Except we’ve already had George Lazenby and Pierce Brosnan play James Bond–an Australian and an Irishman, respectively–both of whom, I might add, did a good to great job as 007, so it’s a little late to further restrict the scope of candidates.
Maybe it’s because I’m an American, but, for the lack of a better word, I find the “English” accent of those from Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa are close enough to “pass” as British and besides, those countries are also closely connected to Great Britain/the United Kingdom for a number of reasons. So I don’t find it a stretch to see an actor from those countries being able to play James Bond. An American or anyone else, however, doesn’t feel right, and I think would be too much of a stretch with them in the role and would take a viewer out of the film at least every now and then.
Slightly better than an American, but I wouldn’t be in favor of it. Canadians seem closer to being Americans than British–certainly when it comes to the accent.
Interesting, so for you it’s really about accent, not nationality? Ireland, which is very much not British, is cool, but Canada, which is a part of the Commonwealth, is not?
The presumed dead Bond returns to active service. Silva the former MI6 agent is reborn into a villain after what should’ve been near certain death by cyanide.
The otherworldly trip across the water to the casino with the lanterns being guiding lights. Bond tells Silva resurrection is his hobby. Bond is freed from his past by destroying Skyfall. The DB5 is blown apart and remade in SPECTRE.
Dench dies in a chapel and is replaced by Fiennes. Turner’s broken down warship ‘The Fighting Temeraire’ contrasts to the warship in its prime ‘Battle of Trafalgar’ painting in M’s office.
By the end the restored Bond overlooks London - “let the sky fall, when it crumbles, we will stand tall and face it all.”
Splendid list indeed. One might add how, after the attack on the SIS building, the organisation goes in fact underground, like into its own prearranged grave. Or how the Union flags on the coffins are dead and lifeless shrouds - until they reemerge as vivid spirit - esprit? - over the skies in the final scenery shot.
Addendum: In a wider context SKYFALL’s crossing the Acheron image returns in SPECTRE with Bond becoming the ferryman himself (although he doesn’t take White with him).
Bond literally shooting the (already unstable) ground he stays on, again going underwater, this time in possession of the advantage this element of death offers him. The next time we see him he is in the chapel, like a ghost who cannot drown anymore but instead can bring death to that other angel of death, thereby resurrecting himself - but unable to save M.
I was just having a thought (hate when that happens) - unless I’m forgetting something this could be the first time in the series that there is no continuation from previous films, which might feel… unsettling… when it happens.
Lazenby and Moore carried over Bernard Lee, et all. Dalton and Brosnan carried over Desmond Llewelyn. Craig carried over Judi Dench.
Bond 26 will have no familiarity at all when we see it.
