I’m still grappling with how they land the ending. Lots to think about and consider. There’s a balance to strike in giving Craig a farewell without muddying the waters for Bond #7. After SPECTRE the 00 number would’ve surely been passed on to another agent. Bond was a great spy, but the show goes on for MI6 whether Bond is deceased or retired. A woman or man getting the title of 007 in his absence does not make them JAMES BOND. They’re seperate characters. That’s what Barbara meant, and she’s dead right.
Odd, isn’t it? What’s all that about?
Aussie breakfast TV is really appalling; I was surprised how American it is.
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Well, she said a woman wouldn’t be Bond; ‘007’ is just a number- not a character.
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Yeah its american-ish but its all in the way that makes australia seem very parochial - teeth grating
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It’s odd because the reporting from the more left leaning tabloids is quite complementary. Perhaps it is because they weren’t invited
To be frank, even the Bond fans in Q&As don’t ask the best questions, and these are people whose knowledge would permit a greater depth of question. My experience is from Evenings With…
So for the casual reporter, whose knowledge may not be that great, for a general readership (whose knowledge may not be that great) to ask questions of a panel who really can’t answer that much aside from the “Are you happy to be here?”, stuff, I do wonder how these things could be better presented…
That Australian twerp with the hair whose questions were inserted into a studio based Malek smacked of the 1960’s radio interviews whereby records were sent to stations whereby, Connery et al would record a series of answers and leave space for the radio DJ to insert his voice. At least the lack of video would cover the fact that no one Actually spoke to one another. But in today’s day, twerpy’s questions just looked as ridiculous as his attempt to squeeze into his skin. Bless him.
Maybe he was just a professional doing his best with a bad situation…
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Something like the ending to Skyfall would be ideal or at the very least Bond accepting that retirement isn’t for him and that he lives for the life of a double-oh.
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I think the Murdoch press and their brethren are starting to cover their bases. For one thing, they’ve always been early friends with the Craig-not-Bond mob, simply for reasons of spectacle and scandal - ‘I hate your guts!!!’-stories just make for the best headlines.
Craig’s Bond - under a woman’s stewardship, no less - has often been a target for them for his numerous perceived shortcomings and the very open and public way Craig himself, as well as Barbara Broccoli, are outspoken about a variety of positions. That never sat well with a particular part of the media.
Now not inviting a host of media outlets to Jamaica, full board and drinks on the house, wasn’t going to be the most popular decision. And on what indeed is a production that’s been spending considerable time on the county fair’s rollercoaster already.
Hardly surprising the usual suspects pull an ‘insider’ from the top hat and make ample use of the most alarmist way to recount what we actually already knew: that it’s business as usual at the set of BOND 25 like it probably was ever since GOLDFINGER.
It’s simply their way of saying ‘We love you too’ and if the film doesn’t outperform AVENGERS there will probably come a couple of forced stories by, you guessed it, the usual suspects. And if it’s wildly popular with audiences, as it’s probably going to be, than there’s nothing stopping them from sucking up as if nothing ever could have stained their undying loyalty to Bond and Craig.
One of these creatures recently came to some modest fame, after a fashion. And that’s really all you need to know to recognise the dance.
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Very good points
What if the film begins with an unseen figure walking through Mi6 encountering Q, Tanner, Moneypenny and, finally, M at which point the camera pans round to reveal Lashana Lynch, who introduces herself
“OO7 reporting for duty, Sir”
This same scene plays out identically at the films end, but when the camera pans round it’s Daniel Craig.
“Commander Bond reporting for duty, sir”
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A few quick points from me:
- I have not read the Fleming material in a long time. But one of the themes I remember was he never liked getting to comfortable and loved his exciting life. To me that is one possible theme to play up as to why Bond comes back. The comfortable life is just not a life for him.
- I really don’t like the idea of Madeleine being a villain. One, its been done and two, what’s the point? Why does she keep playing the villain. If Bond is out of active service what is to be gained? If the idea was to do that, why not have her kill him in the middle of the night or slipping him poison. I just don’t see this as a good idea at all.
- I do not have an issue of killing madeleine and redoing some elements of OHMSS. Its been 50 years. She does not have to die though. Perhaps its just Bond realizing the he is Bond and he is 007 and for that reason, they part.
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I think it would be interesting to have Bond live alone on Jamaica. Not exactly leading a - too comfortable - life of luxury but having become a bit of a beach bum. And he would only later, in the course of the adventure, run into Madeleine.
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“Those whom the Gods wish to destroy, they first make bored.”
― Ian Fleming, From Russia With Love
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That is an intriguing, new idea.
Madeleine as someone Bond has separated from or vice versa - but then they are drawn to each other again. I like that!
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How did that bloated buffoon ever survive the ‘Today Show’ purge?
You may be on to something. A pre-titles credit sequence where we see 007 in action only to realize at the end thats it not Bond but a new 007. Would make for a nice intriguing set up to the film, a bit of a FRWL twist!
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True. If we look at all the endings of the Craig era, they’ve all been pretty rousing references to iconic Bond (with the exception of QUANTUM OF SOLACE), and nicely handled.
CASINO ROYALE - “Bond, James Bond”
SKYFALL - classic M’s Whitehall office briefing
SPECTRE - the DB5
BOND 25 needs to be the most iconic of them all if this is to be Craig’s era ending too. I don’t think they’ll go down the route of having him disappearing off into the sunset with a newly-introduced woman, so I’m wondering what they’ll go with.
I think a coda of a casino scene, similar to the start of DR NO, would be cool. With the final line being an opponent across the table asking him his name, and Bond just smiling, and they cut to the credits before he says The Line.
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That would be an incredible way to end the Craig years… well played sir!!! 
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Or he shags a bird in orbit. One or the other.
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