New Craig Interview!

Hardyboy

Source: RottenTomatoes

If you go to the link above, you'll find a pretty nifty interview with Daniel Craig. It's supposed to be about his upcoming film, Flashbacks of a Fool (a certain anti-Craig site is going to have a field day with that one), but of course the content is more about Bond 22 than anything else. For those who don't like to click on links, here are some highlights:

On the title. . .

When it came to the specifics - the title for example - Craig was being cagey, telling us, with a wry grin, that no, there was no title yet, and laughing as we put to him the suggestion that it was The Lady Expects Too Much. "Really, is that the rumour? That's quite good," he laughed, "I should write that one down..."

And the plot. . .

"It carries on from where the last one stopped," Craig told RT, "We set up in the last one that there's this organisation that is destabilising the world's economy because they want to take it over, and that's his job now, to go out and stop them."

On the bad guy and a certain rumor. . .

Casting news has recently revealed a potential villain in Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly star, Mathieu Almaric. "I'm over the moon with his casting," Craig told us, "I met him very briefly on Munich but I didn't do any scenes with him. Now I've got to know him on Bond and I saw the Schnabel movie and thought it was amazing."

And that line is interesting enough on its own - Bond 22 has only recently started principal photography, perhaps suggesting that if he's already gotten to know Almaric, his character may be featured heavily in the film. On the suggestion that he was the Algerian boyfriend of Vesper Lynd, Eva Green's character in Casino Royale, we again saw the wry smile as Craig hinted, "there is a connection there, yes..."

And about the film itself and about being Bond. . .

"I'm no less nervous than I was but I'm very happy with what we've put together for this one. The fact that Marc Forster's come in to direct it just makes my job a lot easier. He's taken care of a lot of stuff that I just don't have to think about and I'm just getting on with acting."

And, he says, the pressure of taking on the mantle of James Bond gets no easier the second time out of the gate. "I don't know if I'll ever feel comfortable with it," he said, "I mean, it's James Bond. I don't know if I'll ever get to that place and get Zen about it; it's not that kind of role. But I'm enjoying what we've shot so far and I'm planning to enjoy as much as I can of this filming process. Because, otherwise, why do it?"

Read to your hearts' content, my friends!

Loeffelholz

Great stuff, Hardy---thanks for posting {[]

What a great time and place to be a James Bond fan :007)

cbdouble07

I'm glad that Craig seems to be enjoying himself. He's right about 'if you don't enjoy yourself why even bother'. I'm sure that as long as he's happy it will give an added boost to his performance.

highhopes

Nice find, Hardy. Thanks for posting.

This is going to be a hell of a year, given all the mystery surrounding Bond 22. I hope the filmmakers are able to maintain the surprise.

blueman

Bit euphemistic, sounds like: how does one take over a multi-country economy? Bet the particulars on that are fine and Haggis-dandy.

Thanks for the news, Hardy. {[]

emtiem

'The Lady Expects Too Much'? I wonder where they got that from? Nice little interview, though- thanks for posting!

Dan Same

emtiem wrote:

'The Lady Expects Too Much'? I wonder where they got that from? Nice little interview, though- thanks for posting!

I think it's a great title, if of course it will be the title. After all, if Bond 22 turns to be great, then we can refer to it as our Lady for short.

Napoleon Plural

Some sort of play on The Lady Doth Protest Too Much from Hamlet?

Dan Same

CTrent49 wrote:

I hope to God that he's joking. Because if he's serious, then CASINO ROYALE was nothing more than a set up for same old dumb ass "let's take over the world" plot.

I personally hope he's not joking. If this organisation is going to be a big enough threat, then I think it should want to take over the world. The question becomes how they are going to do it. It is unlikely that they will attempt to destroy the world in a manner similar to MR, rather it will be more 'realistic' and less fantastical. It won't matter to the relevant authorities that this organisation will be attempting to take over the world, as they will be more concerned with how the organisation will be going about it.

Nonetheless, I hope that this organisation will be attempting to take over the world, because as long as their means are terrifying and ambitious enough, their motivation IMO should match the means as well as the mystery of the organisation itself.

emtiem

Dan Same wrote:

emtiem wrote:

'The Lady Expects Too Much'? I wonder where they got that from? Nice little interview, though- thanks for posting!

I think it's a great title, if of course it will be the title. After all, if Bond 22 turns to be great, then we can refer to it as our Lady for short.

Yes; as rumoured titles go, it's certainly one of the best I've heard.

Loeffelholz

According to Craig, they'll be starting the 'physical' stuff this week... :007)

Looking forward to new developments in production diaries...and hopefully, that elusive title...

emtiem

Yes; that's a point- when does 'Yarborough' usually start his blogging?

Moonraker 5

Dan Same wrote:

CTrent49 wrote:

I hope to God that he's joking. Because if he's serious, then CASINO ROYALE was nothing more than a set up for same old dumb ass "let's take over the world" plot.

I personally hope he's not joking. If this organisation is going to be a big enough threat, then I think it should want to take over the world.

I think it was probably more of a generalised statement from Craig rather than confirming a megalomania plot. After all, he is supposed to be being interviewed about another movie and much else he says about Bond 22 is sketchy at best (though admittedly entertaining).

If it is indeed a group seeking some sort of leverage over the world, and it does hint at economy more than some sort of Drax/Stromberg plot. I would imagine it's more of a sinister Bilderberg Group type, some sort of opposite of the New World Order scenario.

But I really can't see this film returning to an ending involving scores of Commandos and an underground lair...

(And as for the title suggested by the interviewer... No thanks.)

cpoulos62

I personally see Bond 22 as not only a continuation of Casino Royale but also to be lead-in to Bond 23.

If the underlying plot is an organization that is going to take over the world, it would not make sense to completely dismantle it in a single Bond movie. Bond is still a rookie. I know other (if not all) Bond films did this but it looks like that they want to now portray Bond as a developing MI6 00 agent. We are viewing Bond as he hones his skills and moves on to take on more and more difficult assignments. I see Bond slowly unraveling the organization in 22 and then go after the HEAD in Bond 23 or maybe even 24. This would make sense to me seeing how CR ended as a lead-in to Bond 22. CR ended with the prelude of a bigger organization. This sort of filming style, leaving Bond fans wanting and waiting for what may happen next, seeing how Bond develops to the Bond movies of the past when he can save the would in 120 minutes. Remember, this is Bond starting his career as a 00 agent.

Just my 2 cents.

cooey

Thanks for posting that, very interesting read! {[]

Hardyboy

Lord Almighty, CTrent, that's quite an overreaction. Look at what Craig says: "There's this organisation that is destabilising the world's economy because they want to take it over." It sounds to me like the "it" in question here is the world economy, not the world itself. So who says the organization will turn into a bunch of orange-suited terrorists based inside a hollowed-out volcano, or something like that? The new film might take place entirely in the world of high finance, inside boardrooms and on the floors of stock exchanges for all we know. And besides, even IF the plot involves taking over the world, why assume the movie will be dumb? Have some faith.

7289

I recall a few months back DC said Bond 22 was going to be funnier .....

I would take this comment with a grain of salt, I'd bet DC enjoys messing with the fans!

Loeffelholz

CTrent49 wrote:

There goes my hope for a good Bond movie. Enjoy. Tell me how it goes. I'm not watching.

Golly...we'll miss you, Fish1941

blueman

Just saw on another board, an "insider" claims Bond 22 with feature other OO agents...let the kneejerking begin! {:)

Dan Same

CTrent49 wrote:

I personally hope he's not joking. If this organisation is going to be a big enough threat, then I think it should want to take over the world.

CRAP! Now how will Haggis, Purvis and Wade turn an organization that acts as a banker/financial adviser to terrorits, to trying to take over the world? Even worse, we're back to dumb old world domination stories. I had hoped that we would avoid these kind of stories during the Craig tenure. Unfortunately . . . EON has decided to go back to the old crap. How unimaginative of them.

Perhaps if you had read my entire post, instead of just the start, you would have noticed that I said that it is unlikely the plot will be similar to a film like MR. It also doesn't really make all that much difference what the motivation is, as Bond will be more concerned with how the orgainisation wants to take over, rather than whether in fact they do want to take over the world. What concerns Bond is not whether someone wants to take over the world but rather that, as Craig said, they are launching atacks upon the world economy. The only reason the motivation will be important is to make it exciting for viewers like me who want the motivation to match the threat.

John Drake

Hardyboy wrote:

"We set up in the last one that there's this organisation that is destabilising the world's economy because they want to take it over, and that's his job now, to go out and stop them."

Sounds good to me. And relevant in an age when huge multi-national corporations do hold considerable influence over the political arena. If anything this sounds more like a continuation of the events that happened in CR than a return to Pinky and the Brain-style world domination of MR.

Macrossmaster

Gosh, good thing we can surmise everything we need to know from one sentence. You hate it? From one sentence?

I'd hate "Some whiny doofus becomes a hotshot pilot after hanging out with an old man who dies after battling an asthmatic jukebox in black." But thats Star Wars, and I'm a pretty big fan of that.

emtiem

blueman wrote:

Just saw on another board, an "insider" claims Bond 22 with feature other OO agents...let the kneejerking begin! {:)

Not much to react to, is there? Not really stunning news; neither good nor bad.

blueman

I'd be kinda curious about the MI:6 Craig's Bond inhabits, so kinda interested in this being for reals. Might Arterton/Fields be a OO?

emtiem

blueman wrote:

I'd be kinda curious about the MI:6 Craig's Bond inhabits, so kinda interested in this being for reals. Might Arterton/Fields be a OO?

I'd doubt it- she is very young.

Solaris

emtiem wrote:

blueman wrote:

I'd be kinda curious about the MI:6 Craig's Bond inhabits, so kinda interested in this being for reals. Might Arterton/Fields be a OO?

I'd doubt it- she is very young.

Hmm, that kind of puts Bond to shame if he didn't become a Double O until he was 38 and this young Girl got in so much earlier.

darenhat

Solaris wrote:

emtiem wrote:

blueman wrote:

I'd be kinda curious about the MI:6 Craig's Bond inhabits, so kinda interested in this being for reals. Might Arterton/Fields be a OO?

I'd doubt it- she is very young.

Hmm, that kind of puts Bond to shame if he didn't become a Double O until he was 38 and this young Girl got in so much earlier.

I'm imagining her in a black and white PTS of her own, smashing sinks and drowning people ferociously in toilets.

Moonraker 5

CTrent49 wrote:

Sure. Why not? People tend to make quick judgments and assumptions anyway.

That's great! If you've decided you hate it and you're not going to see it, that means you don't have to force your negative argumenatative whinging on this forum!

If you're hating Bond 22 on the first roll of the camera, then don't darken this forum for everyone else, because quite frankly there's no point in you taking part if you've decided you'll be unbelievably negative. Stick to the rest of the forums and leave this one to those who are open-minded on the issue.

blueman

I'm not too wild about the "world domination" quote either, however it was stated, but I suspect it won't be at all like TSWLM. Just a hunch. And anyway Stromberg wanted to destroy the old world and supplant it with a new "world order" (whatever that means ), not take it over...bit of a difference IMHO.

Dan Same

blueman wrote:

I'm not too wild about the "world domination" quote either, however it was stated, but I suspect it won't be at all like TSWLM.

I too suspect it won't be like TSWLM (or MR.) I really loved TSWLM's plot but something tells me that it's not 'realistic' enough for the new post-CR direction.

blueman

Agreed, Dan. I think they're going even farther back, to the good old 60s when it was about good old fashioned greed. I think Craig was being a tad euphemistic, and the bad guys simply want to get rich, and anything about "taking over the world's economy" is just a means to an end.

But where's that darn script leak anyway? We'll know soon enough, one way or the other.