537 replies to this topic

[Seannery]

Goran V=Finlay Light

[Pussfeller]

I just want to hear him talk. If we could hear him, this whole argument would be over, one way or another. Yes, he's known for his part on ER, in which he plays (ahem) a Croatian. So naturally he's known for his Croatian accent, but for all we know it could be a put-on. Maybe he has no accent in real life. Need I remind anyone of Hugh Laurie? People are capable of faking convincing accents. I don't see how you can reject Visnjic without first hearing him.

[dinovelvet]

I just want to hear him talk. If we could hear him, this whole argument would be over, one way or another. Yes, he's known for his part on ER, in which he plays (ahem) a Croatian. So naturally he's known for his Croatian accent, but for all we know it could be a put-on. Maybe he has no accent in real life. Need I remind anyone of Hugh Laurie? People are capable of faking convincing accents. I don't see how you can reject Visnjic without first hearing him.

In Elektra he was playing a character called Matt Miller, but he sounded like he was playing someone called Sergei Barkov. His accent is just a massive, and IMHO, insurmountable obstacle. Its creating a problem when there doesn't need to be one; why hire someone who is going to need extensive voice coaching to sound like Bond (and even then there's no guarantee of success), when there are plenty of candidates who can just do the role in their natural voice? I now find three reasons why Visjnic cannot play Bond-

1. The accent
2. The extensive ER shooting schedule (8-9 months of the year). When will he have time to shoot CR and do all the promotion? Not to mention preparation for the role and voice lessons, and Cubby's golden rule of not hiring someone that audiences can see for free at home every week.
3. He's foreign. Many media outlets, especially British ones, will criticize him immediately. Instant Bad Buzz, before a single frame of Casino Royale has been filmed.

Three problems right there, all of which could be easily avoided by casting just about any generic British actor not committed to a tv show...

[Pussfeller]

Well, if he has an accent, then he shouldn't play Bond. And if he has an accent, that's all the more reason to believe the Mirror article is a hoax.

[Seannery]

I just want to hear him talk. If we could hear him, this whole argument would be over, one way or another. Yes, he's known for his part on ER, in which he plays (ahem) a Croatian. So naturally he's known for his Croatian accent, but for all we know it could be a put-on. Maybe he has no accent in real life. Need I remind anyone of Hugh Laurie? People are capable of faking convincing accents. I don't see how you can reject Visnjic without first hearing him.

In Elektra he was playing a character called Matt Miller, but he sounded like he was playing someone called Sergei Barkov. His accent is just a massive, and IMHO, insurmountable obstacle. Its creating a problem when there doesn't need to be one; why hire someone who is going to need extensive voice coaching to sound like Bond (and even then there's no guarantee of success), when there are plenty of candidates who can just do the role in their natural voice? I now find three reasons why Visjnic cannot play Bond-

1. The accent
2. The extensive ER shooting schedule (8-9 months of the year). When will he have time to shoot CR and do all the promotion? Not to mention preparation for the role and voice lessons, and Cubby's golden rule of not hiring someone that audiences can see for free at home every week.
3. He's foreign. Many media outlets, especially British ones, will criticize him immediately. Instant Bad Buzz, before a single frame of Casino Royale has been filmed.

Three problems right there, all of which could be easily avoided by casting just about any generic British actor not committed to a tv show...

Excellent post.

[Rogue Agent]

They could always dub his voice. Would be a radical step but it's been done before. Goldfinger, Honey Rider, Tiger Tanaka, Lazenby as Hilary Gray - all dubbed.

I think Pierce Brosnan should do Goran's voice. That would be really surreal.

[Rogue Agent]

There are a lot of actors who look like Bond, but can't pull off the character at all (James Brolin would have sucked.) People should just let it go and stop judging Goran based on his appearance and accent and focus more on his talent and blossoming potential.

Er.. I doubt that, byronalstan. I think there are very few actors that look like Bond, hence the reason a Croatian is a candidate.

If only we had more British actors looking like Connery, Moore, Dalton etc.

[Agent 76]

If only we had more British actors looking like Connery, Moore, Dalton etc.

you have...Adrian Paul





a bit cheesy I know..

[Rogue Agent]

He's like Connery but less refined. Oops - that comment won't go down well with the Paul fans.

Adrian Paul looks okay but isn't he a bit too old for the part? He's what, over 45, I think. Seems to have missed his chance.

[Seannery]

He's like Connery but less refined. Oops - that comment won't go down well with the Paul fans.

Adrian Paul looks okay but isn't he a bit too old for the part? He's what, over 45, I think. Seems to have missed his chance.

That's fine Rogue Agent to each his own--there isn't a candidate who doesn't get attacked and by the way there are much better recent pictures of him. By the way Roger 46 and Pierce who was actually 44 looked well and youthful and started late also like Adrian Paul. And he's English which is a plus. And why not Jeremy Northem who at 44 looks dashing and English--much better than this Ewan Stewart guy. Or James Purefoy at 41 also English with a fine english speaking voice. Plenty of choices better than Goran and the others on this list. Gerald Butler, Hugh Jackman, even Julian McMahon, Daniel Craig, Ioan Gruffudd, Rufus Sewell and other english actors who would be better choices. Come on Eon--I know this list is dubious. I'm pretty sure there are better choices still being considered. BUT the question is who else is being considered? That's the big question. And will we know soon.

[Pussycat]

If only we had more British actors looking like Connery, Moore, Dalton etc.

you have...Adrian Paul





a bit cheesy I know..

Excellent!

[bryonalston]

When I look at Adrian Paul, he doesn't scream "THIS IS A BRITISH PERSON!!!" Sure, he might be a British citizen, but him being half Italian does give him a natural tan to his skin, making him look to Mediterranean for Bond. (The same thing applies for Robert DeNiro, who is something like 3/4 Irish and 1/4 Italian, but looks a lot more Italian than Irish!) If you're going to cast someone who looks Italian or Greek, then why not a Croatian? At least Visnjic is known for a current role on a major TV show, as opposed to Paul, who is only known for a modestly popular TV show 10 years ago, and is a bit too old for EoN's taste. I'd rather see Anna Nicole Smith play Honey Rider in a remake of Dr. No instead of seeing Paul cast as 007!!!

Edited by bryonalston, 25 July 2005 - 04:47 AM.

[Seannery]

When I look at Adrian Paul, he doesn't scream "THIS IS A BRITISH PERSON!!!" Sure, he might be a British citizen, but him being half Italian does give him a natural tan to his skin, making him look to Mediterranean for Bond. (The same thing applies for Robert DeNiro, who is something like 3/4 Irish and 1/4 Italian, but looks a lot more Italian than Irish!) If you're going to cast someone who looks Italian or Greek, then why not a Croatian? At least Visnjic is known for a current role on a major TV show, as opposed to Paul, who is only known for a modestly popular TV show 10 years ago, and is a bit too old for EoN's taste. I'd rather see Anna Nicole Smith play Honey Rider in a remake of Dr. No instead of seeing Paul cast as 007!!!

Well we strongly disagree then. If Adrian Paul doesn't tan up his coloring is within Bond Boundries and he looks like the original "english" Bond Connery--it's close to Connery's coloring and Tim Dalton was half Italian also with tall dark looks.




BUT surely you must think there are better actors for Bond who are English other than Goran even if you don't like Paul for it. I see you like Owen who i'm no big fan of his for a number of reason including his inaappropriately Bondian voice. What other commonwealth actors do you think would be better than Goran? James Purefoy? Gerald Butler? Daniel Craig? Ioan Gruffudd? Julian McMahon? Hugh Jackman? Jason Isaacs? Jeremy Northem? Paul Blackthorne? Ralph Fiennes? Rufus Sewell? Dougray Scott? Any others? Surley you can find a number of naturally English speaking actors who would do much better than Goran?

[bryonalston]

Of course there are actors who would be better suited than Goran, such as Clive Owen, Gerard Butler or even Christian Bale. However, this is a thread dedicated to asking the question "Goran Visnjic as Bond," which has nothing to do with Adrian Paul. I thought that it would be considerate to stick to the topic at hand and not bring in other actors who would simply be perfect for the job (Clive Owen, etc...) I'm sure Adrian Paul has a moderate fan base somewhere in the world, but Goran Visnjic is just a hotter piece of property at the moment, and I can see him a being a good Bond actor. Even though he's not my number 1 choice, he is in my top 5. Adrian Paul is probably between Dick Cheney and Steve Buscemi.

[Seannery]

Well we do disagree concerning Adrian Paul With this being a pro or con Goran website as you correctly point out byronalston i'll focus on Goran compared to the rest of the candidates--to me he is one of the weakest. I'd pick Dick Cheney or Sandra Day O'Connor before him. All the english speaking actors I mentioned before in my earlier post I would pick before Goran. I'd pick Henry Cavill and Alex O'Lachlan before Goran. I'd even put that Stewart guy before Goran! I'd put Clive Owen before Goran even though I think he's miscast as Bond. That's my point on Goran and the issue on this thread.

[Seannery]

To put back the focus of this thread on the actor it's about(as byronalston rightly suggests) instead of another actor hijacking Goran's thread let me ask this:



How many Bond fans out there would consider Goran one of their top choices as the next James Bond? Or one of the worst? Somewhere in the large middle?



Put me firmly in the camp that Goran is one of the worst 007 choices.

[dinovelvet]

To put back the focus of this thread on the actor it's about(as byronalston rightly suggests) instead of another actor hijacking Goran's thread let me ask this:
How many Bond fans out there would consider Goran one of their top choices as the next James Bond?  Or one of the worst?  Somewhere in the large middle?
Put me firmly in the camp that Goran is one of the worst 007 choices.

I too consider Goran to be the absolute worst candidate put forward ever since the first 'Who will replace Brosnan?' rumors started flying. I would gladly accept downright laughable choices like Heath Ledger or this Ewan Stewart geezer ahead of him. At this point, I'm almost begging for Henry Cavill to get the role!

[Rogue Agent]

Take this with a huge pinch of salt, but another Bond forum has some of its posters (who happen to be Croatian) claiming Visnjic's family have confirmed he's got the part. Repeat: got the part.

It could be absolute nonsense but if it's true, consider this breaking news.

[Rogue Agent]

CBN PLEASE READ THIS

Here is phone number of that radio station. I called them 2 minutes ago and they confirmed me that information. Goran Visnjic signed as Bond.

Radio station name is Obiteljski Radio. Her is their phone number:
+38516687222

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Cut that from another site. If it's genuine, CBN better do it quick before its rival site gets the biggest Bond scoop since Brosnan got the part.

Could be fake, mind.

[Rogue Agent]

This could be genuine

Quote:
His father in law, famous croatian director Antun Vrdoljak brougth it out in an interview 2 hours ago on one croatian radio station!!!!!

Yes and I ment THE part. One and only JB part!!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------

I could be making a complete idiot of myself but this could be genuine. Someone at CBn should check it out.

Edited by Rogue Agent, 25 July 2005 - 10:27 AM.

[H.M.Servant]

I think Goran is another Lazenby waiting to happen.

[The Dove]

Give the choice of the four shortlisted actors, I would rather see Goran get the Bond role, rather than the 22 year old kid! Goran, to me, has the right looks for 007 ( I would still rather Clive Owen) but, if MooMoo's source turns out to be accurate and Visnjic gets the role, I would be content.

[lion-storm]

Rogue Agent, I can't get through to the radio station, either by phone or email can you give us another source

[Seannery]

Rogue Agent, I can't get through to the radio station, either by phone or email can you give us another source

He may have been playing a trick on us all--he's done that before. He's not always the most reliable or trutworthy source--it's one of the reasons he's been banned from Cbn.

[bryonalston]

Why was Rogue Agent discharged? Are he and MooMoo one and the same?

[Loeffelholz]

Surely there is a Brit out there who can fill the tux before we go Croatian...with all respect to Eastern Europe...

[Pussfeller]

Loeffelholz, I agree that there undoubtedly are lots of British men who could play Bond, but why go to the trouble, if (and this is purely hypothetical, as Moomoo is quite possibly lying) the producers have already found a perfect candidate in Visnjic? It seems wasteful, irrational, even pig-headed, and certainly unfair, to demand that an actor be of a particular nationality, regardless of the time and expense involved in the search.

I'm sure there are tons of British men who could play James Bond, but if none of them have been found after this long, why should the producers waste more time looking for them? Why should they not cast Visnjic, if, as is apparently the case, he is a perfectly qualified candidate? If Visnjic is appropriate for the part, why should his nationality enter into things? It's not like he'd necessarily be cheaper. To say that the producers have "gone Croatian" isn't really fair. From what I hear (and I've yet to confirm this personally), he has a very good command of English, to an extent far surpassing the average Croatian! I say we should judge him on his own merits, and not throw him out because we think he "must" have an accent.

At any rate, I'm going to watch ER tomorrow (well, to be accurate, I intend to leave it on while I do something else), and I suggest you do the same. I'll reserve my final judgment for when I've heard this guy. I doubt either of us has seen him in action, or heard his voice.

Edited by Pussfeller, 26 July 2005 - 08:16 AM.

[bryonalston]

Thank you Pussfeller! You are one of the most rational people I've heard on this board in the past 24 hours. Just wait and see. I can assure you that if you watch enough episodes of ER, particularly watching Goran's performance with Bond on the back of the mind, you'll come around too. I was a little skeptical at first, but he really is a talented ACTOR who is perfect for the job. People are contradicting themselves here, saying that the series is tired and needs some fresh air, but are insisting on casting the standard, generic British actor. Perhaps Visnjic will bring a little more spice to the role than some of the other Brits are capable of. Just keep an open mind. If Visnjic is cast, I'm sure that most of you will NOT be disappointed (and it's not like you have a choice, since you'll go and see CR regardless of the actor anyways )

[Pussfeller]

I have to say, I am open to the idea, bryonalston. I certainly have no objection to a Croatian actor, particularly Visnjic, who I find extremely Bondian in appearance. The only reason I don't support him outright is that I doubt this whole Sunday Mirror "down to four" report. The inclusion of Ewan Stewart makes me think it's a hoax. Zencat's identification of Cavill gives me some hope, though. Perhaps Visnjic really is a Bond candidate.

I can tell you this: if it came down to Cavill and Visnjic, I think the choice is obvious. Visnjic is the most Bondian one on the list.

[bryonalston]

If Visnjic was cast as the older Bond, who would you cast as the younger version of him for the flashbacks? It can't just be anybody, since there should be some resemblance (like Harrison Ford and River Phoenix.) The only actor that I could think of that has a similar facial structure to Visnjic is Orlando Bloom. Even though he might not be a good candidate for the primary Bond, he would probably draw in crowds of adolescent girls, going to see the movie just to see him. And also, it's not like we'll have to see him for that long on screen. Cavill looks nothing like Visnjic, so don't bring him up. Think of someone who could actually work.