Who should/could be a Bond actor?

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  • JeremyBondonJeremyBondon Seeking out odd jobs with Oddjob @Tangier
    Posts: 1,318
    Benny wrote: »
    tdihtbe8qshx.gif

    On that note:

  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,341
    talos7 wrote: »

    As someone who’s turning 60 this year, I agree. Lol.

    I feel with you, as I am also approaching that figure in the not too distant future.
    But take it like this:
    - average age of death in Europe for men is 78 years.
    - the rate of new Bond films is 1 Bond film every 3,2 years (that figure holds more or less for the times since Dalton, Brosnan and Craig).

    So in the remaining 18 years there are likely 5 new Bond films with 1 or 2 new actors. And 25 old films to be rewatched, analyzed and enjoyed. I would not panic, dear @talos7
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,205
    zebrafish wrote: »
    talos7 wrote: »

    As someone who’s turning 60 this year, I agree. Lol.

    I feel with you, as I am also approaching that figure in the not too distant future.
    But take it like this:
    - average age of death in Europe for men is 78 years.
    - the rate of new Bond films is 1 Bond film every 3,2 years (that figure holds more or less for the times since Dalton, Brosnan and Craig).

    So in the remaining 18 years there are likely 5 new Bond films with 1 or 2 new actors. And 25 old films to be rewatched, analyzed and enjoyed. I would not panic, dear @talos7

    @zebrafish Thanks for the pep talk, I needed that. :D
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,341
    I read that U.S.-American men die much younger, so make sure you live healthy!
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,177
    zebrafish wrote: »
    I read that U.S.-American men die much younger, so make sure you live healthy!

    They certainly don't have to cast an American as Bond then. ;-)
  • How about casting a little lego minifigure
  • edited February 2023 Posts: 831
    Re-post from the other thread:

    I'm absolutely enthralled with the new season of Star Trek: Picard, particularly Ed Speelers' work. And I'm coming round to the idea that he would be a phenomenal James Bond.

    230116-ed-speleers-s04-167-1677084957.jpg?resize=980:*

    The image above is taken from today's Esquire piece about his rising stardom, (Note: major spoilers for Picard beyond the click, particularly episode 2).
    https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a43024539/ed-speleers-star-trek-picard/

    ...but today's episode, specifically, is what's given me the idea. (I assure you, I had this thought before I read the subtitle on the article! )
    • Physically, he's handsome and looks the part
    • He's only 34 years old
    • Strong voice
    • He masterfully plays a rogue-ish, but always charming character who drives action
    • Balances humor and seriousness very well
    • He's a rising star, but not too famous yet: Clearly, he can be counted on to handle a major franchise IP but is also not so well known that audiences wouldn't be able to accept and see him as 007 (that post-Remington Brosnan sweet spot)
    • A new spin on the character: Perhaps less serious and bit a more fun than Daniel's interpretation (which I'm starting to think we need), but he could still maintain the harder edge of physicality and emotion when it's needed -- The man's a very good actor

    Bonus: He's asked directly about it at the end of the Esquire piece, and his answer's pretty clear.

    "I think every British actor under the age of 60 would probably like to put their hat in the ring for that one. I would absolutely love it. I think I’m probably down the pecking order at the moment. There seem to be a few big names thrown around. I mean, of course, I grew up adoring Bond, and it’s something my dad and I shared a huge passion for. But let’s put that out there! Star Trek spinoff and Bond. Yes, I’d do James Bond, and yes, I want to do a Star Trek spinoff."
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,205
    AgentM72 wrote: »
    Re-post from the other thread:

    I'm absolutely enthralled with the new season of Star Trek: Picard, particularly Ed Speelers' work. And I'm coming round to the idea that he would be a phenomenal James Bond.

    230116-ed-speleers-s04-167-1677084957.jpg?resize=980:*

    The image above is taken from today's Esquire piece about his rising stardom, (Note: major spoilers for Picard beyond the click, particularly episode 2).
    https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a43024539/ed-speleers-star-trek-picard/

    ...but today's episode, specifically, is what's given me the idea. (I assure you, I had this thought before I read the subtitle on the article! )
    • Physically, he's handsome and looks the part
    • He's only 34 years old
    • Strong voice
    • He masterfully plays a rogue-ish, but always charming character who drives action
    • Balances humor and seriousness very well
    • He's a rising star, but not too famous yet: Clearly, he can be counted on to handle a major franchise IP but is also not so well known that audiences wouldn't be able to accept and see him as 007 (that post-Remington Brosnan sweet spot)
    • A new spin on the character: Perhaps less serious and bit a more fun than Daniel's interpretation (which I'm starting to think we need), but he could still maintain the harder edge of physicality and emotion when it's needed -- The man's a very good actor

    Bonus: He's asked directly about it at the end of the Esquire piece, and his answer's pretty clear.

    "I think every British actor under the age of 60 would probably like to put their hat in the ring for that one. I would absolutely love it. I think I’m probably down the pecking order at the moment. There seem to be a few big names thrown around. I mean, of course, I grew up adoring Bond, and it’s something my dad and I shared a huge passion for. But let’s put that out there! Star Trek spinoff and Bond. Yes, I’d do James Bond, and yes, I want to do a Star Trek spinoff."

    I kid you not, minutes ago, while reading an article on “Picard “ , I saw his photo for the first time and checked his pedigree.
  • Posts: 831
    talos7 wrote: »
    AgentM72 wrote: »
    Re-post from the other thread:

    I'm absolutely enthralled with the new season of Star Trek: Picard, particularly Ed Speelers' work. And I'm coming round to the idea that he would be a phenomenal James Bond.

    230116-ed-speleers-s04-167-1677084957.jpg?resize=980:*

    The image above is taken from today's Esquire piece about his rising stardom, (Note: major spoilers for Picard beyond the click, particularly episode 2).
    https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a43024539/ed-speleers-star-trek-picard/

    ...but today's episode, specifically, is what's given me the idea. (I assure you, I had this thought before I read the subtitle on the article! )
    • Physically, he's handsome and looks the part
    • He's only 34 years old
    • Strong voice
    • He masterfully plays a rogue-ish, but always charming character who drives action
    • Balances humor and seriousness very well
    • He's a rising star, but not too famous yet: Clearly, he can be counted on to handle a major franchise IP but is also not so well known that audiences wouldn't be able to accept and see him as 007 (that post-Remington Brosnan sweet spot)
    • A new spin on the character: Perhaps less serious and bit a more fun than Daniel's interpretation (which I'm starting to think we need), but he could still maintain the harder edge of physicality and emotion when it's needed -- The man's a very good actor

    Bonus: He's asked directly about it at the end of the Esquire piece, and his answer's pretty clear.

    "I think every British actor under the age of 60 would probably like to put their hat in the ring for that one. I would absolutely love it. I think I’m probably down the pecking order at the moment. There seem to be a few big names thrown around. I mean, of course, I grew up adoring Bond, and it’s something my dad and I shared a huge passion for. But let’s put that out there! Star Trek spinoff and Bond. Yes, I’d do James Bond, and yes, I want to do a Star Trek spinoff."

    I kid you not, minutes ago, while reading an article on “Picard “ , I saw his photo for the first time and checked his pedigree.

    He has an excellent PR team who understands how to leverage timing. ;)


  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,395
    The one thing which makes me think the nolan rumours maybe aren't true is that EON like to scale back production and rein in the budgets somewhat once an established actor leaves, but Nolan would command at least a 300 million production budget (minus product tie-ins) which makes this seem unrealistic. Would EON really be prepared to that kind of gamble on a new actor and new direction? We live in the age of the mega-blockbuster, avatar 2 reportedly had production costs over 300 million, Fast X is about 330 million, Mission Impossible 7 is well over 300 million, its quickly becoming the new industry standard.
  • Posts: 831
    The one thing which makes me think the nolan rumours maybe aren't true is that EON like to scale back production and rein in the budgets somewhat once an established actor leaves, but Nolan would command at least a 300 million production budget (minus product tie-ins) which makes this seem unrealistic. Would EON really be prepared to that kind of gamble on a new actor and new direction? We live in the age of the mega-blockbuster, avatar 2 reportedly had production costs over 300 million, Fast X is about 330 million, Mission Impossible 7 is well over 300 million, its quickly becoming the new industry standard.

    Depends on the type of film that ends an era. Goldeneye is a much bigger, more expansive, scaled-up and stakes-upped Bond reinvention than Licence to Kill was as a film.

    I would argue No Time to Die felt scaled up for Craig's era, but stayed fairly down to earth in its human dynamics and emotional impact. While also having world-saving stakes, Naval vessels firing apocalyptic missiles, a villain's secret island lair, and a henchman with a bionic eye. It was sort of (in my opinion) the best mix of everything.

    No space lasers, space shuttles, or space where Silicon Valley used to be.

    So maybe a gritty, scaled back film isn't what's called for in this next reboot...?

    (Now in terms of budget, NTTD did cost a boatload so you may be right on that front...)
  • edited February 2023 Posts: 342
    007HallY wrote: »
    007HallY wrote: »
    7 years after the NTTD wrap...

    And?

    Insane.

    Not really.

    You can't begin on one of these Bond films until the last one has been promoted, made back all its earnings, and its reviews have come in. How else creatively (from a producer's perspective anyway) would you know where to go for the next one? That's already a good few years wiped out in your timeframe due to Covid. That's not to mention that the actual wrap date of NTTD is an arbitrary date anyway. There's still pick up shots and post production for that film to account for, so the film wasn't even fully completed in October 2019.

    And like I said, these films are very large and very expensive. It requires a lot of pre-planning. It's the same with most big franchise films from Mission Impossible to Batman.

    Apart from Brosnan, who had a 6 year gap due to legal issues, the production schedule hardly missed a beat when introducing change of actor. Lazenby, Connery, Moore, Dalton all had the standard gap (2 years then), and Craig had a 3 year gap.
  • Posts: 342
    Risico007 wrote: »
    Another issue is simply put the entire James Bond franchise is having issues..

    In the 90’s and early 2000’s we has Bond novels taking place in the current time. We had bond video games every year. And a new film every other year….

    The last bond novel to take place in the current time was Carte Blanche in 2011 the last real game was 2012 (yeah I know about goldeneye but that is a rom emulator port incredibly lazy hack job and no new levels) and the films are being spread apart more and more if it weren’t for the comic books we would have no new bond at all… that is kind of sad

    Everything has a lifespan. Maybe all the stories to be told about the character have been told. And Michael is in his 80s, Babs nearing retirement age, both are very rich. Not surprising output is falling away. After all they have done for the character, no one would begrudge them putting their feet up and calling it a day.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    edited February 2023 Posts: 5,970
    By that logic then we should just stop making James Bond? If there are no more stories.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    edited February 2023 Posts: 1,646
    Troy wrote: »
    007HallY wrote: »
    007HallY wrote: »
    7 years after the NTTD wrap...

    And?

    Insane.

    Not really.

    You can't begin on one of these Bond films until the last one has been promoted, made back all its earnings, and its reviews have come in. How else creatively (from a producer's perspective anyway) would you know where to go for the next one? That's already a good few years wiped out in your timeframe due to Covid. That's not to mention that the actual wrap date of NTTD is an arbitrary date anyway. There's still pick up shots and post production for that film to account for, so the film wasn't even fully completed in October 2019.

    And like I said, these films are very large and very expensive. It requires a lot of pre-planning. It's the same with most big franchise films from Mission Impossible to Batman.

    Apart from Brosnan, who had a 6 year gap due to legal issues, the production schedule hardly missed a beat when introducing change of actor. Lazenby, Connery, Moore, Dalton all had the standard gap (2 years then), and Craig had a 3 year gap.

    November 2002 to November 2006 is four years, bud.

    And as has previously mentioned, you have to go by NTTD's release date, October 2021. Do I think we'll get a movie in 2025? We'll see in July. A Fall 2025 release, should everything go well, production could start as late as Summer 2024, and we wouldn't get much news before that if it were the case. That could mean another full year of little-to-no solid news from Eon.

    That's not accounting for the 007 TV show and video game also in active development.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    edited February 2023 Posts: 8,395
    The thing that irks me about aaron taylour johnson is he doesn't seem very refined. He's a bit if a jack the lad type, which doesn't really seem suitable for the role of a gentleman spy. For me he'd be more fitting for kingsman than bond.

    That being said, I would take him over a gender/race swapped bond any day, so I guess beggers can't be choosers.
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    Posts: 3,152
    I dunno, I remember the 'Craig looks more like a sergeant than an officer' criticisms. They might even have been true - but it worked out pretty well, really. 😉
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,134
    The thing that irks me about aaron taylour johnson is he doesn't seem very refined. He's a bit if a jack the lad type, which doesn't really seem suitable for the role of a gentleman spy. For me he'd be more fitting for kingsman than bond.

    That being said, I would take him over a gender/race swapped bond any day, so I guess beggers can't be choosers.

    I see where you're coming from @Mendes4Lyfe , Bond was sold to us in the 60's as a gentleman spy. But the gentleman aspect of the character has never really left, if you think about it,.
    All of Bonds have been gentleman. Even the much-derided Craig films have plenty of moments of him acting like a gentleman.
    At the end of the day, an actor can only do what is on the page. If ATJ is going to be the next Bond, I'm sure he will be chosen because he's the right person for the part.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    edited February 2023 Posts: 5,970
    Should watch him in Anna Karenina.

  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,395
    Nolan is a pretty cool customer, perhaps he could smarten him up ala Terence Young with Connery back in the day.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,177
    Nolan is a pretty cool customer, perhaps he could smarten him up ala Terence Young with Connery back in the day.

    I would never say no to a Nolan Bond, that's for sure. I have a lot of confidence in the man.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,205
    I watched the clip above with an open mind, very much wanting to see something that would change my mind about ATJ, and then spoke.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    Posts: 5,970
    talos7 wrote: »
    I watched the clip above with an open mind, very much wanting to see something that would change my mind about ATJ, and then spoke.
    I think changing your mind is pretty much impossible @talos7 ;)
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,205
    Denbigh wrote: »
    talos7 wrote: »
    I watched the clip above with an open mind, very much wanting to see something that would change my mind about ATJ, and then spoke.
    I think changing your mind is pretty much impossible @talos7 ;)

    On this one, I’m afraid so…
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    edited February 2023 Posts: 8,395
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    Nolan is a pretty cool customer, perhaps he could smarten him up ala Terence Young with Connery back in the day.

    I would never say no to a Nolan Bond, that's for sure. I have a lot of confidence in the man.

    I don't know if you saw the rumours from a few weeks back but it seems like Nolan is the name being whispered behind the scenes as of late...

    I don't ordinarily consider myself much of an Internet detective as such, but for me there's something telling in how barbara phrased it "we don't have a script" instead of "we don't have a writer" or "no ones been contacted" or such. The inference seems to be, perhaps, that they have a plan or a pitch which they're interested in and they're waiting for elements to come into place.

    Nolan isn't my first choice, I would prefer either edgar wright or Martin campbell again, but EON are probably looking at it from the producers perspective and asking "whats the safest pair of hands to ensure that bond stays a flagship billion dollar movie franchise throughout the 2020's" and by that metric I'd have to concede Nolan is their man, and he's actually passionate about doing it.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    Posts: 5,970
    talos7 wrote: »
    Denbigh wrote: »
    talos7 wrote: »
    I watched the clip above with an open mind, very much wanting to see something that would change my mind about ATJ, and then spoke.
    I think changing your mind is pretty much impossible @talos7 ;)

    On this one, I’m afraid so…
    Either way, despite whatever people think of his voice, I feel this shows how he’s able to play people of a higher class in my opinion.
  • George_KaplanGeorge_Kaplan Being chauffeured by Tibbett
    edited February 2023 Posts: 680
    Denbigh wrote: »
    talos7 wrote: »
    Denbigh wrote: »
    talos7 wrote: »
    I watched the clip above with an open mind, very much wanting to see something that would change my mind about ATJ, and then spoke.
    I think changing your mind is pretty much impossible @talos7 ;)

    On this one, I’m afraid so…
    Either way, despite whatever people think of his voice, I feel this shows how he’s able to play people of a higher class in my opinion.

    That was 2012 and he was only 21-22. His voice may have deepened a bit since then.

    Interesting that it's the same role Connery played in the '61 TV version.

    EDIT: Just had a look at some interviews and it's definitely deeper. Either that or he's learned how to project it more.
  • Posts: 15,115
    It's funny, for me one of the reservations I have about ATJ is not that he looks too rough, or not gentlemanly enough, but the opposite: he looks a tad soft for Bond in what I've seen of him. Which isn't much and I understand he's an actor.
  • JeremyBondonJeremyBondon Seeking out odd jobs with Oddjob @Tangier
    Posts: 1,318
    Ludovico wrote: »
    It's funny, for me one of the reservations I have about ATJ is not that he looks too rough, or not gentlemanly enough, but the opposite: he looks a tad soft for Bond in what I've seen of him. Which isn't much and I understand he's an actor.

    He looks like a member of a boy band to me.
  • DenbighDenbigh UK
    Posts: 5,970
    Ludovico wrote: »
    It's funny, for me one of the reservations I have about ATJ is not that he looks too rough, or not gentlemanly enough, but the opposite: he looks a tad soft for Bond in what I've seen of him. Which isn't much and I understand he's an actor.

    He looks like a member of a boy band to me.
    I mean generationally the same could be said about all Bond actors tbh.
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