He is very well liked by the ladies and he can play the charmer. But does he have the ability to play the darker sides of Bond? Even more importantly, does he have what it takes to become a movie star?
I’ve got a bit of a bone to pick here. Toughness on screen is about more than “bulking up.” There’s an intangible element that you can’t obtain through a good fitness regimen, and you can’t fake it no matter how talented of an actor you are. Connery and Lazenby were not “bulked up,” but I’d take them in a fight over most of the “bulked up” comic book movie stars with whom we are all familiar.
None of this is to say that Page would not make a good Bond. But I don’t think he’d be very convincing as a hardened ex-commando type.
I think Connery was pretty solid-looking: moreso than pretty much any of his contemporary film stars really.
In terms of ex-commando, Gymkata is right when he mentions Pierce: I don't really buy him as ever having been in the armed forces. Roger on the other hand I could believe was a Navy guy, if perhaps not someone who could kill with a single blow 😀
I agree on both counts regarding Roger and Pierce. And they are probably my favorite Bonds, hence why I said that not being inherently tough doesn’t disqualify an actor from being a good Bond in my eyes. My point was just to state that one can’t simply add muscle to gain toughness. And I do question whether the modern audience, immediately post Craig, would accept a softer take on Bond. Doesn’t necessarily mean I wouldn’t take it.
Would just like to point out Rog was actually in the army in real life.. officer in the intelligence !..also another Bond actor David Niven was a commando… both soft spoken perfect gentlemen .. no Arnie big muscles or look at me I’m tough attitude…. My point being never assume someone couldn’t rip your throat out just because they look more like Charles Hawtrey than Charles Bronson.
I don't disagree with you, although I sort of wonder if adding muscle really doesn't help toughness? I totally get that actors can play tough without it, but are there any muscly actors who play tough unconvincingly? I think it generally works, doesn't it?
I think it has less to do with reality than what the cinematic standard for a "tough" guy is, especially these days.
I don't believe that the contemporary Bond needs to be "muscled up" but they cannot appear frail, soft or pudgy. I always imagined the literary Bond as being lean and wiry, much like Connery in DN. Height aside, Craig was really too bulked up in CR, but I think it served several purposes:
1) When Craig rises out of the surf he epitomized the current public perception of what a formidable "tough" guy action hero should look like
2) Any concerns among the hardcore fans (yes, it is us I am speaking of) and the general audience would have about a 5'10"ish blond Bond were pretty much extinguished
3) Craig / Bond's physique as a new, less polished "00" was indicative of a Bond who still had one foot in his SBS roots (bit of a stretch I know but I like to throw that interpretation in).
Personally, as an act to follow-up Craig's portrayal/interpretation of Bond, I did like the idea of a Tom Hiddleston or Tom Ellis playing Bond as almost a borderline personality. Physically, lean, lithe and fit but with evidence of the scars of his profession deftly covered up by a well tailored classic wardrobe . Personality wise, cultured, smooth, relatively but not overly or artificially charming with a wry / mischievous sense of humor who then can turn on a dime to a driven, cold, deadly, highly efficient purveyor of unspeakable acts of violence. More or less a much toned down version of Ellis' performance as the Devil in Lucifer. That would be my Bond. Unfortunately, both Ellis and Hiddleston are a little too old and/or tied to other projects to be the next Bond.
Any fit, UK-born white guy under 35 with guts and a good speaking voice will work. I suggest start looking for an unknown veteran and steer clear of the androgynous pretty-boys who may induce a hernia while lifting a resin PPK.
I think you're right. Superman probably made him too famous, but this franchise must puts him in direct competition with Bond. Then again I'm sure many thought the same when he joined The Man From UNCLE, but few remember that one.
If Craig hadn’t hung on for five years too long, we might’ve seen Cavill get a crack, even taking Superman into account. But there was no chance for him at this point, so it makes sense that he’s signed on for a competing franchise that could have significant upside. Bond is increasingly feeling like old news. The pandemic-related delays certainly contribute to this, but waiting around years for Mendes and Craig, respectively, squandered a ton of momentum in the wake of Skyfall/50th anniversary. The one saving grace is that Bond films are usually best when they shake up the formula, and we’re well overdue for that. So here’s hoping that Bond 26 is a classic.
Did not see this coming! Good fit (as he would have been for Bond). Perhaps he jumped at a too good an opportunity to miss. If he'd waited for Bond and didn't get it and had passed on Simon Templar in doing so, he would have been kicking himself.
Best of luck to him. Hopefully, after three disappointing efforts, they'll get The Saint right this time!
We still don't know when the next Bond actor gets cast or how many seasons the new Saint series will last. This means the role as The Saint may not stop him from becoming Bond.
I feel like he might suit the Saint better, as Templar is a more playful, in some ways more elegant character compared to Bond. I'd like to see him play it and he's probably the most interesting casting they've had for the role in a while, but these new Saint projects seem to come and go so often without reaching the screen that I won't hold my breath to actually see it. It was Chris Pine this time last year.
the new Eternals trailer really puts Richard Madden at the centre. He seems like the perfect mixture of Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan. He isn't my first choice, but I would not be upset if he got cast. He's a terrific actor....
Call me shallow, but my issue with Richard Madden is his height - 5'8" I know Tom Cruise can pull it off (5'7"?) and Matt Damon is 5'9", but I just think Bond should be a bit taller than average height.
(The beautiful) Keeley Hawes is just under 5'7" and in the picture below is wearing standard heels you would expect any Bond lady to wear. RM is wearing a standard gents heel himself, but still comes up short;
There's no one who jumps out for me at the moment as the next Bond. The ones that did excite me have all gone past their best-before date given that Eon will want someone for a minimum 2-3 films which could mean 8-10 years. What I do find intriguing is that when Craig was announced as Bond I was not unhappy but when I look back now at some of the photos of him from that time, he looks extremely young to me to be Bond. That's either because I've got older or he's got older or a combination of both!
Some really good candidates are aging out, that's true. But there are good actors who are relatively young. Max Irons, Aaron Taylor-Johnsson, Nicolas Hoult and James Norton are all born in 1985 or later.
Me? I'm dark-haired, 6'2'', have blue-gray eyes and a pale-skin. Not like Bond at all!
But om the other hand I'm not British and I have no acting experience just like Lazenby. I'm born in about 1970 like Craig and I'm not good at doing stunts like Roger Moore. Maybe you're right! 😆
Comments
He is very well liked by the ladies and he can play the charmer. But does he have the ability to play the darker sides of Bond? Even more importantly, does he have what it takes to become a movie star?
I’ve got a bit of a bone to pick here. Toughness on screen is about more than “bulking up.” There’s an intangible element that you can’t obtain through a good fitness regimen, and you can’t fake it no matter how talented of an actor you are. Connery and Lazenby were not “bulked up,” but I’d take them in a fight over most of the “bulked up” comic book movie stars with whom we are all familiar.
None of this is to say that Page would not make a good Bond. But I don’t think he’d be very convincing as a hardened ex-commando type.
I think it's mentioned in LALD when he and Felix are noticed as being two white men in a bar or something.
That's just for the sake of trivia; it's not a comment on whether a white guy has to play him in films! :)
I think Connery was pretty solid-looking: moreso than pretty much any of his contemporary film stars really.
In terms of ex-commando, Gymkata is right when he mentions Pierce: I don't really buy him as ever having been in the armed forces. Roger on the other hand I could believe was a Navy guy, if perhaps not someone who could kill with a single blow 😀
I agree on both counts regarding Roger and Pierce. And they are probably my favorite Bonds, hence why I said that not being inherently tough doesn’t disqualify an actor from being a good Bond in my eyes. My point was just to state that one can’t simply add muscle to gain toughness. And I do question whether the modern audience, immediately post Craig, would accept a softer take on Bond. Doesn’t necessarily mean I wouldn’t take it.
Would just like to point out Rog was actually in the army in real life.. officer in the intelligence !..also another Bond actor David Niven was a commando… both soft spoken perfect gentlemen .. no Arnie big muscles or look at me I’m tough attitude…. My point being never assume someone couldn’t rip your throat out just because they look more like Charles Hawtrey than Charles Bronson.
I don't disagree with you, although I sort of wonder if adding muscle really doesn't help toughness? I totally get that actors can play tough without it, but are there any muscly actors who play tough unconvincingly? I think it generally works, doesn't it?
I think it has less to do with reality than what the cinematic standard for a "tough" guy is, especially these days.
I don't believe that the contemporary Bond needs to be "muscled up" but they cannot appear frail, soft or pudgy. I always imagined the literary Bond as being lean and wiry, much like Connery in DN. Height aside, Craig was really too bulked up in CR, but I think it served several purposes:
1) When Craig rises out of the surf he epitomized the current public perception of what a formidable "tough" guy action hero should look like
2) Any concerns among the hardcore fans (yes, it is us I am speaking of) and the general audience would have about a 5'10"ish blond Bond were pretty much extinguished
3) Craig / Bond's physique as a new, less polished "00" was indicative of a Bond who still had one foot in his SBS roots (bit of a stretch I know but I like to throw that interpretation in).
Personally, as an act to follow-up Craig's portrayal/interpretation of Bond, I did like the idea of a Tom Hiddleston or Tom Ellis playing Bond as almost a borderline personality. Physically, lean, lithe and fit but with evidence of the scars of his profession deftly covered up by a well tailored classic wardrobe . Personality wise, cultured, smooth, relatively but not overly or artificially charming with a wry / mischievous sense of humor who then can turn on a dime to a driven, cold, deadly, highly efficient purveyor of unspeakable acts of violence. More or less a much toned down version of Ellis' performance as the Devil in Lucifer. That would be my Bond. Unfortunately, both Ellis and Hiddleston are a little too old and/or tied to other projects to be the next Bond.
Any fit, UK-born white guy under 35 with guts and a good speaking voice will work. I suggest start looking for an unknown veteran and steer clear of the androgynous pretty-boys who may induce a hernia while lifting a resin PPK.
I think you're right. Superman probably made him too famous, but this franchise must puts him in direct competition with Bond. Then again I'm sure many thought the same when he joined The Man From UNCLE, but few remember that one.
Idris Elba or Richard Madden!
-Luke
Instagram: @BondsApartment
Youtube: Bonds Apartment
If Craig hadn’t hung on for five years too long, we might’ve seen Cavill get a crack, even taking Superman into account. But there was no chance for him at this point, so it makes sense that he’s signed on for a competing franchise that could have significant upside. Bond is increasingly feeling like old news. The pandemic-related delays certainly contribute to this, but waiting around years for Mendes and Craig, respectively, squandered a ton of momentum in the wake of Skyfall/50th anniversary. The one saving grace is that Bond films are usually best when they shake up the formula, and we’re well overdue for that. So here’s hoping that Bond 26 is a classic.
Couldn’t agree more….imho Cavill was a missed opportunity!…Tom Cullen or Tom Bateman for 007 number 7!!
Interesting! I thought the stars were aligning for him.
Well it turned out ok for Big Rog!!!….can’t see a new Bond film being made for at least another 3 years.. so who knows… history may repeat itself!!
Did not see this coming! Good fit (as he would have been for Bond). Perhaps he jumped at a too good an opportunity to miss. If he'd waited for Bond and didn't get it and had passed on Simon Templar in doing so, he would have been kicking himself.
Best of luck to him. Hopefully, after three disappointing efforts, they'll get The Saint right this time!
We still don't know when the next Bond actor gets cast or how many seasons the new Saint series will last. This means the role as The Saint may not stop him from becoming Bond.
I feel like he might suit the Saint better, as Templar is a more playful, in some ways more elegant character compared to Bond. I'd like to see him play it and he's probably the most interesting casting they've had for the role in a while, but these new Saint projects seem to come and go so often without reaching the screen that I won't hold my breath to actually see it. It was Chris Pine this time last year.
the new Eternals trailer really puts Richard Madden at the centre. He seems like the perfect mixture of Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan. He isn't my first choice, but I would not be upset if he got cast. He's a terrific actor....
Madden would be a fine choice. He’s got great screen presence, although he’s a bit one dimensional from what I’ve seen of him.
Aidan Turner is still my runaway pick, although he’s aging out.
Call me shallow, but my issue with Richard Madden is his height - 5'8" I know Tom Cruise can pull it off (5'7"?) and Matt Damon is 5'9", but I just think Bond should be a bit taller than average height.
(The beautiful) Keeley Hawes is just under 5'7" and in the picture below is wearing standard heels you would expect any Bond lady to wear. RM is wearing a standard gents heel himself, but still comes up short;
It shouldn't be news to anyone, but I'm shallow too! 😁
There's always more fun in the shallow end!
There's no one who jumps out for me at the moment as the next Bond. The ones that did excite me have all gone past their best-before date given that Eon will want someone for a minimum 2-3 films which could mean 8-10 years. What I do find intriguing is that when Craig was announced as Bond I was not unhappy but when I look back now at some of the photos of him from that time, he looks extremely young to me to be Bond. That's either because I've got older or he's got older or a combination of both!
Some really good candidates are aging out, that's true. But there are good actors who are relatively young. Max Irons, Aaron Taylor-Johnsson, Nicolas Hoult and James Norton are all born in 1985 or later.
What about you, Number24? I think you'd be a perfect Bond!
Me? I'm dark-haired, 6'2'', have blue-gray eyes and a pale-skin. Not like Bond at all!
But om the other hand I'm not British and I have no acting experience just like Lazenby. I'm born in about 1970 like Craig and I'm not good at doing stunts like Roger Moore. Maybe you're right! 😆
Rege Jean-Page is born in 1990.
You've got my vote and I'll take great pride in saying "I knew Number24 before he was famous..." !
I don't know how I can lose the casting process now that I have your vote. 🙂
Neither do I, but we don't know for how long he'll be the Saint.