I’m sure M will feature in the film, even if it’s just for a few scenes.
4 Likes
Absolutely i’m aware of how inaccurate it is (i’m on there myself 
). It just struck me that it’s ‘accurate’ for all of the other principles and not Fiennes.
Hey, it’s Sunday - gotta dwell on something to pass the time!
1 Like
Hopefully it’s just for a few scenes.
Same goes for Moneypenny and Q as well.
2 Likes
I´d say IMDB is like a broken clock.
1 Like
I know the feeling.
2 Likes
I think M, Q, Moneypenny and Tanner will appear as even more of a team in Bond 25, because the producers believe (and I think wrongly) that the fans like these characters so much that we want to see them more.
When in fact we like them so much we want to see them used sparingly.
3 Likes
Y’know, despite how much that line is trotted out in film promotion, no-one making anything actually gives a toss what “the fans” would think, for the obvious reason that no large group of people has ever had a unanimous opinion. We get more hefty roles for Moneypenny and M, and Tanner appearing at all, because MGW and BB like having a slightly expanded role for the mi6 team. Sam Mendes put it best - “This is not the X-Factor”
2 Likes
Well, the fans or better the audience do have a say in all that at the box office.
And judging from that, most people like the expanded team time.
I don´t - but I still like the films, so my money goes into that decision as well.
Then again, it would not work at all to listen to every fan and do exactly what they/we want.
1 Like
Do they though? Judi Dench features more prominantly in TWINE’s marketing campaign (the bit that actually invites the audiece) than Fiennes does in SPECTRE’s despite Fiennes role in the latter being FAR more prominant than Dench was in the former (and she wasnt exactly under-represented in that film).
What we actually know is that audiences really like the way the last few Bond movies have been marketed.
Yes and no. We do buy tickets to the film, not the marketing campaign.
Granted, it is a rather indirect influence the audience has. Then again, box office success relies on repeat business and word of mouth. If people are only drawn in by marketing there is a huge drop after the first weekend.
Dame Judi definitely is a box office draw - so, having her as M and not using her would be a wasted opportunity.
Ralph Fiennes, Naomi Harris and Ben Whishaw, however, are no box office draws. In SKYFALL they just were welcome as the new team which was together for the first time. And due to the gigantic success of that film it was considered important to get them involved as much again. Maybe Mendes also was a factor, deciding that “his” choice of actors had to be featured a lot again.
It will be interesting to see whether they will have that much screen time again in BOND 25.
Fiennes ia surely a name…but now i think about it, not Dench level…who is?!? She’s a dame for a reason.
But, by that arguement, (dont necesaarily agree btw, i think films like venom and Suicide Squad have proven if your marketing is good enough youll rake in the cash, reviews and word of mouth be damned) the general populace must like the bigger Mi6 role as its been the norm for 23 years now and Bond films have done better in terms of reviews and box office recipts each time theyve cranked up how much Mi6 is activly involved (Goldeneye, TWINE, CR, Skyfall)
And yes i agree with what you thought that went through your head when you read that list, that was a coincidence that those films happen to bump up Mi6’s role.
Just to keep on nagging…
VENOM and SUICIDE SQUAD had pretty good word of mouth - and that seems to have pushed them into mega success-territory, despite disastrous reviews.
I guess as long as a Mi6-team-heavy Bond film rakes in the millions (and Fiennes & Co want to stay on) we will see them in more than two scenes per picture.
Should say, as you did raise it as a question,
and its a rare moment that a non speculative answer can be given, Mendes first answer to why he returned for SPECTRE was indeed he felt the need the carry on the stories of the mi6 staff he introduced (which i think does come across in SPECTRE’s final cut)
I for one enjoyed Naomi Harris in both the pre-title and Casino sequences of Skyfall. I hoped this next film might offer an opportunity for her to dust off those field shoes, but I clearly understand everyone’s feelings about too much focus on them.
2 Likes
Fans vs. general audience is always a two edged blade in any established franchise. Sometimes the audience love a film and the fans hate it or are, at least, disappointed and vice versa. Look at the MCU, DC and SW entries. MCU came in with a long term plan and it’s played out the best. DC is finding it’s way. SW is trying to both play on nostalgia while also reinvigorating interest (much like Bond). Nothing can be everything to everyone, but with Bond, when they come along, I’m the go to guy amongst my friends and family. Everyone knows I’m in it for the long haul after almost 46 years of fandom, but I do try to gauge them outside of my own enthusiasm and be objective, which, of course, takes a bit of pause and consideration.
I know what I would like in 25 and what I wouldn’t, but I’ll take it warts (if any) and all. Goes with the territory.
6 Likes
Guess I’m at 53 years of fandom, since I’ve been seeing Bond films since 1965. I’ve adjusted to every actor and every director all with one goal: enjoy the anticipation and the film with great expectation.
3 Likes
And even there it’s hard to know if it’s a large group or the same six people just yelling loudly - I don’t personally think that many people feel they have (and brace yourself for this phrase from angry twitter) had “their childhood raped” by Ghostbusters and The Last Jedi because they had women in them.
3 Likes
I fully expected to be disappointed in a female M when Goldeneye came out, but was pleasantly pleased, so I don’t buy change as necessarily a negative without giving it a chance.
4 Likes
I think what we should remember - or accept? - is that with time passing these things, the films, the books, the comics, become part of new generations. Nothing is ever ‘fix’, least of all in pop culture. Tales and characters evolve, driven by the dreams and enthusiasm of new artists, fresh blood in fandom and changed attitudes and beliefs. If you can learn to accept this, enjoying new iterations, new takes on familiar themes becomes significantly easier.
7 Likes
Exactly why I love The Last Jedi.
3 Likes