23 replies to this topic

[StrangleTheCat]

I was watching Sky News today when an interesting showbiz article came on discussing how John Travolta was offered the role of James Bond. He had a meeting with the producers twice but in the end nothing came of it because of the lack of money offered to him.

I was wondering what other JB fans would have thought if John Travolta had been given the go ahead instead of Daniel Craig and if there would be just as much as there is now!

I would be interested to know your thoughts.

[marktmurphy]

I don't think so. He's old, fat and American.

[spynovelfan]

I don't think so. He's old, fat and American.

'So's Brosnan!'

Beat everyone to that one.

[StrangleTheCat]

The Craigster isn't looking too bad!!!!

[Stax]

I think they meant Rikki Lee Travolta, which was all BS anyway.

[Blue07]

Can't beleive they were serious about that - no way would Travolta (either) by right for Bond. Even suggesting that might have been genuine makes me actually feel glad they got Craig. And thats saying something.

[marktmurphy]

I don't think so. He's old, fat and American.

'So's Brosnan!'

Beat everyone to that one.

Heh! Nice work!

[spynovelfan]

Well, someone had to.

It would seem pretty clear that this is an entirely bogus story, and that obscure actor Rikki Lee Travolta saw a way of getting some publicity by repeatedly claiming that he was a candidate for the part of James Bond, and that some even lazier journalists than the ones publishing the Rikki Lee stories read the last name and have created a story whereby John Travolta was in the running.

I'm pretty sure that's what happened, but it's been very difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff in the Bond race, hasn't it? I went off on Stax the other day (again, apologies), but I guess I'm just fed up with not being able to know who to trust anymore. Stax clarified exactly how he got his story and what the status of it was, but that hasn't stopped the ever-unreliable ContactMusic picking it up and saying Suchet is 'in negotiations' and the 'front-runner' to play Le Chiffre, crediting it to Stax's report. Dark Horizons - apparently more reliable thatn ContactMusic - has also picked the story up. Chinese whispers come into effect, so that a query becomes a fact, a non-denial becomes a negotiation, and so on.

To make things more complicated, I'll say that it's actually possible that John Travolta was considered for the part of James Bond. About a decade ago, MGM bought the rights to a series of spy novels featuring a British spy called Quiller, apparently with the intention of having a Quiller film in between each Bond. They're grittier, more Bourne-style affairs. Quiller isn't as dapper as Bond, but he's very British: he's also ruthless and lean and uses his brain and his senses to complete his mission. Minimal gadgets or explosions. They're not really sutied to big-budget Hollywood style films, but would work very well in a Dogme-style, for instance. And yet Variety reported on March 13, 2000:

'John Travolta is circling MGM's "Quiller Solitaire," the feature adaptation of an installment in Adam Hall's series of novels about a British agent.
United Artists acquired the James Bond-ish property in 1996, but MGM has now put the Gary Lueehesi-produced project on the fast track with hopes of turning the property into an action-adventure franchise.
"Quiller" is now out to directors; Travolta's participation is contingent upon who helms the piece as well as its appeal to him compared with other projects he's eyeing. Those include "Travel Agent" at Columbia, which would satisfy the settlement Travolta made for bailing out of the Roman Polanski-directed "The Double"; Bel Air Entertainment's "Steinbeck's Point of View," which is also seeking a director; the Jimmy Roselli biopic "Standing Room Only," a Travolta pet project that lacks a distributor; and the sequel to "Battlefield: Earth." Travolta recently wrapped Nora Ephron's "Numbers" for Paramount.'

Of course, the film didn't happen (and neither did any of the others mentioned in that paragraph!). But Travolta was apparently a serious candidate to play Quiller. If you've read the books, it's just as, if not even more, bizarre than the idea of him playing Bond.

[Bondesque]

Even 30 years ago when Travlota was in his prime, there is no way he could pull off Bond. That claim is rediculous in the extreme.

[Tarl_Cabot]

I don't think so. He's old, fat and American.

nuff said

[morganhavoc]

Hope you Brosnan haters have heard that Brosnan's performance in the Matador is generating a lot of buzz for Golden Globe or Oscar. Now how sweet would that be for the fired Bond to pick up a few golden statues?
The film will be limited released in Dec. to be eligible for 2005 awards.

[tdalton]

Hope you Brosnan haters have heard that Brosnan's performance in the Matador is generating a lot of buzz for Golden Globe or Oscar. Now how sweet would that be for the fired Bond to pick up a few golden statues?

I wish Brosnan the best of luck in that regard, and will definitely see the film when it's released. For the record, I like Brosnan outside of the Bond films, but him getting an Oscar nomination would never change my opinion of his performances as Bond.

[GreggAllinson]

Even 30 years ago when Travlota was in his prime, there is no way he could pull off Bond.  That claim is rediculous in the extreme.

Exactly.

[Tim007]

This is a typical example for modern-day journalism.

In Germany, we had this news about two weeks ago, because an entertaninment journo only delievered the 2nd names to a news paper. The journalist said that "people like Owen, Travolta, Jackman" etc. were in the running. It later became clear that she of course meant Rikki Lee Travolta, but at this point of time most German tabloids had it wrong already. So exactly two weeks ago German people could read in Germany's biggest tabloid, BILD, that John Travolta has been offered the job

Anyway, seems the news is getting back into the English speaking world. So this is nothing but a clear misunderstanding.

Hope that helps.

[Domlense]

Maxim Magazine apparently did a poll of German readers on who they would have liked as James Bond. I wasn't so surprised that Daniel Craig wasn't on top since he didn't fair great in U.S. and U.K. polls (Bond forum polls excluded - I'm talking of general population polls). Nothing against him, but he isn't a household name and he's coming in under the cloud of everyone anticipating a bigger name star. But here's what did surprise me, Rikki Lee Travolta was the top preference of the readers Maxim polled. George Clooney was second (go figure) Clive Owen was third. Goran Visnjic and Henry Cavill both polled higher than Craig. Thought it was interesting.
Axcess News

Every time I think I get a handle on how people feel about the whole James Bond casting thing, I discover something that throws me for a loop.

[Agent 76]

Reading something like: John Travolta is James Bond, makes me laugh!

[Scottlee]

Travolta would have been too old to be Bond, not to mention too American.

[SeanValen00V]

Hope you Brosnan haters have heard that Brosnan's performance in the Matador is generating a lot of buzz for Golden Globe or Oscar. Now how sweet would that be for the fired Bond to pick up a few golden statues?

I wish Brosnan the best of luck in that regard, and will definitely see the film when it's released. For the record, I like Brosnan outside of the Bond films, but him getting an Oscar nomination would never change my opinion of his performances as Bond.

FOR THE LAST TIME, BLAME THE SCRIPTS, NOT BROSNAN FOR HIS PERFORMANCES, DID HE WRITE HIS OWN LINES?? EVEN HE HATED THEM.

What would of Tim Dalton have done in the iceland scenes of DAD?

Blame those producers, ruining the fanchise.


They changed the bond actors for no reason what so ever, but what they needed to do was fire themselfs!

[tdalton]

Hope you Brosnan haters have heard that Brosnan's performance in the Matador is generating a lot of buzz for Golden Globe or Oscar. Now how sweet would that be for the fired Bond to pick up a few golden statues?

I wish Brosnan the best of luck in that regard, and will definitely see the film when it's released. For the record, I like Brosnan outside of the Bond films, but him getting an Oscar nomination would never change my opinion of his performances as Bond.

FOR THE LAST TIME, BLAME THE SCRIPTS, NOT BROSNAN FOR HIS PERFORMANCES, DID HE WRITE HIS OWN LINES?? EVEN HE HATED THEM.

From what I can tell, a bad script and a bad performance are almost entirely independent of eachother. Actors can give great performances in terrible movies and, likewise, actors can give bad performances in good films. Just because the scripts were bad doesn't mean that Brosnan should be allowed to turn in a lukewarm performance.

But, I do find it amazing that I can even try to compliment Brosnan on his acting, and I'm still interpreted as bashing him. For the record, I've enjoyed several of his films (Thomas Crown Affair, After the Sunset, Tailor of Panama, Dante's Peak, Mrs. Doubtfire, etc.).

[killkenny kid]

I could see Travolta over Cage. oh god did I say that.

[Qwerty]

Right.....

[killkenny kid]

He's old, fat and American.
And, what are we saying here.

[Double-Oh-Zero]

Royale with cheese?

Can't see it, meself.

[killkenny kid]

Royale with cheese?

Can't see it, meself.

Good one.