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http://www.movienewsguide.com/james-bond-will-fantastic-four-star-ioan-gruffudd-make-good-bond/226576
I wish I had forgotten him.
I was correcting you and righyfully so. You said Elba was being mentioned only because of Luther and the fact that he's black. I stated, well, you can obviously read what I wrote; that those were not the only 2 reasons why.
As for being a pointless suggestion, given his age yes, it kind of is but you're making this and have been doing so about skin colour which as far as being a pointless suggestion is debatable. Read the title of the thread. Who should/could be a Bond actor? If Elba was younger he definitely could. Any attractive capable actor of any colour could be Bond. Now, SHOULD they be Bond is another matter entirely.
Indeed he was, which suggests to me he doesn't really care for the role but more the publicity he was getting from it. As a black man, something Bond hasn't been interpreted as, to have people and the media champion the idea and possibility of him being Bond is a huge compliment and must be a massive ego boost for him; and he took it, ran with it and exploited it to his benefit. When Sony execs are championing the idea too then his arrogance, which may not be appreciated but is at least understandable. This wasn't a role he was campaigning for, people and the media chucked his name into the hat and he rolled with it.
I've read the title of the thread...... He couldn't / shouldn't be a Bond actor because....Bond is a white character. Hence, pointless suggestion.
More like Dr Kananga.
Rubbish. You may have read the title of of the thread but you sure as hell dont comprehend it. Bond being a white character doesn't mean anything other than clinging on to what people are used to. James Bond doesn't have to be played by a white man because his skin colour doesn't define who he is. So no, it's not pointless. King Henry VI, a real life person was a white man and was played brilliantly and recieved critical acclaim by David Oyelowo.
Bond is Scottish and Swiss and white. It defines the character. Shaft is black. Can Craig play Shaft. Or and Asian guy play Bond?
Learn the character.
Post of the day right here! :-bd
What a stupid post. Bond being Scottish and Swiss defines the character?? How exactly?? Give me 3 examples of this being true. I know the character very well, clearly more than you do it seems. You're evidently not even trying to pretend to think about this intellectually. Bond is and has been white; yes but the fact is, he doesn't have to be and him being interpreted with having darker skin is something you clearly can't approach to seeing let alone getting passed it.
Really? You didn't seem to know Bond is Scottish, Swiss, and white. Bond is white. Seriously doubt Fleming ever envisioned Bond as Black...
Fleming's Bond is white. Get over it.
Soundly stated and succinctly put.
Someone mentioned Taylor Swift as a Bond girl ..silly, but yahoo did have a headline of Hiddleston and Swift caught getting it on on a beach.
Go Hiddy!!
What Fleming envinsioned is of no consequence. Just watch the movies to see that is the case. Again with your absurdity; so because I said Bond doesn't have to be a white character I don't know Fleming created him as half Swiss, half Scottish and white? Riiiiight...And I should get over what exactly? This alleged "impossibility" that Bond could be something other than white because of what Fleming wrote? Please don't make me laugh. EoN exercised their habitual fast and loose departure from Fleming decades ago; and I'm still waiting for those 3 examples where Bond being Scottish and Swiss defines who he is as a character.
Turner I thought had possibilities because I liked him in the little bit I've seen him in. But now I'm just sick of having him shoved in our faces near continually by Mendes. Hiddleston I have disliked from the beginning. So not many great choices being floated.
More than anything, I'm not worried because this is all so very premature. Daniel Craig is Bond. And I fervently hope he is our Bond for one more film. After that, I also hope it is an actor not yet discussed. So those are the 2 things I want: Craig to stay and the next Bond not even somebody mentioned yet.
Here I don't agree. The filmic version of Bond has never been too far away from what Fleming envisioned. The films themselves have widened the path for sure, and Bond has been more glamourous then the book version, but as a character he's largely remained the same, and his past/ background has played it's role, especially in the last film. Now it would've been odd for a Daniel Craig - aged Bond to have a darker tone in skin. In 50 years time it would work, as there are now enough darker-skinned people especially in Switserland (not too sure about Scotland but I take it it's more diverse now then, say, 40 years ago).
So for now I'd prefer him to be closer to the dark-haired, blue eyed white man he's supposed to be. Remember the 'outrage' for the current 'blonde Bond'? This is taking it a couple of steps further.
Oh and on those characteristics:
Bond is stubborn (supposedly a Scottish trait) but always loyal to his cause (Swiss trait). And he speaks his languages (Swiss). He's a bit raugh (Scottish) but can be refined as well (Swiss).
Both sides are right on this ongoing and never ending discussion to a degree. Bond is white, and has been described as such in the books. It certainly does not define his character, but he is a person that we have known for over 50 years as white, and that is how I'd like him to remain. I'd also like him to be 6ft 2 or thereabouts and preferably have dark hair, which is why, great as Craig has been, I'm open for us to move on and back to that template, and not further away from it. I also want him to be more of the man's man he was in the past and less of the wuss he became in the 90's. Enough with the PC BS.
How far away is too far away? Connery in DAF, most if not all of Moore's contribution and Brosnan, from characterisation perspectives were pretty far removed from what Fleming wrote. However, most people don't care simply because they find joy and entertainment from what they're watching. Dalton who is arguably the closest to how Fleming wrote Bond is embarrassingly underrated and ironically enough, it was because he was too Flemingesque that he didn't resonate well with audiences at large. Cinematic Bond really isn't literary Bond at all, despite what the opening texts read duringvthe opening of the TS.
Bond's past being brought up barely touches on his geographical heritage. There are many mixed race and people of colour born and raised in tge UK, Ireland and mainland Europe who are in their 60s, some in their 70s that I personally know who have lived upper middle class lives.
It's already been happening, as stated above but in 50 years time, hopefully more people won't be so ignorant to its existence.
That's fair enough. However, whereas Craig's casting caused outrage; many of those same people and media outlets are the same ones who are all too happy to champion the likes of Elba as Bond. It's bizarre.
Those aren't specific national/racial defining traits though. They can be assigned to anyone of any skin colour and group of peoples.
Keep waiting. We won't agree. Not quite sure by what you or anybody means by what defines a character. Not even sure if I even know what defines me. We are complex social biological psychological beings.
Don't worry I'm not diverting your question. If you want your Bond to be black go for it. Fleming didn't and that's fine. Neither has EoN to date yet but despite their creation of the cinematic Bond EoN still references Fleming. Inconsistently of course.
I think today for me the idea of Bond will be a Chinese woman. I'm feeling feminine so I'm going to Target lock myself in the ladies room and hash out my spec script for The Property of a Lady.
It's not much of a factor at all other than to provide historical context to Bond's background. Instead of being any standard through and through English guy; he's half Swiss, half Scottish, born in Germany, grew up in England and Scotland.
Personally I can find enough Fleming Bond in all the actors who portrayed him, but it's each to his own I guess and as Idris is as good as everyone claims, it might work. But somehow I've little faith in that.
Dalton was too much upper class if you ask me, and didn't do all that bad at all, his were one of the first Bond films to score higher internationally then 'domestic'(USA domestic). But I think it was the upper class bit without Roger's charm that got people less interested. Or he was a bit too European for the USA's tastes. I can only guess.
I think Craig played Bond very much in a Fleming way, which is the reason he got away with it whilst not completly looking ideal (even though he's still tall and has blue eyes).