The biggest missed opportunities in the Bond franchise

18911131417

Comments

  • Posts: 11,189
    Salma Hayek has already filmed scenes with James Bond:
  • Posts: 1,386
    1. A couple more Bond films for Dalton.
    2. Rod Taylor passed on James Bond in '61. I'd like to have seen his take on Bond for On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
  • Posts: 676
    A real shame Amy Winehouse never got around to doing a Bond theme.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Milovy wrote: »
    A real shame Amy Winehouse never got around to doing a Bond theme.

    Agree. She was the perfect fit.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    Not a missed opportunity as such, given the guy ruled himself out, but I'd desperately love to see what a Campbell follow up to CR would've looked like. If only they'd pushed as much as they did for Mendes.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,400
    The door is not completely closed on Campbell returning just yet. Stranger things have happened.

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited May 2017 Posts: 23,883
    At the very least, Campbell should have input into the casting side of things. He knows how to pick them, including the women. I realize that he was an advocate for Cavill, but perhaps that was on account of his relative youth fitting the narrative better.
  • Posts: 787
    I regret that Matthis was killed off in QOS. He's a great character, and Giannini was, to me, playing the best of the literary Matthis. I'd love for him to be able to pop back into the narrative once in a while, to give Bond some exposition and a really great meal. . .
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    The door is not completely closed on Campbell returning just yet. Stranger things have happened.

    I didn't say it was, I was referring specifically to QoS.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited May 2017 Posts: 23,883
    In my view, directorially, the biggest mistake was holding out for Mendes for SP. He and all of his collaborators (Logan, Newman et al.) were a spent force.

    They should have just gone with Nolan.
  • Posts: 2,189
    I know its probably been mentioned but having George do at least a second Bond film where he chased after Blofeld in a serious way would have been a perfect way to go after OHMSS. They should have done YOLT after OHMSS, not before. In fact, the way the whole film chronology was handled after Thunderball was very poor.
  • Posts: 11,425
    bondjames wrote: »
    At the very least, Campbell should have input into the casting side of things. He knows how to pick them, including the women. I realize that he was an advocate for Cavill, but perhaps that was on account of his relative youth fitting the narrative better.

    Because he wanted Cavill he should never be alllowed near casting another Bond
  • GBFGBF
    Posts: 3,197
    Milovy wrote: »
    A real shame Amy Winehouse never got around to doing a Bond theme.

    Agree. She was the perfect fit.
    Milovy wrote: »
    A real shame Amy Winehouse never got around to doing a Bond theme.

    Agree. She was the perfect fit.
    Milovy wrote: »
    A real shame Amy Winehouse never got around to doing a Bond theme.

    Agree. She was the perfect fit.

    I guess this is still possible... just take her song "Valery" and rerecord it as "Mallory" in case M will have a bigger part in a future Bond film that would be perfect...
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    Getafix wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    At the very least, Campbell should have input into the casting side of things. He knows how to pick them, including the women. I realize that he was an advocate for Cavill, but perhaps that was on account of his relative youth fitting the narrative better.

    Because he wanted Cavill he should never be alllowed near casting another Bond

    He shouldn't pick who the next Bond will be (and he won't), but if he had any input on choosing the supporting cast of his two films then by all means EON give this man a call.
  • Posts: 15,125
    I'd say having a recurring adversary (villain or organization) during the Brosnan era.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,304
    JBFan626 wrote: »
    Luds wrote:
    I feel like I read somewhere- I can't remember where- that before Lazenby quit and was expected to return for Diamonds Are Forever, that they originally planned for OHMSS to have a happy ending (ending with the wedding) and Tracy was to die in the PTS of DAF. Has anyone else heard that? Not sure if true or not, but if I had my way, I'd have kept OHMSS just the way it was, and radically changed DAF

    It may very well be on the making of DAF or more likely OHMSS, I seem to recall the same thing as you do.

    Yes it's in the OHMSS SE Behind-the-Scenes. Peter Hunt is talking about how that was their intention. They even do a mock-up, showing the end of OHMSS segueing into a Diamonds Are Forever title shot. Seeing that is chilling, considering the possibility...

    So basically Hunt would have given us the beginning of The Bourne Supremacy before Bourne did.

    Hunt should have directed a second movie. He demonstrated a great understanding of Fleming and he directed a lead who had never acted before!
  • Posts: 170
    Pierce Brosnan in The Living Daylights.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Robertson wrote: »
    Pierce Brosnan in The Living Daylights.

    As much as I'd have loved that. Pierce couldn't save the film from the rest of the flaws it had.
  • Posts: 170
    Murdock wrote: »
    Robertson wrote: »
    Pierce Brosnan in The Living Daylights.

    As much as I'd have loved that. Pierce couldn't save the film from the rest of the flaws it had.

    True.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,304
    After TLD reinvigorated the series, (new Bond, faithful to Fleming, no silliness) I was expecting the makers to really push on with this encouraging direction.

    Then they went and made LTK.....a boring revenge story with a made up city, a clichéd one dimensional villain (ooh latin Drug dealer how original) and Timothy Dalton forgetting his natural performance in TLD and going all overwrought and stagey in this one with a silly haircut.

    So disappointed coming out of seeing it in 1989. Thinking 'what could have been'

    When M says to Bond "You were supposed to be in Istanbul last night" that sounded like a more interesting movie than what I was watching.

    By the way sorry I'm a bit late to this discussion....

    I had the exact same feeling, watching the film in the theater in 1989. What's going on in Istanbul? Who cares about these locations we're watching? And the PTS is among the worst--it just never gels and Leiter should always be CIA.
  • edited June 2017 Posts: 170
    echo wrote: »
    And the PTS is among the worst

    Agreed.

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Getting one more Craig entry in during his prime and when he was on fire (2008 to 2012).
  • Posts: 15,125
    bondjames wrote: »
    Getting one more Craig entry in during his prime and when he was on fire (2008 to 2012).

    It was due to external circumstances though but yes.

    @LeonardPine I agree with you and this easily belong in the controversial thread given LTK popularity here.
  • Posts: 676
    A couple missed opportunities...

    I read recently on here (not sure which thread) that they considered having Mathis tell a version of the Governor's story from Fleming's "Quantum of Solace" story to Bond on the plane. I would have loved to see that. (Of course, this wouldn't work if they had kept the organization called "Quantum" - unless Mathis began the story by saying "that word, quantum, reminds me of a story..." or something.) As it stands, the film's title is never explained - indeed, it comes across as nonsense, which is a shame.

    Another one: I thought they did a good job contrasting the old-fashioned Bond with new age espionage in SF (stuff involving hacking, hard drives, drones, whatever). But I would have liked to see this contrast in the '90s, as well. A contrast between Bond and, well... the '90s! In TND, Bond blends in with the production design of Carver's laser-light party, Carver's high-tech HQ, etc. He's all slick suits, slick hair and gadgets galore. They take this even further in DAD, with even fancier gadgets and flashier production design. And Bond never contrasts with this environment, he just seems like part of it. Hell, he turns into a CGI cartoon character at one point. So I think they missed a real opportunity to contrast Bond (who should always be something of an anachronism) with all the '90s flashiness, instead of making him part of the flashiness. That would have been far more entertaining to me.
  • edited June 2017 Posts: 337
    While I'm not a fan of the darker approach that they took in the 80's with Bond, it'd help if they weren't mixing and matching with cheesy moments in every movie. That's especially true with Dalton's films, and I feel that has to do with John Glen, who of course worked on Moore's final three.

    I agree Craig could have done one in 2010 between QoS and SF.

    But of course the biggest missed opportunity were the early 90's, with the lawsuits and everything else. Dalton could've done at least one more and perhaps actually gotten the dark movie he wanted. I respect him as an actor but feel that both of his movies were far from capable of doing him justice. They were just too mish-mashy between the comedic camp scenes and the dark tone, and he didn't seem comfortable with either the lines or the directing, to say nothing of the dull atmosphere that pervaded both films. He should've at least been given a real, fair shot at what he wanted for Bond, and that's coming from someone who disagrees with the direction he wanted to take Bond in.
  • Posts: 1,970
    Dalton should of done a trilogy
    Brosnan should of done a 5th
    Craig should of had a film in 2010

    Also Harry should of sold his share to Cubby and not Untied Artist.
  • Posts: 19,339
    fjdinardo wrote: »
    Dalton should of done a trilogy
    Brosnan should of done a 5th
    Craig should of had a film in 2010

    Also Harry should of sold his share to Cubby and not Untied Artist.

    Kinky.

  • Posts: 3,336
    Ski chase in SPECTRE!!!
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Ski chase in SPECTRE!!!
    Very true. I wonder if Craig's injury prevented this or if they never had it in mind. Regardless, it's very disappointing.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    bondjames wrote: »
    Ski chase in SPECTRE!!!
    Very true. I wonder if Craig's injury prevented this or if they never had it in mind. Regardless, it's very disappointing.

    I could've swore I read somewhere on here that a ski chase was planned, but a mixture of Craig's injury/inability to ski had them scrap it and go with the plane chase instead.
Sign In or Register to comment.