4014 replies to this topic

[Nick Bone]

I´m starting to like this Rupert Friend-guy. He´s the right age and definitely has the looks... I hope he´s on the EONs radar at least.

This speculation is just fun... it will be nice to see in sometime 2018/2020 who the next 007 will be have mentioned him here?

[lechero]

As a complete side-note, the most recent episode of HOMELAND that I watched also featured the line "Christ, I miss the Cold War". Fairly random bit of Bond movie dialogue there, albeit almost certainly a coincidence!

Ha, caught that one too. And uttered by the great F. Murray Abraham. To further play this game of speculation: wouldn't he have made a great contact/ally in the vein of Draco/Kerim Bey in a third Timothy Dalton Bond film?

[FOX MULDER]

Rupert Friend is WAY too boyish looking to be Bond.

That is, unless you want a Bond film set during his days at Eton...

[Yellow Pinky]

Rupert Friend is WAY too boyish looking to be Bond.

That is, unless you want a Bond film set during his days at Eton...

I agree. He comes off a bit too foppish for my taste. And on top of that, he looks to me kind of like a cross between Justin Timberlake and Orlando Bloom, neither of whom are the manliest of men. Not that there's anything wrong with that... unless you're playing James Bond, that is.

Edited by Yellow Pinky, 04 December 2012 - 09:16 PM.

[screamingmoonrock]

About Rupert Friend looking foppish, well the guy is 31, give him 4 or 5 years to mature, bulk him up and he'll be ready for the part.  Also, as previously mentioned here before, he actually passes a strong ressemble to Fleming's Bond, infact, I would say he looks like Horak's interpretation.  BTY, did anyone think that Daniel Craig would become Bond without his performance in Layer Cake which brought him to the attention of the Bond producers.

[Yellow Pinky]

About Rupert Friend looking foppish, well the guy is 31, give him 4 or 5 years to mature, bulk him up and he'll be ready for the part.  Also, as previously mentioned here before, he actually passes a strong ressemble to Fleming's Bond, infact, I would say he looks like Horak's interpretation.  BTY, did anyone think that Daniel Craig would become Bond without his performance in Layer Cake which brought him to the attention of the Bond producers.

I'm not anti-Rupert Friend, but a Google image search didn't paint a particularly Bondish picture to me.  That said, you make a good point about Craig.  I wouldn't have thought he was Bond material until after seeing him in Layer Cake, although I was impressed by him in an action role in that fairly dreadful Lara Croft movie opposite Angelina Jolie.  

[screamingmoonrock]

Yello Pinky, I agree, there are some images where he Rupert Friend does not look very bondian.  However, have a look a him and his performance in Homeland and maybe swayed to this guy as the next Bond http://sphotos-a.xx....441180194_n.jpg

[FOX MULDER]

Yello Pinky, I agree, there are some images where he Rupert Friend does not look very bondian.  However, have a look a him and his performance in Homeland and maybe swayed to this guy as the next Bond http://sphotos-a.xx....441180194_n.jpg

He will need to lose the teenager's fluff moustache.

[JohnnyWalker]

I saw Friend in some movie where he hung out with an old woman for a bit, he was bloody awful.

[Vauxhall]

Having only seen Rupert Friend in HOMELAND, I wouldn't describe him as boyish or foppish at all (although I'm sure his previous roles in costume dramas such as THE YOUNG VICTORIA won't help him much in that respect). In HOMELAND, as Peter Quinn, he seems pretty convincing as a man who has had to kill in the line of duty.

As a complete side-note, the most recent episode of HOMELAND that I watched also featured the line "Christ, I miss the Cold War". Fairly random bit of Bond movie dialogue there, albeit almost certainly a coincidence!

Ha, caught that one too. And uttered by the great F. Murray Abraham. To further play this game of speculation: wouldn't he have made a great contact/ally in the vein of Draco/Kerim Bey in a third Timothy Dalton Bond film?

That would indeed have been excellent!

[DaveBond21]

I still say Henry Cavill (the new Superman) has the right looks for Bond as he gets older.

 

 

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[Kincade]

Is it too late to have F. Murray Abraham in a supporting role?

[solace]

Tom Hardy in about 2-3 films time.

............Hopefully 1  film before Mr Craig has his Octopussy/A Veiw to a kill moment.

[Cody]

As for whether or not Rupert Friend is on Eon's radar, he did a screen test for Casino Royale, so they're certainly aware of him.

[lechero]

According to this, Barbara Broccoli also regularly watches both Breaking Bad and Homeland.

[Pussfeller]

Wow, good catch, Lechero. And Cody, I wasn't aware that RF had done a screen-test. Both relevant facts for the Rupert Friend dossier. It seems very likely that he'll be considered in four or five years' time. As long as he doesn't break into major film roles or otherwise raise his profile in a big way, I'd say his career is on a Bondian trajectory, consistent with recent casting decisions.

[TheREAL008]

Tom Hardy is too arrogant, too egotistical for the role. If we have to have Christopher Nolan direct a Bond film; fine, whatever. But keep Tom Hardy out of Bond.

[Cody]

Wow, good catch, Lechero. And Cody, I wasn't aware that RF had done a screen-test. Both relevant facts for the Rupert Friend dossier. It seems very likely that he'll be considered in four or five years' time. As long as he doesn't break into major film roles or otherwise raise his profile in a big way, I'd say his career is on a Bondian trajectory, consistent with recent casting decisions.

According to a CBn article, Friend was a serious contender, high in the running with Craig and Cavill.

Some members got to see the footage, like Ry here:

Rupert Friend: He dressed up for the reading so that helped, but he just never looked right for the role really. He had long hair as well so that may have had something to do with it. He just looked really pale to me. His delivery of the lines, however were quite good and he gave different attempts at it each reading. Frankly from a purely acting stand point he was quite good. Not sure if he would have been right looks wise.

 

That seemed to be the consensus, Friend gave a good reading but due to the long hair and paleness "looked like a vampire".

[Pussfeller]

Tom Hardy is too arrogant, too egotistical for the role. If we have to have Christopher Nolan direct a Bond film; fine, whatever. But keep Tom Hardy out of Bond.

 

In economic terms, Tom Hardy is far beyond the point where he might be hired to play James Bond. Speculation centers on him for precisely the same reason that he can be safely ruled out: ever since he appeared opposite Patrick Stewart in Nemesis, he's received gobs of international exposure and appeared in several prominent roles in giant blockbusters. This guy achieved stardom two years before Craig appeared in Layer Cake, for godsake. He appeared in Inception, and the Batman movie, and now he's pretty firmly established as a Hollywood big-name guy. If Eon wanted to sign him for Bond, they'd have to pay him a ridiculous amount of money just for his debut, and that figure would multiply with each successive film. The same is true of Cavill. The same was true, seven years ago, of Owen and Jackman. 

 

[...]

Some members got to see the footage, like Ry here:

 

Rupert Friend: He dressed up for the reading so that helped, but he just never looked right for the role really. He had long hair as well so that may have had something to do with it. He just looked really pale to me. His delivery of the lines, however were quite good and he gave different attempts at it each reading. Frankly from a purely acting stand point he was quite good. Not sure if he would have been right looks wise.

 

That seemed to be the consensus, Friend gave a good reading but due to the long hair and paleness "looked like a vampire".

 

 

Fleming's description of James Bond's "ruthless good looks" could just as easily describe a vampire: black hair, a cruel mouth, cold eyes, a scar on the cheek. But these are superficialities. If Friend had enough interest in the role to read for it, he would surely have submitted to a haircut and a suntan. His rejection probably had more to do with his youth and inexperience. Or, simplest explanation of all, the producers just liked Craig better than everybody else.

[Cody]

I've never seen Friend act in anything myself. Looking at older pictures in Google Images, I can definitely see the "vampire"-ness that test viewers mentioned in '05, but a haircut and some sunlight are easy fixes, and it seems he got around to those eventually. He looks much better in current pictures, with short hair and some extra years.
 

the producers just liked Craig better than everybody else. 

No doubt about that.

[FOX MULDER]

What about some fresh unknown? They could choose from thousands of young actors and find a guy perfect for the part.

 

As for the commercial side of things: does anyone really go to watch a Bond film based on "who's in it"...? I don't. I go to a Bond film regardless of who's playing Bond or any other character, because it's a freakin' Bond film. It sells itself. Bond films always do 'well' - even the least commercially successful Bond film, Licence to Kill, quadrupled its budget, and that was up against lethal opposition when released.

 

The next Connery, that's who I'd be looking for. I don't mean an imitation. I mean some young guy who fits the profile perfectly and has star quality oozing from his pores...

[Pussfeller]

What about some fresh unknown? They could choose from thousands of young actors and find a guy perfect for the part.

 

I wouldn't get my hopes up for a cattle call leading to the discovery of a total unknown. There are three reasons for this: (1) Bond is a billion-dollar film franchise, not an ad agency making a pudding commercial. Cattle-calls are fine when all you need is a mimbo to wear a sweater or a freckle-faced moppet to take a bite out of a Smucker's Uncrustable®. For higher-level acting skills, a finer screen is required. A record of professional success is the simplest and most reliable way to filter out time-wasters. (2) Eon is noted for its willingness to ignore huge swaths of possible talent. For instance, when they were looking for a title song, they settled on an artist and solicited a sample, but didn't consider anything sent to them by anyone else. Obviously, they don't believe in casting a broad net and sifting through a mountain of crap looking for the hidden gem. That just isn't their modus operandi. (3) Every Bond actor has had some film experience, and most of them had worked more than a decade in film or television. Connery was hardly an unknown when they cast him. He had received third billing in a Disney feature, and had just starred in a BBC adaptation of Anna Karenina. The only unknown to be cast as Bond was Lazenby, and however well he may have acquitted himself as a performer, as a professional he was not ready for prime time. His flakey, loutish amateurism dogs the franchise to the present day, and makes it very unlikely that Eon would consider hiring another random guy off the street.

 

In short, I'll be amazed if the next actor doesn't have at least a decade of experience in films or television. Anyone else will fall through the cracks of Eon's search algorithm.

 

As for the commercial side of things: does anyone really go to watch a Bond film based on "who's in it"...? I don't. I go to a Bond film regardless of who's playing Bond or any other character, because it's a freakin' Bond film. It sells itself. Bond films always do 'well' - even the least commercially successful Bond film, Licence to Kill, quadrupled its budget, and that was up against lethal opposition when released.

 

Precisely right. This fact is fundamental: They don't need a big star. They need an actor who is adequate for the role of Bond. By playing Bond, he automatically becomes a star. It would be absurd to pay for someone who's already a celebrity when they have a magic machine capable of conferring celebrity status on anyone. It's like that scene in The Simpsons where the Springfield Republicans entertain the idea of nominating a water cooler as their candidate. The Bond franchise has the same sort of power. To shell out for a superstar would be commercial malpractice. Even if the producers wanted to squander tens of millions of dollars on a lopsided deal with a Hollywood star, the studio would (correctly) veto it.

 

But there's a middle ground between a total unknown and an international heavyweight. Every Bond actor formerly occupied this middle ground. They had film credits, they were known within the business, they may even have achieved a degree of regional celebrity, but they were not the sort of gold-plated glitterati who could throw their weight around and demand special treatment. They were dwarf-stars willing to take what they could get, and accede to the producers' wishes in return for a guarantee of stardom.

[Iceskater101]

Yeah that does make sense to cast someone relatively unknown, I mean Daniel Craig wasn't a big name yet before they cast him as James Bond and it worked out perfectly. I think they do need to cast someone who isn't known to the world. I only suggested Henry Cavill because he has very good looks and he could be a good Bond so they should use his looks for inspiration!

[seawolfnyy]

Henry Cavill definitely has the image, but I think he might be too big at this point. I think Alex O'Loughlin would be a good choice. Granted, it didn't work out too well the last time they cast an Australian, but I think O'Loughlin has much more experience and talent than Lazenby did. He's 36, though so it would depend on when Craig leaves the role. If Craig is done after 5 in 2016, O'Loughlin would be 40 and 42 when Bond 26 releases in 2018, so that could work.

[Pussfeller]

O'Loughlin seems pretty well positioned for Bond. His career hasn't skyrocketed, but neither has it stagnated.

[MI6Operative]

Cavill iis the only one that comes to mind right now who could play Bond. I only wish the change came sooner...

Anyways, the next Bond should be more classic-film Bond. Gadgets (discreet and innovative ones, think FRWL for the modern times), memorable villains and henchmen , more wit and charm, without moving away from an overall serious tone. Spy fantasy and dark themes are not mutually exclusive, you know.  

[Iceskater101]

Yeah I mean I completely agree with casting someone unknown I am just saying Henry Cavill has the image.

[Pussfeller]

I've dismissed Cavill in the past, but I'm not necessarily opposed to him. His career is not entirely unlike that of Dalton. I doubt that he will be affordable when the producers decide to recast the part. If his career craters after Superman, he will flunk out of contention for Bond. On the other hand, if his career takes off after Superman, he will be too expensive for Bond. It's a dilemma. I simply can't see how his career might lead to Bond. The gods seem determined to prevent him from playing Bond.

[JohnnyWalker]

Do they have to worry about the 'look' so much? I mean if they went for someone who looked like Cavill before they never would've picked Craig.

[EyesOnly]

Another actor I really like is Jack Huston of Boardwalk Empire. He's a diamond in the Rough.