What Directors Should Helm A Bond Film?

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  • edited May 7 Posts: 133
    Jonathan Nolan is an interesting suggestion, @peter. Honestly I haven't seen "Fallout" because I think it's not exactly my cup of tea, but based on the trailer and the reviews he could bring some fresh ideas into Bond, even including some solid humor.
    I think the 007 producers should look more into TV/streaming shows anyway, there are some very talented writers and directors out there.
    Regarding writers, Charlie Brooker ("Black Mirror") and Noah Hawley ("Fargo") come to mind, for example.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    Kojak007 wrote: »
    Jonathan Nolan is an interesting suggestion, @peter. Honestly I haven't seen "Fallout" because I think it's not exactly my cup of tea, but based on the trailer and the reviews he could bring some fresh ideas into Bond, even including some solid humor.
    I think the 007 producers should look more into TV/streaming shows anyway, there are some very talented writers and directors out there.
    Regarding writers, Charlie Brooker ("Black Mirror") and Noah Hawley ("Fargo") come to mind, for example.

    I agree @Kojak007 , TV/streaming is boasting a lot of talent. I wouldn't be surprised if EoN is mining these series for, especially, writing talent (directing may be a little trickier, especially on a huge $200 million tent pole film; it could overwhelm . But a director who has done both elite series on streaming, and features...)

    Re: Fallout, I was a little late to watching it because, like you, I wasn't sure if it was quite to my tastes.

    I had even watched the trailer a few times, and I was very doubtful.

    The first episode intrigued me. By the second episode, I could feel myself being drawn in. By the third, I was completely onboard. The series did it's job and won me over through fantastic storytelling.

    I hope you'll be able to give it a go down the line. It was really not something I expected to respond to so strongly, but here I am, an absolute fan, 😂!!
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    edited May 7 Posts: 4,629
    Kojak007 wrote: »
    Jonathan Nolan is an interesting suggestion, @peter. Honestly I haven't seen "Fallout" because I think it's not exactly my cup of tea, but based on the trailer and the reviews he could bring some fresh ideas into Bond, even including some solid humor.
    I think the 007 producers should look more into TV/streaming shows anyway, there are some very talented writers and directors out there.
    Regarding writers, Charlie Brooker ("Black Mirror") and Noah Hawley ("Fargo") come to mind, for example.

    I agree about Jonathan Nolan writing. I think his brother would be jealous, lol. But yes, the writing does need to change for Bond. Maybe an action writer as well, would work for me.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,395
    Ever since @benny suggested brad bird a little while ago I can't help keep thinking about how that could really work. From the incredibles to mission impossible, he's been pivotal to some of the best film experiences I've had in my life. Assuming he hasn't lost it in his aging years, that's really not a bad shout. I'd love to see a Randian vision of Bond brought to life on the big screen. The Incredibles is really a 60's Bond film in disguise anyway.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,571
    Was keen on Edgar Wright. Oh well.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 1,646
    He was already too busy with Running Man, which hasn't started filming yet. I love Wright's work but it always feels too childish for Bond, to me. Yes, even last night in Soho. That movie was weird, like a child fantasy/nightmare.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    LucknFate wrote: »
    He was already too busy with Running Man, which hasn't started filming yet. I love Wright's work but it always feels too childish for Bond, to me. Yes, even last night in Soho. That movie was weird, like a child fantasy/nightmare.

    💯 there’s something fun, yet infantile, about everything he does. Fun, yet shows no adult coolness, nor adult gravitas for Bond…
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    edited May 14 Posts: 1,646
    peter wrote: »
    LucknFate wrote: »
    He was already too busy with Running Man, which hasn't started filming yet. I love Wright's work but it always feels too childish for Bond, to me. Yes, even last night in Soho. That movie was weird, like a child fantasy/nightmare.

    💯 there’s something fun, yet infantile, about everything he does. Fun, yet shows no adult coolness, nor adult gravitas for Bond…

    Always comes back to Hamilton or Campbell for me. Could I see them forging a new, stylish man out of an actor? A gentleman out of the box? Wright I can not.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    Wright it down: Edgar's not doing Bond.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,789
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  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,571
    Can we at least have Matt Smith and Anya from Soho? Both would make amazing additions to the Bondverse.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 1,646
    QBranch wrote: »
    Can we at least have Matt Smith and Anya from Soho? Both would make amazing additions to the Bondverse.

    Where would you put Matt Smith? He reminds me of the NSNA M.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,571
    LucknFate wrote: »
    QBranch wrote: »
    Can we at least have Matt Smith and Anya from Soho? Both would make amazing additions to the Bondverse.
    Where would you put Matt Smith? He reminds me of the NSNA M.
    Someone here once mentioned Matt Smith for Q, and it blew my mind. Too similar to young Whishaw's Q maybe? He might play a colleague of Bond's, like an MI6 co-worker. Maybe the new guy in the office that rubs Bond the wrong way or Bond is suspicious of, but he proves himself later to be of help, a bit like Saunders? Then again he would make effortless henchman material too. Not entirely sure where I'd put him, I just know he's an excellent actor, has a presence and that unconventional character face that pops up in each Bond film. Fave NuWho Doctor too.

    Anya, with her massive eyes looks otherworldly, or how every human will evolve to look like in 200 years. Similar thoughts with her: versatile as the main Bond girl, femme fatale, henchwoman or reluctant mistress to the villain. Perhaps a young Bond falls for the honeytrap.
  • Posts: 1,340
    It's time for a female Q.
  • Posts: 4,139
    How about an AI Q if they really wanted to shake things up? Played by an actor/actress of course but just as a computer…

    That said not sure if even I like that idea!
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    007HallY wrote: »
    How about an AI Q if they really wanted to shake things up? Played by an actor/actress of course but just as a computer…

    That said not sure if even I like that idea!

    I dunno if I like it, but what I do like is great thinking out of the box. Nice!
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited May 17 Posts: 16,382
    Toby Jones could be great.
    Jason Watkins maybe? Bill Nighy could be good: Q as a funky cool uncle.
  • sandbagger1sandbagger1 Sussex
    edited May 17 Posts: 942
    007HallY wrote: »
    How about an AI Q if they really wanted to shake things up? Played by an actor/actress of course but just as a computer…

    That said not sure if even I like that idea!

    I think AI is overused, but they probably will use it in the new film because that is the trend.

    An AI was virtually a supporting character in the recent A Murder at the End of the World (cinematography by Charlotte Bruus Christensen, who you suggested as a potential DP for Bond), and following this tenuous link, I think Emma Corrin who lead that miniseries would make for a good non-binary Q if they wanted to go that route.
  • edited May 17 Posts: 4,139
    peter wrote: »
    007HallY wrote: »
    How about an AI Q if they really wanted to shake things up? Played by an actor/actress of course but just as a computer…

    That said not sure if even I like that idea!

    I dunno if I like it, but what I do like is great thinking out of the box. Nice!

    Cheers! I’m definitely not sold on it myself but who knows.
    007HallY wrote: »
    How about an AI Q if they really wanted to shake things up? Played by an actor/actress of course but just as a computer…

    That said not sure if even I like that idea!

    I think AI is overused, but they probably will use it in the new film because that is the trend.

    An AI was virtually a supporting character in the recent A Murder at the End of the World (cinematography by Charlotte Bruus Christensen, who you suggested as a potential DP for Bond), and following this tenuous link, I think Emma Corrin who lead that miniseries would make for a good non-binary Q if they wanted to go that route.

    I think it depends on how it’s used. I know the latest MI film depicted an AI weapon as some sort of faceless all knowing entity, and it doesn’t seem to have worked. The thinking I actually had for a computerised Q was more Robin Williams as the AI programme in the Steven Spielberg film A.I. Something which allows the actor’s personality to come out while still fulfilling a plot purpose (and which doesn’t show this sort of tech as being fundamentally bad and instead being used for practical purposes, although it’s a bit too sci fi in many ways).

    Have not seen that yet! As for a non-binary Q I suspect it’d depend on the actor, and it’d be handled/referenced even more subtly than Wishaw’s Q being gay was, if at all. But Corrin’s good.
  • Posts: 9,846
    I have been so convinced of Chinese whispers and shadows of shadows (not a bad bond title) that i never stopped to ask who I would actually want…


    I like Guy Ritchie…
    I wouldnt mind Christopher Mcquarrie
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited May 18 Posts: 24,179
    I watched PARADISE LAGOON the other day, also known as THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON, a 1957 romantic adventure comedy directed by none other than Lewis Gilbert. While certainly an entertaining film, nothing about this one screamed "Bond director!" (fun fact: the film did star Sean Connery's later wife Diane Cilento.) This reminded me that potential Bond directors do not necessarily need to make "Bondian" films to have what it takes. Gilbert's 007 adventures aren't to everyone's liking, but at least two of them are, in my experience, met with praise within the Bond fan community. And yet, PARADISE LAGOON suggests a completely different skill set.

    And then I rewatched Leigh Whannell's exquisite 2020 horror film THE INVISIBLE MAN. Seeing what Whannell was capable of doing with only 7 million dollars, how well he told the film's story, how easily he grabbed my attention in the very first minutes if not seconds of the film, how he built tension, and what amazing performances he elicited from the likes of Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid and Michael Dorman, I got to thinking: what if Whannell directed a Bond film?

    I honestly think he could do it. Films such as UPGRADE and THE INVISIBLE MAN prove that he has matured as a director since the days of SAW and INSIDIOUS, that he can do action, tension and character work, and that he can tell a compelling story. He's never done anything that involves suave spying and such, but I don't see that as an obstacle either. To me, he's more than proven himself capable of making good, intense and suspenseful films. I'd like to see him make a Bond film at some point.
  • CharmianBondCharmianBond Pett Bottom, Kent
    Posts: 557
    I hadn't thought about Emma Corrin as Q but I would love to see that and as for other NB actors I think Emma D'Arcy would be amazing as a hench person. But Q's already been reimagined as a quantum computer in the Double O books which works well but I think giving it a voice would be tipping into Die Another Day territory.
  • Posts: 1,630
    Has an AI Q already been suggested ?
  • sandbagger1sandbagger1 Sussex
    Posts: 942
    Since62 wrote: »
    Has an AI Q already been suggested ?

    007HallY suggested it 8 posts above yours.
  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    edited May 23 Posts: 4,516
    PARADISE LAGOON pictures looks like a bit Dr No.

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    Only one none Bond movie i have seen from Gilbert is Friends (1971) with actor look like on younger Brosnan. There is also sequel from 3 years later (not seen, but some of footage look a bit TB, OHMSS). I think earlier we should a bit suprised that not asking Lewis Gilbert already for Dr No. I rank Yolt a bit higher then Dr No because of the humor, production design and better pacing.

    Moost present i sugest Albert Serra because of Pacifiction who footage feels a bit Live And Let Die, Dr No and LTK.

    I sugest Spanish thriller directer J.A. Bayona (El orfanato) before he made later Jurassic World 2 (Possible Universal ask him because of The Impossible) and A Monsters Call movie. I also have seen A Quiet Place from another directer and some other thrillers with some kind of horror story. And mabey i accept Guillermo del Toro. But Leigh Whannell (Actor who also direct) look like he be inspired by Verhoeven (Robocop, Hollowman). That and that he started as actor in 18+ horror series with to much loud sound effects / heart atack level be enough reasen to say no on this moment.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    edited May 29 Posts: 8,395
    Might seem a little out of left field, but hear me out, some fans have been saying for years they want a return to the more hardboiled feel of the early connery films, who better for that in this age than Shane Black?

    I think "the nice guys" might be in the top 5 best comedies from the past 10 years, if they want to go back to basics budget wise his style could really work.
  • Posts: 4,409
    Someone I like is David Michôd, the Aussie filmmaker behind flicks like "Animal Kingdom" and "The Rover". He is teaming up with Sydney Sweeney for a new biopic on Christy Martin. He has a style and mood that is very evocative of the vibe conjured by Denis Villeneuve. Michôd's knack for gritty storytelling talent could cook up something seriously intriguing. His intense character exploration and knack for suspense could give 007 a fresh spin.

    You know, I'm probably one of the few folks who actually got a kick out of his "War Machine" on Netflix. Sure, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but there's something oddly entertaining about its satire. "The King" is another gem from David Michôd's repertoire that I thoroughly enjoyed, especially with Timothée Chalamet leading the charge. There's just something about Michôd's take on historical dramas that hits the spot.

    Then there's Michôd's direction. He's got this knack for capturing the grit and grime of medieval warfare, making every battle feel visceral and intense. But it's not all blood and guts; there's also this underlying sense of political intrigue and betrayal.

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  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,179
    Might seem a little out of left field, but hear me out, some fans have been saying for years they want a return to the more hardboiled feel of the early connery films, who better for that in this age than Shane Black?

    I think "the nice guys" might be in the top 5 best comedies from the past 10 years, if they want to go back to basics budget wise his style could really work.

    I like most of Shane Black's stuff, although I can't see Bond turned into a noir buddy flick with a big role for a kid. (Unless we qualify NTTD as such. ;-) )
  • Posts: 1,340
    Might seem a little out of left field, but hear me out, some fans have been saying for years they want a return to the more hardboiled feel of the early connery films, who better for that in this age than Shane Black?

    I think "the nice guys" might be in the top 5 best comedies from the past 10 years, if they want to go back to basics budget wise his style could really work.

    Yeah, but "The nice guys" is more comedy than hardboiled.

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