James McAvoy as Ian Fleming?

Comments

• Mister White The NetherlandsPosts: 814MI6 Agent

  December 2009

  Interesting indeed.
  
  And better they take a young actor that they could make up to look old, than an old actor trying desperately to look young for the first part of the movie.
  
  That would probably just have been embarassing...

  "Christ, I miss the Cold War."
• ghost1 Posts: 82MI6 Agent

  December 2009

  Very interesting , it would be very embarassing if they actor was older.
• superado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,654MI6 Agent

  January 2010 edited January 2010

  Ever since I first saw McAvoy in "Last King of Scotland," I've thought of him being ideal as the (faithfully) literary Bond, though like with my qualms with Craig, height (5' 7", I believe) was a very minor concern, which is a factor whether it's Bond or Fleming, since both are tall (Fleming is often described and remembered by others for being that). "Atonement" shows that McAvoy can do Bond's pre-MI6 days, e.g., Eton and WWII.
  
  "Wanted" qualfies McAvoy's action film chops, though it would be overkill for a "faithful" rendering of Fleming's action narratives. Reading Young Bond these past years helped in making that period more vivid for me, and McAvoy's pale and slightly freckled complexion, for example, is how Bond's would have been like before he began enjoying his avid outdoor lifestyle that would give adult Bond his tanned complexion. Being born a Scot would be irrelevant on film, but it adds to the conceptual appeal. Additionally, McAvoy's relatively detached an unexpressive personality (though not to be mistaken as flat or wooden) is more similar to the literary Bond, whereas the extroverted interpretations of Charles Dance and Ben Daniels seem more fitting for Fleming as he was described by people close to him.
  
  As far as this Fleming biopic, I'd be curious to see what edge they can create to make it more grabbing. I've re-watched the ones made so far, including the documentaries and admittedly, the repeated treatments on Fleming's troubled relationships have gotten boring, particularly when this aspect of his life becomes the main plot focus (e.g., "Bond Maker"). There are so many other aspects of his life, not to count his wartime contributions, that could be developed more fully for an interesting screen treatment, since the Bond stories are just a partial reflection of his intellectual and cultural dimension.

  "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
• Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,174MI6 Agent

  January 2010

  It would be fun if Christoffer Lee (not the actor, but someone playing the actor as a young commando )
  He is related to Flemming and was involved in special operations, so why not?
• The Domino Effect Posts: 3,636MI6 Agent

  January 2010

  Am I completely imagining this, or was Jude Law once connected with the Ian Fleming role? I could have sworn I read that 1-2 years ago but a Google search doesn't produce anything. I could see Law playing a middle-aged Fleming.