Bond cancelled

[barnaclelapse]

From Mike Fleming at Deadline Hollywood:

Sam Mendes, Daniel Craig Will Wait for James Bond: I keep reading these obits on James Bond, and I think reports of 007's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Despite an article out of the UK that spread viraly, insiders insist nothing tangible has happened. While Sony, Fox and Warner Bros would love to grab the 007 franchise, I'm told reliably that as long as MGM's debt restructuring is preceded by a pre-packaged bankruptcy, Bond isn't going anywhere. While the studio's beleaguered backers unwisely allowed MGM and its library to languish by not making new movies and benching MGM's creative and marketing/distribution executives while it staged a futile auction that attracted bottom-fishing bids, MGM has made sure to meets the minimum obligations to its two gems, James Bond and The Hobbit. The studio is mulling whether to change its lethargic strategy and free up money for back to back Hobbit films to keep the first film on track for a December, 2012 release--because Peter Jackson is willing to direct the films but might not if those release dates get pushed. There is no such ticking clock on 007. As Deadline has reported, director Sam Mendes responded to the Bond delay by setting a feature adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel On Chesil Beach (he hopes Carey Mulligan will star) and directing the Broadway-bound musical adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Daniel Craig is taking other jobs--he's starring in Cowboys & Aliens and negotiating to star in the David Fincher-directed The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I'm told both fully plan to come back to James Bond, after MGM sorts itself out. That game plan--Spyglass and Summit are believed to be the front runners to steer the studio--should be in place by the early fall, I'm told.

That sounds about right to me.

 

[cardinal biggles]

Summit, really? Damn. Make a couple movies about sparkly vampires, and suddenly you're a major industry player.

 

[nx1701g]

^ Scary isn't it?

 

[Samurai8472]

Hollywood moves fast(Example Lohan)

 

[Lonemagpie]

Spyglass would be better than Summit.

 

[Captain Craig]

I like Daniel Craig as an actor, just not as Bond.

There were rumors his third outing would move more towards traditional cinematic Bond so even I was optimistic I'd get a closer version of Bond back.

Hopefully the next actors series will be a return to form and not continue this "In the Beginning" type stories.

 

[Mooch]

It's too soon for a new actor. Why does everyone think Craig will drop out anyway?

 

[Timby]

It's too soon for a new actor. Why does everyone think Craig will drop out anyway?

Say you're Daniel Craig. You can star in a movie that might get made sometime in the next three to six years, or you can start moving onto other projects. Not a difficult decision, really -- it's the same one Timothy Dalton made.

 

[Samurai8472]

It's wiser to keep busy while they(MGM) sort things out. Instead of waiting and waiting while other projects(maybe Oscar contenders) slip by.

 

[KB24]

^ I agree Captain Craig. You'd think being Bond would be the standout performance for an actor, but I'm waiting for better from Craig. I too had hopes his next film would return to the traditional. I think even they realized enough is enough. The last two are just action flicks, nothing more.

 

[CaptJimboJones]

Those who have read the original novels know they are tightly-plotted, grim, often cynical thrillers and Bond is a moody, humorless character who bears little to no resemblance to the popular later-Connery/Roger Moore/Pierce Brosnan depictions of 007. In most of his stories, Bond gets the crap beaten out of him and while he does indulge in a fair amount of casual sex, his disdain for women in general is a far cry from the Casanova of the films. His enjoyment of food and drink is far more sensual and hedonostic than his sexual escapades.

Daniel Craig is by far the closest to capture Fleming's Bond.

I'm halfway through the Ian Fleming novels, and for my money the literary Bond lies somewhere between early Connery, Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig. Apart from having a few more witticisms than his literary counterpart, I actually think Timothy Dalton (particularly in The Living Daylights) is the closest the films have come to Fleming's Bond (both in looks and character). The Bond of the novels has a patriarchal attitude to women, but he has genuine love affairs and doesn't try to nail every women in sight the way that his cinematic counterpart does. The sexual encounter between Daniel Craig's Bond and Strawberry Fields, for example, would be very out of character for the literary Bond (at least as far as his behaviour in the first six novels).

Very good point on Dalton - he was refreshingly Flemingesque in his portrayal as well. Licence to Kill in particular, I thought, captured the Fleming feel very well.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

^From what's been said in interviews since QoS was released, I got the feeling they were trying to move it in that direction, too. Small steps, anyway, at least by re-introducing Moneypenny and Q.

Glad to see some love for Lazenby, too.

I would've enjoyed seeing the return of Moneypenny and Q. I wonder if they would've kept Cleese?

I don't know. Personally, I didn't like Cleese as Q. Maybe if they reinvented him, kind of like how Judi Dench's M from Casino/Quantum is different from the M in the Brosnan flicks. But, I'd LOVE to see Ricky Gervais as Q.

 

[RandyS]

^From what's been said in interviews since QoS was released, I got the feeling they were trying to move it in that direction, too. Small steps, anyway, at least by re-introducing Moneypenny and Q.

Glad to see some love for Lazenby, too.

I would've enjoyed seeing the return of Moneypenny and Q. I wonder if they would've kept Cleese?

I don't know. Personally, I didn't like Cleese as Q. Maybe if they reinvented him, kind of like how Judi Dench's M from Casino/Quantum is different from the M in the Brosnan flicks. But, I'd LOVE to see Ricky Gervais as Q.

Actually they did. John Cheese appeared alongside Desmond Llewleyn in The World is Not Enough, and Q (Desmond) introduced R (Cheese) as "my replacement".

And Judi Dench is the same M in all of the last six Bond films. ANOTHER reason why Craig's films don't work as prequels.

 

[KB24]

Dalton is my favorite, too. I actually have a few Bond novels and collections that I picked up in a bag sale when I was volunteering at the Library. Haven't read any yet! I'm trying to finish Sharpe now. Again as I said, it's a shame they can't just go back and make Bond a period spy.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Well, Connery is my favorite as far as the cinematic interpretations of Bond (and he's pretty close to Fleming's Bond in the first couple of films), but Dalton is closest to the Bond of the books overall. It's just a pity that Dalton didn't have better material to work with (I think The Living Daylights is pretty good, while Licence to Kill is weak).

 

[Orcus]

John Cheese

Yes, I know it's his real name and all but could you spare a thought for the guy and use the name he uses professionally...?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Judi Dench's M from Casino/Quantum is different from the M in the Brosnan flicks.

Different? How so?

As for the current Q: I have no idea. Dominic Keating, maybe. I thought he was pretty cool on ENT.

 

[Cicero]

Dalton is my favorite, too. I actually have a few Bond novels and collections that I picked up in a bag sale when I was volunteering at the Library. Haven't read any yet! I'm trying to finish Sharpe now. Again as I said, it's a shame they can't just go back and make Bond a period spy.

I'd be interested in seeing that, but why not give the hero a different name, and preserve both characters?

 

[RandyS]

John Cheese

Yes, I know it's his real name and all but could you spare a thought for the guy and use the name he uses professionally...?

I don't understand.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ His family name was originally Cheese, but his father changed it in 1915 upon joining the British Army. Linky