16 replies to this topic

[supernova]

Have been reading reports describing the extent of Daniel Craig's participation in the production of Skyfall; from his suggestions of Sam Mendes as Director and Javier Bardem as Villain, to Craig's own personal research of the Island which was used in the film. The Skyfall movie-making process seems to have been a real labour of love for him, and also something at which he appears to be very good. Think that he is making himself an integral part of the Bond franchise, and he will assume an increasingly important role off camera and when his time is over as James Bond, will continue as co-producer of the Bond franchise.

[Double-0-Seven]

Michael G. Wilson is getting up there in age, but I always assumed one of his sons would take over when he's done. I wouldn't object to Daniel Craig staying on board in that kind of capacity though, mind you. He seems to have a real passion for Bond and to make these movies as good as possible. Aside from Skyfall, he was also involved in my aspects of Quantum's production as well, including tweaking the script with Marc Forster due to the writer's strike. His involvement shows that he definitely has a good working relationship with Babs and Mikey. I don't think this necessarily means that they are considering him as a producer, but rather that they have a level of trust with one another and all share the same mindset about where Bond should be.

[tdalton]

I seriously doubt that either Craig or the producers is considering him for a job as co-producer, either before or after his time in the role ends.  I'm sure he'll continue to get more or less the amount of input he's already had, but there won't be any promotion to such a rank.  Plus, that would be a major detriment to his successor, to have Craig hanging around the film while he's trying to work (be it physically there or simply having Craig mold the project in any way).

[Turn]

Such talk would really send Connery over the edge considering he wanted partner status with Broccoli and Saltzman back in the day.

 

I also wonder what Brosnan makes of some of the stories of Craig recruiting Mendes as he was talking up people he would have liked to see involved in his tenure, Tarantino for example.

[supernova]

Daniel Craig is in a unique position compared with other actors who have portrayed Bond, in that he is very respected by his peers and regarded as a 'serious actor'. Since Casino Royale I've thought the franchise was underperforming and should be a billion dollar a movie franchise -- very much like Nolan's films nowadays are guaranteed a billion dollar box office. Skyfall has upped the ante and shown new possibilities. Respected actors such as Clint Eastwood have successfully made the transition to behind the camera so think it very possible that Craig can also make that change.

 

Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson seem to have good instincts and are eager to continually improve their franchise -- I think this would be a good match.

[thecasinoroyale]

I would certainly support this - the love and passion that Craig has for film-making in general, and the detail and effort he puts into the Bond films he's been in, in terms of cast, location and story has paid off so well and with the right support, script and filming schedule I think it's something he could do to ensure James Bond stays strong, current and audience-friendly.

[SecretAgentFan]

I don´t think EON would go for that. And besides, Greg Wilson already has taken on a more important role during the making of SKYFALL (see the Bond on Set book). He will succeed MGW, I´m sure.

[Odd Jobbies]

A good idea, as anecdotal evidence suggests he's brought a lot of positive, Fleming-esque and much needed influence to his 3 films. However, it's unlikely.

[stamper]

Craig will become co-producer once he is gone in the title role. Why? Because EON always does with the next Bonds what the precedent Bond wanted and didn't get. Plain and simple.

[Hockey Mask]

I could see them making him a co-producer if he pushed for it and it was the only way they could get him in the role again.  I don't think he has made a bad decision yet.

[plankattack]

Such talk would really send Connery over the edge considering he wanted partner status with Broccoli and Saltzman back in the day.

 

I also wonder what Brosnan makes of some of the stories of Craig recruiting Mendes as he was talking up people he would have liked to see involved in his tenure, Tarantino for example.

 

You're right, Brozza was always talking up people - Tarantino, Hopkins, whoever else - name-dropping away like a b-s'er in a pub. I say that, because other than Tarantino opining how he would have done CR (could someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Tarantino actually spoke to EON - just blew his own idea down with a "they would never go for it"), there's no evidence that any of the name-dropping was anything more than just that, Brozza thinking aloud.

DC is getting at least a tip of the hat (in public from the producers and both parties) for having a hand in both Mendes and Bardem on-board. Whether or not that really is the case we'll never know, but as for Brozza, well, his "formulating" had as much in common with reality as fan-fiction does with Fleming. Similar to his claim that TND's underwater scenes were better than Cameron's Titanic.

[Mr_Wint]

I cannot for my life see why Craig should be a co-producer or why he should mess with the script. Isn't he an actor...?

 

As for Craig's creative contribution... don't believe everything you read in the newspapers. EON is in charge.

[Germanlady]

Its confirmed many times over - even by Babs, that he got them Mendes and Bardem.

[Turn]

It's not unheard of for the Bond actors to have some say in the creative process. Connery said in the beginning he wanted to see more humor and supposedly worked with Terence Young to put some into the script. Moore also pressed for more humor, while Dalton requested fewer lines to keep in line with his portrayal. TWINE seemed to be something of a response to Brosnan's talk about peeling back the layers.

 

It just seems that the current regime allows Craig greater freedom than Cubby ever may have allowed. All things considered, it seems like a sound choice.

[MajorB]

Craig has said that when he was in talks to play Bond, he told MW/BB that he wanted to be creatively involved in each film and to have a voice in its development. Whether that was built into his contract, or just a "gentleman's agreement," who knows? Obviously it doesn't involve anything official in the credits. But there's no doubt he's one of the main players in steering each of the films during pre-production.

[RMc2]

Craig definitely got Mendes and Bardem on board, and worked on rewrites on QoS, and rumour has it that since pre-production on CR he's been allowed a lot of influence on the portrayal of the character - he undoubtedly has his heart in every Bond film he's worked on.

 

However, remember the difference between coincidence and correlation. I'd be cautious of crediting him with too much creative influence because part of the reason he was cast in the first place was because he saw eye-to-eye with EON and Martin Campbell on bringing Fleming's original character to the screen rather than the cinematic version of the character. The same goes for SF, where Mendes and he happened to agree on the character's portrayal: ultimately it's the director's decision what happens in the film, as witnessed by writers Purvis and Wade in their Empire podcast. In fact, P&W take most of the credit for how Craig's character has been portrayed - while that may be self-aggrandisement on their part, it probably rings mostly true as it's their pitches and scripts that the producers buy, and it's the directors who make them change things, not Craig.

 

So my point is, while Craig is undeniably having an influence on the series, it may be a lot more indirect than he's getting credit for. Lead actors always influence the final portrayal of any part they play - after all, that's why they're cast; in this case, a lot of what is being credited to Craig may be more down to the fact that he's working with a team of like-minded people, most importantly Babs and Michael, but also the directors and the screenwriters, who together agree with what Craig is doing, rather than letting him have free reign.

 

Despite doing the job of a co-producer on SF, I doubt he'll be a credited co-producer unless it's a way of coaxing him to return for a sixth or seventh film. I suspect EON have an unwritten rule where the lead actor "is Ian Fleming's James Bond 007" and nothing more in the eyes of the audience.

[seawolfnyy]

While I don't doubt that he has a lot of input, I don't think he will ever be a co-producer. Especially not after he leaves the role, as it might seem as he is interfering with his successor.