134 replies to this topic

[Harmsway]

What I wonder is whether the well of good ideas is about to finally run dry.

They're certainly nearing the bottom-of-the-barrel.

Even if the series doesn't end with Craig (and I'm pretty sure it won't), my interest will likely wane once he's gone.

[zencat]

I can't believe what I'm reading.

If the series was going through a revolving door of actors, ala 69-73 where we had 3 different Bonds in 3 different films, or if it were the doldrums of the early 90s when it didn't look like a film would get made for a long stretch - I could understand fans predicting doom and gloom.

The franchise is strong and continues to make money and will continue to make money.

Exactly. James Bond is a 47 year sure thing in a business where there are precious few sure things. As long as movies are made, there will be James Bond movies. If Danjaq sells the rights they may change in style or frequency, but there will always be someone willing to make a James Bond movie. It will never end.

[singleentendre]

What the heck is with the Bond-will-end-soon cries?

One mistake people make a lot when judging anything from TV shows to movies to video games is thinking that it's about quality, continuity and telling a story. It's not. It's about making money. Period. If you can pump out a Goldfinger or a The Spy Who Loved Me every once in a while, good for you and you've accomplished your SECONDARY goal of making a great and entertaining product.

Perhaps the producers personally care about giving Bond a good send off, but the movie studios certainly don't. Come hell or high water, as long as Bond makes money, he'll be around. If anyone working on the Bond project were to suggest that Bond would come to an end they'd be laughed out of the studio.

[FlemingBond]

wow. lots of doom and gloom here. They were repeating themselves 30 years ago. It's not the repeating. It's doing it well. If they make a great movie, it won't matter if the story is similar to one done years ago.

[Quantumofsolace007]

Ironically if u search for the old thread on the Olsen twins everyone on that thread seem much more cheerfull.


of course they were also calling bond 22 Risico ....

[quantumofsolace]

What I wonder is whether the well of good ideas is about to finally run dry.

They're certainly nearing the bottom-of-the-barrel.
Why do you think that? We've just had two of the most interesting Bond films since the 60's and only the one was a Fleming

Even if the series doesn't end with Craig (and I'm pretty sure it won't), my interest will likely wane once he's gone.

Why? Craig is brilliant but there must be other actors in the future who can play the role just as well.

What I wonder is whether the well of good ideas is about to finally run dry.

They're certainly nearing the bottom-of-the-barrel.
Why do you think that? We've just had two of the most interesting Bond films since the 60's and only the one was a Fleming

Even if the series doesn't end with Craig (and I'm pretty sure it won't), my interest will likely wane once he's gone.

Why? Craig is brilliant but there must be other actors in the future who can play the role just as well.

They're certainly nearing the bottom-of-the-barrel.
Why do you think that? We've just had two of the most interesting Bond films since the 60's and only the one was a Fleming

[dogmanstar]

One thing that hasn't come up in this thread much, though Zencat got me thinking about it, is how few real mis-steps the Bond franchise has made. Any other franchise we can name has had some major screw ups which were much more serious than any of the dislikes we personally have about Bond casting, scripts, etc. Even the worst Bond moments are still Bond moments and come across very well on the screen--few franchises have been able to avoid all the potholes as well as Bond and this makes me think that his cinematic is long and bright.

[Joe Bond]

I think that Eon could make Craig's last film the "last Bond film" but continue to make Bond films afterwards and I posted this on another thread but its a theory that could work even if it was not EON's last Bond film.

Craig's last Bond film should have a similar story line that the YOLT novel tells since its the one story we have never seen in a Bond films and if they adapt the YOLT novel they could finally get the Japanese culture right which is considerably different from what is portrayed in the YOLT film. I also dig the YOLT idea because we would get go full circle with the character of Bond in Craig's era in the sense that we see Bond at his beginnings with CR and QoS to a certain extent and the next couple of films could show Bond that we know and love that wonderful machine that most of the prior Bond actors have portrayed and then they could end his era with a bang with the YOLT ending and in some ways it would be ironic for Craig's era to end like this since in CR when Bond decides to quit because he wants a normal life with Vesper and this slips away from him in CR but he would end up having a normal life with a girl he really likes in the YOLT ending which would provide a very redeeming aspect to the Craig era and would show that no one is a lost cause not even James Bond who would end up getting what he really wanted. Whether the Bond movies would continue after this is up for debate but would more than likely continue but in the way that they would forget what happened in the Craig era altogether when it comes to the timeline but if they keep coming with different variations of previous Bond films that were done better in the past I would ask what would be the point of continuing to make them? Now if they kept coming up with fresh ways to make a Bond films seem new and unpredictable or take a previous concept that was never executed that well and bettered it or perfected it than that would be a good reason for them to continue. I just want to see film that could be considered to be the last James Bond film even if they were going to have more afterwards since it would be interesting to see it told since we have not seen it before and would more than likely not see it if its not done in the Craig era plus the YOLT novel needs a faithful adaption its just that good IMO.

[Kashif]

I think EON is going to make one last Bond film and release it in 2012 in which they will show Bond's death. I think that is how they will bring the whole character to its end on the 50th anniversary. I don't think they have the moral highground to let the character live and let somebody else run away with this lucrative business.

[Colonel Moon]

I think EON is going to make one last Bond film and release it in 2012 in which they will show Bond's death. I think that is how they will bring the whole character to its end on the 50th anniversary. I don't think they have the moral highground to let the character live and let somebody else run away with this lucrative business.

What a bul...t

[singleentendre]

I notice that a lot of the Bond-should-end soon people are big on Daniel Craig.

I think he's an extraordinary Bond but to say that the series should die with him is extremely...for lack of a better word...retarded. The guy's great but he isn't the end-all when it comes to Bond actors.

I think EON is going to make one last Bond film and release it in 2012 in which they will show Bond's death. I think that is how they will bring the whole character to its end on the 50th anniversary. I don't think they have the moral highground to let the character live and let somebody else run away with this lucrative business.

Yes, and then Disney will stop making movies. And Honda and Toyota will stop making cars. And you will stop making asinine posts.

[Joe Bond]

I notice that a lot of the Bond-should-end soon people are big on Daniel Craig.

I think he's an extraordinary Bond but to say that the series should die with him is extremely...for lack of a better word...retarded. The guy's great but he isn't the end-all when it comes to Bond actors.

I think EON is going to make one last Bond film and release it in 2012 in which they will show Bond's death. I think that is how they will bring the whole character to its end on the 50th anniversary. I don't think they have the moral highground to let the character live and let somebody else run away with this lucrative business.

Yes, and then Disney will stop making movies. And Honda and Toyota will stop making cars. And you will stop making asinine posts.

I actually somewhat agree with you on this but I am high on Daniel Craig and what I said was they could make the last Daniel Craig Bond film like the ending of the YOLT novel. I said the Bond series would continue after words starting afresh again and disregarding the timeline established in the Craig era in that way we could see what the final Bond film would be like without it being the actual last Bond film.

[A Kristatos]

It should be clear to us all that Bond is on its last legs.

The one thing we can rely on is that Eon will wrap things up in suitable style, for let no man be blind to the fact that this is not just another era of James Bond - it's the final chapter.

I have spoken.

What, is this an Evangelical sermon on the End Of Days?! Are you standing in a pulpit right now, Pastor Loomis?
Ludicrous hyperbole and melodrama!

What exactly suggests it's "last call" for OO7???

You've got a successfully rebooted franchise with piles of cash flowing in from all directions, an energised fan base and public, and a Bond that is, arguably, one of the best ever, but certainly can be followed in the role. Did you notice that there's been a few Bonds since Connery...

As for any notion that they're running out of Fleming, well, has anyone actually read the books? Many of the Bond films are Fleming stories in title only and the sheer amount of missed bits could be spun out into several movies on their own...

"Yay I say unto thee, beware of false prophets who would confuse and misguide!"

I am done.

LOL! Excellent post Sniperscope!

Where did all of this come from? All of the sudden, this is the first time in my five plus years using this site that someone even mentioned that they feel this is the beginning of the end of the Bond franchise! And now it's almost turned into fact by the way people are talking here. I think some on this board have been watching the latest Nicholas Cage movie "Knowing" a few too many times, acting like the end of the world is coming!

I agree that Bond is here for the foreseeable future, as long as the money keeps coming in. And judging by public reception, the public likes all types of Bond films, from the serious, tightly directed, gritty portrayal to the over-the-top type of films. And that will keep the Bond franchise very healthy for decades to come.

[eddychaput]

Wow. I just visited this thread here and I'm reading predictions of Bond ending for good. I'm in no position to predict what may or not be in store for Bond in the near future but, as other have pointed out, I think there are many good writers out there who can come up with good Bond scripts. Also, Bond tends to make great business, so I have a hard time imagining the franchise coming to a close in the next few years.

Of course, that may just be what I want to believe as true...

[Mr. Blofeld]

Hey, I know I'd never want Bond to be done for good; the series has been around my whole life, so having it end would be pretty devastating.

[A Kristatos]

I think EON is going to make one last Bond film and release it in 2012 in which they will show Bond's death. I think that is how they will bring the whole character to its end on the 50th anniversary. I don't think they have the moral highground to let the character live and let somebody else run away with this lucrative business.

Uggh!!!...I'm not even going to respond to this!

[eddychaput]

One thing that hasn't come up in this thread much, though Zencat got me thinking about it, is how few real mis-steps the Bond franchise has made. Any other franchise we can name has had some major screw ups which were much more serious than any of the dislikes we personally have about Bond casting, scripts, etc. Even the worst Bond moments are still Bond moments and come across very well on the screen--few franchises have been able to avoid all the potholes as well as Bond and this makes me think that his cinematic is long and bright.

That's actually a really good point. Even when they make a clunker in terms of quality, it still makes a ton of money and the producers, more often than not, tend to rebound with a strong outing (LALD after DAF, TSWLM after MWTGG, FYEO after MR, TLD after AVTAK, CR after DAD). Bond seems to have a remarkable 'bounceback ability'.

Edited by eddychaput, 18 April 2009 - 04:59 AM.

[AgentBentley]

I think it's potentially a good thing that they're letting a little more time elapse between outings. Gives them time to think up more original ideas.

As to the end of the Bond series - I just don't believe this could happen. Bond movies have been around for 40 years and can go on forever given enough updating to present-day tastes and situations. If one of them makes less money, the next one will be better, as Eddy Chapput says.
Bond will never stop. Even after Craig goes, they can still find an excellent successor even if we don't know anything about him now.
Bond will live on!

[Germanlady]

I never understood the need of having Flemming to provide them with stories - I mean, how many films are made after books or novels? Not too many and still they are done and many are even good. I like QOS, but I think the problems they had with the script were due to the writers strike and therefore not having a finished, polished script. As its said - of some novels only the titles were used anyway - so running out of Flemming material shouldn´t/couldn´t be a problem at all IMO.

[MarkA]

Even if the series doesn't end with Craig (and I'm pretty sure it won't), my interest will likely wane once he's gone.

Hey I once said that about Connery nearly forty years ago. Guess what I'm still here. It's had it's ups and downs but boy I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Think yourself lucky you will most probably see a lot more of the future than me.

[Germanlady]

I firmly believe in 2011 for Bond 23 and think, they will come up with a hommage thing, including all the films etc because ONE film with ONE actor for an anniversary of 50 years wouldn´t be right. They have to pay tribute to all the actors - all the films that were Bond IMO

[YOLT]

The only thing that can save 007 is mixing pre-written material wiith new involments.

[DamnCoffee]

It should be clear to us all that Bond is on its last legs.

The material is running out (unless, of course, we want to go back to endless variations on films like TOMORROW NEVER DIES - which we don't), the Fleming titles are running out, and, darn it all, the whole damn thing is coming to an end. Broccoli, Craig, Wilson - everybody's getting on. There will only be a handful more Bond films. Whether the next one comes in 2010, 2012 or 2015 is really, in the scheme of things, of as little account as sparrows' tears.

The one thing we can rely on is that Eon will wrap things up in suitable style, for let no man be blind to the fact that this is not just another era of James Bond - it's the final chapter.

But, it's all good. 007 will not simply peter out into insignificance - he'll get the sendoff he deserves.

I have spoken.

Even though Bond is as successful now than it was in the 1960's, I happen to agree with you on this. I do think Craig will be the last official James Bond, but no doubt, someone will pick up the rights and we will get a handful of new Bond films, probably after a really long break. The official James Bond series may soon be over, but It won't completely die out.

It's the same with Doctor Who in 1989, the fans kept it alive, and didn't let it die out.

[Sniperscope]

The only thing that can save 007 is mixing pre-written material wiith new involments.

"save" SAVE?
I really must have missed something in the last couple of months.

Here was me thinking that Daniel Craig had just made a superb return as OO7 and QoS had made piles of cash and was one of the top 5 grossing films of 2008 across the entire planet Earth...

Well I'm glad someone woke me up because it must have all been a dream...

Here's my vote for Sir Bob Geldoff to get together a SOSOO7 concert at Wembley. There's a whole bunch of posters on this thread who'll gladly throw in a quid or two to save Bond from this rampant success...

Edited by Sniperscope, 18 April 2009 - 11:37 AM.

[PPK_19]

You're all being ridiculous. There will be another 40 years worth of Bond films, you'll see. Just because Fleming titles have more or less all been used doesn't mean anything.
Its like saying there wont be any more films left after a few years because writers are 'running out of ideas'. Arrant nonsense.

[00Twelve]

I also have to say I'm surprised people are getting hung up on the declining volume of remaining Fleming material. Really? Faithful Fleming adaptations stopped with the 4th film of the series. Out of 22. (Discounting a reappearance for OHMSS, CR,...and I haven't read LALD in awhile, but isn't that one kind of close?) Otherwise - what is a Bond film since 1967, but a generally original (cinematic) plot sprinkled with elements and influence of Fleming?

Not hardly, no.

I'm totally with you on this, Matt. There's a ton of literary scenes and plot elements yet that would translate perfectly well to a modern Bond film.

[Joe Bond]

I also have to say I'm surprised people are getting hung up on the declining volume of remaining Fleming material. Really? Faithful Fleming adaptations stopped with the 4th film of the series. Out of 22. (Discounting a reappearance for OHMSS, CR,...and I haven't read LALD in awhile, but isn't that one kind of close?) Otherwise - what is a Bond film since 1967, but a generally original (cinematic) plot sprinkled with elements and influence of Fleming?

Not hardly, no.

I'm totally with you on this, Matt. There's a ton of literary scenes and plot elements yet that would translate perfectly well to a modern Bond film.

I agree with you on that but like I said in my last post, I think Craig's last Bond film should be a faithful adaption of the YOLT novel or at least its ending which would end Craig's era with a bang but the EON series would continue after this but it would refresh again. YOLT novel had very little similarities to the film besides the character's names but the rest of the story especially the dipiction of the Japenese culture is so different from the film and that Garden of Death scene is just a great scene. I just think it would work as Craig's last film and we would see what "the last Bond film" would be like without it actually being the last.

[Gri007]

He claims that him and babs need to recharge there batteries before starting the next one. But then there working on a non bond project. If cubby could manage to produce Bond films every year/2 years, then why can't MGW and
babs???

[Mr. Blofeld]

If cubby could manage to produce Bond films every year/2 years, then why can't MGW and babs???

Story, my friend; story.

[Napoleon Solo]

http://hmssweblog.wo...kely-2011-2012/

MGM has been talking about the need to recharge batteries for at least a decade.