31 replies to this topic

[jorgem]

You know that Roger Moore played Bond until he was almost 60 years old. He was 58 during AVTAK. Could you imagine what would be like if Sean Connery was still playing 007 from LALD-AVTAK? Sean Connery hanging on to the mooring rope in AVTAK? Ski chase in the Swiss Alps in TSWLM? A fight in outer space in MR?

[Conlazmoodalbrocra]

Difficult for me to picture really! I thought he looked too old for Bond when he did Diamonds Are Forever! For me, Roger aged better. He still looked far too old to be playing Bond from about For Your Eyes Only onwards, but I easily ignore it really as For Your Eyes Only and A View To A Kill are two of my favourite Bond films.

[RJJB]

I'm glad he left when he did. The series had already taken a turn to the silly side with YOLT and DAF. To watch the original serious Bond become a total joke would have been hard to do. The lousy scripts of LALD through AVTAK were perfectly suited to the actor who supposedly portrayed James Bond.

Edited by RJJB, 21 December 2010 - 12:30 AM.

[Guy Haines]

I'll hazard the following guess;

1973 - LALD, the film being pretty much as it was with Roger Moore as Bond.

1974 - TMWTGG, as above, but would Connery have faced Christopher Lee as the villain, or Jack Palance?

1977 - TSWLM or MR? Might they have gone for one Earth based, YOLT style blockbuster? There was a script written involving SPECTRE, Hugo Drax and Tatiana from FRWL (a reason, perhaps for the title "The Spy Who Loved Me"?). Might that have gone ahead? Or, given that Connery was involved, might they have taken the risk and gone ahead with that radical script involving SPECTRE taken over by 70s style terrorists?

(another point - the ten year hold on Kevin McClory being able to produce a Bond film has expired. But with Connery still very much involved as Bond for the official franchise, does McClory bother to try and make a film? Who does he get to play Bond? Perhaps a certain Roger Moore, regarded by many as the "best James Bond we never had", is still up for it? One thing McClory might have done though is put the damper on the use of SPECTRE.)

1979 - Assuming TSWLM was made in some form, and was as successful as the one in the real world, a follow up might have taken place. But with Connery as Bond, would it have been a space epic? The producers could have argued that Connery was a big enough star to carry a more traditional Bond film, rather than have the series jump on the Star Wars bandwagon. I'd like to think that his MR was nearer the original Fleming novel.

1981 - FYEO - the fully fledged Fleming novels are gone, save CR which can't be remade yet. How the producers must wish they had it, with Connery still in the saddle. But they weld together a story from FYEO and Risico, and a harder edged Bond continues. Probably without the opening and ending of the real movie.

1983 - OP - still a colourful film, with a complicated mix of jewel smuggling and nuclear weapons. But the line is drawn at Connery ordering a tiger to "sit!!!!" or dressing up as Coco The Clown. Meanwhile, McClory starts work on "James Bond Of The Secret Service", declaring that audiences are ready for a younger, rejuvenated 007. The runners and riders for the part of the alternative James Bond being respected Shakespearian actor Timothy Dalton and an up and coming Irishman named Pierce Brosnan.

1985 - AVTAK - Connery has finally had enough, but at least gets to appear with his co star from "The Anderson Tapes", Christopher Walken.

Anyway, back to the real world!

[DR76]

I'm glad he left when he did. The series had already taken a turn to the silly side with YOLT and DAF. To watch the original serious Bond become a total joke would have been hard to do.

Connery had already become one by YOLT and DAF. For me, the comic book Bond began with GOLDFINGER.

[Gobi-1]

I'll hazard the following guess;

1973 - LALD, the film being pretty much as it was with Roger Moore as Bond.

1974 - TMWTGG, as above, but would Connery have faced Christopher Lee as the villain, or Jack Palance?

1977 - TSWLM or MR? Might they have gone for one Earth based, YOLT style blockbuster? There was a script written involving SPECTRE, Hugo Drax and Tatiana from FRWL (a reason, perhaps for the title "The Spy Who Loved Me"?). Might that have gone ahead? Or, given that Connery was involved, might they have taken the risk and gone ahead with that radical script involving SPECTRE taken over by 70s style terrorists?

(another point - the ten year hold on Kevin McClory being able to produce a Bond film has expired. But with Connery still very much involved as Bond for the official franchise, does McClory bother to try and make a film? Who does he get to play Bond? Perhaps a certain Roger Moore, regarded by many as the "best James Bond we never had", is still up for it? One thing McClory might have done though is put the damper on the use of SPECTRE.)

1979 - Assuming TSWLM was made in some form, and was as successful as the one in the real world, a follow up might have taken place. But with Connery as Bond, would it have been a space epic? The producers could have argued that Connery was a big enough star to carry a more traditional Bond film, rather than have the series jump on the Star Wars bandwagon. I'd like to think that his MR was nearer the original Fleming novel.

1981 - FYEO - the fully fledged Fleming novels are gone, save CR which can't be remade yet. How the producers must wish they had it, with Connery still in the saddle. But they weld together a story from FYEO and Risico, and a harder edged Bond continues. Probably without the opening and ending of the real movie.

1983 - OP - still a colourful film, with a complicated mix of jewel smuggling and nuclear weapons. But the line is drawn at Connery ordering a tiger to "sit!!!!" or dressing up as Coco The Clown. Meanwhile, McClory starts work on "James Bond Of The Secret Service", declaring that audiences are ready for a younger, rejuvenated 007. The runners and riders for the part of the alternative James Bond being respected Shakespearian actor Timothy Dalton and an up and coming Irishman named Pierce Brosnan.

1985 - AVTAK - Connery has finally had enough, but at least gets to appear with his co star from "The Anderson Tapes", Christopher Walken.

Anyway, back to the real world!

Fun little alternate history there. Let me throw out another big "What if..." out there. George Lazenby was 29 when he made On Her Majesty's Secret Service and if he had stayed in the role until he was 58 like Roger Moore he would have been Bond until The World Is Not Enough! Can you imagine Lazenby as the 30 Years Bond? It boggles the mind.

[Doctor Whom]

I'll hazard the following guess;

1973 - LALD, the film being pretty much as it was with Roger Moore as Bond.

1974 - TMWTGG, as above, but would Connery have faced Christopher Lee as the villain, or Jack Palance?

1977 - TSWLM or MR? Might they have gone for one Earth based, YOLT style blockbuster? There was a script written involving SPECTRE, Hugo Drax and Tatiana from FRWL (a reason, perhaps for the title "The Spy Who Loved Me"?). Might that have gone ahead? Or, given that Connery was involved, might they have taken the risk and gone ahead with that radical script involving SPECTRE taken over by 70s style terrorists?

(another point - the ten year hold on Kevin McClory being able to produce a Bond film has expired. But with Connery still very much involved as Bond for the official franchise, does McClory bother to try and make a film? Who does he get to play Bond? Perhaps a certain Roger Moore, regarded by many as the "best James Bond we never had", is still up for it? One thing McClory might have done though is put the damper on the use of SPECTRE.)

1979 - Assuming TSWLM was made in some form, and was as successful as the one in the real world, a follow up might have taken place. But with Connery as Bond, would it have been a space epic? The producers could have argued that Connery was a big enough star to carry a more traditional Bond film, rather than have the series jump on the Star Wars bandwagon. I'd like to think that his MR was nearer the original Fleming novel.

1981 - FYEO - the fully fledged Fleming novels are gone, save CR which can't be remade yet. How the producers must wish they had it, with Connery still in the saddle. But they weld together a story from FYEO and Risico, and a harder edged Bond continues. Probably without the opening and ending of the real movie.

1983 - OP - still a colourful film, with a complicated mix of jewel smuggling and nuclear weapons. But the line is drawn at Connery ordering a tiger to "sit!!!!" or dressing up as Coco The Clown. Meanwhile, McClory starts work on "James Bond Of The Secret Service", declaring that audiences are ready for a younger, rejuvenated 007. The runners and riders for the part of the alternative James Bond being respected Shakespearian actor Timothy Dalton and an up and coming Irishman named Pierce Brosnan.

1985 - AVTAK - Connery has finally had enough, but at least gets to appear with his co star from "The Anderson Tapes", Christopher Walken.

Anyway, back to the real world!

Interesting, but I don't know if even Connery would have kept the series going that long. Ultimately, I think the series would have petered out by the early eighties.

[Guy Haines]

I'll hazard the following guess;

1973 - LALD, the film being pretty much as it was with Roger Moore as Bond.

1974 - TMWTGG, as above, but would Connery have faced Christopher Lee as the villain, or Jack Palance?

1977 - TSWLM or MR? Might they have gone for one Earth based, YOLT style blockbuster? There was a script written involving SPECTRE, Hugo Drax and Tatiana from FRWL (a reason, perhaps for the title "The Spy Who Loved Me"?). Might that have gone ahead? Or, given that Connery was involved, might they have taken the risk and gone ahead with that radical script involving SPECTRE taken over by 70s style terrorists?

(another point - the ten year hold on Kevin McClory being able to produce a Bond film has expired. But with Connery still very much involved as Bond for the official franchise, does McClory bother to try and make a film? Who does he get to play Bond? Perhaps a certain Roger Moore, regarded by many as the "best James Bond we never had", is still up for it? One thing McClory might have done though is put the damper on the use of SPECTRE.)

1979 - Assuming TSWLM was made in some form, and was as successful as the one in the real world, a follow up might have taken place. But with Connery as Bond, would it have been a space epic? The producers could have argued that Connery was a big enough star to carry a more traditional Bond film, rather than have the series jump on the Star Wars bandwagon. I'd like to think that his MR was nearer the original Fleming novel.

1981 - FYEO - the fully fledged Fleming novels are gone, save CR which can't be remade yet. How the producers must wish they had it, with Connery still in the saddle. But they weld together a story from FYEO and Risico, and a harder edged Bond continues. Probably without the opening and ending of the real movie.

1983 - OP - still a colourful film, with a complicated mix of jewel smuggling and nuclear weapons. But the line is drawn at Connery ordering a tiger to "sit!!!!" or dressing up as Coco The Clown. Meanwhile, McClory starts work on "James Bond Of The Secret Service", declaring that audiences are ready for a younger, rejuvenated 007. The runners and riders for the part of the alternative James Bond being respected Shakespearian actor Timothy Dalton and an up and coming Irishman named Pierce Brosnan.

1985 - AVTAK - Connery has finally had enough, but at least gets to appear with his co star from "The Anderson Tapes", Christopher Walken.

Anyway, back to the real world!

Fun little alternate history there. Let me throw out another big "What if..." out there. George Lazenby was 29 when he made On Her Majesty's Secret Service and if he had stayed in the role until he was 58 like Roger Moore he would have been Bond until The World Is Not Enough! Can you imagine Lazenby as the 30 Years Bond? It boggles the mind.

George Lazenby was my first Bond, at the local "flea pit", 40 odd years ago (40 years. That boggles my mind!) But I can't imagine him doing 30 years as Bond. I can't imagine anyone doing it.

[Guy Haines]

I'll hazard the following guess;

1973 - LALD, the film being pretty much as it was with Roger Moore as Bond.

1974 - TMWTGG, as above, but would Connery have faced Christopher Lee as the villain, or Jack Palance?

1977 - TSWLM or MR? Might they have gone for one Earth based, YOLT style blockbuster? There was a script written involving SPECTRE, Hugo Drax and Tatiana from FRWL (a reason, perhaps for the title "The Spy Who Loved Me"?). Might that have gone ahead? Or, given that Connery was involved, might they have taken the risk and gone ahead with that radical script involving SPECTRE taken over by 70s style terrorists?

(another point - the ten year hold on Kevin McClory being able to produce a Bond film has expired. But with Connery still very much involved as Bond for the official franchise, does McClory bother to try and make a film? Who does he get to play Bond? Perhaps a certain Roger Moore, regarded by many as the "best James Bond we never had", is still up for it? One thing McClory might have done though is put the damper on the use of SPECTRE.)

1979 - Assuming TSWLM was made in some form, and was as successful as the one in the real world, a follow up might have taken place. But with Connery as Bond, would it have been a space epic? The producers could have argued that Connery was a big enough star to carry a more traditional Bond film, rather than have the series jump on the Star Wars bandwagon. I'd like to think that his MR was nearer the original Fleming novel.

1981 - FYEO - the fully fledged Fleming novels are gone, save CR which can't be remade yet. How the producers must wish they had it, with Connery still in the saddle. But they weld together a story from FYEO and Risico, and a harder edged Bond continues. Probably without the opening and ending of the real movie.

1983 - OP - still a colourful film, with a complicated mix of jewel smuggling and nuclear weapons. But the line is drawn at Connery ordering a tiger to "sit!!!!" or dressing up as Coco The Clown. Meanwhile, McClory starts work on "James Bond Of The Secret Service", declaring that audiences are ready for a younger, rejuvenated 007. The runners and riders for the part of the alternative James Bond being respected Shakespearian actor Timothy Dalton and an up and coming Irishman named Pierce Brosnan.

1985 - AVTAK - Connery has finally had enough, but at least gets to appear with his co star from "The Anderson Tapes", Christopher Walken.

Anyway, back to the real world!

Interesting, but I don't know if even Connery would have kept the series going that long. Ultimately, I think the series would have petered out by the early eighties.

Agreed, because what has kept this series going, amongst other things, has been the periodic re-casting of Bond. I addressed this assuming that Sean Connery would last out until 1985, and appear in pretty much the same films as Roger Moore. I actually think that, even if Moore hadn't been available in the 1970s, and the studio had prevailed upon Connery to continue after DAF, he wouldn't have wanted to go on beyond LALD or possibly TMWTGG. We know he had had enough after YOLT. And if Moore hadn't been around, who would have been able to take over the role at that point and engage the enthusiasm of the cinema going public? Another one we'll never know. Instead, we had Roger Moore, who kept the series going, and brought in a new group of enthusiasts. And thank goodness he did.

[elizabeth]

While NSNA was okay with Connery, he was way too old by that point. Roger was old as well, but he was better looking. Sean on the other hand was going gray. Besides, I don't think he would have liked to anyway.

[jrcjohnny99]

I'll hazard the following guess;

1973 - LALD, the film being pretty much as it was with Roger Moore as Bond.

1974 - TMWTGG, as above, but would Connery have faced Christopher Lee as the villain, or Jack Palance?

1977 - TSWLM or MR? Might they have gone for one Earth based, YOLT style blockbuster? There was a script written involving SPECTRE, Hugo Drax and Tatiana from FRWL (a reason, perhaps for the title "The Spy Who Loved Me"?). Might that have gone ahead? Or, given that Connery was involved, might they have taken the risk and gone ahead with that radical script involving SPECTRE taken over by 70s style terrorists?

(another point - the ten year hold on Kevin McClory being able to produce a Bond film has expired. But with Connery still very much involved as Bond for the official franchise, does McClory bother to try and make a film? Who does he get to play Bond? Perhaps a certain Roger Moore, regarded by many as the "best James Bond we never had", is still up for it? One thing McClory might have done though is put the damper on the use of SPECTRE.)

1979 - Assuming TSWLM was made in some form, and was as successful as the one in the real world, a follow up might have taken place. But with Connery as Bond, would it have been a space epic? The producers could have argued that Connery was a big enough star to carry a more traditional Bond film, rather than have the series jump on the Star Wars bandwagon. I'd like to think that his MR was nearer the original Fleming novel.

1981 - FYEO - the fully fledged Fleming novels are gone, save CR which can't be remade yet. How the producers must wish they had it, with Connery still in the saddle. But they weld together a story from FYEO and Risico, and a harder edged Bond continues. Probably without the opening and ending of the real movie.

1983 - OP - still a colourful film, with a complicated mix of jewel smuggling and nuclear weapons. But the line is drawn at Connery ordering a tiger to "sit!!!!" or dressing up as Coco The Clown. Meanwhile, McClory starts work on "James Bond Of The Secret Service", declaring that audiences are ready for a younger, rejuvenated 007. The runners and riders for the part of the alternative James Bond being respected Shakespearian actor Timothy Dalton and an up and coming Irishman named Pierce Brosnan.

1985 - AVTAK - Connery has finally had enough, but at least gets to appear with his co star from "The Anderson Tapes", Christopher Walken.

Anyway, back to the real world!

You make some interesting points, but i think you're being a little kind;
assuming Connery had continued, it's safe to assume LALD and TMWTGG would have been much more similar to DAF; tho most pro-Connery fans wont admit it, DAF is a far sillier film than either of the first two Rog outings.
I suspect had Connery continued, the series would have seen a very rapid decline.

[Guy Haines]

I'll hazard the following guess;

1973 - LALD, the film being pretty much as it was with Roger Moore as Bond.

1974 - TMWTGG, as above, but would Connery have faced Christopher Lee as the villain, or Jack Palance?

1977 - TSWLM or MR? Might they have gone for one Earth based, YOLT style blockbuster? There was a script written involving SPECTRE, Hugo Drax and Tatiana from FRWL (a reason, perhaps for the title "The Spy Who Loved Me"?). Might that have gone ahead? Or, given that Connery was involved, might they have taken the risk and gone ahead with that radical script involving SPECTRE taken over by 70s style terrorists?

(another point - the ten year hold on Kevin McClory being able to produce a Bond film has expired. But with Connery still very much involved as Bond for the official franchise, does McClory bother to try and make a film? Who does he get to play Bond? Perhaps a certain Roger Moore, regarded by many as the "best James Bond we never had", is still up for it? One thing McClory might have done though is put the damper on the use of SPECTRE.)

1979 - Assuming TSWLM was made in some form, and was as successful as the one in the real world, a follow up might have taken place. But with Connery as Bond, would it have been a space epic? The producers could have argued that Connery was a big enough star to carry a more traditional Bond film, rather than have the series jump on the Star Wars bandwagon. I'd like to think that his MR was nearer the original Fleming novel.

1981 - FYEO - the fully fledged Fleming novels are gone, save CR which can't be remade yet. How the producers must wish they had it, with Connery still in the saddle. But they weld together a story from FYEO and Risico, and a harder edged Bond continues. Probably without the opening and ending of the real movie.

1983 - OP - still a colourful film, with a complicated mix of jewel smuggling and nuclear weapons. But the line is drawn at Connery ordering a tiger to "sit!!!!" or dressing up as Coco The Clown. Meanwhile, McClory starts work on "James Bond Of The Secret Service", declaring that audiences are ready for a younger, rejuvenated 007. The runners and riders for the part of the alternative James Bond being respected Shakespearian actor Timothy Dalton and an up and coming Irishman named Pierce Brosnan.

1985 - AVTAK - Connery has finally had enough, but at least gets to appear with his co star from "The Anderson Tapes", Christopher Walken.

Anyway, back to the real world!

You make some interesting points, but i think you're being a little kind;
assuming Connery had continued, it's safe to assume LALD and TMWTGG would have been much more similar to DAF; tho most pro-Connery fans wont admit it, DAF is a far sillier film than either of the first two Rog outings.
I suspect had Connery continued, the series would have seen a very rapid decline.

I assumed that LALD would have been much like the finished article in the real world because of the involvement of the same screenwriter, the late Tom Mankiewicz. I don't deny that DAF is, shall we say, "far fetched" compared with LALD, although I still enjoy it. I think LALD would have turned out the way it did with either Connery or Moore as Bond because, for one thing, it was a bit more of a traditional Bond-v-arch villain story - all Mankiewicz had to do was replace gold smuggling with drug dealing as Mr Big's evil plan. DAF the book was Bond-v-The Mob, more of a gangster story, and for whatever reasons the film makers decided to bolt together a Bond-v-Blofeld world domination plot and a diamond smuggling/Vegas caper instead.

As I said earlier, I don't believe Connery would have made many more films beyond DAF, but if he had stayed around long enough to disqualify Moore on grounds of age, who, really, could have succeeded him as 007? No obvious British names spring to my mind, except perhaps Timothy Dalton. Or perhaps the studio might have tried to re-launch Bond with an American actor in the role - they had John Gavin lined up at one point. Another one of those things we'll never know. I think Connery timed his departure after DAF correctly, leaving the one obvious replacement, Roger Moore, to take over at the right time.

[Doctor Whom]

As I said earlier, I don't believe Connery would have made many more films beyond DAF, but if he had stayed around long enough to disqualify Moore on grounds of age, who, really, could have succeeded him as 007? No obvious British names spring to my mind, except perhaps Timothy Dalton. Or perhaps the studio might have tried to re-launch Bond with an American actor in the role - they had John Gavin lined up at one point. Another one of those things we'll never know. I think Connery timed his departure after DAF correctly, leaving the one obvious replacement, Roger Moore, to take over at the right time.

Interesting question. Had Connery stayed only through LALD, TMWTGG (or whatever film would have been next) might not have been put into production as fast, and may have been set for a 1975 release, at which point, Roger Moore would 47-48 years old -- too old for Bond. There were a lot of actors around who plausible candidates: Michael Billington, Jeremy Brett, Ian Ogilvy, John Richardson, Timothy Dalton, Patrick Mower, etc. Problem is, UA wasn't too keen on an unknown actor after the Lazenby experience, and none of the foregoing (all of whom had been considered for the role previously) would have fit that bill. Who would have? Hard to say. Michael Caine? Not suitable on paper, but would have been about 42 at the time, and was about to enter a a period in his career where he has admitted to taking roles strictly for the money.

[Guy Haines]

As I said earlier, I don't believe Connery would have made many more films beyond DAF, but if he had stayed around long enough to disqualify Moore on grounds of age, who, really, could have succeeded him as 007? No obvious British names spring to my mind, except perhaps Timothy Dalton. Or perhaps the studio might have tried to re-launch Bond with an American actor in the role - they had John Gavin lined up at one point. Another one of those things we'll never know. I think Connery timed his departure after DAF correctly, leaving the one obvious replacement, Roger Moore, to take over at the right time.

Interesting question. Had Connery stayed only through LALD, TMWTGG (or whatever film would have been next) might not have been put into production as fast, and may have been set for a 1975 release, at which point, Roger Moore would 47-48 years old -- too old for Bond. There were a lot of actors around who plausible candidates: Michael Billington, Jeremy Brett, Ian Ogilvy, John Richardson, Timothy Dalton, Patrick Mower, etc. Problem is, UA wasn't too keen on an unknown actor after the Lazenby experience, and none of the foregoing (all of whom had been considered for the role previously) would have fit that bill. Who would have? Hard to say. Michael Caine? Not suitable on paper, but would have been about 42 at the time, and was about to enter a a period in his career where he has admitted to taking roles strictly for the money.

Perhaps I should have said that no obvious British names spring to my mind this early in the day! The names you mention were all credible contenders, but after the Lazenby experience the film producers and studio chiefs would, I imagine, have been looking for someone who could play the part convincingly, and had a certain name recognition world wide. At the time one obvious candidate was Roger Moore, on the back of a decade of "The Saint", which was shown worldwide.

By the mid 80s, with Bond so well established it seemed an almost permanent cinema fixture, they could take a look at the slightly less well known as candidates, and though they wanted Brosnan, were happy to sign Dalton instead. By the 90s there was once again only one obvious candidate after a controversial hiatus, namely Brosnan. And by the 2000s a not obvious, but in the end inspired choice was made in Daniel Craig. There seems to be a pattern here! I wonder if Craig's eventual successor will again be someone that no-one has ever considered, or is already staring us in the face even though we don't yet realise it?

[Doctor Whom]

By the mid 80s, with Bond so well established it seemed an almost permanent cinema fixture, they could take a look at the slightly less well known as candidates, and though they wanted Brosnan, were happy to sign Dalton instead. By the 90s there was once again only one obvious candidate after a controversial hiatus, namely Brosnan. And by the 2000s a not obvious, but in the end inspired choice was made in Daniel Craig. There seems to be a pattern here! I wonder if Craig's eventual successor will again be someone that no-one has ever considered, or is already staring us in the face even though we don't yet realise it?

They really hit the jackpot with Craig. I don't know if they: (i) tried for a "name" (e.g. Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman) and didn't get him or (ii) they decided forego a well-known actor to look a little further down the depth chart (I've heard both stories). I wouldn't be surprised if they went for an actor at a career level similar to Craig next time.

[00 Brosnan]

I think the series would have become extremely stale and probably would have ended. Like a few others on here I think the periodic change in actors and the differences they bring to the role have helped maintain the series.

It does kind of bother me that Connery was heavier, balder, and older in DAF, but in the end I can look past it b/c it is an enjoyable film. So for me, I can't imagine him being believable in the role for that long. Would the movies have changed from their current form? Probably. In what ways? Who Knows.

[Biggy1954]

Connery is the greatest of all Bonds, and I am sure he would have given far better performances in the films made between 1973-1985 than Roger Moore. But I also think, however, that Connery was a great actor and he deserved to try new and different things with his career. I don't think I would have wanted to see him play Bond for another 15 years.

[Brooky]

Then the series would probably no tbe around today, it was hard enough for viewers to accept a different Bond in 1969 and 1973, never mind 1987!

If the series even lasted that long it would likely fizzle out and become more of a "cult" series than a populist on like it is today with only older memebers of society remembering it, probably comparable to thje "Carry On" series, in it's prime in the 1960's but largely forgotten afterwards.

[Dustin]

Connery is the greatest of all Bonds, and I am sure he would have given far better performances in the films made between 1973-1985 than Roger Moore.

Can't say I agree there. Connery was pretty much fed up with Bond after DAF. His involvement with NSNA was mainly to spite EON. The TB remake most likely would not have taken off without his name prominently on board. Connery has been great in many of his roles from the 73 to 85 period, but all of them gave him a greater freedom in his parts and most accepted him as middle-aged to senior character, something he wanted to bring to NSNA too. EON's Bond on the other hand couldn't acknowledge Moore's age beyond a certain point (I mainly think of Bond turning down Bibi in FYEO here). Otherwise the scripts pretended Bond was practically frozen in his mid-forties, even if the looks clearly indicated otherwise. I stronly doubt Connery would have accepted the same strategy, and if he had the result would have been far from such gems as The First Great Train Robbery, The Man Who Would Be King, Cuba or Outland.

[TheREAL008]

This is why I believe that Connery should have stuck to his guns and retire after YOLT, without coming back for DAF.

Don't get me wrong because I've speculated on this alot and if he had stayed for OHMSS, that probably would have been his ultimate last film...and ending his tenure on a good note. Having George Lazenby possibly taking the role for DAF and continuing on into the seventies had George played his cards right, could have possibly been just as good as Connery and have made a better name for himself.

I honestly do like Sir Roger's portrayal of Bond, however I think he was damned lucky to have the role in the first place.. Moore should have given up the role after Moonraker to let someone younger have the role, or maybe retired from Bond after FYEO.

Edited by TheREAL008, 24 March 2011 - 05:51 PM.

[Capsule in Space]

If Connery had played Bond until 1985, then we might of not been blessed with films like Zardoz and Meteor

[Peckinpah1976]

I'm astonished by the number of people claiming that Moore aged better than Connery; true by the 1980's he looked nothing like he did at his peak as 007 but the man was still regarded as a major sex symbol into his seventies - if anything the wider consensus seemed to be that he improved with age. Uncle Roger on the other hand, was already looking like a dirty old man with a dodgy tan as early as TSWLM and was arguably never believable as a 'Bird Magnet' in the first place.

I think it's entirely possible that Connery could have played Bond up until AVTAK - he was still a credible action hero in The Rock in 1996 and this would have allowed for a more realistic aging of the character (something NSNA does get right, despite the dodgy rug). This would no doubt have killed the series completely though as it would have been absolutely impossible to recast the part after a quarter of a century (although skipping the Dalton and Brosnan films and still getting the 2006 revival does seem possible, not to say partially desirable....).

Edited by Peckinpah1976, 25 March 2011 - 08:50 AM.

[David Schofield]

I'm astonished by the number of people claiming that Moore aged better than Connery; true by the 1980's he looked nothing like he did at his peak as 007 but the man was still regarded as a major sex symbol into his seventies - if anything the wider consensus seemed to be that he improved with age. Uncle Roger on the other hand, was already looking like a dirty old man with a dodgy tan as early as TSWLM and was arguably never believable as a 'Bird Magnet' in the first place.

A few points from what your observe.

I think Sean simply aged differently to Rog who had the naturally more youthful looking face. A thick round the middle, badly touped Connery would have looked no less a "dirty old man" than Rog, which, of course, Rog did simply because EON kept on casting leading ladies under 30 against a man 20 years older!

Funny thing on Rog as a "bird magnet" and how tastes differ between what women are attracted to. My wife, for example, appreciates the male prettiness of Rog and Pierce (I should add I am not remotely like either...) and doesn't "get" the appeal of the young Connery or Lazenby, and she has absolutely no idea why any women would find DC attractive... So go figure. I suspect there would be little probable difference in the number of women who "fancied" the pretty, charming Rog, rather than the rugged Connery. Frankly, I am more amazed that Bond fans (and prior the that Saint fans) actually perceived Rog to be a physically dangerous action man; big bloke though he is, Rog's looks and movements tend to suggest to me he's soft as ...

Connery a "sex symbol in his seventies", though. Nah, that's just press bollocks. James Bond was a sex symbol in the 1960s when he was played by, and looked like, Sean Connery in his 30s. After that, Connery became a miserable sod who made bad films and played golf; there's not much that's sexy about that. But the press seem only to remember the 60s version, or James Bond as he was, as a sex symbol.

[Dustin]

I'm astonished by the number of people claiming that Moore aged better than Connery; true by the 1980's he looked nothing like he did at his peak as 007 but the man was still regarded as a major sex symbol into his seventies - if anything the wider consensus seemed to be that he improved with age. Uncle Roger on the other hand, was already looking like a dirty old man with a dodgy tan as early as TSWLM and was arguably never believable as a 'Bird Magnet' in the first place.

I wouldn't say that. Moore had lots of female fans and his looks arguably were a perfect fit for the times. Even the sugar daddy connotations weren't as visible until FYEO (where Bond dodged a supposedly underage Bibi while his female lead was only a little over a year older than Lynn-Holly Johnson, the actress who played Bibi). The following film OP saw a female lead a whole 13 years older than Carole Bouquet. Moore's last Bond film AVTAK then featured an actress still 3 years older than Bouquet. At any rate Moore's charm and self-irony helped a lot to never let this particular aspect of the Bond-girl-relationship become a burden. At the time.

Today, things are seen differently, for a number of reasons. But the average relation of age between man and woman in a relationship/marriage/whatever seems to have changed somewhat too. I daresay popular entertainment may have become overly aware of such implications. See for example Stanley Donen's Charade of 1963, pairing Cary Grant (59) with Audrey Hepburn (34). A similar casting decision today would only be made if the plot specifically called for it. Back in the golden days of Moore's time and age - and especially in a Bond film - you could cast whithout much care for such considerations.

I think it's entirely possible that Connery could have played Bond up until AVTAK - he was still a credible action hero in The Rock in 1996 and this would have allowed for a more realistic aging of the character (something NSNA does get right, despite the dodgy rug). This would no doubt have killed the series completely though as it would have been absolutely impossible to recast the part after a quarter of a century (although skipping the Dalton and Brosnan films and still getting the 2006 revival does seem possible, not to say partially desirable....).

The Rock is a very good example. Personally, I always considered this to be Connery's last Bond role, and he's indeed quite convincing in it. But it also shows the limitations of the concept, for there are of course reasons why he's convincing, and they go beyond the actor depicting the role. So there is only little actual physical action for Connery himself and each of these actions (as far as I remember) is carefully premeditated and executed with the maximum impact, allowing for certain weaknesses where physical exertion is called for.

Moreover, his direct adversary is a man closer his own age - and obviously a desk jockey -, adding to the general credibility of the scene. Connery overpowering a fit man half his age, maybe even on guard and wary of his character, would not have been nearly as convincing.

In the same vein the whole role is depicted. Connery's age is constantly made a topic: the old geezer out on his last prowl, with a few tricks up his sleeve but not even target of the shower rapes in gaol any more. A man from a different age when all he would have been given to get his job done would have been flippers and a knife. Instead of NVDs, noise-suppressed Heckler&Koch SMGs and handguns, Kevlar body armour, encrypted radio equipment and whatnot. All very fine and amusing. But not entertaining for a longer period.

The idea of the aging hero is attracting mainly for one reason: it's supposed to be his last adventure. Or as close as makes no difference. One can't prolong this particular device beyond a certain point. And, perhaps even more important, one can't introduce it gradually, as the Bond series with Connery from 1962 to 1985 would have called for. If the old gunslinger is to ride out into his last adventure he's got to be old already. Audiences don't want to age in real time with their hero, it would be scary and unsettling. And not in the least entertaining. When people watch old films and relish the good-old-times they are in general not aware of all the things they've lost with age. It's a snapshot in time and the mood is nostalgic with a pink tint in the soft focus lens. But the magic of glorifying the past is limited and a gradual introduction of Bond's age into the series would not have agreed with the very nature of the series; a fairy tale world which defies all laws of nature, probability and plausibility. Age (and with age the Grim Reaper who's marking the terminal of all age) does have no place in this realm.

Edited by Dustin, 25 March 2011 - 11:04 AM.

[BoogieBond]

I could see Sean playing LALD and TMWGG(- the sillier characters of Goodnight, Nick Nack and Sheriff Pepper)
However when we get to TSWLM I can't see him playing that film. Thats so much a Roger film to me(Ditto MR)
FYEO yes could see Sean in that one(-the PTS and Q ending) as its more back to a straightforward adventure of LALD and TMWGG
OP no, Thats a Rog Vehicle, AVTAK - Stacy Sutton could be played by Connery.

All in all TSWLM, MR and OP would have to be changed really drastically and would not bear resemblence to what we got. Minor tweaks on the others especially LALD, TMWGG and FYEO(with very small adjustments) and they could be played by Sean(or indeed Dalton or Craig)

I do think Roger looked relatively 10 years younger than his age for most of his films up to and including FYEO. Its OP and AVTAK that age caught up with him. Sean did age differently, you would have a Sean looking like he did in NSNA for quite a few of the films. Not sure the public would be bored of Sean after 13 films and Bored of Bond completely. I think in an alternate universe he could have stayed upto and including TMWGG though.

[0077]

For me, it's AVTAK that stands out because it's obvious that Roger is past his fifties. But On some occasions I can look past it.

[Agent Sidewinder]

I'm astonished by the number of people claiming that Moore aged better than Connery; true by the 1980's he looked nothing like he did at his peak as 007 but the man was still regarded as a major sex symbol into his seventies - if anything the wider consensus seemed to be that he improved with age. Uncle Roger on the other hand, was already looking like a dirty old man with a dodgy tan as early as TSWLM and was arguably never believable as a 'Bird Magnet' in the first place.

I think Moore aged better than Connery up until his mid-50s. Compare the 45-year-old Moore of LALD to the 40-year-old Connery of DAF and Rog definitely looks the younger of the two. Actually, I'd go further and say Moore looks about as old aged 49 in TSWLM as Connery does in YOLT aged 36. Sean looks better these days though.

I think Connery could have done Bond until AVTAK from a physical standpoint (though I think he was looking too old by NSNA) but the audiences IMO would have grown bored in the end. Especially if Sean himself grew bored. I'm one of those who thinks that the changes adopted by series has contributed to its longevity, though, so I suppose my opinion comes from there.

Edited by Agent Sidewinder, 25 March 2011 - 08:28 PM.

[00 Brosnan]

You make some interesting points, but i think you're being a little kind;
assuming Connery had continued, it's safe to assume LALD and TMWTGG would have been much more similar to DAF; tho most pro-Connery fans wont admit it, DAF is a far sillier film than either of the first two Rog outings.
I suspect had Connery continued, the series would have seen a very rapid decline.

I agree that if Connery had continued there would have been a decline. No one wants to see old dudes making out with young girls and the older the actor the less believable they are as a spy.

I don't think LALD or TMWTGG were silly at all, they were action packed w/ bits of humor. Moore's last two films, OP and AVTAK were quite silly however. Connery's DAF is the silliest film in the series in my opinion.

I think Moore aged better than Connery up until his mid-50s. Compare the 45-year-old Moore of LALD to the 40-year-old Connery of DAF and Rog definitely looks the younger of the two. Actually, I'd go further and say Moore looks about as old aged 49 in TSWLM as Connery does in YOLT aged 36. Sean looks better these days though.

I think Connery could have done Bond until AVTAK from a physical standpoint (though I think he was looking too old by NSNA) but the audiences IMO would have grown bored in the end. Especially if Sean himself grew bored. I'm one of those who thinks that the changes adopted by series has contributed to its longevity, though, so I suppose my opinion comes from there.

I agree that if the series didn't evolve through the years, the changing of actors being a big part of that, it wouldn't be around today. It's my opinion as well that Moore aged better than Connery. Moore's first 4 films (LALD-MR) he looked relatively the same as he did in LALD at age 45, it wasn't until FYEO that he looks noticeably older.

[jaguar007]

I think Moore aged better than Connery up until his mid-50s. Compare the 45-year-old Moore of LALD to the 40-year-old Connery of DAF and Rog definitely looks the younger of the two. Actually, I'd go further and say Moore looks about as old aged 49 in TSWLM as Connery does in YOLT aged 36. Sean looks better these days though.

I agree that Moore looked younger than Connery up until they were in their 50s. My the 1980's Moore really started to show his age and Connery started to look younger. Compare Roger in The Quest (1996) and Connery in The Rock (1996), Connery looks far better.

[iBond]

If Connery had played Bond until 1985, he certainly would have aged better than Moore.