Lazenby's Departure

Jarvio

Ok, so on one hand I read that Lazenby quit the role of bond from his own free will.
But on another hand, I saw a documentary saying that the producers sacked him from the role...

Which is it? Did he leave on his own accord, or did the producers get rid of him?

What about the other actors? I know that Connery and Moore left by their own choice, but what about TD and PB?

The Domino Effect

What Lois Maxwell - Miss Moneypenny - said to me, was that EON wanted to give him a multi-film contract, but he thought he'd do better financially by re-negotiating after OHMSS had been released. Alas, he wasn't a particularly popular Bond and EON chose not to sign him for another film.

Q and M

Dalton left because of the delay in the making of the films, was supposed to do a Bond film in 1991 which was cancelled, and by the time he quit in 1994, 5 years had passed since Licence To Kill. Any actor would be disullussioned by such a wait. A shame really, would have loved him to have done 1 or 2 more films!!!!!

Blackleiter

I agree. What a missed opportunity!

Q and M wrote:

Dalton left because of the delay in the making of the films, was supposed to do a Bond film in 1991 which was cancelled, and by the time he quit in 1994, 5 years had passed since Licence To Kill. Any actor would be disullussioned by such a wait. A shame really, would have loved him to have done 1 or 2 more films!!!!!

GordoLeiter

Lazenby was offered a 7 picture contract from what ive heard, that means DAF,LALD,THWTGG,TSWLM,MR, and OP were meant to be his films, and the Moore era would have never exisited.

BIG TAM

Yes, Q and M. It really is the big tragedy of the series that Dalton never got to do a couple more films. I always got the sense audiences didn't warm to him, preferring less brooding & more quipping. How times change, eh.

Napoleon Plural

Stories differ on this. It's the old 'You can't sack me, I quit!' routine though Lazenby may well be telling the truth. I don't know if the producers ever really came out and said they fired him. It's implied on an anecdote on the OHMSS DVD, where Lazenby is fooling around on a pony and harrassing Bernard Lee for sport. Someone says 'Cubby never forgave him'. Thing is, Lazenby acted like Errol Flynn, but Flynn was a big name when he did all that off set, whereas Lazenby was dispensable.

Dalton was a friend of the family so they wouldn't say he got the push, but there was a sense that MGM wanted Brosnan instead. Arnie was quite dismissive of LTK in passing on a chat show when talking up maybe True Lies I think it was. Q magazine wasn't keen on Dalton, one critic thought he was the worst Bond ever, including Lazenby. People tried to follow the call sheet, but he was a grim Bond at at time when you had Martin Riggs and McClane making wisecracks.

Sir Miles

Will we ever get the real truth as to why Lazenby left ? Does anybody actually know the real truth behind this anymore ?

Here's what George thinks anyway...CNN Interview

Blood_Stone

He made the mistake of listening to his agent and leaving EON high and dry.

The Domino Effect

The Domino Effect wrote:

What Lois Maxwell - Miss Moneypenny - said to me, was that EON wanted to give him a multi-film contract, but he thought he'd do better financially by re-negotiating after OHMSS had been released. Alas, he wasn't a particularly popular Bond and EON chose not to sign him for another film.

I still think Lois Maxwell's explanation makes the most sense and if true, it's correct that EON decided against bringing him back after OHMSS but it does also mean that Lazenby isn't lying when he claims that he only chose to do one film.