Will we ever see a film simply titled "James Bond"?

24

Comments

  • Posts: 9,847
    Agreed James Bond is a horrible title and one of my main concerns about Nolan coming on as director as he loves blunt titles... But I grew to accept Spectre so I suppose it wouldn't be horrible but if we are going with blunt vaguely bland titles I would prefer

    Blofeld

    Has s catchy sound to it
  • Posts: 1,631
    Hopefully they never stoop to the level of simply calling a Bond film James Bond or more simply 007. Both would be truly abysmal titles.
  • Posts: 669
    I think the always interesting, sometimes lyrical, sometimes cheesy, sometimes note perfect titles are part of the Bond canon. I personally don't think you can have a movie titled "James Bond" or "007", just as you can't have a Bond movie without girls, gadgets, locations, stunts, etc. But that's just me.
  • Posts: 4,044
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) was the closest we ever came to it and no doubt that's as close as it ever will be to referencing James Bond himself in a Bond film title.

    It's worth noting here (as something of an aside) that it's already happened twice in the official literary James Bond with Fleming's '007 in New York' and in the official literary Bond continuations with John Gardner's No Deals, Mr Bond (1987).

    James Bond Jr
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    vzok wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) was the closest we ever came to it and no doubt that's as close as it ever will be to referencing James Bond himself in a Bond film title.

    It's worth noting here (as something of an aside) that it's already happened twice in the official literary James Bond with Fleming's '007 in New York' and in the official literary Bond continuations with John Gardner's No Deals, Mr Bond (1987).

    James Bond Jr

    Yep, how could I have missed that one! Must have been desperately trying to blot out the memory of that one...
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited June 2016 Posts: 23,883
    You Know My Name would be better, but the title song has already been sung & brilliantly.

    I'd even prefer Shaken Not Stirred to James Bond or 007.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    bondjames wrote: »
    You Know My Name would be better, but the title song has already been sung & brilliantly.

    I'd even prefer Shaken Not Stirred to James Bond or 007.
    According to wikipedia, there already is a James Bond parody with James Bond in it called Shaken, Not Stirred. :))
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,216
    I think just Bond would work
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    bondjames wrote: »
    You Know My Name would be better, but the title song has already been sung & brilliantly.

    I'd even prefer Shaken Not Stirred to James Bond or 007.

    With respect, those sound more like the name of a programme/documentary on Bond than they do a future Bond film title.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited June 2016 Posts: 23,883
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    You Know My Name would be better, but the title song has already been sung & brilliantly.

    I'd even prefer Shaken Not Stirred to James Bond or 007.

    With respect, those sound more like the name of a programme/documentary on Bond than they do a future Bond film title.
    Indeed. I agree. However, I'd still prefer it to the sheer uninventiveness of James Bond or 007. The last title we got was bad enough.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited June 2016 Posts: 23,883
    Well, for me it's because we've had such iconic and interesting titles in the past that have defined Bond films (and I've associated these films with these sort of peculiar titles since childhood), so something like James Bond would just be a let down. So was Spectre, and so would Blofeld be, if they chose that for the next one for instance.

    I realize that, as with most things, Austin Powers put a spanner in the wheel, but still, I'd like something different. I was one who liked Quantum of Solace as a title, for instance.

    Having said that, I'd be happy if we don't hear Die in a title for a while.
  • edited June 2016 Posts: 12,837
    I weirdly like 'James Bond Of The Secret Service' as a title. Sounds sort of pulpy and cool and also like it'd be a back to basics, day in the life, Bond on a mission sort of story. Perfect for introducing a new actor plus it's so different to any previous Bond titles it'd at the very least generate a lot of publicity.

    James Bond or 007 on their own would
    be awful though (as great as the new one looks I still hate Jason Bourne as a title). Spectre I thought was a lazy title. Don't really like the idea of a follow up called Blofeld either (Fleming gave them the perfect title if they want to continue the Blofeld saga: Shatterhand, could be a modern YOLT adaptation, just omit the characters and stuff they already used in 1967).
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    I weirdly like 'James Bond Of The Secret Service' as a title. Sounds sort of pulpy and cool and also like it'd be a back to basics, day in the life, Bond on a mission sort of story. Perfect for introducing a new actor plus it's so different to any previous Bond titles it'd at the very least generate a lot of publicity.

    Spectre I thought was a lazy title. Don't really like the idea of a follow up called Blofeld either (Fleming gave them the perfect title if they want to continue the Blofeld saga: Shatterhand, could be a modern YOLT adaptation, just omit the characters and stuff they already used in 1967).
    When NSNA was labeled with that title in the 70s, a B-Movie Production studio with Lindsay Shonteff on helm, made a spy spoof movie called No. 1 of The Secret Service. The film is godawfully, incredibly bad beyond limits it's good. :))

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    bondjames wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    You Know My Name would be better, but the title song has already been sung & brilliantly.

    I'd even prefer Shaken Not Stirred to James Bond or 007.

    With respect, those sound more like the name of a programme/documentary on Bond than they do a future Bond film title.
    Indeed. I agree. However, I'd still prefer it to the sheer uninventiveness of James Bond or 007. The last title we got was bad enough.

    In fact (as a case in point) in December 1997 for the arrival of Tomorrow Never Dies in cinemas there was a programme broadcast on ITV called Shaken Not Stirred if I recall correctly. I suppose that Licence to Kill may not have been terribly inventive either when you think about it. It was just another phrase surrounding the James Bond character that the writers lifted after the original title Licence Revoked was dropped due to perceived audience uncertainty as to its meaning.
  • Posts: 9,847
    While I feel we are slightly getting off topic here I do think it's interesting to discuss what would we be ok with and what we wouldn't be...

    Ironically enough if I am being honest I was more disappointed with Skyfall as the title of bond 23 then Spectre as the title of Bond 24 largely due to the incredibly minor issue of I kind of hoped all of Craig's films were from Fleming's pen. I was estatic when Bond 22 was announced as Quantum of Solace and was championing for it on IMDb throughout much of 2007 and it was that title that pushed me into commanderbond.net and the first forum here. Again growing up Brosnan I really didn't think I would get two Fleming titles in a row and was pleasently surpised when indeed I did. Now as for future titles sure some could be concieved as bland (honestly it wasn't Untill he really cool logo as done by I believe Jcrendle that I liked the idea of Blofeld as a title) for me looking at the blander titles

    007 in New York: it comes from fleming's pen but is the weakest of his titles personally this title has been on some cool fan art and if it was the title of bond 25 I would be more upset that the other 3 haven't been used but I wouldn't complain too much about it. Of course my number 1 question is how much of the film does 007 need to be in New York? As a title if he needs to be in New York City for the whole of the film I could see them doing a die hard with a vengeance type scenario and have bond race against a ticking clock. Would many here roll their eyes at the plot of course but if handled well and given an a lot of cool moments it could be a fun 007 film.

    Blofeld: personally I feel this will be a title and honestly I am ok with it for a specific reason. It's such an Iconic villain. Much like Goldfinger Blofeld is a name people recognize that Many couldn't help but be enamored with the title.

    In fact if we got Craig back for two films I could see 007 in New York (and the plot I described but adding a few minor things like Spectre plot thread that are hanging in the wind...... Wait I got it M sends bond on one last mission before he can retire tell a fellow agent her boyfriend is a traitor working for Spectre and there you go you then have a 2 hour exciting film from there sure it's a paper thin plot but it's better then Logan's original idea for Spectre) and Blofeld being bond 25 and 26 just have Spectre bring and kill Swann to New York (or maybe bond brings her out of sheer stupidity) and there you go sets bond 26 up as the ultimate finale bond versus Blofeld... Why is Logan making so much money writing crappy scripts with over complicated reveals sometimes a simple setup can do wonders. Look at jaws the setup doesn't get simpler and yet the film is brilliant.

    As for

    James Bond: I fear this will happen at some point but I thankfully think it won't happen soon. I won't hate the title but I don't love it either. Like the reveal of Skyfall it will feel anticlimactic.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    What is wrong with people on here?

    Are people really suggesting that a Bond film in 2016 could have the title '007 in New York'??

    This is a $200m budget film in one of the biggest franchises in the business not an episode of the Saint or a DVD extra about location scouting.

    Perhaps it should be like the World Cup and the Olympics? Get countries bidding to EON to host the next Bond film based on interesting locations and how much they are willing to stump up and then just call the film '007 in Qatar' because they gave Babs the biggest brown envelope?

    Now if only Fleming had been a lot less imaginative just look at some of the great titles we missed out on:

    CR - 007 in Northern France
    LALD - 007 in America or 007 in New York, Florida and Jamaica.
    MR - 007 in Kent
    DAF - 007 in America 2
    FRWL - 007 in Istanbul or 007 on the Orient Express
    DN - 007 in Jamaica 2
    GF - 007 in Switzerland and America 3.
    FYEO - 007 in 5 Short Stories (007 in a Forest in Paris, 007 in a Forest in Vermont, 007 in Venice, 007 in Bermuda, 007 in the Seychelles)
    Utterly dismal title as are anything including James or Bond.
    TB - 007 in the Bahamas
    TSWLM - 007 in America 4
    OHMSS - 007 in Northern France 2 and Switzerland 2
    YOLT - 007 in Japan
    TMWTGG - 007 in Jamaica 3
    OP & TLD - 007 in 4 Short Stories (007 in Jamaica 4, 007 in Berlin, 007 at Sotheby's, 007 in New York)

    Utter gash.

    'No Deals Mr Bond' is the only time this has ever been done and Gardner fought to stop it because he hated it. Suffice it to say it was the money men who overruled him.

    God knows I'm critical of Babs about some things but I like to think she'd never let such awful fan wankery titles happen on her watch.




  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    @TheWizardOfIce, I can't find the words to praise you... :))
  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    edited June 2016 Posts: 3,157
    OHMSS should have been titled "007 gets married"

    LTK: "007 avenges his best friend"

    YOLT: "007's Japanese holiday"

    FRWL: "007 strikes back"
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    OHMSS - "007 is the Other Fella".
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited June 2016 Posts: 9,117
    The non Fleming titles improved:

    LTK - 007 in Florida and a thinly disguised Mexico
    GE - 007 in Russia
    TND - 007 in Hamburg and Vietnam (although we used Thailand)
    TWINE - 007 on the Thames and in Azerbaijan
    DAD - 007 in Crisis
    SF - 007 Goes Home
    SP - 007 Falls Apary in the Final Act

    Can the pro '007 in New York' camp instruct us do we use all the locations outside London (so MR the film would become the punchier '007 in Africa, LA, Venice, Rio, the Amazon and Space') or just the main one (so OP for example would be '007 in India)?

    Let's not forget that although '007 in New York' is techincally a Fleming title it was for a 'story' (I think travel article would be closer) he knocked out for a quick buck for a magazine and only relatively recently has been included as one of the short stories.

    And it's a crap title.
  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Posts: 3,157
    For Your Eyes Only - "007 pays homage to an old colleague's wife"
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited June 2016 Posts: 9,117
    Walecs wrote: »
    For Your Eyes Only - "007 pays homage to an old colleague's wife"

    Genius.

    Guaranteed someone here will think that's a good title.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited June 2016 Posts: 15,718
    Bond 25 - ''007 in the Garden of Aidan''.
  • Posts: 16,169
    I agree 007 in New York is a crap title, and I would bet my Blu-Ray of OHMSS that Fleming never in his wildest imaginations ever considered 007 in New York as a potential film title (if I lost that bet I'd be stuck with my crappy color timed DVD).
    Getting back to "James Bond" as a title, I'm glad to find I'm not the only one who finds "Jason Bourne" a crummy title. I'm not even really a fan of that series- but that title alone turns me away especially after the other films had pretty catchy titles. So the idea of calling a future Bond film "James Bond" would be extreme laziness. Bond is unique from other characters and franchises in that each book, film etc has it's own individual title.
    I do feel if Eon ever sold the rights to Bond and someone else ended up producing the films- I wouldn't be surprised if there was a film called "James Bond". Seems to be a trend in the 21st Century.
  • Posts: 1,631
    The non Fleming titles improved:

    LTK - 007 in Florida and a thinly disguised Mexico
    GE - 007 in Russia
    TND - 007 in Hamburg and Vietnam (although we used Thailand)
    TWINE - 007 on the Thames and in Azerbaijan
    DAD - 007 in Crisis
    SF - 007 Goes Home
    SP - 007 Falls Apary in the Final Act

    Can the pro '007 in New York' camp instruct us do we use all the locations outside London (so MR the film would become the punchier '007 in Africa, LA, Venice, Rio, the Amazon and Space') or just the main one (so OP for example would be '007 in India)?

    Let's not forget that although '007 in New York' is techincally a Fleming title it was for a 'story' (I think travel article would be closer) he knocked out for a quick buck for a magazine and only relatively recently has been included as one of the short stories.

    And it's a crap title.


    It absolutely is. I still don't understand why it gets brought up as a possible film title. Yes, it's a Fleming title, but, quite honestly, I think they've used all of the suitable short story titles already.
  • I hope we don't see a film titled "James Bond". It's flat. "007" works a bit better but not really. If they wanted to name the film after the main character they'd have to try something else.

    But even "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" sounds awful today so I don't know what they'd use...
  • Posts: 6,432
    To be honest I think there is a good chance at some point there will be a film called James Bond, it maybe in ten or twenty years though I would not discount it.
  • Posts: 9,847
    Wizard and others I was playing devils advocate if bond 25 is 007 in New York make no mistake I will be pissed as I find the other three unused titles (Risico the property of a lady and the Hildebrand rarity) to be far more interesting and Useable then 007 in New York. But we sadly live on the years of bland titles where titles that try to be interesting are mocked and laughed at.

    Jason Bourne
    Jack Reacher
    Jack Ryan
    Spectre
    Justice League
    And rumored title The Batman

    Are all greeted with praise where other film titles like
    Batman v Superman dawn of Justice
    Quantum of solace
    Mission impossible ghost protocol

    Are laughed at siting how silly and pretentious they are and no doubt the remainder Fleming titles apart from 007 in New York even in terms of chapter titles will be dragged through the mud because interesting and evocative titles are no longer the norm... Shame but it is what it is of course if I had to choose between the bland Janes Bond and the equally bland 007 in New York I would choose the later as at least it's from Fleming and has a somewhat pulpy feel
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited June 2016 Posts: 9,117
    It is unavoidable that at some point when EON finally lose control (let's face it are every generation of Broccolis/Wilsons really going to want to do nothing with their lives than make Bond films? At some point someone will sell up) that we will get a film called James Bond 007 or some such variant because the studio money men worry most about brand recognition and it's already become the norm to refer to films as Bond 24, 25 or whatever in tandem with the title.

    I can only imagine what a shitstorm EON had to fight to get QOS as a title. I imagine the studio PR guy had a stroke the first time he heard that one.


  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    So long as we never see " .... Kingdom of the crystal skull" after it, to really bring down
    the series, I'll be happy. ;)
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