513 replies to this topic

[SecretAgentFan]

I was not particularly fond of THOR either. But from what I heard about its complicated production history, Marvel was pretty much deciding everything, leaving Branagh very little room to be himself. He needed the gig to prove that he could helm a successful film and be a team player, so he grinned and beared it. But when THOR became a hit and he was asked back he declined immediately.

 

I don´t know whether he would be a good Bond director. But he would be an interesting one.

[Odd Jobbies]

I was not particularly fond of THOR either. But from what I heard about its complicated production history, Marvel was pretty much deciding everything, leaving Branagh very little room to be himself. He needed the gig to prove that he could helm a successful film and be a team player, so he grinned and beared it. But when THOR became a hit and he was asked back he declined immediately.

 

I don´t know whether he would be a good Bond director. But he would be an interesting one.

 

The question is, did Marvel's intervention save the film from Branagh, or did it prevent it from being as good as he could have made it?

 

Marvel's choices regarding the Avengers thus far have been better than others. Warner Bros' Superman Returns and Columbia screwing Raimi with Spider-man 3 and then giving us the abominable Amazing Spiderman (a shame because Garlfield is great) stand out as epic studio fails.

 

But then again there's been a couple of minor hiccups in the highly designed evolution of The Avengers: Joe Johnston was a very dull choice for Captain America and after Wolfman...! But i guess they new they could manipulate him. Apparent leader of the Avenger, the Captain duly become the only disappointing element of The Avengers (there was only so much Whedon could do with Johnston's creation.

 

So, considering all this and the fact, as you say, that they offered Branagh the sequel to Thor would suggest that he fits their malleable Johnston mould or they knew he had no part in authoring  it mediocre elements.

 

If i had to choose between great drama, or great action i'd go for the former and this would indeed make Branagh an interesting choice. But ultimately there's talent out there that can do both better.

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 09 April 2013 - 12:36 PM.

[SecretAgentFan]

I can´t know whether Branagh´s untampered vision of THOR would have been better than the Marvel product. But I guess Marvel has shown with IRON MAN 2 that too much of their straitjacket-ing a director does not work at all.

 

And since opinions wildly differ, I do think that Joe Johnston was a very good choice for CAPTAIN AMERICA (somebody obviously loved his ROCKETEER). I also love SUPERMAN RETURNS and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (and find SPIDERMAN 3 extremely boring).

 

With THE AVENGERS, however, I believe the situation was very different since Joss Whedon is a very idiosyncratic director who knows how to work around "suggestions" and "authorities". Also, he did not need THE AVENGERS like Branagh needed THOR. And Marvel was aware how difficult THE AVENGERS was to pull off. A lot, if not everything depended on that film being a success.

 

Making a huge ensemble work is Whedon´s specialty, so he was needed for this film. Also, he´s geek-approved. Getting him to do THE AVENGERS was a major coup. If they had bullied Whedon as much as the un-geek-approved, unbankable Branagh, Whedon would have found a way to tell the fanbase. Which would have meant: bad news for Marvel (in a time in which they already deservedly got flak by Jon Favreau who did not return to Marvel after his problems on IRON MAN 2.)

 

I guess Marvel knows how to market their stuff to the fanbase extremely well. Better than WB. Also, they have less worn out protagonists than WB. But I do think that Marvel is at a crucial point now. After IRON MAN 3 that character will be pretty much burnt out and only remain usable in future AVENGERS´ films. CAPTAIN AMERICA and THOR can finish their trilogies - but that´s probably the end for them, too. They could resurrect the HULK again - but that one is a very tricky character for the big screen, obviously. I hear a FANTASTIC FOUR reboot is being worked on - but they are problematic as well. All the other heroes from the Marvelverse are rather unknown (to general audiences which are needed). 

 

And I also believe that the era of superhero movies has already reached its peak. At some point people will grow tired of them.

[tdalton]

And I also believe that the era of superhero movies has already reached its peak. At some point people will grow tired of them.

 

I think that we're going to see this rather soon.  Between Marvel's lack of consistency in terms of the quality of their films and the fact that the brass over at DC seems lost without the duo of Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale calling the shots for their flagship franchise, the era of diminishing returns is going to begin very, very soon.  I wouldn't be surprised if it started with Man of Steel.  That film will make a good amount of money, but I think it'll probably end up being a "disappointment" when compared with the moneymaking machine that was Nolan's Batman franchise, and from that point on we'll see less and less enthusiasm surrounding the genre.

[SecretAgentFan]

I do hope that MAN OF STEEL will succeed. But I agree with you and hope that the decline of the comic book film will make room for more interesting and original films.

[Odd Jobbies]

...And since opinions wildly differ, I do think that Joe Johnston was a very good choice for CAPTAIN AMERICA (somebody obviously loved his ROCKETEER). I also love SUPERMAN RETURNS and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (and find SPIDERMAN 3 extremely boring).

Hard for me to write just now, but wanted to clarify that i thought, as did most, that Raimi's Spiderman 3 was indeed a mess and as a result, as you said, pretty boring. My point was that the studio insisted on it having so many villains and screwed up Raimi's movie, which i'm sure he'd otherwise made as good as the previous 2 (the guy's a movie-genius IMO)

 

Btw, i too love Rocketeer and it's hard to believe the same guy made the dull as hell Wolfman, even with such a great cast involved. I think he's a good filmmaker, but like Bond, i'd like to have seen Captain America handed to someone a little less predictable (which is why i'm looking forward to James Mangold's The Wolverine)

 

ETA, I have very high hopes for Iron Man 3. Shane Black is one of Hollywoods all time vest screen writers and has shown he's also a top notch director with his cult movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He could well reinvigorate a franchise that would have indeed otherwise run its course.

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 09 April 2013 - 06:42 PM.

[Major Tallon]

In another era, wouldn't he have made a great Mr. Big?

[Dustin]

He'd still. Perhaps the best Mr Big we could ever get. 

[Odd Jobbies]

In another era, wouldn't he have made a great Mr. Big?

 

He would, but i could also see Chiwetel Ejiofor in the role

 

http://www.imdb.com/.../?ref_=tt_cl_t2

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 10 April 2013 - 06:55 PM.

[Walecs]

If a Live And Let Die close adaption to the novel will ever be made, he could be perfect as Mr. Big.

[SecretAgentFan]

He'd still. Perhaps the best Mr Big we could ever get. 

 

Not to take anything away from Mr. Kotto, an updated version would definitely be great with Mr. Elba.

 

And if they don´t do a "new" LIVE AND LET DIE (which EON certainly will not for many, many years) they could use him as a wonderful villain in a Bond adventure set entirely in Africa (which I would love to see), maybe as the leader of a guerilla terror force.

 

Of course, I don´t want Elba to be typecast (his brilliant turn on "THE WIRE" has already given him a perfect villain role). Maybe he rather should be another 00-agent helping Bond.

 

Yep, that´s it - Elba would really force Craig to be even better than ever.

Edited by SecretAgentFan, 11 April 2013 - 11:17 AM.

[quantumofsolace]

Live And Let Die Remake http://whatculture.c...-idris-elba.php

[Agent 76]

Maybe he rather should be another 00-agent helping Bond.

 

 

 

I like that idea!

[quantumofsolace]

independent 26 june 2013

"It's just a rumour. But what a compliment that my name has been attached to that role! Of course, it's not my job – it's very much Daniel Craig's – but I'm flattered by the notion of it. I'm also encouraged that audiences are being more colour-blind these days. If people are associating me with such a job, I think that's great."

[S K Y F A L L]

Although he is cool and calm I think he would make a bada** villain. 

[quantumofsolace]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/23145824

[S K Y F A L L]

THX QOS

[Odd Jobbies]

Live And Let Die Remake http://whatculture.c...-idris-elba.php

Great article.

 

I liked their comparison of the novel's voodoo to the way Nolan updated and grounded The Scarecrow in Batman Begins as a way to make the voodoo contemporary.

 

I'd love to see a scene in which Craig was dosed up and hallucinating characters like Vesper, Le Chiffre, Silva and Dench's M in place of the the real antagonists.

 

The best moments in Batman Begins IMO are the hallucinated images of Batman as a demon flying across Gotham and then spewing black tar over a criminal he's fighting. If Bond turned the tables and dosed the enemy how would they then see Craig's Bond - they could some interesting stuff with Craig's interpretation of Bond and make him truly terrifying.

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 03 July 2013 - 07:06 PM.

[The Shark]

I wish EON and fanboys in general stopped sucking Chris Nolan's shaft. Bond should be a trend-setter, not a follower. To quote Tim's Bond: "there are other ways..."

[Odd Jobbies]

I wish EON and fanboys in general stopped sucking Chris Nolan's shaft. Bond should be a trend-setter, not a follower. To quote Tim's Bond: "there are other ways..."

I'm sure i'd remember if i'd been sucking Mr Nolan's shaft! But, ho-hum.

 

Anyway, if you don't like him being referenced it would be far more constructive and far less insulting to point out why those references don't work for you, rather than going all potty-mouthed

 

So, i take it you think that Nolan's reinvigoration of the Scarecrow character was done badly and that you didn't like the hallucinogen being used as a device to re-imagime Batman as something visually awe inspiring, even if only momentarily; a device you wouldn't want to see employed to reinvigorate the voodoo element in a remake of LALD?

[quantumofsolace]

list 7 july 2013

Idris Elba says he would love to play James Bond on the big screen but would struggle with being labelled a "black Bond" as previous actors have been Caucasian.

He said: "I hate the term 'black Bond', I really hate it. It becomes all about colour. You're known as a footballer, not a striker or defender or midfielder. I'm just an actor."

"If I was offered it, I would be honoured. Completely f***ing honoured to just be asked. Even to be considered is a massive step in the right direction for me as an actor. But I think it is, for a lot of actors, the silver lined coffin. Like, where do you go after Bond?"

[Germanlady]

Oh please...

[S K Y F A L L]

I don't want no scrubs. 

[rubixcub]

The thing to remember is that he and Craig are close in age, so assuming Craig does a 5th Bond, by the time he retires, Elba will be too old to do the next one.

 

Assuming Craig does a 5th Bond, it'll probably be out in 2018, the year he turns 50.  If that's his last, then it may be 3-4 before we get the next one.  After the success of Craig, I imagine that the producers will look for an actor they can get as many films out of as possible (within reason) before aging out.  That would mean an actor who's in his mid-to-late 30s at the time of the next one, circa 2020 to 2024.  So IMO, we should be keeping our eyes on British actors born between approximately 1980 and 1988, to be generous.

 

Dave

[S K Y F A L L]

I agree. Don't go chasing waterfalls. 

[FOX MULDER]

The media seems desperate for Idris Elba to become Bond. I wonder why? Call me a cynic, but I suspect it's something to do with headlines and advertising rather than him being "the best man for the job". Too cynical?

[Dustin]

It's been certainly rehashed often enough by now, that's true.

[SecretAgentFan]

Elba´s PR team works overtime whenever he has something to promote, like right now PACIFIC RIM.

[Germanlady]

Its just poor.

[S K Y F A L L]

The media. Ain't to proud to beg.