0️⃣ 0️⃣ 7️⃣ The James Bond Franchise

Clearly a license to print money let alone a license to kill but the actor currently in the role seems to have an issue with it. Any jobbing actor (and lets face it, “serious” actors aren’t interested in 007) would give their granny to play Bond. It is a bit like signing for a Premiership football club - set up financially for life and plenty of fit women at your beck and call. However, Daniel Craig would rather slit his wrists than play Bond again. Unless they pay him a huge amount of money! Now I can see that playing Bond is not the hardest gig in town and perhaps Craig now his eyes on more Oscar worthy material (has a Bond actor ever been given an Oscar?) but you would think that he would be even the slightest bit grateful for a job that has propelled him up the wage scale big time. The bloke has all of the charisma of a stuffed badger. Just be thankful mate. You have been fortunate to play one of the big screen’s most iconic characters - dont knock it. Oh and by the way, if you were going to kick off about something you should have refused to wear those blue swimming trunks. Only slightly less naff than a pair of speedoes.


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Give the role to Idris Elba and be done with it. Dude is 'kin awesome and wants it.

Yeah it will piss some people off (bonus), but meh.

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Bond was getting to the stage where it was a matter of interpretation. Is it the same Bond? Is it just a codename. Did the Bond in the later films have his wife killed or not? It was a confusing mess, which existed mainly because James Bond films are popular, and that the public isn’t particularly arsed when they change actor.

That’s one of the big reasons they rebooted, not altogether cleanly, into double-oh Year One. Personally, I’d like them to do one of two things. Either take a 20 something actor that is up for a career gig, and let him truly define a Bond, from a true year one perspective. Failing that, forget James Bond (the character) and just focus on whomever holds the 007 classification.

I think, with the Daniel Craig reboots, they kind of realised the ‘James Bond’ persona/character was getting terribly outdated.

The whole, shoot some badies, make a quib, bed a different lady; rinse repeat thing was starting to look like a throw back. And it wasn’t aging well. I get that all that stuff wasn’t entirely done away with, but it certainly felt like there was a shift away from that stuff.

It left Bond in a weird place with the Craig installments. Bond was Bond, it was a sub-genre was in of itself. And I did quite enjoy them for that, they weren’t made to be serious, hard hitting action films. At least that’s how I saw it. I almost feel they have tried to go down the Dark Knight/Nolan route and be more serious and dark, I’m still unsure on this. Ofr the praise Skyfall got, I was pretty nonplussed about it. Maybe it’s just the fact Craig clearly doesn’t want ot be in the role?

I don’t know KRG, I think they’ve tried to make Bond a bit darker whilst keeping the humour in the film. This was clearly evident in Skyfall expecially around the new ‘Q’.

Being a spy must be a pretty dark life and I think that they are trying to reflect that in the “reboot”.

Personally I liked Skyfall very much.

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I was underwhelmed by Skyfall on first viewing, but loved it second time around. Casino Royale was the other way around really. Great first impression, but pacing issues let it down on the rewatch.

I have only seen QoS once.

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Originally posted by pap

I was underwhelmed by Skyfall on first viewing, but loved it second time around. Casino Royale was the other way around really. Great first impression, but pacing issues let it down on the rewatch.

I have only seen QoS once.

Meh, both post raise fair points I think. I’m not bashing the latest ones, well intentionally at least. Just my thoughts. I don’t think their bad at all. Differing tastes I gues, which is fair enough.

The Daniel Craig era of Bond is my favourite, and I don’t care how bad a person that makes me. Granted, Quantum of Solace is the weakest thus far.

I’d argue that that Skyfall has more in common (in terms of theme, tone and pacing) with a modern superhero film - and I think it’s all the better for it.

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It doesn’t make you a bad person, ant. Just wrong :lou_lol:

Classic Bond at Christmas. Otherwise meh.

Casino Royale is the best Bond ever, slow paced but superb build up, Eva Green is simply stunning as not only is achingly beautiful she is also a fine actress, the cast is brilliant. Timothy Dalton was never given the freedom in the role as I think he could have been a brilliant Bond.

Skyfall was nonsense (good fun nosense) and a return to the implausible, more grit and tension and less bollocks Islands of spies and deserted houses for a showdown.

For a serious themed Bond I’d go for Tom Hardy, Jude Law or Hugh Jackman myself.

That’s one of the interesting questions. Where exactly does it pitch itself? There are plenty of other films doing the same thing. Even those that are apeing the genre are doing a bloody good job. Spy was pretty good, the first Austin Powers movie was close to genius, and very gentle in its pisstaking too.

With the principal actor changing often, the regulars having to leave on account of becoming very old, it is getting more difficult to say what qualifies him as uniquely Bond. The reboot had a go of making a new Bond for the new age, but by the end of Skyfall, I was thinking that the series was finally in a place where it is recognisably James Bond, and it’s got bugger all to do with Craig. New Q, new M, and the familiar varnished surroundings.

I think Craig is probably my favourite Bond, too. Ruthless bastard, actually looks like a killer and is a far cry from the regular Bond of my day, Roger Moore, the 60s Batman version of the character.

Having grown up with the Connery Bond he is the only one for me. Thunderball is my favourite Bond film with Goldfinger just behind but clearly very dated now.

Stephen Hawking would be my #1 choice. I’m not even joking I’m srs

Think of the cool gadgets they could put in his chair.

Planning for your future Bear?

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I just think it would be cool twist if James Bond had motor neurone disease! They could fix it so when he is diagnosed M can’t sack him cos of Equal Opportunities Policy so they have to keep sending him on missions. It would work pretty good I think! Hawking has a kind of dry delivery that would be well suited to doing Sexy Banter with Bond Girls

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Bourne over Bond for me. Only thought this in the last few years, watching re-runs of the first three films. Never thought I would go off Bond but iI just find it so routine and overblown now… Bourne is more gritty, less glamour. Great to hear Matt Damon is filming another one, almost certainly his last but bring it on.

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