79 replies to this topic

[marktmurphy]

Billington revealed that he had consented for the Bond producers to include his MOONRAKER test on that DVD release but it was learned later that one "agreement" was not given so the test could not be shown. This is revealing and might explain why we have never seen Pierce Brosnan's 1986 screentests which were supposed to be great.

Damn, really? How annoying- I'd love to see Billington's test. I hope these surface at some point as long as the actors have given consent.

Collins as Bond: I can see it working. I think he'd have been a fine Bond.

[grifterkid]

Hello all, I'm new on here and pretty much just for this topic... For my money Lewis Collins was the best Bond that never was! He would have taken Bond back to being the gritty kind of character that was always imagined by Ian Flemming right from the start... I know that he has suffered badly (ever since the early 1980's really) but every time I watch 'Who Dares Wins' I always watch it as a kind of Bond film (silly I know...!!!) as I truly believe he would've been fantastic in the role... It was obviously never meant to be though so we will never know how good he could have been as James Bond...

[grifterkid]

Collins would've been a cracking Bond... I can see it now...

[Ambler]

Collins and Billington were 'might have beens' of British television, both capable but promising far more than they actually delivered. (Luck plays a big part in career development, but I have the unpleasant feeling that Billington was strung along by Cubby Broccoli to keep Roger Moore in line.)

Anyway, Just like to say how much I enjoyed reading this thread. I wonder if it might be better retitled to reflect the large amount of Billington content?

Edited by Ambler, 15 August 2009 - 10:24 PM.

[grifterkid]

I couldn't help but have a little play on PhotoShop the other day to create these...!!! He should've been Bond...

[Bond Bombshell]

Collins tries to imply that he was never interested in Bond -



Yes Lew, we believe you! I don't think he likes Klaus Kinski much.

[LewisCollins1979]

Sorry if I'm late in replying, but I think Lewis would have been a great Bond if they stuck more closely to the original Fleming novels. I felt he would have been more rugged and grittier than Dalton (who was excellent in LTK) and Brosnan (definitely).

Collins would have been better served if they did some Professionals spin-off movies. The show's creator Brian Clemens had actually planned one, but it didn't go ahead because Martin Shaw wanted script approval. Had it gone ahead, I'm sure it could have been a success and got Lewis' profile up a bit more (maybe).

[Jim]

Bumped, in memoriam. 

[Dustin]

A sad loss. I think Collins may have suffered from the same curse Lazenby did in his day: a somewhat distorted perception of his own career early on, combined with an ignorance as to how damaging some of his decisions should turn out to be for his later career. Collins would have had many more fine performances in him - not necessarily Bond - which never will be now. His William Andrew Philip Bodie remains a landmark character of British crime TV.

[Simon]

Do we really know though, whether he was ever aiming for an acting career of some longevity and height?

 

The impression I got was that in the end, his focus shifted somehow and somewhere? By what means and to what end I have no idea but his computer business is a far reach from acting.  Maybe disillusionment set in and he thought, 'flock it.'

[Dustin]

Well, he must have been serious enough about his career when he tried to move from TV to cinema productions. And he's pursued his acting career already for eight years when WHO DARES WINS was shot. So I'd say at that point he certainly saw this as his best option. He may actually have been a victim of the home entertainment trend picking up then, calling for a huge input of 'fresh' action cinema produced on the cheap. Most of those productions cashed in on Collins' brief Professionals fame as well as on that of other well-known household names (Van Cleef, Kinski, Borgnine), but for Collins' career it was a crucial step in the wrong direction. After '88 or so his roles became fewer, maybe forcing him to reconsider his options. But as a whole his performances were solid and often enough promising more than just the soldier-of-fortune figure he was cast as, especially when you compare him to some of today's talents. Things could have turned out very differently for him - had it not been for life.  

[Odd Jobbies]

He was in the Daniel Craig mould of Bond at a time when Roger Moore and high camp was what we were being fed en masse.

 

Only now that Craig has proven camp is far from the best interpretation that perhaps Collins may have had some small solace in knowing that what he offered back then is now seen as possibly the best way to cast Bond.

 

He said that the role shouldn't be confined to how Connery had interpreted it and that the screen Bond should be more like the character in the books. After Craig this seems like a given, but in the 80s it definitely wasn't. I love Connery and grew up with Moore, but it was pandering to a business plan that meant we had to wait until the next century to get back to the literary Bond. All the while Collins was in waiting as someone with the potential to do for Bond what Craig has done now - breath new life into it.

 

At least he proved he could easily carry a movie with WDW. For that movie's critics i'd remind everyone that the great Stanley Kubrick himself was a bit of a fan. Oh, and it also has one of the best action scores of all time (Roy Budd was a funky wee bugger who should've done a Bond score)

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 30 November 2013 - 12:37 AM.

[Mr_Wint]

He was in the Daniel Craig mould of Bond at a time when Roger Moore and high camp was what we were being fed en masse.

 

Only now that Craig has proven camp is far from the best interpretation that perhaps Collins may have had some small solace in knowing that what he offered back then is now seen as possibly the best way to cast Bond.

 

He said that the role shouldn't be confined to how Connery had interpreted it and that the screen Bond should be more like the character in the books. After Craig this seems like a given, but in the 80s it definitely wasn't. I love Connery and grew up with Moore, but it was pandering to a business plan that meant we had to wait until the next century to get back to the literary Bond. All the while Collins was in waiting as someone with the potential to do for Bond what Craig has done now - breath new life into it.

 

I think Lewis Collins is more similar to Connery/Brosnan than Craig. He had a more classic look for Bond and would have been more comfortable with the one-liners. Not sure about his acting skills... but the role of Bond is not very demanding in that regard.

 

Anyway, it can be interesting to speculate about Collins as Bond in the 80s, but also very pointless in a sort of "what-if-you-father-and-mother-never-met" kind of way. If his Bond was like Daniel Craig in the 80s, you probably wouldn't see Craig in the role now. Roger Moore is famous for doing seven Bondfilms, Lewis Collins is mostly famous for being considerd for the role. End of story.

[Odd Jobbies]

Roger Moore is famous for doing seven Bondfilms, Lewis Collins is mostly famous for being considerd for the role. End of story.

 

 

Aw, that's a bit harsh

 

It could also be spun that Collins starred in one of the best and most fondly remembered tv action shows ever made. Moore is famous for making what many see as among the weakest  Bond films in the canon.

 

As a Bond fan who grew up in the 70s & 80s i of course love Roger Moore, but i'm just making the point that what you make sound very definitive is in fact a highly subjective point of view.

 

Also it could be said that WDW is as good, if not better than many a dodgy Bond movie made in that same era.

 

I think you're right about Collins having a more conventional look than Craig - dark hair, slightly more 'handsome'. But he also has similarities to Craig that other conventional Bonds haven't - rugged, slightly beaten up - been around the block - features and physicality. So in my book that means that he might just have been the perfect mix of conventional  and realistic.  

 

Clive Owen had the similar mixture of conventional and realistic which made him a favourite to replace Brosnan. But Owen doesn't have that aura of danger that Craig has and which Collins had in spades - a little too much for Cubby's liking by some accounts (Collins could be unpredictable on set - got into a punch up with stunt man). So he would've been a gamble, but we saw the dull results of not gambling in the early eighties.

 

I'd hazard a guess that Cubby would not have picked Craig, preferring the more conventional leading man type (another of his Moore replacements was of course James Brolin (i think he'd have been great, but is of the very typical Bond look). I'm betting that if Barbara had been in charge in the 80s (had she been old enough) she would have gone for Collins as her Bond.

 

You answer may be 'who cars now', as you said, "what-if-you-father-and-mother-never-met" but if that's really how you feel then why bother reading this thread at all?

 

Btw, definitely not true that Collins is mostly famous for not being Bond. The Professionals was a huge show - still shown daily on British tv - and IMO is something to be very proud to have been a part of.

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 01 December 2013 - 11:52 PM.

[Turn]

 

Roger Moore is famous for doing seven Bondfilms, Lewis Collins is mostly famous for being considerd for the role. End of story.

 

 

I'd hazard a guess that Cubby would not have picked Craig, preferring the more conventional leading man type (another of his Moore replacements was of course James Brolin (i think he'd have been great, but is of the very typical Bond look). I'm betting that if Barbara had been in charge in the 80s (had she been old enough) she would have gone for Collins as her Bond.

 

 

Personally, I think Brolin would have been horrid. I've seen the screen test and he's okay. But the guy is so monotone, he'd have suffered for the suaveness and charm Moore had in spades. I've noticed this in practically all the roles I've seen him in.

 

I just don't think he'd have been anything more than a place holder until a better replacement came along. Brolin's role as PW Herman in Pee Wee's Big Adventure is fine for his place in "secret agent" history.

[Odd Jobbies]

 

 

Roger Moore is famous for doing seven Bondfilms, Lewis Collins is mostly famous for being considerd for the role. End of story.

 

 

I'd hazard a guess that Cubby would not have picked Craig, preferring the more conventional leading man type (another of his Moore replacements was of course James Brolin (i think he'd have been great, but is of the very typical Bond look). I'm betting that if Barbara had been in charge in the 80s (had she been old enough) she would have gone for Collins as her Bond.

 

 

Personally, I think Brolin would have been horrid. I've seen the screen test and he's okay. But the guy is so monotone, he'd have suffered for the suaveness and charm Moore had in spades. I've noticed this in practically all the roles I've seen him in.

 

I just don't think he'd have been anything more than a place holder until a better replacement came along. Brolin's role as PW Herman in Pee Wee's Big Adventure is fine for his place in "secret agent" history.

 

Fair point. I think what Cubby saw in him is a strong alpha male screen presence. That suggests Cubby wanted to replicate Connery's Bond, which oozed alpha male screen dominance, while staying in keeping with the early 80 'Mlik Tray man' aesthetic that was so prevalent.

 

Having seen a fair few Brolin performances myself i think he's actually not a bad actor, and very capable of carrying a Bond flick. Once the writing adapted to him - less cheesy 'eye-brow' charm, more bare knuckle machismo, he could have been pretty good.

 

His better turns are Westworld,  Capricorn One (in which he does a sterling job and must've been his calling card to Cubby), The Amytiville Horror and little known, but great action movie High Risk (1981)

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 02 December 2013 - 08:10 PM.

[Satorious]

Stunned to hear this news (and equally so with the more recent Paul Walker news). Sad days! Collins could have made for a very interesting Bond in my opinion, although based on Dalton - I don't know if audiences would have embraced his (no doubt) rougher appeal. Now of course they would probably lap it up! I can't help but feel despite his lack of screen-roles he had a bit more charm than Dalton on-screen (perhaps not so much sophistication though). Always thought he looked a bit Connery/Brosnan like in this photo:

 

 

Wasn't he almost SAS or something? I believe he completed quite a bit of the training but was turned away at the last hurdle for being too well known after The Professionals. Probably explains why he was convincing in the final scenes from Who Dares Wins. Anyway RIP Mr Collins!

Edited by Satorious, 02 December 2013 - 11:35 PM.

[lazenbyland]

Round of applause for Lewis Collins.

 

I agree he would have made a great Bond but probably too much of a contrast to Roger Moore at the time.

 

The british film industry was in dire straits in the early 80's which probably meant that there were limited opportunities for Lewis Collins in big budget action films.

 

Often landing that key role is all about timing and when you are born.

 

Still he is still on ITV4 in The Professionals with the equally great Gordon Jackson and Martin Shaw.

[Simon]

Wasn't he almost SAS or something? I believe he completed quite a bit of the training but was turned away at the last hurdle for being too well known after The Professionals. Probably explains why he was convincing in the final scenes from Who Dares Wins. Anyway RIP Mr Collins!

 

He took, and Passed, the SAS training tests.  But then, as you say, was turned down because of his fame.

[AgenttiNollaNollaSeitsemän]

Lewis Collins would've been a wonderful Bond, loved him a lot in CI5, Who Dares Wins, Jack the Ripper and Codename: Wildgeese. Much better choice than David Warbeck for instance. Collins had spades of tough guy charisma.