Who could have played Bond as good as...?

Virgil37

We all know who played James Bond. We all know who could have played James Bond. But who do you feel from the candidates could have played Bond just as good as the actor who was finally chosen (meaning having similar success, being accepted by audiences,...). I'll skip Lazenby, since he only did one movie.

CONNERY TENURE.- from the candidates mentioned when Sean was chosen, I think Patrick McGoohan could have played Bond really well. Good looks, right age, 6' 1". Definitely a good candidate.

MOORE TENURE.- this is harder.Not so many known contenders. Around 1971 they wanted to americanize Bond, which I think would have been a terrible mistake, so the possible names like Reynolds, Eastwood or Gavin don't convince me. I'd say around that time Moore was just about the only one that fulfilled all requirements; british,good looks,tall,already established actor.

DALTON TENURE.- Sam Neill, even though I don't care for his test in TLD DVD, I think he could have pulled it off (although he should have worked out a little).

BROSNAN TENURE.- Paul McGann apparently impressed producers. Not that well known across the world, but neither was Dalton or Connery. His face is just how I envision the literary Bond.

CRAIG TENURE.- No doubt in my mind. Clive Owen could have been as great as Craig turned out to be.

chrisisall

Virgil37 wrote:

CRAIG TENURE.- No doubt in my mind. Clive Owen could have been as great as Craig turned out to be.

No argument from ME there.

hehadlotsofguts

If Lazenby hadn't played Bond, who would be a good contender? I think Michael Billington would've been good. He was considered before he was chosen to play Sergei Barsov. He has that Bondishness about him.

Higgins

Virgil37 wrote:

CRAIG TENURE.- No doubt in my mind. Clive Owen could have been as great as Craig turned out to be.

You are on a run!
I again totally agree with you!

James Suzuki

I heard that Hugh Grant was Considered, I think it was for the Brosnan era. I would been interested in seeing what his version of Bond would have been like.

Virgil37

James Suzuki wrote:

I heard that Hugh Grant was Considered, I think it was for the Brosnan era. I would been interested in seeing what his version of Bond would have been like.

Yes, I remember it very well. It was around his "Four Weddings and a Funeral" hype in 1994. I myself never saw him as Bond, but maybe he could have played him as Moore.

Virgil37

hehadlotsofguts wrote:

If Lazenby hadn't played Bond, who would be a good contender? I think Michael Billington would've been good. He was considered before he was chosen to play Sergei Barsov. He has that Bondishness about him.

Yep, Michael Billington definitely could have played Bond. He was a contender in the 70s, right?

Barbel

Yes, that's right.

Moore Than

A few names to throw in the mix. From what I have read, Mel Gibson was considered for the role of 007 before Timothy Dalton was cast, Sean Bean was in the running but ended up playing the villain instead in Goldeneye, and Henry Cavill screen tested for Casino Royale but was considered too young.

Bean and Cavill had good potential I feel. Bean more for the darker aspects of the character, Cavill for the lighter aspects and his looks.

AlphaOmegaSin

Clive Owen was a rumored Name before Craig got the Role.

Barbel

http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/42496/possible-bond-actors/ may be of interest.

Virgil37

Barbel wrote:

http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/42496/possible-bond-actors/ may be of interest.

The contenders are well known, but who among them do you think would have been just as good as the chosen ones? Name one contender for each actor/decade.

BIG TAM

Connery Era - Richard Johnson or Patrick McGoohan
Lazenby Era - Oliver Reed
Moore Era - David Warbeck or Michael Billington
Dalton Era - Sam Neill
Brosnan Era - Jeremy Northam or Dougray Scott
Craig Era - Clive Owen

Gassy Man

The only actors listed so far that interest me are Michael Billington and Patrick McGoohan, the former of which would have lent a Dalton/Connery vibe to the role, and the latter of which would have made Bond much more cerebral. Richard Johnson more or less looks the part, but if his turn as Bulldog Drummond is any indication, he lacks the sparks the carry off the requisite romantic scenes.

I do think Burt Reynolds, when younger, might have been an interesting choice to succeed Connery, before Reynolds became a cartoon, and I would have been okay with Lewis Collins being given a chance. For a while, I though Ian Olgilvy would succeed Roger Moore, and I actually wanted Pierce Brosnan before Timothy Dalton to take the role. If he was a foot taller, I would have suggested Ian McShane after Connery.

Thunderpussy

I always thought that Clive Owen and Jason Isaacs would
Have made great Bonds. {[]

Moore Than

Gassy Man wrote:

I would have been okay with Lewis Collins being given a chance. For a while, I though Ian Olgilvy would succeed Roger Moore,

For a while, I also thought that Ian Ogilvy would succeed Roger Moore. He appeared the natural successor when cast to play Simon Templar in The Return of the Saint, it was as if he was being groomed for the role of 007.

And I also would have been okay with Lewis Collins. He pretty much had it all to be a successful Bond. The ability, looks, physique, he could be convincingly charming and tough in equal measure.

Thunderpussy

Lewis Collins, would have made a fantastic 007. {[]
I'm still watching the Professionals -{ ) because he's
In it. He did say himself that he came on as too aggressive
In his audition, and so wasn't asked back. I think he'd
Have played it very much like Daniel Craig.

Charmed & Dangerous

I'm with TP - Jason Isaacs would have made as good a Bond as DC (much as I like DC's portrayal ).

McGoohan (of whom I'm a massive fan) would have made a great cerebral Bond but, being the first, would potentially have set a pattern that was less oriented on 'Martinis, girls and guns' and more on Bond talking his way into and out of trouble. And if that pattern set the mould, we wouldn't have the Bond we have now. So I really can't see anyone other than Connery playing the role as definitively (or auspiciously) at that time.

Dougray Scott impressed me in M:I2, too and could gave been interesting.

Dalton era: I would have been interested to see Daniel Day-Lewis...

DevilMayCare007

Jason Isaacs would have made a great villain not Bond

Thunderpussy

He did a play about " Steptoe and son" ( 60s comedy) seeing him
In the 60s setting, with the clothes and hair brushed back, to me
He was Bond in waiting. )

Virgil37

Thunderpussy wrote:

Lewis Collins, would have made a fantastic 007. {[]
I'm still watching the Professionals -{ ) because he's
In it. He did say himself that he came on as too aggressive
In his audition, and so wasn't asked back. I think he'd
Have played it very much like Daniel Craig.

I wonder what he did on his audition. Apparently Connery started fisting the table and shouting that he wanted "to see (expletive) money". Lazenby broke the nose of a stuntman...That was not considered aggresive by the producers. What on earth did Lewis Collins do? Spank Cubby?

Blackleiter

Connery Tenure - Nobody
Moore Tenure - Anybody
Dalton Tenure - Drawing a blank on this one
Brosnan Tenure - Sean Bean
Craig Tenure - Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender

DevilMayCare007

Blackleiter wrote:

Craig Tenure - Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender

No love for Henry Cavill ) , I know he was young but he would have been great imo

Blackleiter

DevilMayCare007 wrote:

Blackleiter wrote:

Craig Tenure - Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender

No love for Henry Cavill ) , I know he was young but he would have been great imo

Yes, a little too young and a bit of a "pretty boy", but I don't rule out the possibility that he might have been able to pull it off.

chrisisall

Blackleiter wrote:

Connery Tenure - Nobody (agreed)
Moore Tenure - Anybody (Dalton)
Dalton Tenure - Drawing a blank on this one (Just say 'nobody' again)
Brosnan Tenure - Sean Bean (Jason Issacs)
Craig Tenure - Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender (I'd go with Clive)

Gassy Man

Perhaps I will change my mind after The Man from UNCLE finally comes out, but Cavill just never fit for me. He would bring a Tom Cruise quality to the Bond films I really don't want -- not everyone sees this, but he looks more like a type than a person to me, if that makes sense.

DevilMayCare007

Gassy Man wrote:

Perhaps I will change my mind after The Man from UNCLE finally comes out, but Cavill just never fit for me. He would bring a Tom Cruise quality to the Bond films I really don't want -- not everyone sees this, but he looks more like a type than a person to me, if that makes sense.

I understand where you're coming from ) I just hope they give him a chance to play Bond, but he'll probably be too busy playing Superman

Virgil37

Gassy Man wrote:

Perhaps I will change my mind after The Man from UNCLE finally comes out, but Cavill just never fit for me. He would bring a Tom Cruise quality to the Bond films I really don't want -- not everyone sees this, but he looks more like a type than a person to me, if that makes sense.

I never saw Cavill as Bond. I was surprised when I read that he auditioned. He projects an honesty, a goodfellow quality, that wouldn't work for Bond (but it's perfect for Superman).

Higgins

Thunderpussy wrote:

Lewis Collins, would have made a fantastic 007. {[]
I'm still watching the Professionals -{ ) because he's
In it. He did say himself that he came on as too aggressive
In his audition, and so wasn't asked back. I think he'd
Have played it very much like Daniel Craig.

Collins would have blown them out of the window!
How much I wished back then that he'd get the role!
And I still do!

I've just read that he applied with the S:A:S and passed the tests but was not accepted because he was too famous back them.

Number24

Patrick McGoohan instead of Connery

Michael Billington instead of Moore

Sam Neil instead of Dalton

Liam Neeson or James Purefoy instead of Brosnan

Michael Fassbender instead of Craig


I must admit I have seen very little of the work of McGoohan and Billington, but based on what I have seen ...

Blackleiter

chrisisall wrote:

Blackleiter wrote:

Connery Tenure - Nobody (agreed)
Moore Tenure - Anybody (Dalton)
Dalton Tenure - Drawing a blank on this one (Just say 'nobody' again)
Brosnan Tenure - Sean Bean (Jason Issacs)
Craig Tenure - Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender (I'd go with Clive)

Funny, I had Issacs on my Brosnan list and for some reason I deleted it before I posted. Good choice on your part, though. -{