Im sceptical (had harsher language written, but hey, it’s only a film)
Single mother!?!?!? When was THAT a rumour?
Craig didn’t want Hardy to get the job after he heard hardy met with eon but didn’t screen test, which was secretly all a ploy to get Craig back because really half of Hollywood hates hardy -where do I start with this pile of…well, it seems overly convoluted considering, I’ll put it this way - Do YOU give a toss about who has a job after you quit?
Just so. That’s one of those things people float to look inside-y, there’s never going to be solid confirmation. To whom would Craig even talk about that? And what would he say there?
‘You know, dude, I don’t do it for the money. Nor because SPECTRE was just so-so. Or because I’m THIS tight with Eon house. I’ll let you in on a BIG secret now: I’m coming back just so that ****** **** Hardy doesn’t get the gig! And everybody knows it…’
No really…
Well, on the one hand this rumour might be just that. On the other hand one must never underestimate vanity in show business.
Craig probably was not satisfied with the reception of SPECTRE - and he said himself that he wants to go out on a high.
Not to have the chance due to holding back his decision for too long and EON meeting with many replacements willing to sign will have been a thorn in Craig’s ego.
Regardless of whether the candidate was Hiddleston or Hardy, as long as Craig still was Bond he did not want to be tossed aside by anyone. Moore did not like that either when Cubby paraded the potential new Bonds through the press during difficult contract negotiations.
As for Hardy - I heard rumours of him being disliked and believe he is difficult to work with. And if Craig dislikes him too I believe that Hardy would have been the last guy Craig wanted to give the chance of mega stardom and tons of money.
This is what we believe, or deduce from past experience and observation of recent events. Entirely possible things developed along those lines, yes. But it’s hardly what we would consider an inside story, e.g. an account of events from someone with actual access to the players or even taking part themselves. It falls into the category of educated guess, not all that much different from the claim Craig would do BOND 25 to become longest serving actor in the role. Nobody outside our circle would even take the trouble to consider that. But with us fans it’s the perfect topic starter.
Come to think of it, this may be the occasion to observe a future popular myth in the making. In twenty years from now people may discuss how Craig prevented Hiddleston and Hardy from taking over the role, maybe in the same thread where they discuss Clive Owen, Rupert Everett, Eric Bana and Gerard Butler. Right beside the thread about the missed chances of Richard Burton, Oliver Reed and Michael York.
True. And one also has to consider what kind of insider would leak these kinds of info. In other words: why would someone disclose those things if he really is in the inner circle and would endanger that?
That’s what I mean, you’d really have to be either Craig or Broccoli or very close to them to know of such. It would be more feasible if either party planted such a story - only that would likely not meet with much understanding on the studio’s part. Or Eon’s.
For my money I think these details are what the usual ‘sources’ come up with to explain why Craig, according to reports from last year done with the role, now came back - it’s not entirely made up or unbelievable, yet it’s hardly what an insider would really have to offer to the media or the fanbase.
A really tremendous insider scoop would be the revelation that Eon’s/MGM’s studio partner for BOND 25 was Netflix. That would be something only those in-the-know could reveal, something nobody outside would even guess. Something putting Bond back at the front of the industry avant garde; and at the same time few would believe it today.
That really would be a bold move, and something I would never have even considered. But, now you mention it I wouldn’t be overly surprised if Netflix did distribute. Would be a smart, smart move by Eon.
Netflix - wow, that would be an interesting idea.
Woody Allen is being distributed by Amazon now, so why not Bond? Maybe at a later date when the Bond film library is available for exclusive use by a streaming entity.
Fact is, I entirely made this up out of what I browsed today in my newspaper, in a tv magazine and on the net. I just came across Netflix six times in a couple of hours, once even in an unrelated interview with an actor, and every single time the tenor of things was that the industry is changing and that the streamers are the big engine you feel belowdecks thrumming away.
And the longer you think of it the more sense it would make for the streamers to reach out to something like Bond - and for Bond to reach out to them. The future not just of television but of visual entertainment period. Probably not by BOND 25. But I’d be surprised if BOND 26 wasn’t in some way also tackled by Amazon/Netflix/Hulu or whatever monicker they run under in the 2020s.
Didn’t Hulu have the back catalogue exclusively for a bit? or am I misremembering?
Yes, I seem to remember too.
The turn around on Bond films for the last decade or two have been ridiculously short for such massive productions. Starting filming in December or January, wrapping in May, June, or July and in theaters by October, November is extremely short for post production. I thinking they’re going to take their time will all aspects of Bond 25 to make Craig’s send off the best it could possibly be.
Well, big news in the industry (BTW - Very well observed Dustin) these last few weeks was Netflix separating from Disney. Also, Hulu not only does have a limited deal with Bond films (I think which expires next year) but also was behind the Lazenby doc “Becoming Bond”.
Cubby always said Bond was “Five minutes into the future”… Maybe it’s down to Four now.
Also, maybe indeed some time is being taken with Bond 25 beyond and director’s or actor’s calendar. As mentioned by a few above, there is some security is being taken as comfort with the notion of this being Craig’s last as opposed ala’ Connery during YOLT’s production saying he was done. The writers and producers and the star know and have agreed (seemingly) that this is the next changing of the guard as it were.
Also, however it may be handled with the story and series, it does set up the potential for Bond #7 to be introduced in Bond 26. Hopefully aimed for a 2022 release and the 60th anniversary.
Thinking on it, I feel like this is the best opportunity the franchise has had to wrap up an actor’s tenure with a proper ending. They’ll want to nail this down for Daniel as the ultimate swan song, the first time we see the end of this character’s journey on screen with the right man on the job to bring it home in an emotionally satisfying way. I’m very excited to see where this goes. On a different note the distribution end of things is very interesting. I’m very keen to see where it all lands. I wouldn’t complain if Netflix wound up with the rights. That would be something else.
Indeed - it´s the first time they seem to really attempt to do that kind of wrap-up.
DAF, of course, was also known to be the last Connery Bond - but that one probably was mainly done to reestablish Bond at the box office, and nobody involved was too sad to end that tenure. AVTAK - probably known to be Moore´s final Bond, but nobody wanted to acknowledge it. DAD - I guess EON was thinking about it, but at the time everybody thought this era would go on for many more years.
It´s interesting to me that Craig was right from the beginning the one BB and MGW wanted to go on for many years (MGW did say that he would imagine Craig staying Bond for at least ten years). The only sad thing about this era is that it yielded so few films.
I’m open to a downbeat but quietly optimistic ending like Fleming’s YOLT. Do we really want to repeat the same triumphant ending of SPECTRE, but in a different way? I’d be entirely fine with a Logan-esque finale, but I don’t think they need to kill Bond off. Losing his memory, freed from his emotional pain and ready to start anew with Bond #7 would be fantastic in my opinion.
So, set up the Bourne franchise? 
No killing off for me, and I agree: the losing his memory-element, despite being Fleming´s idea, has been tainted by the Bourne franchise.
But I did not feel that SPECTRE´s ending was so triumphant for Bond. The way I see it Bond only decided (again, after QOS) not kill but to let the bad guy be arrested, and then he went on (indefinite) vacation with his love interest.
I would love to see CraigBond end on a real triumph: putting a stop to a concrete vilainous plan and its consequences, giving the bad guy one really deserving send-off (“one small step for you but a big one for mankind”) and really embracing being a 00-agent, losing any doubt about his place.
It’s a shame Eon took so long to approach what - little - character development there is in Fleming’s Bond. Now others have used crucial parts like the amnesia, or they were used for different characters like Silva’s aim to kill M. Bond being presumed dead or quitting also have been done to death.
So if we really look for something ‘new’ that would end CraigBond’s run on a high note we must perhaps think entirely un-bondian thoughts: Bond at the end being knighted and taking over the M role. Yes, that would break the mold. But that’s what CraigBond’s whole run was about. If we don’t want to diminish the previous ‘end’ - which now was no end since we add to it - then the logical next step must be to see Bond at the other side of M’s desk.
Wow, that would be unexpected.
It’s true: a surprise ending would be difficult now. To see off another M though… I don’t know.