That’s true. Just because history says it didn’t happen doesn’t mean it couldn’t have. I’m open to ideas provided they’re executed well. I’d be willing to support a younger Bond than we’ve had before. For tone, I think Fleming’s MR would be great, especially for Villeneuve’s sensibilities. Something character driven, suspense and spy skills with a big consequence endgame. Sometimes things can be overthought and going back to the general premise is enough to get the job done. Much like the philosophy Dalton had when taking over from Moore.
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Question is: how frequently can Bond films still be produced and profitably released in this new marketplace?
A 2 year rhythm as in the old days seems risky, 3 or 4 years in between seem more likely - and bang, a much younger actor starting out does not really bring any benefits anymore because he will have to do other projects and will jump ship anyway.
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That may be the safest/sanest route. A throwback Bond.
Even casual fans might not feel like it is a Bond movie. Certain tropes–government agent/assassin; significant threat; evil mastermind–are simply harder to coalesce around today. The template/toolbox is fine. Cultural consensus is missing, and that is something neither EON nor Amazon nor MGM/UA can produce.
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The series is not new to huge cultural and political changes. It survived Nixon, Thatcher, duck fart’s first term, every other pointless war since 1962 and the fall of the soviet union. It survived because it kept moving forward and not getting scared when the world changed.
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Agreed. But has society ever been this polarized since the inception of the series in 1962?
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I believe that is exactly the problem.
Before all this unnecessary polarization everybody could agree on a villain Bond could/should fight.
Now the mindless followers would complain about Bond being woke and politicized, and Blofeld being misunderstood.
Also, Bond is not woke enough or has remained a symbol of male oppression, employed as a system slave.
Adapting to this climate is impossible without changing certain things drastically.
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Thatcher britain. She is still loathed and adored in equal measure based on your political persiasion.
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I only experienced Reagan America, but even then, the polarization was not what it is today. Trump’s Republican base is not Reagan’s base (the majority of which are now considered RINOs).
I do not know if Thatcher’s Conservatives could be considered on the same wavelength as today’s British right-wingers.
There was always passionate disagreement, but nowadays the opposition is deemed downright evil.
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I first got involved with Bond forums in the years between The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. One thing I noticed, which took me by surprise, is that while some held up GoldenEye as the definitive Bond film, there were others who claimed it didn’t feel like a Bond film. Then years later, there was a vocal contingent, made up largely of the GoldenEye lovers, who claimed Casino Royale didn’t feel like a Bond film.
It’s been over 30 years since GoldenEye and 20 years since Casino Royale. As shocking as this may sound, people who were introduced to Bond through those films can now be considered the old guard.
What a Bond film is has changed and evolved over the years, and it needs to continue to do so over the years. I personally hate the idea of Bond as a period piece, as to me it says that they’re trying to recapture the past, as there’s no way forward.
We live in a world wehre real life billionaire are acting more and more like Bond villains, with their private islands, squads of private security and luxurious doomsday bunkers. Frankly, we need James Bond now more than ever. Even if one such billionaire does control the franchise…
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I cant remember who said it, but someone here perfectly described Bond as “George slaying the Dragon”
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@Dustin did so marvelously!
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Definitely, and if the new owner were someone else or another studio it would be possible to position Bond on the right side of history.
Unfortunately, reality chose poorly.
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I’d say keep it simple for now. Make sure everything is Bond. Elections can change things very close to when they are making this, and Stephen Knight is going to know that going by his other work, so be the selfish ceo, Bezos, wait to see which way the wind is blowing before you give ‘Notes” and let your 4 staff officially confirmed work.
Just dont look on the opinions of the writer and director…
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Indeed. Bond has always been a fairy tale, a less-obvious superhero of the atom age*. He’s the one guy fate put in the way of the lindwyrm - and against all odds he defeats the beast. This is such a universal story, so old that our ancestors told versions of it in their caves around the fire when the thunder outside made them shiver - or the growl deeper inside the cave. It’s not going to go out of fashion anytime soon. And certainly not when beasts raise their heads on all four corners of the world.
*And the reason why it’s a fairy tale we’re seeing in our headlines: because political assassination Just. Doesn’t. Work. Outcomes are unpredictable and frequently the opposite of what you wanted. You may take out a figure of the equation, but it’s just one out of a whole environment of similar players, many possibly more dangerous, radical and even cleverer than you or your team. They knew this in Fleming’s day, which is why they didn’t bother with trying it on Hitler. Trust the historical evidence, if assassination worked it would be done far more often.
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They stopped feeling like Bond films when they stopped dubbing villains and Bond girls, and allowed actors to be one character in one film, and another in a later one–sometimes switching sides in the process.
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I expect a movie that is a Goldfinger clone. One that checks all the boxes. And its probably what we need right now.
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Or a The Spy Who Loved Me.
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A huge and colourful adventure extravaganza. At least in TSWLM’s case that too didn’t initially please traditionalists - ‘unFlemingian hotchpotch’ so on - but it turned out to be exactly what the series needed and what audiences wanted at the time.
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An update of sorts…. But as Courtenay Valenti, head of film at Amazon MGM Studios, notes in the article “Don’t get too excited. Please know that we’re taking the time…” I continue to be optimistic despite the pessimism of some on here.
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Absolutely right to remain optimistic in general. Life is a series of optimistic, positive outcomes in the first place. With Bond as a cinema tentpole production history has shown the series tends to thrive when it embraces its role as THE industry jewel, when productions are lush and opulence is a value.
That kind of production standards, where no corners are cut and no expenses are spared, is an investment in itself. You can only recoup production budgets in that range with a massive box office. People just need to flock to theatres to watch this. Before paying again to stream it in PPV.
The market for tentpole productions seems to get difficult but I don’t think it’s going to entirely disappear. What I do think we’ll see may be a gradual readjustment of production values. Studios will have to adjust their budgets and their approach to location and soundstage work. It also has to be said that this has been the reality for many ‘cheaper’ productions for years already. Making films has always been difficult; making successful films in Bond’s particular genre may just become that bit harder.
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