513 replies to this topic

[thecasinoroyale]

More annoying rumours flying about for the future of James Bond before 'Skyfall' is even out... this from Total Film, and also seen on the UK Mail Online...

http://www.totalfilm...next-james-bond





While Daniel Craig is still in line to don the tuxedo for a couple more outings yet, there will always be rumours surrounding his eventual replacement.

One of the names who keeps cropping up is Idris Elba, with many people feeling that it’s only a matter of time before we get a black Bond (although the way Colin Salmon is carrying on on Strictly, you’d think we’d already had one!)

Now, Skyfall star Naomie Harris has had her say on the matter, and reveals that Elba has already met with producer Barbara Broccoli to discuss the possibility.

“I didn't realise that there was this talk and then I did a film with Idris and he said that he met Barbara Broccoli and that it does seem like there is a possibility in the future that there could very well be a black James Bond," says Harris.

"And I would have to vote for Idris because I just finished working with him and he's a great guy." Intriguing stuff, although we’d say there’s plenty of life in Daniel Craig for a while to come. Skyfall opens in UK cinemas on Friday.


Now I can't comment on Idris Elba's acting talent as I've not seen him in anything, but at the risk of ruffling feathes in this day and age, I feel this is slightly silly in popular rumour as I don't see how James Bond can be of black ethnicity.

Would this only lead to another re-boot of the series, or a revelation that 'James Bond' is a code-name for top MI6 agents?

He has the look of a decent villain or henchman I'd say, but isn't James Bond simply white, with his descriptions in the Fleming novels and film portrayals?

I find it hard to beleive EON have been in discussions about future 007 casting, but maybe, again, this is the mass media taking what they can and making a big story out of what could be simply future casting in a supporting role.

Apologies to anyone if my opinion about this has caused offence, there is and was none meant.

Let's see how many more rumours and stories are brought up in the few weeks ahead!

[Iceskater101]

Interesting.............. I would first pick maybe Michael Fassbender as being James Bond.

[thecasinoroyale]

It's hard to think of anyone except Craig now in the role! God knows who I would have...I really can't think of anyone....!

[Iceskater101]

yeah same. Daniel Craig does such a good job, but if I had to pick someone I think it would be Michael Fassbender.

[Pussfeller]

In this brave new world of reboots and loose canons, a racial change is no biggie. Just retcon Monique Delacroix to be Haitian or Congolese or something. Some people would complain that it's stunt casting, but no one would complain too loudly, and people would get used to the idea pretty fast. Having said that, I can't believe that Idris Elba has a chance at the role. He's already forty, and will be nearer fifty by the time Craig hangs up the tux. And he's already too high-profile. Once news articles are being written about how a certain actor might play James Bond, he's probably well past the point in his career where he might actually have been cast as James Bond.

[solace]

In this brave new world of reboots and loose canons, a racial change is no biggie. Just retcon Monique Delacroix to be Haitian or Congolese or something. Some people would complain that it's stunt casting, but no one would complain too loudly, and people would get used to the idea pretty fast. Having said that, I can't believe that Idris Elba has a chance at the role. He's already forty, and will be nearer fifty by the time Craig hangs up the tux. And he's already too high-profile. Once news articles are being written about how a certain actor might play James Bond, he's probably well past the point in his career where he might actually have been cast as James Bond.

I agree. I think a prospective next Bond will be approx 25 ish at rhe moment. Who? I'll have to think on that one..........

[Single-O-Seven]

In this brave new world of reboots and loose canons, a racial change is no biggie. Just retcon Monique Delacroix to be Haitian or Congolese or something. Some people would complain that it's stunt casting, but no one would complain too loudly, and people would get used to the idea pretty fast. Having said that, I can't believe that Idris Elba has a chance at the role. He's already forty, and will be nearer fifty by the time Craig hangs up the tux. And he's already too high-profile. Once news articles are being written about how a certain actor might play James Bond, he's probably well past the point in his career where he might actually have been cast as James Bond.

I agree. I think a prospective next Bond will be approx 25 ish at rhe moment. Who? I'll have to think on that one..........

I suspect Bond 7 isn't even on anybody's radar yet, as he's likely still feeling his way into the industry. Black or white I cannot say, but I'd rather they stick to a white male of British (or closely related) descent. If they want to develop a black character in the Bond universe give us more of Wright's Felix. I want him in a larger and more developed role for at least one film with Craig.

[s.a.s. Malko]

More annoying rumours flying about for the future of James Bond before 'Skyfall' is even out... this from Total Film, and also seen on the UK Mail Online...

http://www.totalfilm...next-james-bond





While Daniel Craig is still in line to don the tuxedo for a couple more outings yet, there will always be rumours surrounding his eventual replacement.

One of the names who keeps cropping up is Idris Elba, with many people feeling that it’s only a matter of time before we get a black Bond (although the way Colin Salmon is carrying on on Strictly, you’d think we’d already had one!)

Now, Skyfall star Naomie Harris has had her say on the matter, and reveals that Elba has already met with producer Barbara Broccoli to discuss the possibility.

“I didn't realise that there was this talk and then I did a film with Idris and he said that he met Barbara Broccoli and that it does seem like there is a possibility in the future that there could very well be a black James Bond," says Harris.

"And I would have to vote for Idris because I just finished working with him and he's a great guy." Intriguing stuff, although we’d say there’s plenty of life in Daniel Craig for a while to come. Skyfall opens in UK cinemas on Friday.


Now I can't comment on Idris Elba's acting talent as I've not seen him in anything, but at the risk of ruffling feathes in this day and age, I feel this is slightly silly in popular rumour as I don't see how James Bond can be of black ethnicity.

Would this only lead to another re-boot of the series, or a revelation that 'James Bond' is a code-name for top MI6 agents?

He has the look of a decent villain or henchman I'd say, but isn't James Bond simply white, with his descriptions in the Fleming novels and film portrayals?

I find it hard to beleive EON have been in discussions about future 007 casting, but maybe, again, this is the mass media taking what they can and making a big story out of what could be simply future casting in a supporting role.

Apologies to anyone if my opinion about this has caused offence, there is and was none meant.

Let's see how many more rumours and stories are brought up in the few weeks ahead!

If we ever, ever get a black Bond (and in my opinion after DC everything is possible), there are very few who would be better than Idris Elba. Take 1/3 The Losers, 1/3 Takers and 1/3 the Wire and you have a Bond so fitting the Fleming profile that no one will recognise the darker skin. I´d give it a Go but he will be too old when DC retires. How about Chiwetel Ejiofor? He´d need a new name, for sure :-)

[Dustin]

Don't see it happening, not for the time being.

Edited by Dustin, 25 October 2012 - 08:33 PM.

[elizabeth]

Doesn't look like a Bond to me.

[YOLT]

Maybe 40 years later. When whites becomes minority in the UK...

[Pussfeller]

Maybe 40 years later. When whites becomes minority in the UK...

Um... yeah.

[Chief of SIS]

I like it. Not only do I like it, I love it. Big fan of 'The Wire' and 'Luther.' I think if Craig (and Dalton) proved one thing is that Bond can benefit from having some acting chops, an actor that can inhabit the character and not just the scenario. However, I do the like the more physical Bond we have now. I can't see him being as physical as Fassbender. The other issue is age of course. Daniel Craig has at least another 2 films which at the earliest puts Idris in by 2018. He'd be 46.

As far as the race thing goes, absurd in my opinion to think racial distinctions should be made. As long as he's British or fudge it (Connery being Scottish), I am on board.

Maybe 40 years later. When whites becomes minority in the UK...

...what?

Edited by Chief of SIS, 25 October 2012 - 09:49 PM.

[Pussfeller]

Crazy, right? Everyone knows it's scheduled for midnight, January 1, 2025.

[Dustin]

Maybe 40 years later. When whites becomes minority in the UK...

You mean to say Elba isn't white? Hell, didn't notice that, strange...

[EyesOnly]

If there is one thing I can't accept, it's a black Bond. I'm not racist, but that's something I just can't possibly see happening successfully and I'm a huge Elba fan. My opinions of course...now I'll go hide as everyone chews me a new one.

Edited by EyesOnly, 25 October 2012 - 10:32 PM.

[Single-O-Seven]

If there is one thing I can't accept, it's a black Bond. I'm not racist, but that's something I just can't possibly see happening successfully and I'm a huge Elba fan. My opinions of course...now I'll go hide as everyone chews me a new one.

I'd much rather have a black male Bond over a female of any colour playing Bond, as that would be too drastic a change in character. There... Now the pressure is off you and on me.

[KM16]

He'd be perfect for a Leiter, villain or MI6 agent role but Bond? Not the type.

[007jamesbond]

I think it maybe better that he is casted to be a 00 agent alongside Bond? Something like The Living Daylight PTS?

Edited by 007jamesbond, 25 October 2012 - 10:49 PM.

[Vauxhall]

He's a great actor, and I'd love him to be part of the Bond franchise, but not in the main role. For starters, he'll be far too old when Craig eventually moves on.

[archer1949]

Maybe 40 years later. When whites becomes minority in the UK...

'Sup, Stormfront.......


Anyway, there is a point where one changes a character so much to keep up with the times that you are in danger of making that character unrecognizable. Is changing Bond's race going too far in that direction? You'd most certainly have to change his backstory. What else could you keep and what would you have to change and still be credible? I dunno.

How about a Black 12th Doctor? That would be less of a stretch.......

[Iceskater101]

^ That's another thing too..

[Chief of SIS]

Here's my issue with this no 'black Bond' thing. How has the character's racial qualities changed his character at all? The family lineage would likely be partially disregarded but they rarely touch that anyways.

[TheManwiththeWaltherPPK]

The family lineage is rarely directly touched, but arguably it is a big part of who Bond is and that sees expression in every movie. Bond is old-fashioned, conservative and a champion of the establishment in a way that makes arguably the most sense where the character is a white male from an upper class background. Moreover, Bond, as both a literary and film character, is a walking relic/personification of the British Empire. That aspect of the character is fundamentally changed if you make Bond a member of a minority. I have no problem with a black Bond in the future, when the aristocracy (as in old money, public school educated types, not just rich people) of British society becomes more mixed in ethnicity. But right now, I find it hard to square a Bond who is a member of an ethnic minority with the character's aristocratic attitudes and background.

[Pussfeller]

That's an intelligent point, but it's worth noting that Bond was not originally conceived as an aristocrat, and - with the possible exception of Moore - he has never been played as one. He's a commoner with snobbish tastes and a chip on his shoulder. If he's a personification of anything, it's the contradictory middle-class identity of modern Britain, not the neatly stratified and whiggishly confident self-image of the Empire. A successful Bond actor is one who can embody that tension in one way or another.

[TheManwiththeWaltherPPK]

Yeah, you're right, aristocrat/upper class was a poor choice of word. I guess I called it that because his background isn't what I would traditionally call middle-class. Certain aspects of his background are rather old money/patrician though, the public school education, the implied descent from Sir Thomas Bond in OHMSS. Moreover, the inverse snobbery possessed by Bond is more traditionally something seen coming from someone an old money background. Those traits always kind of struck me as indicative of someone coming from I guess a "knightly" family that has been subsumed into the modern middle-class. I still stick my assertion though that Bond is a personification of imperialist Britain. He gallivants around the world acting as a global policeman. When the leaders of the Soviet intelligence community are appraising the British Secret Service as their most capable opponent, they make special reference to the British public school system and how it instills a sense of adventure. I always took that to suggest that Bond is meant to be the spiritual successor of patrician British adventurers, gentlemen of leisure who can afford to chase off across the globe instead of working for a living. People like Ranulph Fiennes.

[YOLT]

Dont forget Bond is not only British he is %50 Swiss (or German)...

[AgenttiNollaNollaSeitsemän]

Not to sound racist but if bond ever was black i would refuse to watch the movie...and possibly give up on bond in general.

I second that notion. Skyfall seems to emphasise James Bond's scottish roots which go back a long long time. Black Bond would be nothing but a case of stunt casting (no matter how great the actor) to appease PC-rabids and frankly a spit on the face of late Ian Fleming.

[univex]

I don´t get why we would need to change the character´s background and identity. No racist here, but wouldn´t that be the same as making a Shaft film with Brad Pitt as John? Race, culture, ..., they´re all componentes of one´s identity. If I had another ethnicity I sure wouldn´t like it if they changed the Bond character to mirror it, even on a social and cultural basis, because I respect the character´s background and origin. I wouldn´t like it if they made Bond a German or Portuguese because it would undermine his foundations as a British icon. Same thing about ethnicity - even if one´s ethnicity is socially submerged, deeply, one still has one´s roots, as we see in SF. And why would someone defending a character´s foundations be labeled as racist?

[SecretAgentFan]

An old story, heated up again. Elba is fantastic - but I don´t think that even if it were true that he met with EON they would cast him as Bond. He certainly could have been a great Felix Leiter. Or a worthy villain.

But really, this journalist who got that old story back into the news must be pretty desperate for attention. Daniel Craig signed on for at least two more outings. By the time he leaves Elba would be too old anyway. Also, EON knows perfectly well what kind of character James Bond is. And - not being racist here at all - Bond is not black. Just as Shaft will never be white. Everybody knows it. Including Colin Salmon.

Edited by SecretAgentFan, 26 October 2012 - 10:00 AM.