case. It's quite hard-hitting.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,255
    fanbond123 wrote: »
    As mentioned previously...

    Henry Cavill has been let go by Warner Bros/DC. Official. Cavill's Superman era is over.

    Cavill's post:

    “I will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” Cavill wrote. “After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.”

    That makes him available for Bond 26 subject to not having other film/tv work getting in the way. Cavill recently quit The Witcher so he's not coming back to that show. Cavill still under contract to play Superman or with a potential option to return to the role made it very unlikely/or impossible Eon would pick him. I don't think they'd want the current Superman playing Bond. I reckon Cavill was never in with a chance whilst playing Superman.

    I don't think Cavill will be be the next Bond, his time has passed perhaps, and my gut feeling it won't be Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Johnson is this month's flavour of the moment. A few months ago it was Rege-Jean Page, and we had 'why Idris Elba must be the new Bond' media items for the last few years. If I were in Eon's shoes I'd keep the name of the next Bond close to my chest. Keep it as secret as possible. I wouldn't tell the Sun or Daily Mail "yes, we've chosen the new guy and he's done the gun barrel and he's driven the new Bond car and he's signed an eight film contract!"

    ;))

    You want to reveal it when you feel the time is right. Don't let the tabloids spoil the big announcement.

    One potential negative thing about ATJ... his voice? His natural voice isn't very Bond masculine. I don't think his voice suits Bond. All the other Bond actors had a Bond appropriate type voice.



    If he can lower his vocal register he'll probably sound a bit more convincing.



    Yes, I’m been harping on this; in a deep baritone of course. 😏

  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited December 2022 Posts: 16,619
    007HallY wrote: »
    Univex wrote: »
    I like Lazenby. If he stuck to it, he'd have been a great Bond, IMO. He was in the best Bond film, as far as I'm concerned. And he had the looks, the physicality, and he didn't act as bad as many like to say he did. Why badmouth the man so much? If he kept at it for years, he'd be a wonderful James Bond. Just an opinion, of course. I know they chose him because he looked like Sean. So, what's wrong with that? Plenty of what makes Bond so appealing is its recurring aesthetics. Is it just that? I'd say, no. But please, Lazenby wasn't that bad. Give the guy a break.

    This is just my opinion, but I think Lazenby is a good cautionary tale when it comes to casting Bond. I think OHMSS is a well made film that adapts one of Fleming's best works. It has problems but it's one of the better Bond films for me. My issue with Lazenby was that they cast him with the idea that he was a 'blank slate', a man who ticked certain boxes and could be moulded into James Bond. I don't think this can ever be the case. No actor is a blank slate, and they will bring their strengths, as well as any unique qualities they have, to the role. They will also consequently bring their flaws.

    Lazenby's problem was twofold. Firstly he could barely act. I know people praise his performance at certain points in this film - him looking terrified as the guy in the Polar Bear costume jumps him during his escape and his reaction to Tracy's death being the main two, but these are singular emotions. Even non-actors can be made to act scared or cry on cue with enough rehearsal. Lazenby's performance falls apart in that film when he's required to do anything more subtle. Take when he's posing as Sir Hillary Bray and begins to look uneasy in the helicopter with Bunt. If any of the other Bond actors had played such a scene they'd have given a little look, change their expression momentarily just to convey that Bond is playing a part. Lazenby doesn't do this, and it comes off as strange because it looks like Bond is actually getting air sickness. It's a problem with most of that section of the film. It's almost as if he's trying to play Sir Hillary, not Bond pretending to be Sir Hillary. It's one of my biggest problems with OHMSS - Lazenby's Bond isn't truly present for vital moments - his first meeting with Blofeld, discovering the Angels of Death etc. It may sound like I'm nitpicking but it's these sorts of things that make up the bulk of playing Bond rather than those 'big emotions'. At times his performance is downright wooden. Nothing in his later filmography suggests to me this would have changed.

    His other problem is that he didn't have the screen presence that any of the other Bonds have had, nor did he have any sort of idiosyncrasy to his performance that truly makes a cinematic version of Bond work - Moore with his eyebrow raises and humour, Craig and Connery with their panther-like walks and movements etc. I know some members here critique Dalton for lacking that star quality, but even his Bond has his fans in retrospect among the general public, more so than Lazenby. I do genuinely think had they kept going with Lazenby the series would have had major problems, and getting Moore was a significant reason why the series was able to survive.

    Yes indeed, this is all why I wish Roger had been cast early enough to do OHMSS. Imagine him playing Sir Hilary: it could have been genuinely funny and wouldn't have been as distant and weird as Lazenby's version of it. George Baker is trying everything he can, and was a good comic and dramatic actor, but there's only so much you can do when you're fitting your lines to someone else's performance. With Roger doing it you'd have got some nice little asides, especially in the helicopter as you mention. You'd actually have been able to tell what Bond is thinking.
    Likewise he'd have done the romantic and dramatic bits better too. He doesn't get enough credit, but he'd have been able to sell Bond's horror at Blofeld's scheme etc. He wouldn't have done the fights quite as well, I could live with that.

    Casting someone just because they look right... not a great plan.
    MI6HQ wrote: »
    peter wrote: »
    @MI6HQ I did see those films as well as some others (if I remember, wasn't he in some cheese all erotic flicks in the late 80s/90s...I think I'm remembering correctly).

    He just wasn't an actor.

    I love OHMSS, and I love some scenes where he nailed something quite genuine. But I just can't see the series surviving on his shoulders (and I still despise his wind up punches, although have come to accept the, 😂.).

    I think there would still be an acceptance coming from the audiences, I'm not saying he should stick around for long like Moore did, but to have only one film just wasn't enough, he needs to do at least maybe 2 or 3 films at least.

    Have him at least do Diamonds Are Forever, that's all.
    But I just can't see the series surviving on his shoulders

    To be honest, maybe an unpopular opinion, but the same could be said for Dalton, I don't think the franchise would either survive with him, especially after what happened with the box office of LTK (and yes that led to the franchise being in hiatus for 5 years), and yes, that the people at the time couldn't accept his portrayal of Bond (because of remnants of Moore).

    I think the Producers moving on with Brosnan in the 90's is also a great idea.

    Agreed there; it had to be done.
    007HallY wrote: »
    Oh, didn't realise he wasn't actually Superman anymore. Yes, I think he'll get some rumours about this in that case. His agent needs to keep his name in the press after all...

    Have we had a proper Harry Styles rumour yet? Seems overdue if not.

    I wonder what's happening with Cavill's spy series? With Matthew Vaughn, wasn't it?

    Styles is worth keeping on the list as he's vaguely the right type and acts in movies; can't be ruled out. I also think he may be a good shout for the title song: his recent album that I've heard is some top tier pop, and he's mega popular of course.
  • Posts: 368
    ‘The writings on the wall’ Cavill is the next Bond.

  • edited December 2022 Posts: 784
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  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,641
    A Henry Cavill Bond film doesn't interest me to be honest, I've seen Man From Uncle, so I'm confident I know what his Bond would be.

    He doesn't have the acting ability to bring out the richness of complexity and contradictions that I love about the best Bond films.
    Nothing against him but he'd just be the man in the tux
  • edited December 2022 Posts: 3,327
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    007HallY wrote: »
    007HallY wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    I keep hearing rumours that Aaron Taylor-Johnson has screen tested for Bond and shot a gun barrel sequence with official announcement in March.Probably nothing but it appears the EON cogs are starting to move again

    I'd be on board with ATJ. There are definitely worse rumoured choices out there.

    At least he tallies with the Fleming description. The GQ photo below screams Bond to me.

    319985956_682508880200065_948758160611701390_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=437PxGKby38AX8VgsqW&_nc_ht=scontent.ffab1-2.fna&oh=00_AfBHCMAoGHrXNYqwVr2w0USVZZhiiWj9u2qVtS0kDl7O1Q&oe=639D34BA


    I agree 100%. IF this is indeed the course they plan to take, I'm good with it.

    I'm not sure if he even tallies with the Fleming Bond description in essence though. He's not especially cruel looking, he doesn't look vaguely like Hoagey Carmichael, he's certainly not got the scar on his cheek or comma of hair... I mean, he's got black hair, is about the right age and looks good in a suit, but he doesn't have, say, Craig's distinctive (and what can be described at times/in the right setting as rather cruel) eyes or Connery's rugged features that made him look slightly older than his years.

    That's not to say anything about his appearance as he is rules him out as Bond, but neither does it mean anything. Screen presence and demeanour in the role also count.

    He may not be EXACTLY like the Fleming description, but he's not that far off. He resembles an image that embodies and typifies what Bond should look like, based on the past 60 years. Tall, white, dark haired, handsome, looks good in a suit, etc.

    As long as he can act, appear tough, and ooze charisma as a leading man too, then this pretty much ticks all the boxes required, IMO.

    I appreciate there are others out there who want something different, maybe a black actor instead to shake things up, or an actor that doesn't resemble anything like the previous Bond actors to reinvent the character, but I'm pleased and proud to say I'm not one of them.

    I want Bond in the mould of what has been emblazoned on our minds and culture since 1962, and if it managed to go even deeper, unearthing Fleming's literary roots too in the process, even better.

    In short, The Cadbury's Milk Tray man.


    There are many actors who are tall, white, good looking and have dark hair but who probably wouldn’t make very effective Bonds. That’s because there’s much more to the character that they need to convey onscreen.

    Fleming’s Bond wasn’t just any good looking guy in a suit either, nor was he the Cadbury Milk Tray man. He’s a professional, a man whose job often boils down to kill or be killed. He’s not some male model in elaborate commercials, but the real thing. Fleming himself even said he really had no concrete idea of what his character looked like beyond the very vague descriptions he’d set up - the hair, the eyes, the scar etc. Even the Hoagey Carmichael reference goes out the window by the later novels and we instead get detailed asides about this man looking ‘cruel’, ‘cold’ - good looking certainly, but someone who looks out of place in settings like a private member’s club for these intangible reasons.

    I think the problem some people have with Johnson is that they feel despite broadly fulfilling the superficial qualities of the character, he doesn’t quite have that same edge to him, those same intangible qualities that are not only vital to Fleming’s Bond but Connery’s, Craig’s, Dalton’s and I’d argue even Moore’s Bond. I don’t know how fair that is given none of us have seen him audition, but I can understand this concern having seen some of his other performances. While good looking, I don’t look at his face or into his eyes and immediately have that same sense of enigma, darkness and intrigue I do with Craig, Dalton and Connery especially. I can’t see Johnson turning heads with interest when he walks into a casino, for instance, or a woman eying him up in that cautious but fascinated way, at least not in a way that’s believable.

    None of the actors look like Hoagey Carmichael. At all. None have scars on their cheeks, and a couple don’t even have black hair. More than two have had funny hairstyles even in the contexts of their own Bond films. I suspect if Fleming had been able to come up with an image of his hero they wouldn’t have looked like any of the actors. And that’s fine. It just means that the cinematic Bond is more malleable, and beyond the core traits of his character (his Britishness, masculinity, vices, sense of patriotism, bravery, his attitude of a man living as someone who may not return from an assignment etc) he can be shaped based on the film, the context and even the actor’s interpretation, but he’ll always be recognisable as James Bond. I’d argue a reason for this is because the producers will prioritise that intangible edge, that sense of darkness, that special ‘something’ we talk about here so much. The actor doesn’t necessarily have to have blue grey eyes, but their stare needs to give off that same cold but watchful look that’s described in Fleming. It’s better that they do go this route and not just go with an actor who ‘ticks boxes’, otherwise we’d constantly get George Lazenbys or Henry Cavills.

    I agree with all of this, hence why I said earlier - ‘As long as he can act, appear tough, and ooze charisma as a leading man too, then this pretty much ticks all the boxes required.’

    You’ve articulated this perfectly in your post.
  • RyanRyan Canada
    Posts: 692
    As much as I'm not the biggest Cavill fan, it does seem that the stars are aligning for him if he's going to get a go at the role.

    That's two major franchises he's left in a short span of time, thus clearing up his immediate itinerary. He's got the added benefit of having gone up for the role before and screen testing. Now, he's the right age. He's also an especially "safe" choice among the public, or so it would seem based on the continued popularity of him as a possible candidate. It could very well all be coincidence, especially with this DC shakeup, but stranger things have happened.

    Not that any of that means anything before we hear from EON, but if he was ever going to get a shot at the part - it's probably now or never.
  • Posts: 3,327
    Univex wrote: »
    007HallY wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    I keep hearing rumours that Aaron Taylor-Johnson has screen tested for Bond and shot a gun barrel sequence with official announcement in March.Probably nothing but it appears the EON cogs are starting to move again

    I'd be on board with ATJ. There are definitely worse rumoured choices out there.

    At least he tallies with the Fleming description. The GQ photo below screams Bond to me.

    319985956_682508880200065_948758160611701390_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=437PxGKby38AX8VgsqW&_nc_ht=scontent.ffab1-2.fna&oh=00_AfBHCMAoGHrXNYqwVr2w0USVZZhiiWj9u2qVtS0kDl7O1Q&oe=639D34BA


    I agree 100%. IF this is indeed the course they plan to take, I'm good with it.

    I'm not sure if he even tallies with the Fleming Bond description in essence though. He's not especially cruel looking, he doesn't look vaguely like Hoagey Carmichael, he's certainly not got the scar on his cheek or comma of hair... I mean, he's got black hair, is about the right age and looks good in a suit, but he doesn't have, say, Craig's distinctive (and what can be described at times/in the right setting as rather cruel) eyes or Connery's rugged features that made him look slightly older than his years.

    That's not to say anything about his appearance as he is rules him out as Bond, but neither does it mean anything. Screen presence and demeanour in the role also count.

    He may not be EXACTLY like the Fleming description, but he's not that far off. He resembles an image that embodies and typifies what Bond should look like, based on the past 60 years. Tall, white, dark haired, handsome, looks good in a suit, etc.

    As long as he can act, appear tough, and ooze charisma as a leading man too, then this pretty much ticks all the boxes required, IMO.

    I appreciate there are others out there who want something different, maybe a black actor instead to shake things up, or an actor that doesn't resemble anything like the previous Bond actors to reinvent the character, but I'm pleased and proud to say I'm not one of them.

    I want Bond in the mould of what has been emblazoned on our minds and culture since 1962, and if it managed to go even deeper, unearthing Fleming's literary roots too in the process, even better.

    In short, The Cadbury's Milk Tray man.


    Best post in 1010 pages, @jetsetwilly! Thank you for that. I really needed a post like yours. One that echoes my feelings. Thank you!

    Of to drink my Cadbury now :)

    Cheers mate.

    Great minds think alike 👍
  • JeremyBondonJeremyBondon Seeking out odd jobs with Oddjob @Tangier
    edited December 2022 Posts: 1,318
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    The guy kind of looks stoned, constipated and angry at the same time.
  • Posts: 6,710
    The guy kind of looks stoned, constipated and angry at the same time.
    :))
  • Posts: 6,710
    Still the best choice, IMO. Voice and all.
  • Has anyone watched the mini-series The English that's on Amazon Prime and stars Emily Blunt? Tom Hughes, who is one of the more interesting candidates to me, is in it. I watched a part of it. His role isn't a particularly Bondian one, but the series does look pretty good.

  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,593
    I still don’t want Cavill, even less so now that he’s Gunn’s leftovers. ;)
  • AmericanBondFan1994AmericanBondFan1994 Milford, Michigan
    Posts: 16
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    A Henry Cavill Bond film doesn't interest me to be honest, I've seen Man From Uncle, so I'm confident I know what his Bond would be.

    He doesn't have the acting ability to bring out the richness of complexity and contradictions that I love about the best Bond films.
    Nothing against him but he'd just be the man in the tux

    He's quite wooden despite playing a great Superman I did see the man from U.N.C.L.E a while back and wasn't impressed with him. Although I haven't watched The Witcher is he good in that?
  • doubleoego wrote: »
    Cavill may be in with a chance now.

    Is there news?
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,593
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    A Henry Cavill Bond film doesn't interest me to be honest, I've seen Man From Uncle, so I'm confident I know what his Bond would be.

    He doesn't have the acting ability to bring out the richness of complexity and contradictions that I love about the best Bond films.
    Nothing against him but he'd just be the man in the tux

    He's quite wooden despite playing a great Superman I did see the man from U.N.C.L.E a while back and wasn't impressed with him. Although I haven't watched The Witcher is he good in that?

    His wooden-ness is an asset for Superman, an alien brand new to Earth, IMO.
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