Reboot or Continuation
eric7064
USAPosts: 344MI6 Agent
This may be possibly answered after NTTD. But what do we think as a community?
They have rebooted Bond once with Craig, and it launched the most successful era of Bond ever when accounting for the box office.
Do they go the same route with the next Bond and tell a different story? Do we go back to Bond as a continuation of the last one.
I think with the way movies are today with big franchises, sequels, shared universes, etc. I dont know if we will ever see Bond's story just "continue" through another actor.
I personally think they will reboot again with a mid 30s actor. I'm not going to try and predict the story they will go with, but with NTTD being highlighted as Craig's last film,, and Bond's aging body being mentioned in the last 3 films, I feel it is the way they will go. in fact, I am starting to agree with the people that think Bond will actually die in NTTD. Who knows.
They have rebooted Bond once with Craig, and it launched the most successful era of Bond ever when accounting for the box office.
Do they go the same route with the next Bond and tell a different story? Do we go back to Bond as a continuation of the last one.
I think with the way movies are today with big franchises, sequels, shared universes, etc. I dont know if we will ever see Bond's story just "continue" through another actor.
I personally think they will reboot again with a mid 30s actor. I'm not going to try and predict the story they will go with, but with NTTD being highlighted as Craig's last film,, and Bond's aging body being mentioned in the last 3 films, I feel it is the way they will go. in fact, I am starting to agree with the people that think Bond will actually die in NTTD. Who knows.
Comments
That would be interesting IMO. That being said, I would prefer they not remake the novels but stick with new stories.
-Casino Royale, Ian Fleming
So unless 25 is a miracle, i for one would not mind if they left it there with a fine swansong until Netflix pick it up and do lavish historical and Fleming faithful versions.
I have always been a fan of this idea. I think it would be very cool to have him back in that era. At the same time I also get the argument of Bond always being current and facing today's challenges in weaponry and technology.
I have always been a fan of this idea. I think it would be very cool to have him back in that era. At the same time I also get the argument of Bond always being current and facing today's challenges in weaponry and technology.
There is a part of me that agrees with this. Starting with Skyfall Craig’s films have been incredibly repetitive and stuck in a kind of 60s nostalgia obsession. What I’ve seen of NTTD confirms this to be the case. It worked for Skyfall but now it just feels unimaginative (and makes Skyfall worse retrospectively). I would welcome the switch to a streaming model at this point. It would allow (force) them to tell a different kind of story. Bond has grown very stale under Craig.
I am a bit conflicted when it comes to Bond moving to Netflix or Amazon, etc. I would miss the whole feel of going to a theater and seeing the next Bond film on the big screen....it's something that I have been doing since 1964. That being said, while I don't entirely agree with your takes on the Craig films (I'll with hold judgement on NTTD until I actually see the film) , there is no doubt a slippery slope there that EON, et al might want to get ahead of and that answer may be in a series format with my one caveat being that it must be the aforementioned "period piece" that takes Bond back to the 50's. Each season could focus on telling a particular story. Two big advantage I envision for doing the retro Bond with Netflix, etc would be: not having to live within the confines of the PG-13 rating and today's societal standards. Bond would be free to smoke his nasty old Turkish cigarettes, and sleep around to his heart's content while fighting the cold war and any megalomaniacs who pop up bent on world domination or destruction. The effects, costume and arts folks would have a field day recreating exotic locations of that era or just good old London for that matter which could compensate for some of the lost grandeur of the big screen (hell, I'd probably buy an even bigger TV than my current 55" for a Bond series).
Bond will have to conform to today's societal standards no matter what era he is set in and whether he is on a streaming service or in feature films. My wife watches everything that streams that is set in the past, and the stories mostly follow today's standards, not the standards of the times they are set in.
The biggest problem with setting Bond in the past is that EON would have to be willing to give up most (if not all) of the product placement money. EON are about money first. They always have been.
"The biggest problem with setting Bond in the past is that EON would have to be willing to give up most (if not all) of the product placement money. EON are about money first. They always have been."
No money = no Bond
As far as reflecting today's societal norms.....the racism and homophobia would have to go (well the villains could be racist) and certainly the treatment and portrayal of women would need to be elevated but that doesn't mean Bond can't be more reflective of the times (have you seen Madmen?) but the smoking, drinking, gambling, sex and violence no problem. No reason retro Bond can't be having lots of clearly consensual sex and beating up and killing lots of bad guys:)
Madmen is already from a past generation. But smoking can still return, as good guys are allowed to smoke in The Marvellous Mrs Maisel.
Hire a mid-30s actor, send him into M's office (by all means keep Ralph Fiennes in the role), and get M to send him on an assignment. After some exciting action, Bond ultimately defeats the villain. Credits roll.
No need for another origin story, interlinking multi-film story arc etc. Just make a damn good Bond adventure.
This is what I want to see :007)
I would be good with that too.....
I'd prefer to see a hard reboot and ut Bond back in the 50's-60's
But if it stays modern era - no hiccup or story reboot.. just a different guy playing the role as if nothing happened.
But seriously, to quote our friend Zaphod, does it really matter? Yes if Bond remains Bond. No if they decide to change him or recreate him to the point of becoming barely borderline recognizable. And im also in the camp that doesnt mind retelling previous stories.
Thats the other way to go. Im still conflicted as i would love to see an in period Fleminesque Bond (Moonraker would be my choice) i however do have a slight reluctance to confine Bond to being a historical character and not a live presence. With such long gaps between films maybe we could have both. Moonraker does not trot around the globe, and it can be brought fully to life on a reasonable budget. It would not need 3 years of script development and you would not need to cast an actor for a 4 or 5 film run thus extending the field. In parallel EON could develop the next movie version. Thoughts?
Works for me :-)
As for suggestions to take Bond back in time, a Tarantino 'period Bond film' might have been fun, but that ship has sailed. For the series as it is, a continued use of contemporary setting makes better sense. It's possible to keep it modern and sometimes to use retro stylings for atmosphere as well. (Eva Green in her evening dress for the casino carries an aura of Fleming's 50s Vesper; Lea Seydoux aboard the train in her evening dress for the dining car also has a decidedly retro glamour.)
Much like we had with M.