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A potential James Bond TV series

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  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    I always see him as a 'wet' toff in the period dramas and DAD. Bond is supposed to be self assured yet 'likeable'. I don't see this quality in Stephens personally.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    He was alright as a cold assassin in The Deadly Game. Seen that? Not a bad film.
  • sirseanisbondsirseanisbond
    Posts: 2,189
    You probably see Fassbender as a "wimpy toff" because of his role in Inglorious Bastards. He does a great job, but the way he talks makes him seem too high-brow. Again though thats just that part he was given. I feel like with some working at it, Fassbender could really pull of being Bond...
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    I think it's obvious that any Bond fan would love to see a project like this get off the ground, myself included. We've often discussed this very concept in the past, of a miniseries, each series dedicated to one book, at about 6 episodes or so each, give or take, that would explore and adapt the entirety of the Fleming canon.

    I've heard HBO's name thrown around a lot to head it, and I'd have to agree, though the logical place for some would be the BBC. Why I'd prefer HBO is because the parts of the books that would be too dark for the BBC to air would be able to be shot without censorship, giving us a far more definitive product closer to the source material. We'd get the torture scene of CR in its powerful entirety, for example, instead of a mitigated version from the BBC.

    One day I hope this idea catches fire and we finally get a brilliant series of true-to-Fleming adaptions that completely catch the world by storm with their style and substance. Not to mention how much the sales of the novels would spike as people ran to read the original texts between series. Fingers crossed on this, gents.
  • DRush76DRush76
    Posts: 533
    Since I tend to regard most of Fleming's novels as inferior to the movies . . . no thanks.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    DRush76 wrote: »
    Since I tend to regard most of Fleming's novels as inferior to the movies . . . no thanks.
    They're two vastly different animals on the whole, so they can't be compared that intensely.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote: »
    DRush76 wrote: »
    Since I tend to regard most of Fleming's novels as inferior to the movies . . . no thanks.
    They're two vastly different animals on the whole, so they can't be compared that intensely.
    Well said on that part. The novels have their own beauty, while the films have their own template. Surely, can I come around to compare Robert Downey Jr's Sherlock Holmes films to Arthur Conan Doyle's writings? There's Basil Rathbone, who was the Connery equivalent to the Holmes franchise in terms of marketing, and then there's Jeremy Brett. We have yet to have our own Jeremy Brett. The Bond draft that is. The films are just entertainment, whereas the novels are piece of brilliant literature. Imagine if we were to read elements where Bond was leading himself into unbelievable actions in the books. It would eliminate the character's depth.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote: »
    DRush76 wrote: »
    Since I tend to regard most of Fleming's novels as inferior to the movies . . . no thanks.
    They're two vastly different animals on the whole, so they can't be compared that intensely.
    Well said on that part. The novels have their own beauty, while the films have their own template. Surely, can I come around to compare Robert Downey Jr's Sherlock Holmes films to Arthur Conan Doyle's writings? There's Basil Rathbone, who was the Connery equivalent to the Holmes franchise in terms of marketing, and then there's Jeremy Brett. We have yet to have our own Jeremy Brett. The Bond draft that is. The films are just entertainment, whereas the novels are piece of brilliant literature. Imagine if we were to read elements where Bond was leading himself into unbelievable actions in the books. It would eliminate the character's depth.

    I'd actually say Brett was/is to Holmes what Connery is to Bond; widely considered the quintessential interpretation of the character. As a Holmesian quite attuned to that fandom/culture, Brett is god-like, and rightfully so. You are right of course in saying that Rathbone is popular too, largely for being the first marketable onscreen adaption of the character.

    On the Bond side of things, many of the films of the franchise go beyond simple entertainment for me, and have amazing depth in Bond's character while still packing in action. Notable films that fit this bill would be DN, FRWL, TLD, LTK, CR, QoS, SF and now, SP, to name several.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote: »
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote: »
    DRush76 wrote: »
    Since I tend to regard most of Fleming's novels as inferior to the movies . . . no thanks.
    They're two vastly different animals on the whole, so they can't be compared that intensely.
    Well said on that part. The novels have their own beauty, while the films have their own template. Surely, can I come around to compare Robert Downey Jr's Sherlock Holmes films to Arthur Conan Doyle's writings? There's Basil Rathbone, who was the Connery equivalent to the Holmes franchise in terms of marketing, and then there's Jeremy Brett. We have yet to have our own Jeremy Brett. The Bond draft that is. The films are just entertainment, whereas the novels are piece of brilliant literature. Imagine if we were to read elements where Bond was leading himself into unbelievable actions in the books. It would eliminate the character's depth.

    I'd actually say Brett was/is to Holmes what Connery is to Bond; widely considered the quintessential interpretation of the character. As a Holmesian quite attuned to that fandom/culture, Brett is god-like, and rightfully so. You are right of course in saying that Rathbone is popular too, largely for being the first marketable onscreen adaption of the character.

    On the Bond side of things, many of the films of the franchise go beyond simple entertainment for me, and have amazing depth in Bond's character while still packing in action. Notable films that fit this bill would be DN, FRWL, TLD, LTK, CR, QoS, SF and now, SP, to name several.
    Yes, of course, what was I pointing out is that Brett adapted the character, in my point of view, as he was in the books, whereas Rathbone had differences in comparison to Doyle's creation. At least that's the way I saw it.

    Yes, that is very true. Bond had some depth in the films, but none of them captured the exact spirit of the source material. Dalton came very close, I'd say. But, can't seem to identify the rest with Fleming's own creation. Connery's Bond had a little-to-no vulnerability, and the "little" thing goes to the fear he encounters under the laser beam in Goldfinger. I can say Lazenby was more like a mixture of Connery's Bond and Fleming's character. Moore... hahah... let's not go over there in terms of comparison, even though he was more down to earth in For Your Eyes Only. Brosnan was the entertainment piece for the average cinema goer, and like Moore, he was far from being the original literary 007. Craig has a mixture of modern-day characters in his veins, while bearing some of Fleming's Bond in himself. But, none of the actors have come to play a straight out adaptation of "the" James Bond created by Ian Fleming.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    He was alright as a cold assassin in The Deadly Game. Seen that? Not a bad film.

    No, but I'll check it out though.

  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote: »
    DRush76 wrote: »
    Since I tend to regard most of Fleming's novels as inferior to the movies . . . no thanks.
    They're two vastly different animals on the whole, so they can't be compared that intensely.
    Well said on that part. The novels have their own beauty, while the films have their own template. Surely, can I come around to compare Robert Downey Jr's Sherlock Holmes films to Arthur Conan Doyle's writings? There's Basil Rathbone, who was the Connery equivalent to the Holmes franchise in terms of marketing, and then there's Jeremy Brett. We have yet to have our own Jeremy Brett. The Bond draft that is. The films are just entertainment, whereas the novels are piece of brilliant literature. Imagine if we were to read elements where Bond was leading himself into unbelievable actions in the books. It would eliminate the character's depth.

    Great comments. I agree. The stunts from the films transfered to the books would be silly.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    DRush76 wrote: »
    Since I tend to regard most of Fleming's novels as inferior to the movies . . . no thanks.

    Mmmmm, the MR book compared to the film? I know which I think is better! Book.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    Jonathan Rhys Meyers for the TV/ Sky 007? The right age, suave yet with a 'nasty streak', handsome and British.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    I like him, but he looks a little too soft for me. Although his character was brilliant in From Paris With Love.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    Fair comment, maybe not manly enough....I actually liked him in The Tudors too.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Possibly going for an unknown actor would be good, in my opinion. What about you?
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    Yes good call.....using Flemings description as part of the casting call. (Fake) Scar on cheek to be added too.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    We're on the same boat. I always thought the scar made him special. His special gritty feature. A rugged handsome who's seen a lot, if you do catch my drift.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    edited April 2015 Posts: 5,131
    Exactly. The novels state he has a slightly cruel face too. Slim build; a three-inch long, thin vertical scar on his right cheek; blue-grey eyes; a "cruel" mouth; short, black hair, a comma of which falls on his forehead. Physically he is described as 183 centimetres (6 feet) in height and 76 kilograms (167 lb) in weight.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Yes, "there's something cruel about his mouth and cold eyes". Perfectly intense.
  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Posts: 3,157
    You two guys should actually do the casting call.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    I don't know about that, are you up for it, @suavejmf? :D
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,187
    Birdleson wrote: »
    There is a thread out there that has discussed this very thing.

    Correct, @Birdleson. Thanks for the fast reaction.
    Since this thread has gathered more content than that original one though
    (http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/10428/wouldn-t-a-bond-tv-series-be-great#latest)
    I'm sure we can make an exception this once. :-)

  • daltondalton
    Posts: 1,631
    This is something that I've always wanted to see. It could end up being a very special and worthwhile project if they got the right filmmakers involved and set up production at one of the premium channels like HBO or Showtime.

    Those that are saying that the casting of Bond would be the most important thing are absolutely right. Jason Isaacs would have been my choice for such a project a few years ago, but now that he's passed 50 he might be too old for it. It would depend, though, on just how long such a project was slated to go. If it was only a couple of years, then someone like Isaacs could still potentially be in play. If the plan was to stretch things out longer than that, then they'd obviously have to look at younger actors.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,187
    I've always favoured the thought of doing a television series based on the Fleming novels. Like Sherlock, you can take one book and render it into a 90 minute adventure. In some cases it means writing a lot of extra dialogue... ;-)

    The shorts can be anthologized.
  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Posts: 3,157
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    I've always favoured the thought of doing a television series based on the Fleming novels. Like Sherlock, you can take one book and render it into a 90 minute adventure. In some cases it means writing a lot of extra dialogue... ;-)

    The shorts can be anthologized.
    May you be the director!!

  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Posts: 3,157
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    I've always favoured the thought of doing a television series based on the Fleming novels. Like Sherlock, you can take one book and render it into a 90 minute adventure. In some cases it means writing a lot of extra dialogue... ;-)

    The shorts can be anthologized.
    May you be the director!!

  • sirseanisbondsirseanisbond
    edited April 2015 Posts: 2,189
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    I've always favoured the thought of doing a television series based on the Fleming novels. Like Sherlock, you can take one book and render it into a 90 minute adventure. In some cases it means writing a lot of extra dialogue... ;-)

    The shorts can be anthologized.

    I'm not sure just 90 minutes is what I'd want if they did this. This idea is really about more of a mini-series where its at least 5 episodes per book and there would be a lot of extra dialogue and additional sub-plots, but thats the point, allowing Bonds world to get explored and illustrated in ways it never has before.

    I want to see Bond cover the night shift at headquarters like he does in Goldfinger,
    or see a fleshed out flashback to the story of how he lost his virginity by visiting Harry's Bar in Paris which he mentions in A View To A Kill.
    Watching Bond and M take down Drax at cards in Blades from Moonraker,
    Quarrel training Bond at Beau Desert in Jamaca,
    Bond and Felix at the racetracks in Saratoga in Diamonds are Forever.

    There is so much there to work with and it would be so amazing to see it brought to the screen just exactly the way Fleming imagined them in the books.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    I don't know about that, are you up for it, @suavejmf? :D

    Without a doubt. I am also available to play bond, although I fear my blonde daniel craigesque hair would not be welcomed by purists! Ha ha ha. >:)
  • O6GO6G
    Posts: 80
    Highest BBC quality is not good enough in my opinion. HBO would be the place to do it
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