James Bond going rogue has been done WAAAY too many times in the last 16-33 years, likewise the missions always being personal somehow. EON needs to get back to “normal, straight-forward” assignments–certainly for Bond #7’s debut.
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Given who he’s working for, being blindly loyal is definitely more dangerous.Tony Blair is the most trustworthy pm in the last 4 decades*. Turns out people who want power over everything they’ve ever met shouldn’t be trusted.
*I do mean that in a damnation by faint praise way. He was slimy and spineless but still, somehow, he’s the high bar.
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We often like to say that, for those that want the character to go back to being just as Fleming created him and nothing else, the character has evolved into something bigger than that. As in, the cinematic character has overtaken the literary and become a beast of its own and, in some ways, the definitive version of the character. This is mainly because of the amount of time its been around and the larger reach of a cinematic franchise versus a literary one. But for whatever reason, that changeover has happened. Applying this whole idea of the “rogue” Bond and the constant questioning of why Bond continues to exist, which happens oddly both inside and outside of the films themselves, it’s been going on long enough that this element of the character has become a defining aspect of him. It’s not the defining aspect of him, but, quite honestly, for those that grew up on Brosnan and Craig, it’s almost all they know of the cinematic Bond. It’s become baked into the pie, so to speak, and it’s going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to extricate it from what Bond is at this point, I’m afraid, especially if we’re going to continue to use the same creative team over, and over, and over again.
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I would not say the relevance question has become part of the character.
It’s mainly because Bond is, well, old. He has been around for so long that the target audience’s grandfathers still remember him.
That’s why they played to this during the Craig era. Especially since Bond seemed again to fall out of step with current trends.
I believe Bond now has proven he will prevail over current trends. He truly is Sherlock Holmes now. You cannot present him like he was at his start. But you can update him. Nobody asked „is Holmes still relevant?“ when Cumberbatch took over. We just saw: yeah, he is.
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It hasn’t become a part of the character himself, but it has become a part of the franchise as a whole. It’s as baked into the franchise now as any of the other tropes that people say must be included in order for it to be a “Bond” movie.
Were the Sherlock filmmakers openly questioning his relevance prior to Cumberbatch taking over?
That’s the key to all of this. Barbara Broccoli has spent the better part of 20-25 years of the franchise asking whether or not Bond is relevant. We as a fanbase don’t necessarily think that Bond has to prove itself, but the people who make the films obviously feel the need to keep asking the question. And, whether we like it or not, if the people who make the films keep asking the question, it makes that question a valid one to consider, regardless of what the answer may ultimately be.
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Sort of, there was a whole thing about Sherlock Holmes as a character couldn’t exist outside the Victorian era (the irony being most of the stories were written and set after Queen Victoria died)
Mark Gatiss found it hilarious that when they did the period drama bluff in The Abominable Bride people were then asking “how can you possibly make it Victorian!?!?”
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This from a new deadline.com interview with Sam Mendes:
„Mendes has other personal stories he’s bursting to tell. It’s unlikely that he’ll put his hand up to make a third Bond picture.
Laughing, he said, ”I don’t think they’d want me anymore. It was an incredible thing to do at that moment in my life; I couldn’t have asked for a better thing. I saw the world in a different way,” he said of making Spectre and Skyfall — especially Skyfall, he admitted.
Making the Bond films, he said, was like being an engineer as much as a director. “It’s like erecting scaffolding and building an entire world…,” he said. “It’s exhausting, in a different way.”
But action movies are evolving and the use of CGI is evolving, and Bond has to evolve, too, Mendes said. He feels for Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the keepers of the Bond flame. “I don’t envy Barbara having to follow Daniel’s [Craig] five movies. He reinvigorated the franchise but the franchise is so huge that it’s very difficult for a younger actor to step into that.”
We’re you actually told they didn’t need you anymore?
”Let me rephrase that,” said Mendes. “I think that the actor playing Bond is going to evolve, the director has to evolve. I think it would be wonderful to see a woman directing Bond. I think it would be wonderful.”
Quote from Sam Mendes On ‘Empire Of Light,’ Olivia Colman, And A Woman Should Direct Bond – Deadline
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History would say he’s going to be making Bond 26 then, Mendes does have a history of guessing wrong when asked about Bond’s future for the sake of a click bait headline.
“Daniel’s wrong for the part”
“don’t think they’d want me”
“I won’t be doing a second one”
“Spectre was Daniel’s last”
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Last year Spielberg did a remake of West Side Story (1960), one of his favourite movies. His most recent movie, The Fabelmans, is an autobiography of sorts about his love of cinema. And his next project, apparently, could be a re-invention of Bullitt (1967), another one of his personal favourites.
It seems Spielberg has entered the final chapter of his directing career and is revisiting the movies he adored as a kid/young man. The right time to ask him to do a Bond movie? Or has that ship sailed?
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I hope so.
Sailing ship, I mean.
As for West Side Story, as a huge Spielberg fan I was bored.
And Bullitt, I have seen it recently again and stil marvel at its dry efficiency. One of those films than should not be remade, not even by Spielberg, because it cannot be topped and is inextricably linked to Steve McQueen.
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At this time I don’t expect great films from Spielberg any longer. None of the stuff past MUNICH attracted me enough to watch it, not even TINTIN or BRIDGE OF SPIES. If he were to tackle Bond I’m afraid that might end in a hugely underwhelming result. Because it’s 20 years too late now.
Because it was a bore (and I say this as someone who has THE POST on his Top 25 films of all time list).
And to the historical moment when it was made.
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The “Bullitt” thing could be fun - it’s not a remake but an original story using the Frank Bullitt character. I’m cool with that. It’s the kind of thing we do around here, isn’t it!? 
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Bullitt should never be remade NEVER! No Steve McQueen film should ever be remade. Despite being a life long Kim Basinger fan,and always having the utmost respect for Alex Baldwin, I had to walk out of their version of The Getaway 20 minutes into the film.
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Do I think Spielberg should do a Bond? No
Did I think Spielberg should have done a Bond? Absolutely! But as SAF said, that ship has sailed.
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I think Spielberg’s answer to James Bond is Indiana Jones, thanks to George Lucas. Also, he does cast a lot of actors from Bond in his movies. Maybe that’s his way of making them. I’m also not opposed to him bringing back Frank Bullitt, in a original story. There could be some great material with the character.
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I recently watched Inferno for the first time and enjoyed it. I was especially impressed by Irrfan Khan. While watching it, I thought he could make for a great M not realizing that he passed away a few years ago. Great actor and far too young to pass.
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Trigger warning for a bit near the end…
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It put a warm and satisfied smile on my face.
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Good grief. You’d think they were being asked to solve world hunger.
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