Do you look forward to the day when Craig is no longer James Bond?

JohnMasterson

Even though that day might be a little bit further away than you had originally anticipated? (Assuming that Daniel Craig isn't dumb enough to do five more Bond films instead of one or two more.)

Napoleon Plural

Depends frankly who else is lined up.

Looking forward to Skyfall as an event, and hope Craig is good in it, it is really that I'm not a fan of the producers, and they ain't going anywhere.

Higgins

wait until Alessandra sees that thread and offers Henry Cavill for the job

Thunderpussy

Once again I find myself agreeing with NP, Given the producers picked D Craig
in the first place,I dread to think who they'll come up with next.
Perhaps Supperdaddy's Prediction of Silo Green might come true. )
With all the success H Cavill is having I think He'll pass on playing Bond.
And given D Craig's list of Flops, He'll be hanging on to Bond until his
pension is due.

Barry Nelson

Nap makes an excellent point about the producers, which I completly agree with.

As for the threads question, YES!

Moore Than

I am in no hurry to see Daniel Craig depart. Why would I wan't to wish part of my life away anyway? Although DC doesn't really look the part he acts and talks the part and I like him. Just don't give us another Quantum of Solace please. My guess is he will do one more after Skyfall. History has shown that it is a case of diminishing returns for a Bond actor after four films.

Napoleon Plural

Certainly true of Lazenby, Dalton and Brosnan... )

Mrs.Bryce

No, not really.

Provided the Bond films are decent, I'll go to see any actor in the role.
Bond is Bond. But as mentioned above, it has to be atleast decent..
)

thesecretagent

I'm looking forward to Skyfall - i swore myself off all news of it so hopefully I won't know a thing about it when I see it. I'm hoping Craig will be more CR than QOS. I'm also hoping there will be more traditional elements, but I doubt it. It doesn't matter iwhen there's another actor in the role, it will be as equally split as it is here already.

Napoleon Plural

It's not called Skyfall anymore tsa, it's called The Mystery of the Missing Eggplant - blimey, you are outside the loop!

The Domino Effect

Daniel Craig may be questionable as compared to the literary Bond, but I find him to be an excellent cinematic Bond and therefore long may he reign (although he should move on before Q gives him his zimmer frame). And as most others have stated above, we should always be cautious what we wish for as you just never know who the next Bond might be and it could be someone that leaves all of us longing for Craigie!

I don't think EON are dumb enough to mess with the formula too much, but seeing as the U.S. version of Sherlock has just cast Lucy Liu as Dr Watson I just dread to think what such 'forward thinking' might do with Bond!

Mr Beech

Yes, but it isn't because of a problem with Craig or his Bond (I love his take, in fact). I simply do miss the more unique and lighter position that the Bond films had before. They are still quite a big deal, but the quirky and funny parts of Bond have been dusted under the carpet for this era. It worked magnificently in Casino Royale, but I hope the next Bond actor is not there to continue off the same overhaul that the reboot created.

superdaddy

Every single day.

superdaddy

The main reason that really bugs me personnely about DC inthe role(I will keep this polite) is that he always seems to be the smallest man on screen whereas all the other Bonds never had this problem. I have to agree its the producers fault why the hell pick a 5'7 actor to play a 6ft character.

Number24

History shows us that seven movies is too many.The movies get to bloated and self-mockig and the actor gets too old. Craig is a very good Bond and will probably age well, but I hope he will make five. I do look forward to the lively debate about the next Bond. So far my money (a small sum) is on Michael Fassbender, Henry Cavill, Clive Standen and Max Brown. But that list will probably change with time.

TonyDP

Echoing what Napoleon and Barry said, to me Craig is part of a larger problem; namely the creative direction the producers have taken Bond. I don't like it at all; it lacks the inventiveness, extravagance and sheer fun of the earlier films. The producers have taken Bond down a pretty dark path of late and the Bond films look just like cookie cutter action movies, devoid of the grandeur that used to set them apart.

So for me the answer to the question is yes, I do look forward to the day Craig leaves because he simply doesn't fit my vision of Bond at all, but I'm willing to cut him some slack because the movies he inhabits are equally forgettable.

Predator

Lots of people have clearly been saving up for this thread

No, I don't look forward to Craig leaving. Personally I like the fella, I like the direction in which Bond is moving towards and while I would not be against his growing a couple of inches, or his use of a little more hair dye, it doesn't really bother me ... long lanky fellas are harder to fit in Panavision.

I really don't look forward to a new Bond for the reason I didn't look forward to the change over to Craig - this forum becomes a morass of threads each extolling the virtues of one young British (or worse actors who look British) actor after another (many of which would I'm sure be great in the role, but really ....!) and then the inevitable backlash against the one that is chosen.

CR was a great film, QoS slightly less so. Let's see what Skyfall comes out like and then let's judge on that.

Moonraker 5

Predator wrote:

Lots of people have clearly been saving up for this thread

No, I don't look forward to Craig leaving. Personally I like the fella, I like the direction in which Bond is moving towards and while I would not be against his growing a couple of inches, or his use of a little more hair dye, it doesn't really bother me ... long lanky fellas are harder to fit in Panavision.

I really don't look forward to a new Bond for the reason I didn't look forward to the change over to Craig - this forum becomes a morass of threads each extolling the virtues of one young British (or worse actors who look British) actor after another (many of which would I'm sure be great in the role, but really ....!) and then the inevitable backlash against the one that is chosen.

CR was a great film, QoS slightly less so. Let's see what Skyfall comes out like and then let's judge on that.

I actually couldn't say anything different to that. My sentiments exactly.

welshboy78

Casino Royale was so damn refreshing, I was losing interest with Bond the more guff EON was pumping out with Brosnan, the franchise was going down the pan.

If Skyfall is equal or a better film then Casino Royale then I'm afraid DC will cement himself as one of the best 007s (only second to Connery as Bond)

No offence but at least DC looks like he can take care of himself - Brosnan, Dalton and Moore look like wimps!!

Blackleiter

I second that. Craig makes a fine Bond, I like the direction of the re-boot, and I hope Skyfall is a worthy continuation of the evolution of Bond (in which case I, for one, will be eagerly awaiting Craig's follow-up to Skyfall.)

Predator wrote:

Lots of people have clearly been saving up for this thread

No, I don't look forward to Craig leaving. Personally I like the fella, I like the direction in which Bond is moving towards and while I would not be against his growing a couple of inches, or his use of a little more hair dye, it doesn't really bother me ... long lanky fellas are harder to fit in Panavision.

I really don't look forward to a new Bond for the reason I didn't look forward to the change over to Craig - this forum becomes a morass of threads each extolling the virtues of one young British (or worse actors who look British) actor after another (many of which would I'm sure be great in the role, but really ....!) and then the inevitable backlash against the one that is chosen.

CR was a great film, QoS slightly less so. Let's see what Skyfall comes out like and then let's judge on that.

superdaddy

welshboy78 wrote:

Casino Royale was so damn refreshing, I was losing interest with Bond the more guff EON was pumping out with Brosnan, the franchise was going down the pan.

If Skyfall is equal or a better film then Casino Royale then I'm afraid DC will cement himself as one of the best 007s (only second to Connery as Bond)

No offence but at least DC looks like he can take care of himself - Brosnan, Dalton and Moore look like wimps!!

I cannot understand this mentality some people have that if you have big musclesy you are a tough guy and yet in my experiance(22 years inthe forces) all the really tough guys were whip thin and wiry and not like Arnie or Sly. Most of the gym gimps could not beat themselves up.
That off my chest, back on topic, if Craig does another after 23 then fair play to him and his fans
But I personnely cannot wait to get back to the more traditional cinematic Bonds with an actor who looks the part and acts the part after all the cinematic Bond is supposed to be a sauce, gentalman and IMO that is something I do not see in Craig.
Many of his fans say he is the closet to Flemings Bond again I do not see this as Flemings first choices were Niven and Richard Todd(who I believe was one of the people whom Fleming used as
A basis for his literary character) and both these late great gentalman are as far removed from Craig as can be.Again this is just my opione and is not ment to cause offence(in case any gym gimps are reading).

welshboy78

I didn't mention muscles! In fact in my opinion in QoS he is not gym muscular at all, mainly lean! DC is no longer looking like a bodybuilder - CR he looked big but is a stick now in comparison. I'm on about his all round characteristics and ability to act out his fight scenes (take note Roger Moore, with his dainty karate chop pose). Daniel Craig comes across as dangerous and believable in fight scenes, from his eyes, attitude as well as his actions, not just muscle!!

Granted a lot of this comes down to choreography and chosen level of realism however to date I would say DC's Bond is closest to Flemmings cold killer which is refreshing for me. I don't want to return back to the old days quite just yet!!

Agree that best fighters are not the beefcakes! I've learnt myself in a few scraps from my younger days that speed is key over power lol!! However some of our spy's don't even look fit enough to last 90 mins in a footie match

Moore Than

Predator wrote:

I really don't look forward to a new Bond for the reason I didn't look forward to the change over to Craig - this forum becomes a morass of threads each extolling the virtues of one young British (or worse actors who look British) actor after another (many of which would I'm sure be great in the role, but really ....!) and then the inevitable backlash against the one that is chosen.

Difficult to imagine the debate getting more ugly and intense than it was in those days and weeks after Daniel Craig was revealed as Bond 6. But then again.....

superdaddy

welshboy78 wrote:

I didn't mention muscles! In fact in my opinion in QoS he is not gym muscular at all, mainly lean! DC is no longer looking like a bodybuilder - CR he looked big but is a stick now in comparison. I'm on about his all round characteristics and ability to act out his fight scenes (take note Roger Moore, with his dainty karate chop pose). Daniel Craig comes across as dangerous and believable in fight scenes, from his eyes, attitude as well as his actions, not just muscle!!

Granted a lot of this comes down to choreography and chosen level of realism however to date I would say DC's Bond is closest to Flemmings cold killer which is refreshing for me. I don't want to return back to the old days quite just yet!!

Agree that best fighters are not the beefcakes! I've learnt myself in a few scraps from my younger days that speed is key over power lol!! However some of our spy's don't even look fit enough to last 90 mins in a footie match

Fair enough, but one has to remember when laughing at Moore and his films, fighting prowess and raised eyebrow, is that this was the style of the times and it was what audiences wanted and loved back then. I can remember the whole cinema cheering and clapping at Moonraker when it was first out and yet now it seems the one movie that Moorebashers(perhaps a little harsh) seem to love to knock.
Who knows in a few years time Craig fans might be making fun of his pouting and Bourne imitations.

Thunderpussy

Here's a real tough Nut who'd Kick Craig's Bond all over the Place. )
http://youtu.be/2_5kHt2HdZs

welshboy78

superdaddy wrote:

Fair enough, but one has to remember when laughing at Moore and his films, fighting prowess and raised eyebrow, is that this was the style of the times and it was what audiences wanted and loved back then. I can remember the whole cinema cheering and clapping at Moonraker when it was first out and yet now it seems the one movie that Moorebashers(perhaps a little harsh) seem to love to knock.
Who knows in a few years time Craig fans might be making fun of his pouting and Bourne imitations.

Of course, at the height of Kung Fu / Karate mania, I was a sucker for all that !!

Im sure your right and we will go full circle, just like I imagine in 10 years time we will prob have CGI Free categories as people will prefer to see films made properly again!!! ) Don't think I can remember being floored by a CGI Film, maybe when Gollum first appeared and that was about it but now thats standard!!

thesecretagent

welshboy78 wrote:

I didn't mention muscles! In fact in my opinion in QoS he is not gym muscular at all, mainly lean! DC is no longer looking like a bodybuilder - CR he looked big but is a stick now in comparison. I'm on about his all round characteristics and ability to act out his fight scenes (take note Roger Moore, with his dainty karate chop pose). Daniel Craig comes across as dangerous and believable in fight scenes, from his eyes, attitude as well as his actions, not just muscle!!

Granted a lot of this comes down to choreography and chosen level of realism however to date I would say DC's Bond is closest to Flemmings cold killer which is refreshing for me. I don't want to return back to the old days quite just yet!!

Agree that best fighters are not the beefcakes! I've learnt myself in a few scraps from my younger days that speed is key over power lol!! However some of our spy's don't even look fit enough to last 90 mins in a footie match

That beginning scene in Cowboys and Aliens where Craig basically punches the bloke to death in the beginning is pretty believable. It doesn't matter about size etc, you wouldn't want to be looking up at a guy hitting you like that.

Hardyboy

This talk of the Bond series "getting back to what it used to be" before Craig became Bond strikes me as ridiculous. When a new Bond comes along the series will be different, and I'm sure people will be whining and complaining that the films ain't what they were back in the good ol' Craig days. James Bond movies constantly change and develop--not just with actors, but with eras. A style that worked for one time usually doesn't work in a different period. It amazes me that a lot of people here have forgotten that in recent years the producers did try to create a Roger Moore-style Bond film, with outsized sets and a science fiction plot: the result was Die Another Day, which, fairly or unfairly, is one of the most hated Bond flicks ever made. Sometimes you can't go back.

Napoleon Plural

Moore's films are in the same context as family favourites like Charade or The Sound of Music, they are lovely family films hopefully with a bit of genuine wit somewhere in there. I like that stuff, but you don't see films like that these days...

superdaddy

Napoleon Plural wrote:

Moore's films are in the same context as family favourites like Charade or The Sound of Music, they are lovely family films hopefully with a bit of genuine wit somewhere in there. I like that stuff, but you don't see films like that these days...

Napoleon Plural wrote:

Moore's films are in the same context as family favourites like Charade or The Sound of Music, they are lovely family films hopefully with a bit of genuine wit somewhere in there. I like that stuff, but you don't see films like that these days...

Well said.

Thunderbird 2

What a lovely question this is (!)

No. Qos was a bum note for me, but I like Mr Craig as the character, and CR ticked all the boxes for me. Not at first, it was the second time I saw it it sank in properly, and its become my favourite Bond film of the lot. As to comments about the look / physicality / manner / fighting style etc, a lot of these aspects in the character are not down to the actor! We all know that. The Bond build, the Bond wardrobe style, Bond's drinks, - the podcasts alone (brilliant by the way David, don't stop!) demonstrate how little control the actor who plays 007 actually has.

Hardyboy is right - the Bond films have changed and evolved and reflected the timeframe in which they were each made. All have strengths and weaknesses, but one consistency is the calibre of the actor playing Bond. I also think that Craig has provided "that Bond there wot Fleming wrote," and in some ways, it might be argued took the character that Dalton first hinted at and advanced the style. - When Bond is stripped naked and whacked in the CENSORED! by Le Chiffre, I was wincing at what he was going through, amazed at his build, but also thought "I can't see any of the previous 007's agreeing to this scene!"

In the end, all forms of film and tv narrative evolve, they have to. The difference with Bond is the films is since they started in the early 60's have created an unbroken chain. But each link in that chain has been different. Bond will continue to evolve. Like life, the whole point is to enjoy the present point, and reflect / reminisce on the past creations. - Not look too far ahead, and anticipate something that could be a crashing disappointment, if it happens at all...

Daniel Craig IS James Bond. Nothing else matters for now.