The James Bond Film Discussion Thread (With Bonus Lazenby!)

[Tallguy]

On the one hand one of the best things to happen to Goldeneye was the six year wait (while the Soviet Union dissolved, no less). But over the Craig run a six year gap isn't that big of a deal. I know we had COVID, but even without that his films didn't come out at the two year pace that his predecessors did.

 

[Starkers]

I think the biggest gaps have been:

Licence to Kill to Goldeneye 6 years
Die Another Day to Casino Royale 4 years
Quantum of Solace to Skyfall 4 years
Spectre to No Time to Die 6 years (though obviously it should have been 5 and if they hadn't had the whole stop/start with Danny Boyle it would have come out 4 years after Spectre in 2019)

It's crazy to think that before LTK-GE the biggest gap was just three years between The Man with the Golden Gun and The Spy Who Loved Me.

I know the days of a Bond film every two years are long gone, but 007 every three years seems perfectly reasonable.

 

[Tallguy]

It's crazy to think that before LTK-GE the biggest gap was just three years between The Man with the Golden Gun and The Spy Who Loved Me.

Dr. No to Thunderball! A new film EVERY YEAR. And even You Only Live Twice (Moonraker take 1) was only 18 months or so after Thunderball.

But the wonderful run where we had a new Bond film one year and a new Star Trek film the following year was heavenly. (Yes, even if it was TNG.)

 

[cardinal biggles]

^^Even then, the gap between TMWTGG and TSWLM was only 2½ years — Christmas 1974 to the summer of 1977. And that holdup was due to Harry Saltzman's financial and personal problems.

 

[The Wormhole]

But over the Craig run a six year gap isn't that big of a deal. I know we had COVID, but even without that his films didn't come out at the two year pace that his predecessors did.

The gaps weren't really that bad during the Craig era. Indeed, there were only two years between Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Then MGM's financial problems got serious which resulted in a four year gap between Quantum of Solace and Skyfall. Spectre came three years after Skyfall, which for a tentpole action film in the 2010s is a pretty good interval between movies. Then came the Danny Boyle situation and that bit of unpleasantness the whole world dealt with in 2020 that led to the lengthy gap between Spectre and No Time to Die.

 

[Starkers]

It's pretty insane that they were pumping out a Bond film every year at one point, no wonder Connery burnt out!

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

On the one hand one of the best things to happen to Goldeneye was the six year wait (while the Soviet Union dissolved, no less). But over the Craig run a six year gap isn't that big of a deal. I know we had COVID, but even without that his films didn't come out at the two year pace that his predecessors did.

That six year gap was largely due to LICENCE TO KILL's underwhelming grosses, I believe.
I also believe that when you kill off Everett McGill way early to make room for Wayne Newton, the menace retreats with the grosses.

 

[Tallguy]

That six year gap was largely due to LICENCE TO KILL's underwhelming grosses, I believe.
I also believe that when you kill off Everett McGill way early to make room for Wayne Newton, the menace retreats with the grosses.

There was a mess with MGM being bought and EON fighting over how much money they would be getting.

 

[cardinal biggles]

There was a mess with MGM being bought and EON fighting over how much money they would be getting.

Even with the disappointing performance of LTK, the need for a reset after DAD, and that whole NTTD Danny Boyle mess, most of the delays of the past three decades have been related to MGM's eternally precarious finances rather than creative issues.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

I'm kinda surprised that with Amazon having bought the rights to MGM Studios, that they're not throwing their monetary weight around trying to get a new Bond film in production.

 

[Captaindemotion]

There was a mess with MGM being bought and EON fighting over how much money they would be getting.

It was a perfect storm of LTK underperforming, the behind the scenes stuff you mention, the end of the Cold War leading people to think Bond was passé and, apparently, the studio having no confidence in Dalton as a lead, whereas Cubby continued to believe that he had the right man for the job. I remember Tim suing tabloids for saying that he was about to be replaced by, of all people, Pierce Brosnan, as well as rumours that Joel Silver wanted to buy the rights and cast Mel Gibson as 007.

 

[Commander Troi]

Mel? Nonono... I need that image out of my head!

 

[Captaindemotion]

Mel? Nonono... I need that image out of my head!

Oh his name was linked with the role on and off for quite a few years, IIRC. I think Mad Max Mel would probably have done a good enough job. Once he started playing Riggs for laughs, maybe not so much. Once he went off the deep end…yeah, we’ll leave it there, shall we?

 

[cooleddie74]

It's pretty insane that they were pumping out a Bond film every year at one point, no wonder Connery burnt out!

Imagine how Roger Moore must have felt making just two Bond films shot a year apart. Both looked physically demanding in terms of travel and how much screen time Moore had.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

Looks like we're going to have to wait a little while longer for the next Bond film. The head of Amazon/MGM gave an interview with The Guardian and said the next Bond film is at least "two years" away from filming.

 

[The Wormhole]

Honestly, at this point, I'd be surprised if we got a new movie before 2030.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

The man is dead. Surely 25 films is enough.

 

[Captaindemotion]

The man is dead. Surely 25 films is enough.

He only lives twice

 

[Kai "the spy"]

The man is dead. Surely 25 films is enough.

*Laughs in Godzilla*

 

[Starkers]

Honestly, at this point, I'd be surprised if we got a new movie before 2030.

I'm going to go on the record and categorically state we will get a Bond film before 2030!

Amazon paid a lot of money and while they might be fairly relaxed now, I imagine they'll start to get nervous quite soon and begin leaning on Eon.

I still think we could get Bond #26 in 2026! (admittedly we might be talking quite late in 2026)

He only lives twice

I sat there till the end of the credits for NTTD to make sure the "James Bond will return" bit was there.