1078 replies to this topic

[jaguar007]

Are the radio dramas available anywhere online?

[Ian Dickerson]

Are the radio dramas available anywhere online?

Yes, the Paul Rhys ones are. Not legally though.

[Bond Bombshell]

Yes, he's British and I can tell you it's not Damian Lewis. Neither is it the Saintly equivalent of Daniel Craig.

And I was so hoping for Kevin McKidd! Actually my top choices would be Richard Armitage, Rupert Penry-Jones, Ioan Gruffudd and Toby Stephens.

IMO there aren't that many good Brit actors out there who could play Templar. These four perhaps, and I can think of maybe a half dozen other possibles. I'm quietly confident I've sussed who has actually landed the gig, but as you can't possibly confirm it seems impolite to chuck a name at you, so I'm going to respectfully thank you for the updates and back off.

[marktmurphy]

Yes, there is one I'd be expecting, too.

(And I promise I'll admit if I get it wrong!)

[Simon]

So long as 'working for the 'Knights Templar' has been removed...

And not to be replaced with some other equally redundant bit of 'licenced creativity'.

Ian, didn't know you were actually involved with the Radio plays and the TV pilot. Fun gig.

Simon
(sime - from the Saint Forum)

[Royal Dalton]

Yes, there is one I'd be expecting, too.

(And I promise I'll admit if I get it wrong!)

Me too. Although, the actor I'm thinking of is in his late forties. So, he might be a little bit too old for it now.

[jaguar007]

I don't see the harm in stating your guesses (unless you know some insider information) as long as you don't expect Ian to confirm or deny. Afterall that is what we did here on the forums prior to Craig being announced.

[Ian Dickerson]

I don't see the harm in stating your guesses (unless you know some insider information) as long as you don't expect Ian to confirm or deny. Afterall that is what we did here on the forums prior to Craig being announced.

I'd be fascinated to see some of the guesses. I can't and won't confirm until I know a contract is signed but it would be interesting as so many names have been considered for the role...

It won't help at all but the gentleman in question is in his 40s.

Simon: the Knights Templar do still feature in the plot but the Saint is no longer quite the employee he was.

Ian

[Royal Dalton]

Jeremy Northam's the actor I was thinking it might be.

[Eurospy]

Northam sounds about right.

Too bad things didn't work out with Purefoy, I'd consider him a number one choice, at first glance, with Northam in a close second.



A question for Ian though...


Why are the Knights Templar being included in The Saint?
I don't mean plot-wise, but I'm curious as to why was it established that Simon would be one of their members, or or rogue member? What propelled such decision?

[Bond Bombshell]

Well that shows how much I know as I'd convinced myself Ioan Gruffudd had the part, especially as Ian had name-dropped him earlier on in this thread as someone he could see in the role.

Now we know that the actor's a Brit in his 40s I'm far from confident at guessing his identity. The only possibles I can think of are Jeremy Northam 47, Jason Isaacs 45, Dougray Scott 43, Greg Wise 42, Lloyd Owen 42, and Jonathan Cake 41.

Like others in this thread, my first instinct was to say Jeremy Northam, but I hesitate firstly because he's the oldest of the bunch, and secondly because he's just signed up for the pilot of a US show called "Miami Trauma". I'm not sure how a commitment to a possibly long running tv show would affect his availability. Owen has also just been cast in a US pilot called "Inside The Box" so I'm guessing he also has availability issues.

Isaacs and Scott seem a little rough round the edges for Templar, and Ian has already said that this isn't the Craig version of The Saint. Cake's been struggling to find a niche for himself in the US, and Wise seems quite low profile at the moment. So having come up with six candidates I've convinced myself it's not any of them, and I can't think of anybody else.

[jaguar007]

I also think Ioan Gruffudd would be great. I really have trouble seeing Northam in the role, I don't see him having the "bon vivant" for the role. Granted, I have only seen him in a few things, but he is usually a bit more "stuffed shirt" type than I see The Saint.

[Blofeld's Cat]

I think Simon Baker from "The Mentalist" would make a really great Simon Templar.

[Professor Dent]

I think Simon Baker from "The Mentalist" would make a really great Simon Templar.

I agree with you on this one. He is great in The Mentalist.

[Ian Dickerson]

Why are the Knights Templar being included in The Saint?
I don't mean plot-wise, but I'm curious as to why was it established that Simon would be one of their members, or or rogue member? What propelled such decision?

Blame Dan Brown. This project has been years in the making and the initial script was written when the film of The Da Vinci Code was on general release.

The initial scriptwriter obviously wanted to jump on the bandwagon. Fortunately over time common sense has prevailed and the script is now looking a lot more Saintly, but because the pilot film was pre-sold on the basis of the initial script we've had to keep the bare bones of the plot.

It's not really comparable but I can't miss the opportunity to mention that Charteris did sanction the Saint's involvement with the legacy of the Knights Templar--of sorts--in "The Saint and the Templar Treasure".

Ian

Edited by Ian Dickerson, 04 April 2009 - 05:19 PM.

[Peckinpah1976]

I was thinking Ioan Gruffudd or Matthew Goode but obviously age rules them both out - so I'm gonna guess Jeremy Northam.

[jaguar007]

Neither is it the Saintly equivalent of Daniel Craig.

So you are saying he is not an incredibly talented actor who defies the stereotype and really brings an element of the character as originally written by the author and blows most of the other actors who have played the part out of the water?

that's too bad. Oh well, there is always the next incarnation of The Saint for them to try to get it right. AFtall, we know to watch for the sign of the Saint, he will be back

[Ian Dickerson]

So you are saying he is not an incredibly talented actor who defies the stereotype and really brings an element of the character as originally written by the author and blows most of the other actors who have played the part out of the water?

that's too bad. Oh well, there is always the next incarnation of The Saint for them to try to get it right. AFtall, we know to watch for the sign of the Saint, he will be back

Blimey...well everyone's entitled to their opinions.

But what I'm saying is that this is not a reboot of the "franchise" by going back to the character as defined in the first novel. What this is involves taking key elements from the early Saint (as against the latter day world weary adventurer) and bringing them into the 21st century.

This is a Saint who is a gentleman, who does have fun with his adventures, who is flippant but is also a killer when the occasion calls for it. This is a Saint who does the wrong things for the right reasons, a Saint who sees that there are some people on this earth who will be greatly improved by death.

Ian

[marktmurphy]

Sounds Saintly enough for me!

I must say that I can't imagine who it could be- my guess is already ruled out by the age thing, and I'm drawing a bit of a loss thinking of any Brit leading man in his 40's, even!

The halo'll be back, won't it? And the Saint theme? I know there's the old whistle which I think I read Mr Charteris himself came up with back in the 40's, but my favourite is the original Roger one, like many others I'm sure- and that's the one I want to hear again!

[TheSaint]

Blimey...well everyone's entitled to their opinions.

But what I'm saying is that this is not a reboot of the "franchise" by going back to the character as defined in the first novel. What this is involves taking key elements from the early Saint (as against the latter day world weary adventurer) and bringing them into the 21st century.

This is a Saint who is a gentleman, who does have fun with his adventures, who is flippant but is also a killer when the occasion calls for it. This is a Saint who does the wrong things for the right reasons, a Saint who sees that there are some people on this earth who will be greatly improved by death.

Ian

Well said!

[jaguar007]

Blimey...well everyone's entitled to their opinions.

But what I'm saying is that this is not a reboot of the "franchise" by going back to the character as defined in the first novel. What this is involves taking key elements from the early Saint (as against the latter day world weary adventurer) and bringing them into the 21st century.

This is a Saint who is a gentleman, who does have fun with his adventures, who is flippant but is also a killer when the occasion calls for it. This is a Saint who does the wrong things for the right reasons, a Saint who sees that there are some people on this earth who will be greatly improved by death.

Ian

Good, it sounds like it might be more true to the original source than that Kilmer crap we had in 97. I must confess that the whole Knights Templar stuff has me a bit concerned.

I also do find Craig's Casino Royale to be much more faithful to Fleming's original material and vision of Bond than anything EON had put out in years. Most incarnations of The Saint on film or TV have been quite a bit different than Charteris' books and I would like to see a movie as a modern adaptation of one of the books.

[Simon]

I would like to see period adaptation from one of the books - this to further remove it from Bond comparisons and also, I just think the rogue adventurer realistically has more of a chance of getting away with his 'good crimes' than anyone does in this day and age of CCTV and wheel clamping.

[Royal Dalton]

The halo'll be back, won't it? And the Saint theme? I know there's the old whistle which I think I read Mr Charteris himself came up with back in the 40's, but my favourite is the original Roger one, like many others I'm sure- and that's the one I want to hear again!

I'd like to hear that one and the Ogilvy one. Can we have both, please, Ian? And how about bringing John Scott back to do the music?

[DR76]

Speaking of "THE SAINT", I found this gallery of photos from the 1962-1969 TV series - "The Saint" (1962-69) Gallery

[Ian Dickerson]

The halo'll be back, won't it? And the Saint theme? I know there's the old whistle which I think I read Mr Charteris himself came up with back in the 40's, but my favourite is the original Roger one, like many others I'm sure- and that's the one I want to hear again!

I'd like to hear that one and the Ogilvy one. Can we have both, please, Ian? And how about bringing John Scott back to do the music?

We'll see. I've had a long held ambition to see what David Arnold could do with the Saint theme...

Ian

[TheSaint]

Speaking of "THE SAINT", I found this gallery of photos from the 1962-1969 TV series - "The Saint" (1962-69) Gallery

A Russian gallery of Roger Saint photos? His popularity knows no bounds nor borders.

[Eurospy]

On another note, Purefoy dropped The Saint and ended up in The Philantropist. I think that shooting has already began and the prodco is supposed to deliver an 8-episode pack for NBC.

I wonder how this will turn out...

And one of Charteris' complaints regarding the tv show is that they never let The Saint keep the treasure/loot that he came upon.

Let's see if they do so this time. I also wonder if The Saint's ruthlessness will also be featured, or if he's one of those heroes that doesn't use a gun.

[Ian Dickerson]

On another note, Purefoy dropped The Saint and ended up in The Philantropist. I think that shooting has already began and the prodco is supposed to deliver an 8-episode pack for NBC.

I wonder how this will turn out...

And one of Charteris' complaints regarding the tv show is that they never let The Saint keep the treasure/loot that he came upon.

Let's see if they do so this time. I also wonder if The Saint's ruthlessness will also be featured, or if he's one of those heroes that doesn't use a gun.

I've read the pilot script for 'The Philanthropist' and I really hope that for the sake of the careers of everyone involved they can improve on it. But having your episode order cut from 13 to 8 and being scheduled for summer time, when the audiences are lower, doesn't bode well.

As for the rest, well wait and see!

[romannoble]

I have seen the first epiosde of The Philanthropist and was not that impressed . I will not be tuning in for the rest.

As for The Saint, I would love to see Jeremy Northam in the role.

[Eurospy]

I have seen the first epiosde of The Philanthropist and was not that impressed . I will not be tuning in for the rest.

As for The Saint, I would love to see Jeremy Northam in the role.

Hm...

You wouldn't be doing a bit of counter-publicity manouvers around here, now would you?

For the moment I quit on Bond discussions. I always claimed (and still do) that managing the Bond franchise must be one of the easiest producing jobs one could have. Out of many reasons, one is that fans do maybe 70% of the marketing/publicity. That's a fact. No other movie(s)/franchise(s) have this sort of free publicity.

This thread seems to be going the same route.

Edited by Eurospy, 14 April 2009 - 10:22 AM.