Possible Bond Movie Worlds
Lazenby
The upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent
Do any of you have "alternate Bond movie universes" that you dream about? I love all of the Bond movies and actors to some degree, but every now and again I sit back and think about how things could have been different, and perhaps idealized, according to my personal tastes. Here is one example of an "alternate universe" that I have cooked up:
I love YOLT to death, but I have often lamented Connery's evident boredom in that movie and the fact that it came before OHMSS, when it really should have come after. In this spirit I have often imagined a 1967 OHMSS, complete with George Lazenby and all the trappings of the movie that did come out, followed with a (Peter Hunt directed and Savalas as Blofeld) YOLT and TMWTGG (still with Lazenby) more in line with the plots of the respective novels, only perhaps with TMWTGG retaining its far eastern setting so that George could have shown off his martial arts prowess. Furthermore, since this movie would have been made in 1971 or so, when Bruce Lee was still alive, perhaps he could have featured as a villain/henchman.
Lazenby would have continued for one more movie after TMWTGG (DAF perhaps) before turning the reigns over to Moore in 1974 for some comic relief. LALD would have still been Moore's first movie (and it also would have been the first one absent John Barry, and the first film since TB to have been directed by someone other than Hunt), followed by TSWLM, MR and a 1981 OP, all identical to the movies that did actually come out (with OP's year being different). In 1983 there would have been the same shift to more "grounded" movies, with Moore then passing the role to Dalton (or someone similar) for FYEO (which would not have featured that ridiculous PTS, as Blofeld would already be dead at that point), who would have had more of the 1980s to perfect his approach to the role, perhaps leading to a more finely tuned AVTAK and TLD. After that I would more or less leave things as they happened, in time for the wonderful reboot that took place last fall.
I love YOLT to death, but I have often lamented Connery's evident boredom in that movie and the fact that it came before OHMSS, when it really should have come after. In this spirit I have often imagined a 1967 OHMSS, complete with George Lazenby and all the trappings of the movie that did come out, followed with a (Peter Hunt directed and Savalas as Blofeld) YOLT and TMWTGG (still with Lazenby) more in line with the plots of the respective novels, only perhaps with TMWTGG retaining its far eastern setting so that George could have shown off his martial arts prowess. Furthermore, since this movie would have been made in 1971 or so, when Bruce Lee was still alive, perhaps he could have featured as a villain/henchman.
Lazenby would have continued for one more movie after TMWTGG (DAF perhaps) before turning the reigns over to Moore in 1974 for some comic relief. LALD would have still been Moore's first movie (and it also would have been the first one absent John Barry, and the first film since TB to have been directed by someone other than Hunt), followed by TSWLM, MR and a 1981 OP, all identical to the movies that did actually come out (with OP's year being different). In 1983 there would have been the same shift to more "grounded" movies, with Moore then passing the role to Dalton (or someone similar) for FYEO (which would not have featured that ridiculous PTS, as Blofeld would already be dead at that point), who would have had more of the 1980s to perfect his approach to the role, perhaps leading to a more finely tuned AVTAK and TLD. After that I would more or less leave things as they happened, in time for the wonderful reboot that took place last fall.
Comments
I also had a different dream a long time ago with the same premise, except that this Bond series that predated DN by a few years, had a very British, no-nonsense flavor to it. If you compare movies made during and immediately after WWII in the UK, vs. those made in Hollywood, you might know the differences I'm talking about. This Bond looked like Leslie Howard and the feel was largely dominated by the "realistic" runnings of Secret Service headquarters, with staffers speaking in very distinct British accents (unlike Lois Maxwell, for example) and very serious.
Would love to see the day when they could hook up electrodes on your forehead and digitalize dreams and memories, but mine would need some serious editing :v
On a more lucid note, I've entertained a few different scenarios with the wish of actually seeing all of them coexist in some magical way, and not needing to be mutually exclusive with one another. For example, the most popular "what if," with Connery in OHMSS in 1969.
Some other, what ifs:
*EON earlier secured the rights of CR instead of Charles Feldman.
*TB became the first film (as planned?) instead of DN;
*Lazenby continued beyond OHMSS
*Dalton took over in OP or even FYEO
*Dalton continued on to GE and beyond?
*Pierce did his 5th
etc. etc.