Who do you want for Bond 7?

Well, they put the screen test for Sam Neil on the the DVD’s which would certainly lend credence to them having no problem with a non-British bond.

Well, there is the Commonwealth idea which would kind of justify an actor from countries belonging to that group.

Personally, I would welcome any great actor as long as he can really pull off playing a British spy.

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Casting Pierce Brosnan is what would lend credence to them having no problem with a non-British Bond. Ireland isn’t even in the Commonwealth.

Sam Neill is actually from Northern Ireland and holds British citizenship.

Really? Did not know that about Neil.

I didnt count Brosnan simply because he had been an English citizen since he was 10, seemed like his Irish background was more a technicality.

I should say im firmly in the “As long he’s good” camp. If Batman and Spider-man can be Brits, and Sherlock Holmes can be American, who am i to judge.

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“In July 2003, Queen Elizabeth II made Brosnan an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his ‘outstanding contribution to the British film industry’. As an Irish citizen, he is ineligible to receive the full OBE honour, which is awarded only to a citizen of the Commonwealth realms.

On 23 September 2004, Brosnan became a citizen of the United States, but retained his Irish citizenship. Brosnan said that ‘my Irishness is in everything I do. It’s the spirit of who I am, as a man, an actor, a father. It’s where I come from.’ Brosnan was asked by a fan if it annoyed him when people get his nationality confused. He said: ‘It amuses me in some respects that they should confuse me with an Englishman when I’m dyed-in-the-wool, born and bred Irishman.’”

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I think Downey as Sherlock Holmes may be the best argument AGAINST an American Bond.
As somebody mentioned above, for whatever reasons the transition for a Brit to play an American is a lot easier than for an American to play a Brit, for every successful example there’s a couple of Johnny Depps or Robert Downey Jr’s…

Re Eastwood and Reynolds, I have no doubt their agents put them up for the role and its certainly possibly a casting director had them in for meetings but there has never been any official confirmation they were considered for the role as opposed to Brolin, Neil and as Bruce mentions above, Gavin, altho my understanding was negotiations were already well under way with Sean when Gavin was drafted in, so it’s a fair assumption he was never more than a back up.

It’s worth noting that during pre-production on a movie, multiple actors will be seen and considered even while negotiations are going on with someone else, Hence the number of actors discussed and screen tested during the Rog years;
Rog loved to play the game of “this is my last Bond film”, but always returned when coaxed with the right terms. During that time Eon saw plenty of alternatives, but none were ever offered the role or really got close to it as Rog was always the choice if he agreed to come back.

69 and 71 are the two years most shrouded in mystery, we know Rog was wanted both times but tied up with TV, we know John Gavin was lined up as an alternate should discussions with Sean collapse, but other than that I’m not sure we really know anything concrete about who else was actually considered.

But back to the point, I don’t have a problem with an American Bond, but that choice would have to be better than the British option and right now I don’t see anyone that fits that mantle, especially when the list of British options is so strong.

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Do we know why they went for Moore after DAF and not back to Gavin?

They went for Moore because he was enormously popular, was known as a reliable and solid team player from his days as Simon Templar - in contrast to Lazenby and Connery - and after the somewhat underwhelming The Persuaders was on the move to films already. He fit the bill in various regards and was already familiar with the stuff he’d play as 007. And he was probably a bargain option to begin with.

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As an American myself, I wouldn’t feel right about one of my fellow countrymen playing 007. I’ve always viewed the Bond franchise as a uniquely British product, and something about having the character played by an American would in my eyes “dilute” the product, for lack of a better term.

Actually the “James Stewart” in question is the British actor Stewart Granger [James Lablache Stewart]. “Offscreen friends and colleagues continued to call him Jimmy for the rest of his life, but to the general public he became Stewart Granger.”

Erm, I’m afraid not. It’s a popular misconception with fans, especially since Granger did bear a certain facial semblance to the young Fleming. But I’m afraid it’s bunk.

How do I arrive at my conviction?

Robert Sellers’ excellent The Battle for Bond puts the light on the troubled early Bond film project that was later to become Thunderball, book and film. Especially chapters eight and nine go into a detailed recap of events, notes, correspondence between Fleming, McClory and Bryce.

In the early stages there was hope to interest Hitchcock in the project and sell it to him as a vehicle for James Stewart. The Stewart of Vertigo and Rear Window.

“Of course Stewart is the toppest of stars,” Fleming continued. “And personally I wouldn’t at all mind him as Bond if he can slightly anglicise his accent. If we got him and Hitchcock we really would be off to the races. Cross all your fingers.”

The Battle for Bond, Robert Sellers, p.44

Besides, Granger changed his name when he started his acting career. Few people outside his personal circle even knew about his real name. It’s not very likely Fleming’s little band of hopeful would-be film producers belonged to that circle, or that they would refer to him by his real name in the late 50s when he’s been “Stewart Granger” almost since the start of his career in the mid-30s.

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I got to ask Adam West about these rumors at a convention a few years ago. He answered that it was true that he talked to the producers, but West felt that Bond should be British, and the talks stopped there.

He said as much in Return to the Batcave: The Furter Adventures of Adam and Burt.

Since we’re most likely looking at 2022 as the introduction for the next Bond you’re probably right about Evans, who will be 43. A shame in way as I really thought he had potential but casting Bond is a long game.

Yeah, I agree. Just as I’d prefer an American playing Spider-Man or Superman.

Though I think Tom Hollander has done a fantastic job as the new Spider-Man.

His accent is flawless, if I didn’t already know he was British, I would never have guessed!

And if I didn’t already know he was 50 years old I would never have guessed that either!

You appear to have mixed up Tom Holland and Tom Hollander. An easy mistake to make.

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Ha, correct, I was just testing posters on here!

You passed… :wink:

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Ah, thanks for the info! BTW, I’m aware that Granger changed his name when he began acting.

Fleming’s full quote includes “Hitchcock is in search of a vehicle, particularly for James Stewart but, whether our story would suit Stewart or not, he is definitely interested and wants to see (a script).

Sellers says in his CBn interview “I think Fleming at that time was dizzy over the prospect of Hitchcock coming aboard the Bond project and quite frankly if the director had wanted Grace Kelly to play Bond I think Fleming would have agreed.

EDIT: I think it’s safe to say it’s not Jimmy Stewart that Fleming wanted (if at all), but Hitchcock and if it meant Hitchcock & Stewart then so be it…

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Dodged a bullet there. Then again…in another universe maybe she’s regarded as the first and the best Bond today?

As for Stewart, it probably also occurred to Fleming that Stewart’s name very likely meant a veritable box office. I think all the names toted at the time tended to be established actors - which in turn would have meant bigger paycheques. But it would seem no a-list actor back then was prepared to sign up for a series. Even if Hitchcock had picked up Bond, even if Stewart had been his 007, it’s very likely it would have been a one-off.

(On a side note: maybe Hitchcock would have been more interested in one of the odd Bond adventures like FRWL or TSWLM. He rarely used ‘straight’ secret agents, preferred amateur heroes and often looked for material with a strong female role.)