186 replies to this topic

[DamnCoffee]

When I first read this, I thought "Oh, No." but, thinking about it more, I can see it working. Weisz would be interesting, and she is a brilliant actress.

[BoogieBond]

I don't even know who she is?

But do you know what a search engine is?

Anyhoo, very early in the rumor season. We haven't even had the usual Jessica Alba/Megan Fox stuff yet, nor the latest variation on 'Connery to play Bond's dad'. Remember, it isn't true until Gulshan Grover confirms it.

And Rachel Weisz cannot be the head of Quantum. (though I am warming to the femme fatale/Fiona Volpe idea)
Al Pacino is the head of Quantum. The Sun, The Star, The Daily Mirror and The News of the World have already confirmed this.

Don't forget Timothy Dalton for M.

[Trident]

I suppose Rachel Weisz could be most interesting in a Bond film, provided her role is fitting; I don't exactly see her as Moneypenny. That said, I would still prefer someone else as head of Quantum, as she may be that tiny tad too young to exude that air of authority and power I associate with being in command of this venture. But that's perhaps just me. I'd buy a female killer by Weisz any time, but I picture the big Q as someone different (not necessarily male, mind you).

Apart from that I doubt Quantum will be entirely revealed, head to toes, in BOND 23.

[level007]

I really like Rachel Weisz but she is too young to be the leader of an international crime organisation like Quantum.

If it really has to be a woman, i would prefer an older actress. It's maybe cliché but Sharon Stone would be great. Or why not Sigourney Weaver, i don't recall seing her as a villain in any movies ?

[Nicolas Suszczyk]

Another disintegration of a thread.

Wherever he drops in, HE can mean only one thing...

"Trouble!"

[danslittlefinger]

Howzabout Brozzer and the trash rumours? He's getting in on them. Bless him.

http://www.irishcent...s-89393862.html

His days as "007" may be long gone but the Irish actor still knows how to pick a bond girl.

Pierce Brosnan, currently staring alongside Robert Pattinson in "Remember Me," said if it were up to him he knows exactly who he would be casting in the tight clad bikini in the Bond movies.

His pick, Megan Fox.

Pierce, 56, told Hollywood Life.com, at the premier of "The Greatest" last week that if he was doing the casting for the new movie, "Bond 23" due for release November 2011, he would chose Fox, the sexiest woman in Hollywood.

Unfortunately Fox wasn't in the running this time.

The new bond lady, staring alongside Daniel Craig is, Freida Pinto, 25, of "Slumdog Millionaire" fame.

Maybe next time for Fox.

[Nicolas Suszczyk]

"FREIDA PINTO IS THE NEW BOND GIRL!!!!" - that's what every non-Bond Fan who read that article would say

[danslittlefinger]

"FREIDA PINTO IS THE NEW BOND GIRL!!!!" - that's what every non-Bond Fan who read that article would say

Well again, nothing concrete but I have a niggly suspicion this might evolve into reality.

[tdalton]

The Weisz character could be the mirror opposite of M: tough, independent minded, singular of focus....but in organized crime.

I like this idea.

At first I was opposed to Weisz possibly playing the actual leader of Quantum (although certainly not opposed to her appearing in the film), but the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of her actually as the leader of the organization. I like this mirror-image of M idea, and could see that working quite well on screen.

I also think that they should steer Bond/Villain dynamic in this instance as far away from the Bond/Elektra dynamic as possible. I'd prefer to see the character that Weisz would play, should the rumor turn out to be true, not have any kind of relationship with Bond, and would rather see her played as the villain for the entire length of the film rather than having the filmmakers try to trick us into thinking that she's on Bond's side and then pull the switch later on in the film like they did in TWINE.

[Trident]

I also think that they should steer Bond/Villain dynamic in this instance as far away from the Bond/Elektra dynamic as possible. I'd prefer to see the character that Weisz would play, should the rumor turn out to be true, not have any kind of relationship with Bond, and would rather see her played as the villain for the entire length of the film rather than having the filmmakers try to trick us into thinking that she's on Bond's side and then pull the switch later on in the film like they did in TWINE.

Moreover, if something along those lines should really happen, then I think it would be imperative to see the female villain actually do some evil things herself, not just hear about it. Elektra unfortunately came across as merely a spoilt brat, additionally traumatised by (a very strange case of; practically unheard of, if I may say so) Stockholm syndrome. Such a figure would surely profit from some major exposition in the sinister-department. Just ordering some thug to do the hard part doesn't cut the mustard here.

[Mr_Wint]

Rachel Weisz as the head of Quantum?

No, No and No.

[tdalton]

I also think that they should steer Bond/Villain dynamic in this instance as far away from the Bond/Elektra dynamic as possible. I'd prefer to see the character that Weisz would play, should the rumor turn out to be true, not have any kind of relationship with Bond, and would rather see her played as the villain for the entire length of the film rather than having the filmmakers try to trick us into thinking that she's on Bond's side and then pull the switch later on in the film like they did in TWINE.

Moreover, if something along those lines should really happen, then I think it would be imperative to see the female villain actually do some evil things herself, not just hear about it. Elektra unfortunately came across as merely a spoilt brat, additionally traumatised by (a very strange case of; practically unheard of, if I may say so) Stockholm syndrome. Such a figure would surely profit from some major exposition in the sinister-department. Just ordering some thug to do the hard part doesn't cut the mustard here.

Completely agreed.

[danslittlefinger]

http://www.slashfilm...rce=twitterfeed

After some tabloid film-flam about supposed ‘Bond Girls’ last week, our first credible rumor for a big name on the cast has arrived. This story has it that Rachel Weisz might be taking on an arch-villain role as the behind-the-scenes, secret mistress of the nefarious Quantum organisation. This is not only interesting because it sees an actual actress in the running for such a role, but also because it subverts the normal gender hierarchy of a Bond plotline somewhat. Having M be played Judi Dench was a start, and this would be a doozy of a follow-up.


Indeed, if this turns out to not be true, I think I’ll be a little disappointed.


The story comes from Cinema Blend who bend over backwards to contextualise this as a rumor, but a rumor from a credible source.

Sam Mendes is, reportedly, attached to direct this next Bond film. This complicates this story somewhat, I feel, because he and Rachel Weisz have a romantic history together. Would he really be casting her in this role, right now? That’s not really the flavour of speculation I want to indulge in for too long, but it was an alarm bell and I thought I should share it."

[tdalton]

I think Rachel is beautiful and talented, but it may be a bit too much to believe that someone her age is the head of a worldwide crime ring. Perhaps if she was a Nina Blofeld-type character who inherited the organization. But I digress. I think the Quantum Organization was a silly idea from the start; it was shoe-horned into the script in order to justify the title and now it appears that all involved in BOND23 are trying to figure out a way to embrace it or distance themselves from it.

I think if they took it from the angle of Weisz's character "acquiring" the organization through some kind of "hostile takeover" of sorts (such as her disposing of the previous leader in some kind of horrific way as to send a message to the rest of the Quantum members that they either follow her or are the next to meet a similar fate), that it could work.

I don't think that the organization is at all silly, though, as they were clearly set up to be some kind of bigger threat behind Le Chiffre in CASINO ROYALE. Granted, the name Quantum might be a bit forced, but I don't think that the organization itself was shoe-horned into QUANTUM OF SOLACE since they were introduced (albeit as an unnamed organization) in CASINO ROYALE.

Agreed. Core Bond fans knew Elektra was the villain, but the general audience probably did not. Then again, for those not in the know, her turning out to be the villain was probably a nice surprise. However, it kept her from establishing her villain bona fides early on, as opposed to a Sanchez or a Zorin or a Goldfinger. It was a nice tactic, but I'd be loathe to use it twice if I were EON.

I actually had no idea going into the film that Elektra would turn out to be the villain, but I had it figured out rather quickly that it would end up being that way. By the time her "reveal" came around, I wasn't the least bit surprised, even though I knew nothing of it going into the film.

Like you said, though, it would be a mistake to use it again anyways, regardless of its success or lack thereof the first time around. I'd like to see a female villain that is portrayed as the villain from start to finish, rather than have her there to serve some kind of twist in the middle of the film like was done in TWINE.

[Mr_Wint]

I also think that they should steer Bond/Villain dynamic in this instance as far away from the Bond/Elektra dynamic as possible. I'd prefer to see the character that Weisz would play, should the rumor turn out to be true, not have any kind of relationship with Bond, and would rather see her played as the villain for the entire length of the film rather than having the filmmakers try to trick us into thinking that she's on Bond's side and then pull the switch later on in the film like they did in TWINE.

Moreover, if something along those lines should really happen, then I think it would be imperative to see the female villain actually do some evil things herself, not just hear about it. Elektra unfortunately came across as merely a spoilt brat, additionally traumatised by (a very strange case of; practically unheard of, if I may say so) Stockholm syndrome. Such a figure would surely profit from some major exposition in the sinister-department. Just ordering some thug to do the hard part doesn't cut the mustard here.

Well, she tortured Bond.
I think Sophie Marceau did a terrific job in a well-written role btw. It is not necessary to have another female villain again. Maybe in Bond 33.

[JimmyBond]

It is not necessary to have another female villain again. Maybe in Bond 33.

And why not? Is it really necessary to have another Male villian? Goodness we've must have had 21 of them by now!

[blueman]

It is not necessary to have another female villain again. Maybe in Bond 33.

And why not? Is it really necessary to have another Male villian? Goodness we've must have had 21 of them by now!

Bring back SMERSH! Or at least some organization with a proper acronym.

[danslittlefinger]

Maybe discussing it here :

[MajorB]

I'm not sure I get the objection about age. In the book, Goldfinger is only 42. Why can't a 40-year-old, regardless of sex, be the head of a major international organization, criminal or otherwise? If they're ruthless and effective enough, why would relative youth matter?

[Quantumofsolace007]

Zorin Honestly it was minor things. I mean there are some bond fans who actually want Angelina Jolie, or Megan Fox I want Hilary Duff. I know it will never happen but when there was that article on the web supporting her i was a little sad that you and a few others Basically laughed at the idea yet took the web article supporting Kathryn Bigelow much more seriously (she did point break for crying out loud). Outside of that I actually think bond 23 could have something to do with smuggling I'm not sure why you are so convinced that bond 23 will have nothing to do with smuggling.

Like i said I like you. I prefer this board over Mi6 largely due to the Millions there who beg for the "gold old days" of 60's and 70's. I prefer to live in the present and enjoy what is going on now rather then live in nostalgia but that is me.

I do think Casting is beginning to be seriously thought about. Again Zorin i know you will disagree with me here but i believe EON is getting absolutely everything together so when it's green light the can hit the ground running sign the contracts and start filming asap. They have a director kind of in place they have the script kind of done the next step is to kind of cast people.

We'll see what happens but My money the next 10 months are gonna be very interesting in terms of bond.

[danslittlefinger]

I do think Casting is beginning to be seriously thought about. Again Zorin i know you will disagree with me here but i believe EON is getting absolutely everything together so when it's green light the can hit the ground running sign the contracts and start filming asap. They have a director kind of in place they have the script kind of done the next step is to kind of cast people.

We'll see what happens but My money the next 10 months are gonna be very interesting in terms of bond.

I agree with this totally.

All this talk makes me miss Gemma.

[Guy Haines]

1990 -Anthony Hopkins is set to play the villain in Timothy Dalton's third Bond film.

1994 - Anthony Hopkins is now set to play the villain in Pierce Brosnan's first Bond film.

1996 - Having inexplicably missed out on GoldenEye, Anthony Hopkins will definitely play the villain in Pierce Brosnan's second Bond film.

1998 - My favourite Bond casting rumour. Sharon Stone would play the villain in Brosnan's third Bond movie (Anthony Hopkins wasn't available for some reason). Her character would be an old flame of Bond's from way back, and assisting in her quest for revenge against our hero would be Ewan McGregor who turns out to be.... James Bond's son!

2001 - Kevin Spacey, as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, will take on Pierce Brosnan's Bond in his fourth film, "Beyond The Ice".

2003 or possibly 2004 - Nigel Havers has been signed to play Le Chiffre in Casino Royale.

2009 - He's played Tony Blair, David Frost and the only man who could walk across the River Trent, Brian Clough. Michael Sheen is to star as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Bond 23.

I haven't made any of these up, and just like the above mentioned, I really think that we should treat the Rachel Weisz rumour with a pinch of salt!

Who will play the villain? Who knows? For all I know, it might, just might be Anthony Hopkins. More likely it will be some actor or actress who is world famous in his or her own country. And that may be no bad thing - some of the best Bond villain portrayals have come from some of the least well known performers.

Edited by Guy Haines, 29 March 2010 - 11:23 PM.

[DaveBond21]

While I'd certainly approve of Ms. Weisz being in a Bond film, I'm not really inclined to believe any rumors until the MGM financial situation is actually resolved. At this point, BOND 23 may or may not even happen, so I'm not really inclined to believe that any headway has been made in the casting department considering that we don't even know if the film will even be made any time soon.

I agree with you tdalton. I don't think anything will be decided until the MGM situation is all sorted out.

However, it doesn't mean that Bond 23 meetings cannot take place. I think it makes sense for some potential cast members to be approached by the Bond team on a "just in case we need you" basis.

I'm sure Mendes is worried about the mistake this approach in TWINE turned out.

What makes you think that Mendes has even seen TWINE? I think most Bond directors refrain from watching the previous movies ahead of directing.

It's more likely that, if asked about TWINE, he'd ask a colleague "Which one was that one?" to which the average reply would be "The one with the Thames boat chase". "Oh yeah".

[blueman]

1990 -Anthony Hopkins is set to play the villain in Timothy Dalton's third Bond film.

1994 - Anthony Hopkins is now set to play the villain in Pierce Brosnan's first Bond film.

1996 - Having inexplicably missed out on GoldenEye, Anthony Hopkins will definitely play the villain in Pierce Brosnan's second Bond film.

1998 - My favourite Bond casting rumour. Sharon Stone would play the villain in Brosnan's third Bond movie (Anthony Hopkins wasn't available for some reason). Her character would be an old flame of Bond's from way back, and assisting in her quest for revenge against our hero would be Ewan McGregor who turns out to be.... James Bond's son!

2001 - Kevin Spacey, as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, will take on Pierce Brosnan's Bond in his fourth film, "Beyond The Ice".

2003 or possibly 2004 - Nigel Havers has been signed to play Le Chiffre in Casino Royale.

2009 - He's played Tony Blair, David Frost and the only man who could walk across the River Trent, Brian Clough. Michael Sheen is to star as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Bond 23.

I haven't made any of these up, and just like the above mentioned, I really think that we should treat the Rachel Weisz rumour with a pinch of salt!

Who will play the villain? Who knows? For all I know, it might, just might be Anthony Hopkins. More likely it will be some actor or actress who is world famous in his or her own country. And that may be no bad thing - some of the best Bond villain portrayals have come from some of the least well known performers.

Anthony Hopkins as the female head of Quantum... so insane it just might work.

[DaveBond21]

Anthony Hopkins as the female head of Quantum... so insane it just might work

Anthony Hopkins is one of those rare actors who could actually make Blofeld in Drag really menacing.

[blueman]

Deja vu Charles Gray.

[Guy Haines]

Anthony Hopkins as the female head of Quantum... so insane it just might work

Anthony Hopkins is one of those rare actors who could actually make Blofeld in Drag really menacing.

Since Sir Anthony kept getting "first refusal" in the Bond villain rumour department all through the 1990s, I thought I'd include him in the 1998 rumour, if only to say that, once again, (and red top tabloid nonsense to the contrary) he wasn't available - for obvious reasons of gender this time. He is an excellent actor but I think even he would find what is suggested here a challenge!

The Sharon Stone/Ewan McGregor "mother/son" villainous double act - I do remember reading that one though, so , in the words of "Yes Minister"'s Sir Humphrey Appleby - "It was true - that is, it was true that it was rumoured".

[MrMoneypenny]

Wow, I would be very excited if Rachel Weisz played such a major role! She's a great actress and I can totally see it. Remember the rumor from yeeeeeeeeeeears ago that Sharan Stone was going to play a main villain? And doesn't one of the post-Fleming books feature Blofeld's daughter as a main villain?
Somebody mentioned her as Miss Moneypenny. She would be great as well, but the part is too small for an actress of that caliber I'm afraid.

[Trident]

I also think that they should steer Bond/Villain dynamic in this instance as far away from the Bond/Elektra dynamic as possible. I'd prefer to see the character that Weisz would play, should the rumor turn out to be true, not have any kind of relationship with Bond, and would rather see her played as the villain for the entire length of the film rather than having the filmmakers try to trick us into thinking that she's on Bond's side and then pull the switch later on in the film like they did in TWINE.

Moreover, if something along those lines should really happen, then I think it would be imperative to see the female villain actually do some evil things herself, not just hear about it. Elektra unfortunately came across as merely a spoilt brat, additionally traumatised by (a very strange case of; practically unheard of, if I may say so) Stockholm syndrome. Such a figure would surely profit from some major exposition in the sinister-department. Just ordering some thug to do the hard part doesn't cut the mustard here.

Well, she tortured Bond.

Well, not really to decent effect. For obvious reasons she couldn't really go all the way with Bond on that chair, and the part we've seen was still a very mild session solved way too early by the cavalry. It's somehow indicated that Marceau's character can be an evil bitch, but it's never actually shown. And 'show, don't tell' is imperative in this business.

That scene would have had much more effect if Elektra had tortured some other character, ideally even a female one, still more ideally, M herself, and, now most ideally, to death. And not for any other reason than being able to do so and having such tremendous jolly good fun at it. Now, that would have shown, who is the villain in this story. As it is, the effect was largely lost on the audience and Bond shooting Elektra comes across as simply making a point about her dare-you remark immediately beforehand.

I think Sophie Marceau did a terrific job in a well-written role btw. It is not necessary to have another female villain again. Maybe in Bond 33.

Horses for courses it is then. My impression was, she was somehow underused, both as a character and as actress.

[Simon]

If true, the thing I'd find most surprising is that they are continuing the Quantum storyline. Kind of feel like them changing the end of QOS was a clear sign that they wanted to break away from the "trilogy" and free up B23 to be a stand-alone.

If true that they have decided to continue the Quantum storyline, this would be a novel way of somehow reintroducing the cut ending of QoS into a future DVD presentation.

Would almost certainly mean the double dipping aspect of DVD releases in this particular case would be, not only permissable, but necessary.

I wonder...

(Apologies if this is already mentioned - have realised I didn't read the ensuing three pages)