Different 90s Bond?

Oakvale

If Brosnan declined the role, and Timothy Dalton obviously quit, who would be a top contender or get it?

It always seemed to me like there was a weak bench for the casting before Goldeneye, but that was probably because Brosnan stood head and shoulders above everyone else (literally).

Agent Lee

Of the other contenders that were circling the role around the time of GE, I think the most interesting would have been Paul McGann. Would have been much different than Brosnan and probably done something with the role much different than anything we've ever seen from any other Bond.

Sir Miles

James Purefoy was tested for Goldeneye and I think he could have been a good Bond -{

ToTheRight

In the polls, the contenders were Pierce, Mel Gibson, Liam Neeson and Hugh Grant. I suppose out of those Liam would have been my pick. Though I do like the idea of James Purefoy. He'd probably be my alternate had we not gotten Craig.

superado

IMO, the bench was weak then as it is now.

Oakvale

ToTheRight wrote:

In the polls, the contenders were Pierce, Mel Gibson, Liam Neeson and Hugh Grant. I suppose out of those Liam would have been my pick. Though I do like the idea of James Purefoy. He'd probably be my alternate had we not gotten Craig.

Hugh Grant physically fits the part as much as Brosnan did, he would probably get a lot of hype, and might be decent.

Neeson I think ruled himself out but Gibson would be... well... 8-)

Gassy Man

The 1990s were a slightly more bland, slightly more slick version of the 1980s, which means there weren't too many actors who could have stepped into the role as Bond and brought anything remarkable.

An actor I wish would have been considered, believe it or not, is Daniel Day Lewis. On first glance, he might not have enough qualities to play the role, but his performances in both The Unbearable Lightness of Being, where he plays a playboy physician not unlike movie Bond in temperament, and The Last of the Mohicans, where he is the heroic Hawkeye, convinced me he could do the role. Unfortunately. the trailer for the former does not do his performance justice;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1zYYWHFRNw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIPzGBiEE6k

A method actor like Lewis likely would have created the most faithful version of Fleming's Bond yet.

welshguy34

ToTheRight wrote:

In the polls, the contenders were Pierce, Mel Gibson, Liam Neeson and Hugh Grant. I suppose out of those Liam would have been my pick. Though I do like the idea of James Purefoy. He'd probably be my alternate had we not gotten Craig.

Thank god Hugh Grant did not get the job. Neeson would have been a good choice though.

Number24

Leam Neeson, James Purefoy and Daniel Day-Lewis would all have made good Bonds.
Hugh Grant would have been "too Roger Moore" IMO, but Sam Neil would have been a decent candidate. But Neil has spoken of his bond screentest as one of the worst experiences in his action life, so I doubt he would have taken the role.

ToTheRight

I remember going to see Four Weddings in the Spring of '94 just to see if this Hugh Grant guy could measure up for a potential 007. He certainly had a light Roger Moore quality, but unlike Sir Roger, I couldn't picture him throwing a punch. Also his '90s haircut wasn't remotely Bondian. Had Mel actually got the role it probably would have been seen as more of a Mel Gibson movie than a Bond film. I couldn't picture him in the gunbarrel, either. Funny thing is compared to the so called contenders today, I could still see why these actors might be considered, and might have eventually accepted Hugh or Mel in the role. Still, I feel Pierce is what the series needed at that time to introduce new audiences to the iconic role which had been absent for 6 and a half years.

zaphod99

Gassy Man wrote:

The 1990s were a slightly more bland, slightly more slick version of the 1980s, which means there weren't too many actors who could have stepped into the role as Bond and brought anything remarkable.

An actor I wish would have been considered, believe it or not, is Daniel Day Lewis. On first glance, he might not have enough qualities to play the role, but his performances in both The Unbearable Lightness of Being, where he plays a playboy physician not unlike movie Bond in temperament, and The Last of the Mohicans, where he is the heroic Hawkeye, convinced me he could do the role. Unfortunately. the trailer for the former does not do his performance justice;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1zYYWHFRNw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIPzGBiEE6k

A method actor like Lewis likely would have created the most faithful version of Fleming's Bond yet.

I agree, I always thought that he would have been terrific.

Weezer12

Jason Isaacs would've been my choice.