63 replies to this topic

[Spoon]

As we know, Eon has historically chosen an actor for Bond who is either a complete unknown (Connery, Lazenby), or who is notable for one or two roles (Moore, Dalton, Brosnan). They have never gotten anyone who was already an established superstar. What "A-List" actor -- the kind of guy who, prior to playing Bond, could have been the main attraction in his own major films -- would you have liked to see as Bond?

(Let's leave those who are arguably in this category with respect to Bond #6 -- e.g. Clive Owen/Hugh Jackman/Jude Law/Ewan McGregor -- out, since although they're unlikely to be chosen, we can't be sure of that, and anyway their Bond merits have been discussed quite a bit.)

Cary Grant
An obvious choice. I doubt he would have been as compelling as Connery; he most likely would have made Bond far more of a "gentleman spy". Still, who wouldn't want to at least see how he would have played it?

Hugh Grant
I believe that, had they gotten to Hugh Grant before he became typecast as a romantic comedy star, he would have made a good Bond. He has the look; women love him; and he's very roguish and charming. If you look at his pre-Four Weddings and a Funeral work, you'll see that he can do more than the stammering, floppy-haired bit. His 5'11" height is not ideal, but it's fine; with a haircut and exercise regimen, he would look every inch the role. He certainly would have made a far less jarring transition from Moore than Dalton did.

My one worry about Grant is that I am not sure he would ever have wanted to do it. He is very self-deprecating, and has stated many times that he doesn't feel that he is a versatile actor, or one capable of doing action films. I would worry that he would play Bond closer to a wastrel than to a supremely confident man. Although I believe Grant could have pulled it off had he put his mind to it, I can't say I'm sure about it. I am, however, very sure this next guy would have worked.

Russell Crowe
Russell's appearance has changed a lot recently, but before he bulked up for his various gladiator/boxer roles, he could very easily have looked the Bond part. He can be very charming when he wants to be, but he also has a dark side. This is a good combination of attributes for Bond. His prickly personality reminds me a lot of Connery's. In between his "take-no-crap" real-life rep and his powerful build, it would have been very easy to buy him beating the heck out of people. He is of course a fantastic actor... perhaps TOO good for the role... but, just as possibly, he could have inspired a more emotional and dramatic Bond than any we have yet seen.

What do y'all think of those, and, do you have any "A-Listers" of your own you would like to have seen as Bond?

Edited by Spoon, 25 July 2005 - 07:58 PM.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Clint Eastwood circa '67-'77. I know it's sounds silly but he does play a CIA spy/assassin in 'The Eiger Sanction' very well and 'Where Eagles Dare'. He would have needed some grooming/voice work but it might have been fun.

Mel Gibson '83-'89

Russel Crowe: 'Proof of Life' was the closest we'll see him as James Bond.he's too short and stocky but he has some Bondian traits.

Hugh Grant: '94 Might have been intersting...

Liam Neeson: '94 ditto

Ralph Fiennes: '94 ditto

Clive Owen: 2005-2010

[inSPECTRE]

my dad and I both agree that Russel Crowe would make a terrific Bond...

[SportzStooge007]

I can see George Clooney as Bond.

Not Russel Crowe. I never even considered him.

[bryonalston]

I would have liked to see Daniel Day Lewis take a crack at it, before his Oscar win. I think that his Bond would have been similar to Dalton's, only with a bit more charm and suaveness.

And of course...CLIVE OWEN!!!!

[hcmv007]

I would have liked to see Daniel Day Lewis take a crack at it, before his Oscar win. I think that his Bond would have been similar to Dalton's, only with a bit more charm and suaveness.

And of course...CLIVE OWEN!!!!

I agree. But only one American could have pulled off James Bond-Steve McQueen.

[bryonalston]

Agreed. Speaking of McQueen, would you have preferred to see Connery play the original Thomas Crown, or McQueen?

[hcmv007]

Agreed. Speaking of McQueen, would you have preferred to see Connery play the original Thomas Crown, or McQueen?

I just saw the original last week. That's tough, but I have to go with McQueen. I haven't seen Brosnan's yet. Connery would have been great in it too, but personally, I think McQueen was a tough son-of-a-gun, as was Connery, but McQueen's performance made it a cult classic. It would have been one hell of a franchise if they made a sequal to it.

[bryonalston]

They are making a sequel to Brosnan's "Thomas Crown Affair" called "The Topkapi Affair." It's a sequel, while also being a remake of 1964's "Topkapi." If you want to see Brosnan's 5th Bond film, then watch this.

[Loomis]

Clint Eastwood circa '67-'77. I know it's sounds silly but he does play a CIA spy/assassin in 'The Eiger Sanction' very well and 'Where Eagles Dare'. He would have needed some grooming/voice work but it might have been fun.

Mel Gibson '83-'89

Russel Crowe: 'Proof of Life' was the closest we'll see him as James Bond.he's too short and stocky but he has some Bondian traits.

Hugh Grant: '94 Might have been intersting...

Liam Neeson: '94 ditto

Ralph Fiennes: '94 ditto

Clive Owen: 2005-2010 

With the exception of Eastwood, I'm with you on all those names. I also think Michael Caine might have made a good Bond back in the day - quite Moore-esque.

[Mister Asterix]

[mra]Peter O

[dinovelvet]

They are making a sequel to Brosnan's "Thomas Crown Affair" called "The Topkapi Affair." It's a sequel, while also being a remake of 1964's "Topkapi." If you want to see Brosnan's 5th Bond film, then watch this.

Brosnan's 5th Bond film is The Tailor of Panama

[bryonalston]

Didn't the Tailor of Panama come out before DAD? If it did, then that would make DAD his 5th Bond film. In other words, the only other Bond film we will see Brosnan in "hopefully" is "The Topkapi Affair" which will preoccupy his shooting time in 2006, meaning that he has no time to shoot CR (Thank god!!!)

[tdalton]

I can see George Clooney as Bond.

I could see Clooney as Bond, too. I've always thought that he would have made a pretty good Bond, but I know that we'll never get to find out whether or not that's true for certain.

Also, Mel Gibson could have been a good Bond in his younger days.

[ACE]

I would have liked to see Daniel Day Lewis take a crack at it, before his Oscar win. I think that his Bond would have been similar to Dalton's, only with a bit more charm and suaveness.

D'accord Bryonalston.

I think Day Lewis IS the man from the novels and would still be PERFECT casting.

Will never happen though!

Interesting thread, Spoon. Well done!

ACE

[inSPECTRE]

well done

I was also thinking Daniel Day Lewis... he'd make a great Bond

[Mr. Somerset]

I'm curious to know what Batman Adam West would've done with the part in 1969 (everyone laughs). I gotta say that Christopher Plummer was pretty suave in the late 60s. He would've been my choice for OHMSS, even though he wasn't a contender. I thought Mel Gibson was too young in 1987 for Daylights. I can't even imagine him for GE. I did think Hugh Grant had the potential at the time of Eye (how 11 years can change one's opinion). Liam in hindsight might've been interesting back then. For now, though....I guess Hugh Jackman.

[Skudor]

I agree that Hugh Grant would have made an interesting choice, also Russel Crowe. Joseph Fiennes is probably not A-list, but I had him as a candidate for a while (and every other male British actor who isn't fat or a midget or facially challenged)

[fatima]

Richard Burton

From todays A-listers George Clooney would be very good.

[Bond_Bishop]

Liam Neeson, Sam Neill, Hugh Jackman, Russel Crowe, Christian Bale and of course Clive Owen!

[Bon-san]

Peter O'Toole might have made a wonderful bond in a Moore-ish vein. (ditto for Cary Grant)

And early Russell Crowe would have brought back memories of early Sean Connery.

[Agent 76]

Michael Caine

[Bondian]

Mr. Incredible!.

[bryonalston]

I'd say Christian Bale around the same time he was cast as Batman. By him playing two superheroes at one time, it would make him an overall renaissance man in the film community.

[hcmv007]

They are making a sequel to Brosnan's "Thomas Crown Affair" called "The Topkapi Affair." It's a sequel, while also being a remake of 1964's "Topkapi." If you want to see Brosnan's 5th Bond film, then watch this.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

They are making a sequel to Brosnan's "Thomas Crown Affair" called "The Topkapi Affair." It's a sequel, while also being a remake of 1964's "Topkapi." If you want to see Brosnan's 5th Bond film, then watch this.

Brosnan's 5th Bond film is The Tailor of Panama

I think he was a bad guy in that one, heard it really wasn't good.

Didn't the Tailor of Panama come out before DAD? If it did, then that would make DAD his 5th Bond film. In other words, the only other Bond film we will see Brosnan in "hopefully" is "The Topkapi Affair" which will preoccupy his shooting time in 2006, meaning that he has no time to shoot CR (Thank god!!!)

I think the Tailor of Panama came out around 1998.

[SecretAgentFan]

Actually, "The Tailor of Panama" was a very good film IMHO. A real spy thriller. And Brosnan delivered his best performance as a very realistic (and unsympathetic) spy.

[Skin 17]

I wouldn't really want to see an American in the role of James Bond.

[TortillaFactory]

I'm curious to know what Batman Adam West would've done with the part in 1969 (everyone laughs).

Hee! <Family Guy reference> "Nobody messes with Adam Wee!" </FG reference>

...{blah blah...various references to Tailor of Panama}

You know, I am a big John le Carre fan, and I "get" his stuff, but I didn't think this adaptation was all that great. For one thing, they changed the ending sufficiently that it just wasn't Le Carre anymore. For another, I disagree with the casting of Geoffrey Rush, who is fine, but only for a certain kind of part. He put exactly the same performance into the Tailor that he did into the Marquis de Sade, and somehow it just doesn't work. Maybe it's the Long John Silver voice that makes it hard to take him seriously...I don't know. For another, the usually terrific Jamie Lee Curtis struggled - rightly so - with some of le Carre's truly awful American dialogue. Brits and Yanks talk very differently, but I don't think le Carre's ever realized that - or he just never knew enough Americans to get it right. And finally, it was just plain boring. I kept watching only because I wanted to see what Brosnan's character, who was mildly interesting but also fatally irritating, would do next. There was none of that great le Carre wit, nor the compelling character insight, nor...anything, really. I can see why nobody talks about this film anymore.

[Spoon]

Richard Burton

This article claims that Burton was the runner-up to George Lazenby for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. That surprised me a lot to read. If Burton could have done it, then I think Crowe could have as well. They remind me a lot of each other.

I never thought of Day-Lewis (probably because I think it goes without saying that he would never have actually taken the part -- he's so fiercely independent an actor), but yeah, that would have been extremely interesting.

Neill for sure, he would have been great. Neeson... a little unconventional, but yes, most likely. Gibson, I can't see succeeding. He's a little hyperactive. I don't think he could have pulled off cool, calm and sophisticated all that well.

Edited by Spoon, 18 August 2005 - 03:45 PM.

[spynovelfan]

Richard Burton to follow Lazenby - check him out in WHERE EAGLES DARE (1969). He's practically Bond in that (and a bloody good one, too).

Edward Fox circa DAY OF THE JACKAL (when he was A-list).

Quite intrigued by the idea of Liam Neeson.