4 replies to this topic

[Frankie]

Spies N' The Hood?
British rumors allege big changes for the next 007 film.
by Stax
2001-05-31
British newspapers like The Guardian and The Sunday Express have published stories recently that suggest a feud is brewing between MGM and producer Barbara Broccoli "over the future of the James Bond franchise." The Sunday Express reports that MGM wants "a more urban Bond" and wants an American filmmaker like Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, The Family Man) to direct the next installment while Broccoli and current Bond Pierce Brosnan want Michael Apted, who directed The World Is Not Enough, to remain at the helm. A scooper for The Sunday Express claimed that "MGM is convinced it can make more money out of Bond by diluting his Britishness and making the films more American in style. The decision will have huge consequences for the future." Uh, yeah, that's putting it mildly!



The Americanization of Bond equates over-commercialization of Bond. This would be against the spirit of Bond and would further degenerate him into a comic-book or computer-game character (ALA Lara Croft). Keep Bond human. Give him limitations. He needs to have some dimension of believability. The movie market is saturated with all-action FX-filled summer movies. They are fun roller coasters but we watch them only as such. Bond movies need not compete with those movies. They should continue to be a good mix of action and story-based INTRIGUE.

If the above rumor is true then Barbara Broccoli should take the Bond franchise away from MGM and give it to another studio.

Does anyone know of any e-mail address for Barbara Broccoli or EON productions to mount a fan campaign to keep Bond british? She needs to stick to her guns and know that she has fan support in this.

[zencat]

While I believe there is a discussion going on between Eon and MGM re the next Bond director, I don't think it's all that the UK press has made it out to be. I think MGM would like an A-list director to do the next Bond, but Eon wants to keep Bond in-house and use Apted again. Brett Ratner did Rush Hour, but this DOESN'T mean he's gonna turn Bond into a hip-hop urban action hero. I don't believe Eon nor MGM want to "Americanize" Bond. If that was the case, why would they use Purvis and Wade again? No, I think this is just a way to spin the story and sell papers. It's nothing to get upset about -- yet.

[Blue Eyes]

Don't be so sure about EON wanting to keep Apted. That's not exactly what I've heard.

[Blue Eyes]

Well I'm saying little. I'm too much of a politician ;p

Anyway. I did get really annoyed in U571. I hate that major re-writing of history.

[007]

that sucks!!!! Since When Was Bond American....Those dirty, inbred, gun totting, stupid b****** americans have to have everything!....they won all the wars according to american films, the world depends on them accoding to any American, and the world loves anything american according to them...........Bollocks...America sucks . They won f##k all wars battles to the other counties involved in the world wars, but because they suck so much they have to lie in all films to make themselves look good...for example, U571. This film made out that the americans captured Enigma...when any one outsode US knows it was the Brits! so.. in conclusion, US sucks and UK rules! P.S. i had no real topic here but the idea of turning bond into an american really pis##d me off!