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If it's a white Bond, there will be a lot of press negativity, along with headlines like "Nobody does it whiter", and probably a lingering feeling among the more strident that the actor has unjustly "taken" a role that rightfully belongs to a person of color.
If it's not a white Bond, we can be certain that the absolute worst fan reactions will be given maximal attention in articles about how the Bond fan community has major problems and how it's not surprising given the type of character Bond is or the type man Fleming was. After the film is released, we may likely even have some articles suggesting that the new Bond is inauthentic in some way, not reflecting the "lived experience" of POC.
There will lots of ugliness either way.
I don't mind either way what background the new Bond has and I have total confidence in EON to get the right man for the job. I just sort of wish they'd already had a non-white Bond at some point so the issue wouldn't have to come to a head at this annoying moment.
I really don't think it will be that bad. There will be a couple of provocative articles in The Guardian or whatever and a few outspoken people on Twitter trying to start an argument, but beyond that I don't see it causing all that much of a ruckus.
I can see where you’re coming from to be fair. It probably would’ve been easier ten years ago, and as much as I’ve always said I don’t mind either way, I sort of wish they’d done it already too, to save us the inevitable arguments. But I agree with @mtm personally, I think the culture war stuff from both sides is always made out to be a bigger deal than it is.
Look at what happened with Doctor Who. The current show still gets criticism (quite rightly imo, it’s been pretty poor), but the character’s gender never comes up in conversation anymore. When the next Bond is cast, there’ll be a bit of manufactured, click baity online arguing about it, then after a while the only people left talking about his race will be on sites like this.
That is quite the leap of logic! :)
I tend to agree that Elba would have been a good fit: most essentially a lot of women seem to find him very sexy! :) And he’s got a definite alpha male presence and can lead a film. But: too old now.
I agree with a lot of this. If Idris Elba was ten years younger, I would not have minded him being the next Bond. He does tick a lot of the boxes required for the role. At this age however, if you cast him you are looking at a realistic prospect of perhaps two films before he would be to old to be credible in the part, and both I and EON I presume, would like a new actor to be able to do at least four films, ideally 5-7. Just like with Michael Fassbender, another actor I think would make a great Bond, timing is not on Elba's side...
Regarding the question of a black Bond, intent has everything to do with it for me. If the ideal actor for the part happens to be black, his race should not disqualify him. If you hire a black actor merely for the purpose of hiring a black actor however, that would be very problematic...
I don't think there would be any way of telling that though: it's not as if there's only ever one man in the world capable of playing the part at any one time. I don't think there's anything wrong with making that choice if it's something they want to do; they'd clearly be picking someone who's really good no matter what.
LOL.
I can't remember where it was but Hamilton, Adam and others made it clear they would have been at Universal and had to start dealing with US crews. They did eventually use a lot of US effects men and had to fight to be able to use Ted Moore.
It just came to mind that the Gardner revival starting with LR is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, I believe this spring. It was a pretty big deal at the time, that followed by the release of FYEO a couple months later.
Which means most of the actors mentioned as potential successor to Craig these days don't stand a chance to get it.
I think the shaving scene in SF is brilliant! Apart from that you are quite right, sadly...
I liked it that the very next time we saw her after James' ill-fated wedding, she made a crass joke about him bringing her an engagement ring :D
I suppose she had a bit of a fiesty character (along with most of the other MI6 regulars) in TMWTGG but that's about the only such scene of character for the classic Lois Maxwell Moneypenny that I can really think of. Other attempts at giving her a bit more to do character wise are to be found in OP and AVTAK but I agree it's all a far cry from the halcyon days of the 1960s Bond films. Moneypenny in TSWLM and MR has virtually nothing to do but crack corny jokes in blink-and-you'll-miss-her scenes.
That's a good point about those two films: her and Roger bounce off each other really well so considering those ones are pretty fun-heavy it's a surprise she's barely in them.
She should really have at least been in the scene where they burst in on Drax in gasmasks.
My controversial opinion on her is, for all the talk of how the actor playing Bond must be British, why does no-one seem to notice that Moneypenny turns Canadian after a few films? :D
Yes, they throw away the Moneypenny character in both of those films in my opinion. She just seems to be there as a sounding board to react incredulously to Moore Bond's latest death defying stunt and then tell him he's late and that M and Co. are already waiting for him and he better hurry up etc. All well below standard stuff.
That's a good point you raise too about Moore and Maxwell bouncing off each other well. They do and of course they both studied together (and were friends) at RADA and were both born in the same year so it's extra nice to see that friendship replicated on screen. It's a real shame she wasn't given a bit more to do in some of the Moore Bond films, especially TSWLM and MR where her role was vastly reduced. It makes you wonder why they hired the actress at all if that was all they were going to give her to do. I suppose it can only really be seen as placeholder scenes for the character until they found something more meaningful for her to do with the role. It seems that screenwriter Christopher Wood was strangely out of his comfort zone when it came to writing good scenes between Bond and Moneypenny.
On Moneypenny's accent turning Canadian as the Bobd films progress, I can't day that I've noticed that but I'll certainly be on the lookout for it from now on!
It is quite interesting now you mention it, than her relationship with Connery's Bond was obviously one of just plain fancying him, but her and Roger's Bond do actually seem to be more friends and she almost teases him more than he does her.
I love the shaving scene. But she was not revealed as Moneypenny then, for one, so it's more of an Eve/Bond moment if that makes sense. It's also almost too sexy for Moneypenny, but that is another debate entirely.
To be fair, she's a secretary. She's got a lot to do sure, especially with such employer, but in the end, it remains secretarial work. In the early days, she was mostly a comic relief character. And don't get me wrong: I love Moneypenny. But in her case, less is really more: give her little to do, but make it memorable.