1519 replies to this topic

[cvheady007]

OK, Purefoy could pull it off, but Brosnan would be better. Let's get him back while he is in the high end of the age range and give him his desired swan song of Casino Royale. Least we can do.

[Martin Mystery]

Well, Butler is out of the race -- according to this article:
http://movies.about....utler080505.htm

So, it must be Purefoy then (or Ioan, if they want a "teenager").

MM

[bondphan]

Butler is a little vague when answering the Bond question on the video so I'll still wait to see. He says what he signed for is very big and then shakes his head when asked about Bond and the clip jumps and nothing else is mentioned. Time will tell.

[Pussycat]

I'll look forward to seeing Burns, but he still doesn't strike me as BOND at all.

Burns does sound like it will be a very good, intelligent film.

I wonder if there's a lot of CGI?

[Leon]

I am not saying anything, but go on this site and watch the video clip of a recent interview with Gerard Butler. And remember the fact is nobody is allowed to say or admit to any casting of 007 until the official announcement...

http://movies.about....utler080505.htm

Hmmm

[Colonel Moon]

Maybe Greg Ellis should play Bond

[Pussfeller]

I am not saying anything, but go on this site and watch the video clip of a recent interview with Gerard Butler. And remember the fact is nobody is allowed to say or admit to any casting of 007 until the official announcement...

http://movies.about....utler080505.htm

Hmmm

That kind of reminds me of the notorious Clive Owen "I'm gonna be busy for a while" quote. I really hope Butler gets the part, but I'm always skeptical about these hints. Having said that, Butler still seems to stand a very good chance of landing the Bond role, assuming he wants it. Everything I see is pointing in his direction.

[spynovelfan]

I am not saying anything, but go on this site and watch the video clip of a recent interview with Gerard Butler. And remember the fact is nobody is allowed to say or admit to any casting of 007 until the official announcement...

http://movies.about....utler080505.htm

Hmmm

What? He laughs, and denies it! I won't say it's impossible that he was saying 'Oh, I can't talk about it - can't believe you guessed' a la Owenology, but surely this isn't a hint he's going to be Bond - it's a *denial*! It seems much more obviously so than the misconstrued Owen quote: he's just said he missed out on a big part, but he's actually grateful for that because if he'd got it he wouldn't have been able to do another part he just got. Logic would say he tested for Bond but fell at a hurdle - that would have tied him up pretty much for the next two years, meaning he couldn't take other parts. I don't think I'm reading *too* much into it - she asks if he's going to be Bond and he laughs and shakes his head.

[Leon]

Well I am not saying he is cast, but the fact is that means nothing. If he HAS been cast he would still not tell her the truth, he wouldn't be allowed to as it has to come out in the official announcement. Just because he said "nuh" whilst chuckling doesn't mean "oh well he isn't Bond then, if he was he would have said yes"...because he wouldn't.

He may be...may not be, You can't tell, but what I was wondering was what else could be "huge" and make him that giddy and happy? He is clearly on a high there, he's been given something pretty damn good. Something really big that "hasn't been announced yet" so he isn't telling her about...Bridget Jones 3?

Edited by Leon, 07 August 2005 - 09:59 PM.

[spynovelfan]

Well I am not saying he is cast, but the fact is that means nothing. If he HAS been cast he would still not tell her the truth, he wouldn't be allowed to as it has to come out in the official announcement. Just because he said "nuh" whilst chuckling

...and shaking his head! I know I've been guilty of Owenology in the past, but come on. It's true that he'd never say 'Sure, I am the next Bond actually'. And it's true that this doesn't rule him out completely - it is just possible that he's bagged it and can't say, I'll admit. But this 'means nothing'? I think this is the clearest signal it is possible to get that Butler isn't going to be the next Bond. Sure, he could have said 'Nope, I'll never be James Bond. Cross my heart, swear to die' but you'd still say 'Ah, but if he were cast...' etc. The guy is asked flat out if he is going to be James Bond and he laughs, shakes his head and says 'No'. The laughter is probably to do with the fact that he's been asked that a billion times before, and that he was tested, didn't get it and hence the role he is interested in (which he wouldn't have been available for had he got Bond) has come up, and he's excited about that role instead so, wow, now she asks about the Bond thing. Is an interpretation - but any reasonable person would say that an actor saying 'No' and shaking their head when asked this question means, well, no. And the thing about it being huge is clearly him joking: 'I want to tell youi about my new project but I can't yet. But it will be the biggest thing ever, haha!'

Incidentally, the whole clip confirms that Butler isn't suited to Bond. His accent and demeanour, while charming and intelligent, are worlds away from Bond. 'It's called acting' you say. I don't think it is with Bond - I think you kind of have to be him to play the part. And Butler doesn't strike me as Bond-ish in any way at all in that clip. Though he'd probably be fun to have a drink with.

[Leon]

Incidentally, the whole clip confirms that Butler isn't suited to Bond. His accent and demeanour, while charming and intelligent, are worlds away from Bond. 'It's called acting' you say. I don't think it is with Bond - I think you kind of have to be him to play the part. And Butler doesn't strike me as Bond-ish in any way at all in that clip. Though he'd probably be fun to have a drink with.

I have seen him act in some of his better films, and I dissagree.

[Loeffelholz]

I haven't seen Butler do anything, but I am curious about why none of the 'usual suspects' (Butler, Purefoy, etc.) made the Final Four list as leaked to the British press. Actually, I call it the Dubious Four...

How much credence do we give the Dubious Four? And, if the answer is 'None', where can speculation conceivably end?

[bondjb007]

The next james Bond would be JULIAN MCMAHON. He is, for me, the perfect bond : a great bondian physical, he's a very good actor...

More over I think the 4 actors in this final four list are not bondian enough. I'd prefer to see McMahon, Owen or Jackman

Edited by bondjb007, 08 August 2005 - 08:48 AM.

[Skudor]

I haven't seen Butler do anything, but I am curious about why none of the 'usual suspects' (Butler, Purefoy, etc.) made the Final Four list as leaked to the British press.  Actually, I call it the Dubious Four...

How much credence do we give the Dubious Four?  And, if the answer is 'None', where can speculation conceivably end?

The speculation will end when we have a press conference where Michael Wilson or Barbara Broccoli or Martin Campbell actually says, in front of the world medial "bla blal bla the new James Bond, ???????". It will end no sooner and no later than that very moment.

[Pussfeller]

I don't think the speculation will ever stop. After the announcement, I'm sure there will be a handful of CBners saying "John Gavin and James Brolin were both signed, and they never played Bond. Anything can happen between now and January! Broz will be back!!" And after CR, they'll bemoan the new actor and assure everyone that their boy is poised to make a triumphant return, a la Connery in Diamonds Are Forever. Maybe when Bond 22 rolls around, all speculation will cease. Of course, by that point, I'm sure we will have found other things to speculate about: Who's the next M? What is the plot of Bond 22? Will Purvis and Wade ever be fired?

Edited by Pussfeller, 08 August 2005 - 09:56 AM.

[Loomis]

Incidentally, the whole clip confirms that Butler isn't suited to Bond. His accent and demeanour, while charming and intelligent, are worlds away from Bond. 'It's called acting' you say. I don't think it is with Bond - I think you kind of have to be him to play the part. And Butler doesn't strike me as Bond-ish in any way at all in that clip.

Well, judging purely by that clip, he seems to have great trouble keeping still in interviews. Or was he just bursting for a pee on that occasion? When buttonholed by reporters and camera crews, a Bond actor shouldn't scratch himself, twitch, hop around, gesticulate wildly and generally behave in a manic fashion. "Ah, but he's not Bond yet," you say, "and when he is, he'll go into interviews combining the expressive body movements of a Beefeater guarding Buckingham Palace with the silky suaveness of Moore in his prime. Besides, it's the 21st century, Loomis, you silly old Fleming-thumping purist, so lighten up."

But I'm afraid I just don't see much Bond potential in Butler, beyond his vaguely looking the part in certain photos.

[SecretAgentFan]

Incidentally, the whole clip confirms that Butler isn't suited to Bond. His accent and demeanour, while charming and intelligent, are worlds away from Bond. 'It's called acting' you say. I don't think it is with Bond - I think you kind of have to be him to play the part. And Butler doesn't strike me as Bond-ish in any way at all in that clip.

Well, judging purely by that clip, he seems to have great trouble keeping still in interviews. Or was he just bursting for a pee on that occasion? When buttonholed by reporters and camera crews, a Bond actor shouldn't scratch himself, twitch, hop around, gesticulate wildly and generally behave in a manic fashion. "Ah, but he's not Bond yet," you say, "and when he is, he'll go into interviews combining the expressive body movements of a Beefeater guarding Buckingham Palace with the silky suaveness of Moore in his prime. Besides, it's the 21st century, Loomis, you silly old Fleming-thumping purist, so lighten up."

But I'm afraid I just don't see much Bond potential in Butler, beyond his vaguely looking the part in certain photos.

My thoughts exactly. Butler is a good actor but doesn

[Loomis]

Not from me you won't. I'd be quite happy with Visnjic.

[spynovelfan]

Not from me you won't. I'd be quite happy with Visnjic.

Do you not think he'd raise the same problem as having a black actor play the part, or doesn't it bother you? By which I mean just as you couldn't really have a black actor visiting South Africa and nobody commenting on it, you couldn't really have a Croatian actor visiting eastern Europe and nobody commenting. I know eastern Europe has been rather done to death in the last few films, but Bond is a spy, CR does deal with Smersh, there's Chechnya and so on. It seems a shame to rule out using so many locations with such great potential by picking an actor who couldn't really go there without it being very awkward.

Or perhaps my desire to see Stewart win the role is blinding me.

[Seannery]

Not from me you won't. I'd be quite happy with Visnjic.

Loomis I couldn't disagree more--i'd take Ewan Stewart over Goran for 007.

[Paperbill]

Jason Stratham!!!!!!!!!!!

[Loomis]

Not from me you won't. I'd be quite happy with Visnjic.

Do you not think he'd raise the same problem as having a black actor play the part, or doesn't it bother you? By which I mean just as you couldn't really have a black actor visiting South Africa and nobody commenting on it, you couldn't really have a Croatian actor visiting eastern Europe and nobody commenting.

As you well know, spy, once the Visnjic voice has undergone a bit of coaching or dubbing, his Bond would seem about as Croatian as Tony Blair. Still, of the "final four", Stewart certainly has the edge in terms of suitability for "Fleming's Bond".

[Pussfeller]

Stratham looks sort of like a shaved Bond. If he had hair, he'd be excellent, but I doubt he could grow enough hair to play the part convincingly. His hair is obviously thinning and fine.

[SecretAgentFan]

Well, Stratham... too much villain-vibe for me. If we believe that the Final Four never were and never will be the Final Four, the race is wide open again, isn

[Pussfeller]

Still, of the "final four", Stewart certainly has the edge in terms of suitability for "Fleming's Bond".

No, sorry, I'm afraid I have to disagree with you there. For all I know, Stewart may be a serious actor with experience and class, but that doesn't mean he can play anything approaching James Bond. Ever since Daniel Craig was suggested, people seem to think that anyone, however homely, can play "Fleming's Bond", provided that he's sufficiently grave and serious. By all acounts, "Fleming's Bond" is an ugly bastard with no sex appeal. In reality, Fleming's literary Bond was much more like the cinematic character. He was expressly described as cruelly handsome. He was able to charm women, something I doubt Stewart-Bond could manage without resorting to zima and roofies. Fleming's Bond was tall, dark, hard, and cruel-looking. Stewart is 5'9", fair-haired, puffy, and about as cruel-looking as a constipated grocer.

No, sir, I'm afraid Stewart remains firmly lodged at the bottom of the list, right under Henry "no pubes" Cavill. By every criterion, Stewart is completely unqualified for the role of Bond, literary or not. They might as well cast John Goodman.

Edited by Pussfeller, 08 August 2005 - 02:00 PM.

[SecretAgentFan]

Hey, Goodman is even better than Stewart. I think he is the real candidate and Stewart only the smoke-screen. Don

[Loomis]

Still, of the "final four", Stewart certainly has the edge in terms of suitability for "Fleming's Bond".

No, sorry, I'm afraid I have to disagree with you there. For all I know, Stewart may be a serious actor with experience and class, but that doesn't mean he can play anything approaching James Bond. Ever since Daniel Craig was suggested, people seem to think that anyone, however homely, can play "Fleming's Bond", provided that he's sufficiently grave and serious. By all acounts, "Fleming's Bond" is an ugly bastard with no sex appeal. In reality, Fleming's literary Bond was much more like the cinematic character. He was expressly described as cruelly handsome. He was able to charm women, something I doubt Stewart-Bond could manage without resorting to zima and roofies. Fleming's Bond was tall, dark, hard, and cruel-looking. Stewart is 5'9", fair-haired, puffy, and about as cruel-looking as a constipated grocer.

LOL! Well, I was, of course, kidding, but, and purely in the interests of fairness, I've seen at least one photo in which Stewart does look a reasonable Bond candidate - just go to the following site and you'll see it, you'll know the one I mean (heaven knows how long ago it was taken, though):

http://www.ewanstewart.homestead.com/

On a serious note, though, better Stewart than Brosnan or Butler.

[spynovelfan]

I'm pretty sure Loomis was joking, Pussfeller.

Ourlandish theory 1: Stewart is auditioning for the *voice* of Bond? Either to be a dark shape in a room reminiscing in a Scots brogue reminiscent of Connery as Henry Cavill bounds about the screen in his shorts and garters, or to dub O'Lachlan, who probably sounds like a high-pitched Australian hamster.

Outlandish theory 2: this is who's in the final four.

[Pussfeller]

Yeah, I was pretty sure he was joking. It just seemed like a good moment to register my displeasure with the enduring stereotype of "Fleming's Bond" as an ugly, unappealing, "edgy" creep.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see what Stewart actually was auditioning for, since it couldn't possibly have been Bond.

[bondphan]

Even I will admit Butler was more hyper than usual and the scratching was a little strange. Never seen him quite like that and I've seen him in lots of interviews. He has been cool,calm and collected when need be. His character in Dear Frankie was about as cool, quiet and mysterious as they come. No hyperactivity in Tombraider or Phantom either. He either was very excited or he has had way too much coffee.