What I mean by Bond opening the silo I'm thinking of the scene were Q is instructing Bond on how to open the silo safely. Bond is so confident and reckless he does it faster than Q can read the instructions. That's a form of swagger in my opinion, and very Bondian. If you only find a few seconds of the Cuba sequence has that special sauce I don't know what to say other than very many see that sequence is pure Bond.
Yeah, the hatch is a nice little joke but it's barely making a scratch on what I'm talking about. And as I say, I don't get the fuss over the Cuba bit. It's light-hearted, sure, and I enjoy Paloma as much as the next person; but the action is just punching and shooting. I didn't see anything inventive or memorable.
Yeah I was expecting that to feel big and Bondy, but I must admit it didn't hit the spot for me. Obviously we all knew it was coming and it had been spoiled massively, but there wasn't a moment of joy there. Unlike, weirdly, I still feel when I watch the end of Skyfall and Bond sits up in the parked DB5 and cracks the machine guns open - that just works, and I still feel that "yeah, go James!" feeling of exhilaration. It's the difference between Bond and Ethan Hunt: Mission Impossible's stunts are thrilling and exciting and fantastic, but you're never really willing Ethan to do something ballsy and funny and impressive and teach those bad guys like you are with Bond: Bond films are about celebrating the sheer balls of this man. Do you know what I mean? The moments where you love him and want to stand up and clap. Mendes got it and I don't think Fukunaga did.
I guess, as you say, the tone of it was so unpleasant up until the guns coming out that the moment doesn't really diffuse it, you're just pleased they're out of it. I don't want to do it down too much though, it is a good moment and is extremely memorable, and pretty cool.
The scene where Bond opens up with the electric Gatling's in the DB5 is beautifully acted by both Craig and Lea Seydoux and masterfully shot by Fukanaga. It's a great "dramatic" moment given the context and set-up. In a different situation, if Bond was just on his own (no Madeleine and all that drama) being chased by the bad guys, presumably cornered, trapped and a goner in the DB5, was actually just letting the bad guys get their shots in (playing rope-a-dope) until he gets a s...eating grin and winks at the bad guy when he stops to reload and lets loose with the machine guns would be a more traditional Bond moment where the audience gets the same grin on their faces as Bond.
I like the idea of having Emma Watson as the main villan. It would be casting against type. Promote her henchman as the villan and present her as the cute, wholesome type. Then surprise the audience and reveal her as the power behind the throne, a very intelligent psycho. She's old enough, smart enough, a very good actress and looks striking.
Saorsie Ronan could work in that type of role too, but don't underestimate Watson as an actress. Watch her in some of her lesser known work such as "Colonia" and "Regression". Most people know Ronan is a very good actress who can play anything. The good thing about Watson is that most people have only seen her in good girl roles in "fairy tale" movies like Harry Potter, "Beauty and the beast" and "Little women". Fewer will guess Emma Watson is the villan.
Emma Watson as the main villain. It would be casting against type. Promote her henchman as the villain and present her as the cute, wholesome type. Then surprise the audience and reveal her as the power behind the throne, a very intelligent psycho. She's old enough, smart enough, a very good actress and looks striking.
We're seen a variation of it in TWINE, but how many times have we seen the "wealthy man who M thinks is a pillar of society, but is actually out to destroy the world" plot?
But was Elektra King ever the cute, wholesome type? There are more ways we can make her different. She can play a doctor, head of a NGO, a journalist. She can refuse to sleep with Bond, her motives can be different from Elektra's etc.
Emma Watson would be interesting. I don't see what an actor's supposed ability has ever had to do with being in a Bond film. Jerome Krabbe is a good actor but he was simply appalling, Jonathon Pryce slummed it, ditto Waltz, and I don't think Ralph Fiennes has done himself any favours. It's only recently really big names have started to be associated with the franchise. I'd prefer the production to start discovering some relative unknowns.
I think Mads Mikkelsen and Javier Bardem delivered really good performances as villans. But I agree that EON should hire the best actors in other countries who're not famous internationally more often (I guess that was the case with Mikkelsen at the time. The alternative is casting against type (like Emma Watson) and not typecast like Waltz.
I'd love to see a Bond movie directed by Denis Villeneuve, but after a quick look at IMDB I don't think it'll happen in many years. I'm very happy that he's doing Dune part 2. He's also doing the mini-series The Son starring Jake Gyllenaal, Then comes two big movies; "Randevous with Rama" and Cleopatra. I don't know enough about the movie business to estimate how many years this is likely to take, but my guess is he won't get a phone call from EON for Bond26.
Denis Villeneuve would be the dream choice. I think he was the no.1 pick for NTTD, but it coincides with Dune. In the end, I think he went with that film as it was his 'dream project.' I think there is a chance that Villeneuve gets the job with Bond 26. However, the schedule will be a problem. Mainly as Dune Part Two will come out in October 2023. It will be followed by a big awards campaign going into 2024. This would likely mean Villeneuve will not be free until spring that year. In theory, they could start filming Bond 26 in summer 2024 for a release in 2025. I think Eon could make that timeframe.
Though if they are mandated a release by MGM/Amazon, I could see 2024 being the year as it would be MGM's centenary. If they wanted someone edgy, I quite like the idea of Julia Ducournau. She's young, cool and has indicated she would make a studio film. She might be a little too artsy at the moment, but she could bring a contemporary flavour to a franchise like Bond.
If she is too idiosyncratic for Eon, then I suggest Johan Renck. He has a lot of style and has proven himself in television (much like Fukunaga). He has a new film at Netflix - which may or may not be an Oscar player.
Also, I was wondering of Fukunaga was the exception to the 'no Americans' rule. He was hired after Danny Boyle had dropped out and Eon were a little desperate. In this interview, Broccoli basically admits that Fukunaga was hired because they needed someone and he was available. She seems clear that her preference is for British or Commonwealth directors because she feels they understand the sensibilities of Bond.
Are we just looking for British/Commonwealth directors then? I think Europeans fall on that list as Marc Forster is Swiss. Though it's really clear to me that Eon don't want to hire Americans - unless they are in a tight spot.
I think the only two choices they want for the reboot are Christopher Nolan or Denis Villeneuve. The latter has openly said he wants the job. This is same guy who made Blade Runner 2049 and Dune! They should just announce him already!
If Fukunaga is out of the running it's disapointing, Even those who disliked NTTD didn't have a problem with his work as a director. In my opinion Fukunaga did a great job. I'd like to ad that Villeneuve has much more on his plate than "just" the Dune movies. He also has "Randevous with Rama" and Cleopatra and the TV-series The Son. Nolan looks far less busy since he doesn't have anything listed on IMDB after Oppheimer, a movie that's filming now.
Christopher Nolan has said very clearly that the wants to direct Bond, not only Villeneuve. Nolan has even gone on record saying he has ideas for what he wants to do if he gets the job.
B26 is going to be a reboot one way or the other as it's a new Bond actor. It may not go back to the very beginning a la CR, but the last five were a storyline unto themselves and therefore this has to be something new and different. For that reason, I wouldn't want Fukunaga to direct. It's a new Bond actor, a new storyline (presumably) and therefore it needs to be a new director to bring a new feel, I believe.
I really loved the fight scenes in Gangs of London. I would be very happy if Gareth Evans was hired. However, Eon seem to be moving towards arty directors. I wouldn't rule Evans out, but I think they are Oscar-calibre or newcomers with that potential for director job.
At around 4:30 minutes, Denis Villeneuve says that his guilty pleasure are the James Bond films. He says that CR and SF are his favourites. It's a sin that he never made a Craig-era film. However, if they wanted to keep some of the tone of Craig's era for the reboot (which I think they will), then they should look no further than Villeneuve. He can even pull off the white tuxedo himself.....
This is an interview of Jeffrey and Edgard Wright, done soon after the NTTD premiere. They talk a lot about James Bond, and Edgard Wright talks about what type of Bond we need after DC.
They really need a female director. I vote for Halina Reijn as I really loved her direction of Bodies Bodies Bodies. It was a young, edgy and propulsive Agatha Christie-esque thriller for 2023 audiences. There were some seriously tense set pieces in the film and marvellous performances.
He's a great director who's never made a bad (or even average) movie and he has been in Norway. He'd be a fantastic Bond director, but I suspect he has too many projects already.
He is absolutely the right choice. He's an A-list director and is getting better with each new film he makes. Also, I love the tone of his films. I enjoy slightly darker and more nihilistic films with intricate characters. Also he loves filling his films with themes and ideas Perhaps a negative might be that he's too cerebral and cold a director for Bond and that he is more of a Craig-era director than a reboot director. Undeniable he makes beautiful films though.....................
Yeah it is curious how one reads the same comments over and again that the 'Craig films were too serious, we need them to be exactly like the old films' and yet the recurring directors asked for are Nolan and Villeneuve. I'm not say that these are the same individuals saying those two things, but you'd think a few more directors with a sense of a fun and/or humour would pop up occasionally.
Nolan and Villeneuve are among the best action directors working today, and the James Bond films would be lucky to get them. But I also see the need for more fun movies.
Edvard Wright and Matthew Waughn are examples of fun directors who could make good Bond movies.
Comments
What I mean by Bond opening the silo I'm thinking of the scene were Q is instructing Bond on how to open the silo safely. Bond is so confident and reckless he does it faster than Q can read the instructions. That's a form of swagger in my opinion, and very Bondian. If you only find a few seconds of the Cuba sequence has that special sauce I don't know what to say other than very many see that sequence is pure Bond.
Yeah, the hatch is a nice little joke but it's barely making a scratch on what I'm talking about. And as I say, I don't get the fuss over the Cuba bit. It's light-hearted, sure, and I enjoy Paloma as much as the next person; but the action is just punching and shooting. I didn't see anything inventive or memorable.
what about when he finally uses the mounted machine guns on his car while pivoting 360degrees on one wheel?
that certainly looked hella-cool, and there was an incredible buildup and release of tension leading up to that moment.
of course the buildup of tension was due to 10 minutes of him being mean to his girlfriend, which was incredibly unBondian...
Yeah I was expecting that to feel big and Bondy, but I must admit it didn't hit the spot for me. Obviously we all knew it was coming and it had been spoiled massively, but there wasn't a moment of joy there. Unlike, weirdly, I still feel when I watch the end of Skyfall and Bond sits up in the parked DB5 and cracks the machine guns open - that just works, and I still feel that "yeah, go James!" feeling of exhilaration. It's the difference between Bond and Ethan Hunt: Mission Impossible's stunts are thrilling and exciting and fantastic, but you're never really willing Ethan to do something ballsy and funny and impressive and teach those bad guys like you are with Bond: Bond films are about celebrating the sheer balls of this man. Do you know what I mean? The moments where you love him and want to stand up and clap. Mendes got it and I don't think Fukunaga did.
I guess, as you say, the tone of it was so unpleasant up until the guns coming out that the moment doesn't really diffuse it, you're just pleased they're out of it. I don't want to do it down too much though, it is a good moment and is extremely memorable, and pretty cool.
The scene where Bond opens up with the electric Gatling's in the DB5 is beautifully acted by both Craig and Lea Seydoux and masterfully shot by Fukanaga. It's a great "dramatic" moment given the context and set-up. In a different situation, if Bond was just on his own (no Madeleine and all that drama) being chased by the bad guys, presumably cornered, trapped and a goner in the DB5, was actually just letting the bad guys get their shots in (playing rope-a-dope) until he gets a s...eating grin and winks at the bad guy when he stops to reload and lets loose with the machine guns would be a more traditional Bond moment where the audience gets the same grin on their faces as Bond.
If you want a Bond with more sense of adventure, fun and humor, this could be the way to go:
Director: Cary Fukunaga/Mattehw Vaughn
Screenwiters: Jane Goldman, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and the director.
Bond: Aaron Taylor-Johnson
M: Hugh Laurie
Q: Stephen Fry
Moneypenny; Maisie Williams
Bond girl 1: Samara Weaving
Bond girl 2: Depeeka Padukone
Main villain: Emma Watson
Both could work.
I like the idea of having Emma Watson as the main villan. It would be casting against type. Promote her henchman as the villan and present her as the cute, wholesome type. Then surprise the audience and reveal her as the power behind the throne, a very intelligent psycho. She's old enough, smart enough, a very good actress and looks striking.
Saorsie Ronan could work in that type of role too, but don't underestimate Watson as an actress. Watch her in some of her lesser known work such as "Colonia" and "Regression". Most people know Ronan is a very good actress who can play anything. The good thing about Watson is that most people have only seen her in good girl roles in "fairy tale" movies like Harry Potter, "Beauty and the beast" and "Little women". Fewer will guess Emma Watson is the villan.
TwoFour said:
Emma Watson as the main villain. It would be casting against type. Promote her henchman as the villain and present her as the cute, wholesome type. Then surprise the audience and reveal her as the power behind the throne, a very intelligent psycho. She's old enough, smart enough, a very good actress and looks striking.
wait, didnt we see that plot already?
We're seen a variation of it in TWINE, but how many times have we seen the "wealthy man who M thinks is a pillar of society, but is actually out to destroy the world" plot?
But was Elektra King ever the cute, wholesome type? There are more ways we can make her different. She can play a doctor, head of a NGO, a journalist. She can refuse to sleep with Bond, her motives can be different from Elektra's etc.
Emma Watson would be interesting. I don't see what an actor's supposed ability has ever had to do with being in a Bond film. Jerome Krabbe is a good actor but he was simply appalling, Jonathon Pryce slummed it, ditto Waltz, and I don't think Ralph Fiennes has done himself any favours. It's only recently really big names have started to be associated with the franchise. I'd prefer the production to start discovering some relative unknowns.
I think Mads Mikkelsen and Javier Bardem delivered really good performances as villans. But I agree that EON should hire the best actors in other countries who're not famous internationally more often (I guess that was the case with Mikkelsen at the time. The alternative is casting against type (like Emma Watson) and not typecast like Waltz.
lee tamahoril will surely be available to direct
😯😯😯
I think that the Safdie brothers would make a terrific Bond film. They would get the adrenaline of the audience racing fo sure!
I'd love to see a Bond movie directed by Denis Villeneuve, but after a quick look at IMDB I don't think it'll happen in many years. I'm very happy that he's doing Dune part 2. He's also doing the mini-series The Son starring Jake Gyllenaal, Then comes two big movies; "Randevous with Rama" and Cleopatra. I don't know enough about the movie business to estimate how many years this is likely to take, but my guess is he won't get a phone call from EON for Bond26.
Denis Villeneuve would be the dream choice. I think he was the no.1 pick for NTTD, but it coincides with Dune. In the end, I think he went with that film as it was his 'dream project.' I think there is a chance that Villeneuve gets the job with Bond 26. However, the schedule will be a problem. Mainly as Dune Part Two will come out in October 2023. It will be followed by a big awards campaign going into 2024. This would likely mean Villeneuve will not be free until spring that year. In theory, they could start filming Bond 26 in summer 2024 for a release in 2025. I think Eon could make that timeframe.
Though if they are mandated a release by MGM/Amazon, I could see 2024 being the year as it would be MGM's centenary. If they wanted someone edgy, I quite like the idea of Julia Ducournau. She's young, cool and has indicated she would make a studio film. She might be a little too artsy at the moment, but she could bring a contemporary flavour to a franchise like Bond.
If she is too idiosyncratic for Eon, then I suggest Johan Renck. He has a lot of style and has proven himself in television (much like Fukunaga). He has a new film at Netflix - which may or may not be an Oscar player.
I too want Denis Villeneuve to direct Bond, but he has already signed on to four projects so he won't be available in a long time.
Ducournauo I don't know.
Chernobyl is one of the best mini-series I've seen in a long time, so that's a pluss for Renck.
Also, I was wondering of Fukunaga was the exception to the 'no Americans' rule. He was hired after Danny Boyle had dropped out and Eon were a little desperate. In this interview, Broccoli basically admits that Fukunaga was hired because they needed someone and he was available. She seems clear that her preference is for British or Commonwealth directors because she feels they understand the sensibilities of Bond.
Are we just looking for British/Commonwealth directors then? I think Europeans fall on that list as Marc Forster is Swiss. Though it's really clear to me that Eon don't want to hire Americans - unless they are in a tight spot.
I think the only two choices they want for the reboot are Christopher Nolan or Denis Villeneuve. The latter has openly said he wants the job. This is same guy who made Blade Runner 2049 and Dune! They should just announce him already!
https://twitter.com/joshuahorowitz/status/1446458143584751618
If Fukunaga is out of the running it's disapointing, Even those who disliked NTTD didn't have a problem with his work as a director. In my opinion Fukunaga did a great job. I'd like to ad that Villeneuve has much more on his plate than "just" the Dune movies. He also has "Randevous with Rama" and Cleopatra and the TV-series The Son. Nolan looks far less busy since he doesn't have anything listed on IMDB after Oppheimer, a movie that's filming now.
Christopher Nolan has said very clearly that the wants to direct Bond, not only Villeneuve. Nolan has even gone on record saying he has ideas for what he wants to do if he gets the job.
B26 is going to be a reboot one way or the other as it's a new Bond actor. It may not go back to the very beginning a la CR, but the last five were a storyline unto themselves and therefore this has to be something new and different. For that reason, I wouldn't want Fukunaga to direct. It's a new Bond actor, a new storyline (presumably) and therefore it needs to be a new director to bring a new feel, I believe.
All depends on the direction they want go really.
Nolan/Hardy Would bring (almost) guaranteed box office success, I imagine. Both are very popular.
I still think Edgar Wright would be an interesting choice.
I really loved the fight scenes in Gangs of London. I would be very happy if Gareth Evans was hired. However, Eon seem to be moving towards arty directors. I wouldn't rule Evans out, but I think they are Oscar-calibre or newcomers with that potential for director job.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0bw7phg
At around 4:30 minutes, Denis Villeneuve says that his guilty pleasure are the James Bond films. He says that CR and SF are his favourites. It's a sin that he never made a Craig-era film. However, if they wanted to keep some of the tone of Craig's era for the reboot (which I think they will), then they should look no further than Villeneuve. He can even pull off the white tuxedo himself.....
This is an interview of Jeffrey and Edgard Wright, done soon after the NTTD premiere. They talk a lot about James Bond, and Edgard Wright talks about what type of Bond we need after DC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAxtnVtiP8Y
They really need a female director. I vote for Halina Reijn as I really loved her direction of Bodies Bodies Bodies. It was a young, edgy and propulsive Agatha Christie-esque thriller for 2023 audiences. There were some seriously tense set pieces in the film and marvellous performances.
He's a great director who's never made a bad (or even average) movie and he has been in Norway. He'd be a fantastic Bond director, but I suspect he has too many projects already.
He is absolutely the right choice. He's an A-list director and is getting better with each new film he makes. Also, I love the tone of his films. I enjoy slightly darker and more nihilistic films with intricate characters. Also he loves filling his films with themes and ideas Perhaps a negative might be that he's too cerebral and cold a director for Bond and that he is more of a Craig-era director than a reboot director. Undeniable he makes beautiful films though.....................
What about a fun director?
Yeah it is curious how one reads the same comments over and again that the 'Craig films were too serious, we need them to be exactly like the old films' and yet the recurring directors asked for are Nolan and Villeneuve. I'm not say that these are the same individuals saying those two things, but you'd think a few more directors with a sense of a fun and/or humour would pop up occasionally.
Nolan and Villeneuve are among the best action directors working today, and the James Bond films would be lucky to get them. But I also see the need for more fun movies.
Edvard Wright and Matthew Waughn are examples of fun directors who could make good Bond movies.