OK. Idris Elba would be a FANTASTIC Bond and I don't care whether he's black or not.
^^ Really liked him as Luther and he was good in Losers, but didn´t scream Bond to me. And he would be too old anyway...^^
For anyone who brings up the Shaft argument... Shaft is a product of a certain time and aimed at a certain audience. Bond has always been aimed at a more universal audience and at a more broad selection of fans.
^^ The same goes for Bond ^^
Some could say Fleming wrote the character as a white Scotsman. That's fine... BUT did those same people complain because an Australian, two Englishmen, a Welshman and and Irishman played the part? Did those people boycott THOSE movies cause of the nationality of the actors?
^^ I think a white australian, welsh or irish could play a white scotsman, Elba unlikely. ^^
Some people could say it's a PC move all about ticking boxes. Why can't it be about helping to close the divide in race? To show that really we are ALL the same?
^^ It´s not about PC, it´s flavour of the month. Changing Bond will not close the divide in race. No racist will say: oh, I´m such a big Bond fan, now I really like black people.... ^^
Far removed from Fleming? BAH. When has that EVER stopped the movies before? Fleming is DEAD people. The movies are something else now, they are owned by their fans. It's a different time now with different rules and I'd like to think that if Fleming was alive now he'd actually acknowledge this.
^^ But Cubby wanted that the films will always be called Ian Fleming´s James Bond 007 films, which again implies the heritage described in the books by Fleming. And the producers always say: if there´s a problem, go back to Fleming. ^^
Now if someone says to me "If Elba does it I won't watch it" don't tell me straight after that you're not racist. Not seeing a film cause a black man is playing the part is one of the most racist things a person can do. There is no way around it.
^^ But there is nothing racist about it when a fan wants the films to be as close to the origin source, which will forever be the books ^^
Change is something to be embraced, not afraid of and if an actor like Elba gets the role - it could open up EVEN MORE DOORS for a film series that had a hell of a lot of open doors anyway.
^^ So why not go with Shah Rukh Khan or Chow Yun-Fat or Jennifer Aniston and solve womens liberation too? This would open even more doors ^^
I am absolutely 100% in favour of Idris Elba getting the part of James Bond. I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve on this one.
Because he would be so much better then say Fassbender who is five years younger and even looks the part?
I as you all know am a HUGE Bond fan. I love the movies, I have read all the books by Fleming, Pearson, Markham, Gardner, Benson, Higson, Westbrook, Higson, Faulks, Deaver, Boyd, Cole... you name it. Fiction and non-fiction. Videogames, boardgames, soundtrack albums... I've dipped my toes into all of it. I am the biggest Bond afficianado you can find. And I still stand by what I have always said: THESE ARE ONLY MOVIES.
^^ So you said it yourself: these are just films, they can´t solve the worlds problems... ^^