Craig: 'Next Bond Film Will Be Funnier'

highhopeshighhopes Posts: 1,358MI6 Agent
CRAIG: 'NEXT BOND FILM WILL BE FUNNIER'
Contactmusic.com
JAMES BOND star DANIEL CRAIG insists fans will see a different side to him in the next 007 film - he's going to be funnier. The actor excelled in the dramatic scenes of last year's Bond blockbuster Casino Royale - but admits he is excited at the prospect of trying to add a lighter touch to the next movie. He says, "They (the producers) just want more gags. The next one's going to a lot funnier. Octupussy and Pussy Galore style gags."
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/craig%20next%20bond%20film%20will%20be%20funnier_1037361

"Gag" is the operative word for me here. This is the most disturbing news I've heard since Craig was cast. Let's just hope this isn't a signal that Eon, having encroached on Connery's legacy with a tougher, more serious Bond, has now set its sights on Roger Moore's. This is not the time to backslide. It's not like the new approach wasn't successful. If they want more gags, couldn't they just produce an Austin Powers flick on the off-season and leave 007 alone?
If this is true, the mods can move this post to the "daftest" producer decisions thread -- and place it at the very top of the list.
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Comments

  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,238MI6 Agent
    True, but Craig has form when it comes to false prophecies. Remember his 'scoop' about 007 not donning a tux in CR?

    I'd like Bond 22 to be more, well, relaxed at times than CR. Craig's not too bad with the jokes but not great imo, so he needs someone who can write for him, not just churn out identikit one-liners.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • DAWUSSDAWUSS My homepagePosts: 517MI6 Agent
    Shouldn't they save that for Bond 23 - the 50th anniversary film?
  • Barry NelsonBarry Nelson ChicagoPosts: 1,508MI6 Agent
    I find this story hard to believe, especially since the script hasn't been nailed down and the appointed director doesn't have any comic (gag) work in his resume. If they were going with lighter fare, I don't think they would have selected the director they did. Having said that, a few more lighter moments in the next film would be OK by me.
  • 72897289 Beau DesertPosts: 1,691MI6 Agent
    If this is true and CR'06 becomes a blip like OHMSS, I will be very sad - but somehow not very surprised.

    I know there are folks out there who think CR'06 was cr*p, but time will prove them wrong!!

    A DC version of AVTAK, with beach boy music, another theme custom made by Madonna and the return of Grace Jones and "Jaws" - what a treat something like that would be!

    Lets hope that this time it's DC that's off his meds!
  • HardyboyHardyboy Posts: 5,882Chief of Staff
    Hang on, friends--gags are not necessarily a bad thing. Some of the things that made Bond unique back in the '60s were the witty one-liners and even a few sight gags. So long as the jokes are good ones and not godawful puns, I see no problem.
    Vox clamantis in deserto
  • 72897289 Beau DesertPosts: 1,691MI6 Agent
    Let's see the last decent pun was "He blew a fuse"
    With the overall track record .... I can't see any reason to be optimistic!!

    But, that won't prevent me from "Looking for a Pony!"
  • John DrakeJohn Drake On assignmentPosts: 2,564MI6 Agent
    I think we can still have a tough and gritty Bond film, but with a few decent gags in there. As long as they are witty. Craig handled the "Stephanie Broadchest," (Was it Stephanie?), line quite well. The reference to OP worries me a little, (not my favourite Moore film, although I haven't watched it in years). I doubt Eon will revert to the factory-style movies that they churned out with Brosnan.
  • highhopeshighhopes Posts: 1,358MI6 Agent
    True, but Craig has form when it comes to false prophecies. Remember his 'scoop' about 007 not donning a tux in CR?

    I'd like Bond 22 to be more, well, relaxed at times than CR. Craig's not too bad with the jokes but not great imo, so he needs someone who can write for him, not just churn out identikit one-liners.

    Your're certainly right about the false rumors concerning CR; and Barry is correct that the choice of directors seems to belie the idea. But you never know. It's easy to fall back into bad habits. I'm especially disturbed about the "Pussy Galore" mention, since I think the way the "Stephanie Broadchest" joke was handled in CR was one of the most clever: referencing the old Bond films' propensity for outrageous female names, but placing it in a more realistic context (i.e. Bond teasing Vesper).

    I have no problem with a more relaxed Bond when the situation calls for it (although I found Craig to be pretty relaxed for his first time out), but I feel Bond should seem relaxed in a slightly menacing way.
  • Lady RoseLady Rose London,UKPosts: 2,667MI6 Agent
    I personally found CR had plenty of gags for my taste.

    As Hardy, says, gags are not the problem if they are good. In the early days the gags were excellent and fitted in well with the story. In previous years, gags seem to have just been there for the sake of it and have been of a very poor standard.Many appeared forced.
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent Speeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
    edited July 2007
    Well it depends how much emphasis the director puts on "funnier". Personally, I'd rather if Craig wasn't subjected to kookiness, ala TMWTGG/MR but I could see him doing a dry, subtle humor as if he wasn't trying to nail the gag home for the audience to get it.

    I liked Dalton's run very much but his "tongue-in-cheeks" barely got a chuckle out of me. Just boring.His strengths lied in being stern, cold & calculating; that is what made him work. I think the same descriptions apply for Craig.

    We'll see...
    Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"

    Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
    -Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
  • 72897289 Beau DesertPosts: 1,691MI6 Agent
    Lady Rose wrote:
    I personally found CR had plenty of gags for my taste.


    Correct !!! Nothing about the CR humor was of the "cricket bat in the face" style.

    I loved the "Broadchest" scene. Perfect!
  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    edited July 2007
    What's wrong with using a name like Pussy Galore? After all, that was Fleming's idea.
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited July 2007
    7289 wrote:
    Correct !!! Nothing about the CR humor was of the "cricket bat in the face" style.
    It's all subjective. I personally didn't like the humour (of what there was of it) in CR.

    Speaking of which ;)
    7289 wrote:
    Let's see the last decent pun was "He blew a fuse"

    With the overall track record .... I can't see any reason to be optimistic!!
    I guess this is where I differ from many of the members here. IMO the last decent pun was "I thought Christmas only comes once a year" with most of the best puns coming from the Connery films, followed by the Moore and Brosnan films; but with all three eras producing great puns.

    Regarding this particular rumour, I am optimistic as I think that with a few exceptions (the last Moore/Brosnan films, the Dalton films and CR) the one-liners and puns in the Bond films have been excellent. So, if they can revert back to the quality of, say, TWINE, then I will be delighted. :D
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • mhousty007mhousty007 IrelandPosts: 18MI6 Agent
    I would be happy if by funnier he meant the return of Q and Moneypenny. The scenes with these two characters are usually light-hearted and I would like to see them return with Bond 22.
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited July 2007
    mhousty007 wrote:
    I would be happy if by funnier he meant the return of Q and Moneypenny. The scenes with these two characters are usually light-hearted and I would like to see them return with Bond 22.
    Me too. {[] You know alot of people (*hi HH :D) are worried that it will be comedic. But I think, if done right, it could be great. :D

    *copyright Loeffelholz
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited July 2007
    highhopes wrote:
    Bond, has now set its sights on Roger Moore's. This is not the time to backslide. It's not like the new approach wasn't successful. If they want more gags, couldn't they just produce an Austin Powers flick on the off-season and leave 007 alone?
    As a huge Roger Moore fan, all I can say is that it is fine with me. ;) The word 'gag' seems to disturb some people as it may imply a return to the Tarzan yell or double-taking pigeon variety. But that is not necessarily true. It may refer to one-liners or even to great examples of subtle physical humour (such as Connery with much of his facial expressions and mannerisms, particularly concerning women.)

    In my view, the Tarzan yell or double-taking pigeon variety are not a true representation of the Moore era at all. By that I mean that IMO the Moore era produced among the *finest one-liners of the entire series and I would love Bond 22 to follow in the path of the Moore films in this aspect.

    I enjoyed CR, however I consider it to be far from perfect. One of the reasons why I don't love it and why I consider it to be inferior to 4 Moore films (LALD, TSWLM, FYEO, OP) is that IMO CR wasn't particularly humerous. All of the best Bond films IMO are humerous to some degree. This does not make them comedies however it lends them a softer side which IMO is an essential component of the cinematic Bond. So if Craig is saying that Bond 22 will feature some terrific one-liners then I say ring it on! :D

    Finally, I would like to point out that Craig referred to 'Octupussy and Pussy Galore style gags.' I could be mis-reading it but I loved the humour in GF and I thought that the humour in OP (the Tarzan yell aside) was really good. I love puns and quips (as long as they are good, which they are IMO in the majority of Bond films), and I missed them in CR, and so this rumour, if accurate, makes me a very happy man. -{

    *"He always did have an inflated opinion of himself" from LALD, "He just dropped in for a quick bite" from TSWLM and "I discovered it had a crush on me" from MR are examples of IMO great one-liners from the Moore era.
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,988Quartermasters
    edited July 2007
    For my own part, I thought the ratio of humour to kick-ass action was nearly perfect in CR...but it's quite understandable that those who prefer the softer-tone Bonds of the Seventies-early Eighties would feel differently.

    Humour rooted in character will always appeal to me; the puns Connery used in the Classic Era revealed and reflected Bond's sardonic fatalism (which I think CR also executed fairly effectively)...in the Moore and Brosnan eras they felt a bit more 'wedged in,' for the sake of a chuckle :#

    As for this latest 'scoop' from Contact Music, it simply strikes me as internet fanboy bait, and I'm not going to bite quite yet :v Of course, a bit more humour in #22 would seem to indicate a more 'traditional' Bond entry I've been expecting...as long as they don't let the pendulum swing too far, too quickly:
    Dan Same wrote:
    ...You know alot of people (*hi HH :D) are worried that it will be comedic. But I think, if done right, it could be great. :D

    *copyright Loeffelholz

    -{
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • bluemanblueman PDXPosts: 1,667MI6 Agent
    Exactly. Contact Music is a euphemism for "I made this up just because." 8-)
  • Tee HeeTee Hee CBT Headquarters: Chicago, ILPosts: 917MI6 Agent
    Well this news certainly caused me to raise an eyebrow. :D

    If true, the Craig films will be making a necessary change IMO. In CR, Daniel Craig was completely uncharismatic and stone cold serious. I would have lost all hope for Daniel if it wasn’t for his performance on (BBC’s) Comic Relief.

    Elaine: “Daniel, normal straw or crazy straw?”

    Daniel: (goofily) “Crazy!”

    He does have a sense of humor after all! ;)

    However, based on the events of CR, I have a hard time believing that Bond 22 (being a direct continuation and all) will have a lighter tone. After all, Vesper’s dead, Mathis is suspected of treachery, and Mr. White is in MI6 custody. Now of all times, Bond is going to start cracking jokes? ?:) I suppose there’s always Bond 23.

    Whatever happens, I think it’s safe to say that there will not be a return to the “double-taking pigeon, Tarzan yell” style of humor. So sleep soundly Moore-haters! :D
    "My acting range? Left eyebrow raised, right eyebrow raised..."

    -Roger Moore
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,988Quartermasters
    Tee Hee wrote:
    Whatever happens, I think it’s safe to say that there will not be a return to the “double-taking pigeon, Tarzan yell” style of humor. So sleep soundly Moore-haters! :D

    ...zzzzzz....

    :v
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • DAWUSSDAWUSS My homepagePosts: 517MI6 Agent
    Bond 22 will be a DAD/DAF campfest.... :# X-( :(
  • Tee HeeTee Hee CBT Headquarters: Chicago, ILPosts: 917MI6 Agent
    edited July 2007
    ...zzzzzz....

    :v

    Watch it Loeffs, or i'll wake you up with a slide whistle! :))
    "My acting range? Left eyebrow raised, right eyebrow raised..."

    -Roger Moore
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,988Quartermasters
    Tee Hee wrote:
    Watch it Loeffs, or i'll wake you up with a slide whistle! :))

    ...Huh???

    [jolts himself awake from a weird dream where he just heard Clifton James announce: "I been deputized!"]

    :o :o :o

    :D
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • jetsetwillyjetsetwilly Liverpool, UKPosts: 1,048MI6 Agent
    You know what... there's a perverse part of me that wishes the double taking pigeon had been in St Mark's Square in CR... ;)
    Founder of the Wint & Kidd Appreciation Society.

    @merseytart
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,988Quartermasters
    You know what... there's a perverse part of me that wishes the double taking pigeon had been in St Mark's Square in CR... ;)

    Sounds like a YouTube assignment for someone...should they decide to accept it :v

    {[]
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • highhopeshighhopes Posts: 1,358MI6 Agent
    edited July 2007
    Apparently, the story had its genesis in an interview Craig did with the Daily Express, which I believe is a reputable paper. I still find this hard to believe since it flies in the face of what CR accomplished in my view and I think the view of a lot of Bond fans: it got rid of the hokey quality of the films:

    http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/13376/Daniel+hints+at+comic+Bond+


    Daniel Hints at Comic Bond
    July 13, 2007
    HAVING toughened up the character of James Bond for Casino Royale to huge critical acclaim, Daniel Craig has surprisingly revealed that the next Bond outing will mark a return to the comedy that Roger Moore brought to the franchise in the Seventies.

    Craig, 39, says of his forthcoming second outing as 007: “They [the producers] just want more gags. The next one’s going to be a lot funnier. Octopussy and Pussy Galore style gags. They’re all great names – but that’s the thing, the Bond jokes will be flipped on their heads.”

    The Cheshire-born actor is keen to make Bond his own creation and that will apparently mean showing a softer, less macho side to the character.

    “Bond is supposedly the most male moment [in film] but to me he’s never been macho. That Bond is something that Sean Connery created in Dr No,” he says.

    “I don’t know Sean but I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley – he was a big strong guy and he had a big male presence about him.

    “Everybody was in an uproar when he was going to be James Bond. He got flak because he was basically an Edinburgh bricklayer. And everyone who read the books thought how can he possibly do it? But he created a style that was unique and kind of sexy.”

    Not that Daniel wants to imitate Connery or any other preceding Bond, adding: “There’s no point in trying to compete with every Bond that came before. You manage to make it your own.”

    Just as long as he dons those very fetching tight blue swimming trunks...



    Now this would be something to start a petition drive about. It sounds absolutely daft, as the British say.

    Darenhat wondered earlier in the thread what was wrong with Pussy Galore. Not a thing. It was great -- perfect -- in Goldfinger. Terrific name for a lesbian crime boss (which is what she was in the novel). But you will note that Fleming used those kinds of outrageous names sparingly. I think Holly Goodhead was the other. But the films have a tendency to take a good thing and beat it to death, like Onatop, the woman who squeezes men to death between her thighs. Gimme a break. That's why the "Stephanie Broadchest" joke was so refreshing. It took a shopworn Bond convention and gave it a fresh and more reality-based twist (the martini joke, too). Let's hope, if Craig really is correct about this approach, that that is what he means by turning them "on their ear." But even that could get a little tireseome. I'm not against humor -- in fact, a Bond film requires it -- but it has to be organic to the story and characters and used sparingly. I thought CR's humor was just the right touch. I'm not interested in a return to the Moore era at all. I don't understand why the produders, after earning raves for a tougher, more serious Bond film, would want to go that route. It's asinine.
  • DAWUSSDAWUSS My homepagePosts: 517MI6 Agent
    Bond being less "macho"? Does this mean Bond is on his way to becoming a sissy boy? I mean, sure, that's not as bad as Bond being gay (I apologize if I'm stirring an old pot with that line), but come on, I thought Bond was supposed to be the "alpha male" of the pack.
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,988Quartermasters
    highhopes wrote:
    I'm not against humor -- in fact, a Bond film requires it -- but it has to be organic to the story and characters and used sparingly. I thought CR's humor was just the right touch. I'm not interested in a return to the Moore era at all. I don't understand why the produders, after earning raves for a tougher, more serious Bond film, would want to go that route. It's asinine.

    I'm with you 100%, HH. I'd just urge everyone to not project too much excess baggage onto this one story. Two or three extra minor comic 'beats' in a Bond 22 script could well be what they're talking about...rather than a full-fledged "return to the comedy that Roger Moore brought to the franchise."*

    *That said, just typing the previous line, even as transcription, caused a bit of distress in my lower colon :s For the moment, I'll continue to keep this one in the "Bond doesn't wear a tux in Casino Royale!", "Craig lost his front two teeth!" and "Craig can't drive a stick!" file ;)
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • highhopeshighhopes Posts: 1,358MI6 Agent
    [quote=Loeffelholz I'd just urge everyone to not project too much excess baggage onto this one story. Two or three extra minor comic 'beats' in a Bond 22 script could well be what they're talking about...rather than a full-fledged "return to the comedy that Roger Moore brought to the franchise."*
    [/quote]
    That's very true. But on the other hand, I have to wonder who at Eon -- if anyone -- came to the conclusion that CR lacked laughs. Which I think is nonsense (although there are certainly those for whom the constant quipping and outrageous action was an intrinsic part of James Bond). Let's take a partial look at the record: there was the Land Rover at the resort; the bomber blowing himself up rather than the plane; the chief of police arrested for corruption; the banter with Vesper and the tuxedo scene; the list goes on. We're not talking Greek tragedy here. It had just as much -- if not more-- than each of the first three Connery Bonds.

    Let's hope that Eon, wanting very badly to "top" CR, isn't going to ratchet up everything (i.e. action, humor, gadgets, characters) to grotesque proportions. A good movie is enough. It doesn't have to be more of anything. I'm a big fan of Goldfinger, but it's on steroids compared to the first two. That was a conscious decision by Eon and that's fine, but it ultimately led to the overkill that turned off so many people, me included. I'd like to see them take Bond in a quieter, more character-driven direction, which I thought was the reason for hiring Foster. Oh well. Who knows?
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited July 2007
    highhopes wrote:
    Let's hope that Eon, wanting very badly to "top" CR, isn't going to ratchet up everything (i.e. action, humor, gadgets, characters) to grotesque proportions. A good movie is enough. It doesn't have to be more of anything. I'm a big fan of Goldfinger, but it's on steroids compared to the first two. That was a conscious decision by Eon and that's fine, but it ultimately led to the overkill that turned off so many people, me included. I'd like to see them take Bond in a quieter, more character-driven direction, which I thought was the reason for hiring Foster. Oh well. Who knows?
    It is certainly true that there are many people (of whom I am not one) who 'blame' GF for the path that the series took. However I don't think that GF was unique among the Connery films for being quite humerous. DN was IMO extremely humerous, and so putting GF aside, I don't agree with you that CR, in comparison to the earlier Connery films, was all that funny.

    Obviously it is subjective however, I didn't find CR to be particularly funny as IMO the humour was often inappropiate for the context, badly delivered or written or simply not funny. DN however was IMO very funny, due to the behaviour of Connery (his staying back with Sylvia Trench, his turning in to the police of Miss Taro but only after he slept with her), some of the interplay involving M and Moneypenny as well some of Connery's quips (perhaps the best IMO being "I was just looking.")
    highhopes wrote:
    I think Holly Goodhead was the other. But the films have a tendency to take a good thing and beat it to death, like Onatop, the woman who squeezes men to death between her thighs. Gimme a break. That's why the "Stephanie Broadchest" joke was so refreshing. It took a shopworn Bond convention and gave it a fresh and more reality-based twist (the martini joke, too). Let's hope, if Craig really is correct about this approach, that that is what he means by turning them "on their ear." But even that could get a little tireseome. I'm not against humor -- in fact, a Bond film requires it -- but it has to be organic to the story and characters and used sparingly. I thought CR's humor was just the right touch. I'm not interested in a return to the Moore era at all. I don't understand why the produders, after earning raves for a tougher, more serious Bond film, would want to go that route. It's asinine.
    I don' think it's asinine at all but I already defended the Moore films in an earlier post on this thread. You mentioned Xenia Onatopp and Stephanie Broadchest. Therein lies my problem with CR. I thought that Xenia Onatopp was a fantastic name which suited the reality that was GE perfectly. Stephanie Broadchest, like some of the other humour in CR, appeared to me to be completely out of step with CR. So, if Bond 22 can come up with Pussy Galore/Xenia Onatopp jokes that actually suit the film (unlike IMO CR), then I will be happy. I mean, say what you want about the Moore films, but you have to admit the humour suited the films. ;)

    Furthermore, the Moore films featured a wide variety of humour, much of it superb IMO. Let's wait to see what humour is actually being referred to before deeming Bond 22 to be a disaster. :p :))
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
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