Future of the James Bond films

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I've always liked the Bond films but the one thing I was never a fan of is how they tried to maintain a semi-continuity over the course of decades with multiple actors playing the same secret agent (who by the time of the Brosnan films is apparently in his 80s and never ages).

Not to mention just how different the film style is between actors (I mean compare Casino Royale to one of the cheesy Moore films like "Octopussy" and you wouldn't even know they're in the same series aside a character named James Bond).

I was really happy that they decided to reboot the series with Craig (and I prefer the gritter style to the campier style of many of the earlier films anyway). I'm wondering though once Daniel Craig retires as Bond - what are they going to do next? Are they going to just repeat the previous formula - meaning replace him with a new actor while still trying to somehow make it continuous?

I'm thinking a better idea would be to reboot the series every time they swap actors - keep the same concept (a secret agent named James Bond, a character named "Q", "M", and "Moneypenny") - but not try to tie it into the events from the previous films. This would be a lot easier to wrap your head around it anyway. (Heck - maybe they could decide that "James Bond" is just a codename, and that each new actor is actually a different agent).

Or who knows? Maybe they should even consider just ending the franchise before it 'jumps the shark' - I'm sure the creators never imagined they'd still be making Bond films 50 years later anyway.



I definitely agree with some of the points your making here, I remember a month or two ago I watched Goldfinger, Skyfall and Octopussy all within a short space of time (all rewatches, I've seen all Bonds multiple times) and the difference in each is huge.

What I would like to see is something that has kind of the production values of the old in terms of the look and style of the characters, a dark haired suited man who smokes like Sean Connery, but with a more serious storyline. If something like Goldfinger or From Russia With Love was done now, it could be great. It would have been interesting to see what someone like Tarantino would have done with the series, hell, I'd be interested in seeing what most popular directors would do with it.



I think it's time for a black Bond and Idris Elba would be perfect for the job.
Sorry, I completely disagree. The character Fleming created wasn't black and, while artistic licence works to some extent, I think a black Bond would be the nail in the series' coffin.



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I think it's time for a black Bond and Idris Elba would be perfect for the job.
I wouldn't go for that. It'd be like doing a docudrama featuring Nelson Mandela as a white man.



Sorry, I completely disagree. The character Fleming created wasn't black and, while artistic licence works to some extent, I think a black Bond would be the nail in the series' coffin.


To be fair, he wasn't Scottish or Irish or Welsh either. Although I do agree with your principle in that Bond is kind of an old boy, white upper-class snob.
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I think it's time for a black Bond and Idris Elba would be perfect for the job.
Why?

Seriously, race has never been a factor in the Bond films - but there is simply no reason to make him black. It is just some stupid modern consensus to make people feel good about race relations.

No to mention that it shows an incredible US-centric bias. There are twice as many people of near-Asian origin in the UK (India, Pakistani, Middle-Eastern) as there are Black people, so it is far more likely that we would see an Asian Bond coming out of the British secret service.
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I just hope Daniel Craig stays on. He's the best Bond IMO.



I'm not old, you're just 12.
To be fair, he wasn't Scottish or Irish or Welsh either. Although I do agree with your principle in that Bond is kind of an old boy, white upper-class snob.
Actually, according to Ian Fleming, Bond was Scottish (in honor of the first actor to play him, Sean Connery,) In Skyfall he even returns to his family home in Scotland.
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If anything - I think a "spin-off" series featuring Elba as another 00 Agent in the same universe as Bond would be a better idea.



If anything - I think a "spin-off" series featuring Elba as another 00 Agent in the same universe as Bond would be a better idea.


I wouldn't want a spin-off; that would only fuel the idea of a 'black Bond' rather than simply casting an actor that's quite good.


The problem with the Bond series is that Bond as a character is probably somewhere between 35 and 45. Signing Daniel Craig up to do five films, which so far have taken an average of three years in between them, means that he is in the same role for fifteen years. As the physical appearance of Bond is scrutinised (we don't want another Roger Moore!), any signs of aging will drag the film down.


I would say give them a contract of three films, giving the future actor six years in the role, which allows them enough of a chance to make an impact (if the films are up to scratch) but means they can leave on a high rather than looking tired by the end of it.



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I'm really excited for Spectre - think it's going to be a great film, glad that the same guy who directed Skyfall is directing it



Maybe we can make a good James Bond movie in these days.. I don't know... maybe...



Registered User
Maybe we can make a good James Bond movie in these days.. I don't know... maybe...
With the exception of Quantum of Solice which was meh, all of the new films have been great



I'm not going to get involved in the black Bond debate again. Not after what happened last time.

I'd like to see a bit more humour injected back into the series. It's all becomes bit too dour and po faced despite Javier Bardem's knockout turn in Skyfall. I don't want full on camp, but let's have the gadgets back at least. A final gun battle in a flamboyant megalomaniac's over elaborate lair would be nice too. Oh, and throw in some colour coordinated henchmen while you're at it. With the right modern production design it doesn't have to be cheesy at all.



The Bond series is over 50 years old and it keeps finding new ways to re-invent itself. It shifts from funny to serious, and adopts elements from popular contemporary films. I liked the direction the first 2 Craig films were going in. Skyfall mixed a little bit of classic Bond, but Spectre pretty much derailed the series back into being just standard world domination plot.

I do expect overall, that whoever replaces Craig will be different than Craig. With Spectre already looks like we're heading back into over-the-top/action-packed Brosnan-type movies. There's different Bond fans and we all have different demands. I only have one demand. Keep it fresh. Try to innovate. I dislike how half of the films in the series have the same recycled plot. I'm afraid the series is heading back in this direction after movies like Casino Royale tried so hard to fix this problem.



"I smell sex and candy here" - Marcy Playground
If modern age media and recent sex-ed school campaigns have anything to say about it, I can only see one direction, a black James Bond, a trans James Bond and eventually, Jasmina Bond.

This coming from someone brave enough to check out the British series Hit & Miss with Chloe Sevigny (because I've liked her since Kids).



We've gone on holiday by mistake
I think Bond is done. Can't see them improving on Casino Royale or Skyfall, and for me personally those were only 6 or 7/10.

The last great Bond film was Goldeneye and the last good one's before that were Moore/Connery films.
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I think there are ways to do it, but they have to change the character in order to really get the audience engaged and also reignite the franchise in peoples eyes. I think they should go really young and be someone who grows into the role and maybe we see his first op as 007.
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