the new james bond

[mickey]

Greetings,

I see only two people with the presence and physicality to pull of the James Bond role. They are (drum roll please):

1- Jet Li

2- Michael Jai White


mickey

[Starchaser107]

that would be hyyyyypppee

either way.

[mickey]

Yes it would.

Will Hollywood have the courage to do something different?

mickey

[GeneChing]

James Bond: Scott Adkins as the Next 007 After Daniel Craig?



James Bond is a character that has been around for more than five decades. With Daniel Craig playing the latest version of Bond, who could possibly take over once he retires from the role.

There have been many candidates for the role whose names have come up but Scott Adkins is one such actor who could prove to be the perfect choice for Bond. Here are reasons why.

Martial Artist

Apart from being an actor, Scott Adkins is also a martial artist. Viewers know him for his action scenes and stunts in his movies, which is one of the most necessary parts of a Bond movie.

With him as Bond, the makers will not have to worry about filming high-octane action scenes because Scott Adkins has done it all.


Image source: Facebook/James Bond 007

Muscular

Another benefit of being a martial artist is that Adkins is extremely fit and muscular. It is not an important criterion for a Bond candidate but is certainly one of the requirements.

His muscular physique will only increase his appeal as Daniel Craig’s successor and bring forward a successful portrayal of Bond.

Not Well-Known

One of the characteristics for an actor to play Bond is that he should not be too well-known. For instance, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig too were not known before they were cast as James Bond in the movies.

Scott Adkins has till now majorly played supporting roles or villainous roles. With him being cast as Bond, it would not only help his career but will also give the makers a really solid James Bond actor.

Age

Finally, Scott Adkins is of the right age to become one of the top choices for the James Bond role. The actor is currently 40 years old. It means he will be able to play the role for the next decade and in the process, helping the franchise move ahead.

Deadline reported that Scott Adkins has joined the cast of Accident Man. It also stars Ray Stevenson, Ashley Greene, and David Paymer. The movie will premiere this month in the UK.

The next James Bond movie does not have a release date or title yet.

This would be cool, but it's just a rumor.

The last installment of the franchise was SPECTRE.

[GeneChing]

There’s a surprising new name in the mix to become the next Bond
Posted by Tom Victor Published6 hours ago



It’s rare that we find out too much about James Bond films before the latest possible moment, but a few things are beginning to fall into place for Bond 25.

We know the next film in the franchise will almost certainly be Daniel Craig’s last – for real, this time – while Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle will be in charge for the first time. Its release date in the US will be 8 November 2019, while it will be screened in the UK before this.

But what happens after this one? Will Boyle go back-to-back like Sam Mendes? And, more importantly, who will replace Craig as 007?

Some familiar names have cropped up over and over again in the discussion around his successor, Idris Elba and Tom Hardy chief among them, but a new name has emerged in the race for the role.



We have never had a female Bond, but a lot of money has been coming in for Emily Blunt – enough for her odds to be slashed from a 250/1 outsider to the very much in-the-mix 50/1.

Sicario and The Girl on the Train star Blunt is set to star in upcoming release Mary Poppins Returns, but looks to have a relatively clear schedule after that hits cinemas at Christmas.

Her most recent live action release, horror film A Quiet Place, has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing and was described by Vulture as “aggressively scary”.

Blunt’s odds are now the same as those for The X-Files star Gillian Anderson to become Bond, while if you want to hedge your bets you can get 12/1 on any woman succeeding Craig.



Hardy and Elba still have shorter odds than both women, though McMafia star James Norton remains the bookies’ favourite.

Other big-name actors in the conversation include Cillian Murphy, Daniel Kaluuya and Michael Fassbender.

There is still a small chance of Craig staying on board for the 26th Bond film, but he is already older than predecessor Pierce Brosnan was when portraying the character for the final time in Die Another Day.

If the producers do opt to go for a younger Bond after Boyle’s upcoming 2019 release, 35-year-old Blunt certainly fits the bill.

(Images: Sony Pictures/Getty)

Being heavy into Bondage, a female Bond doesn't work for me. I was okay with a female M, but what would become of the Bond girls?

[GeneChing]

Danny Boyle Exits As Bond 25 Director Amid Creative Differences
by Mike Fleming Jr and Patrick Hipes
August 21, 2018 10:38am


Shutterstock

Danny Boyle, who had been set as director of the next installment of the James Bond franchise, is leaving the production, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said today on Twitter.

The franchise’s official social media handle said that Wilson, Broccoli and star Daniel Craig made the announcement, and that it was Boyle’s decision.

View image on Twitter

James Bond
✔
@007
Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25.

10:10 AM - Aug 21, 2018
8,687
7,079 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy

It’s unclear how this might impact the distribution plans of the latest in the 007 franchise. New U.S. distributor MGM had already set a November 8, 2019 release date for the pic, which will bow first on October 25, 2019 in the UK as part of Universal’s new international and home entertainment rights deal.

Craig is back for his fifth film as 007, with a script that Boyle’s Trainspotting partner John Hodge wrote based on an idea by Boyle. Deadline revealed those plans, and we were told then that Boyle was only interested in participating if he could tell that specific story, his way. So it isn’t immediately clear if the producers will stick with the Hodge script, or if they go back to the version that was written by written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who penned Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre. That 007 story got shelved when the producers sparked to Boyle’s pitch.

It’s also back to the drawing board on filmmakers. At one time, the producers were looking closely at Blade Runner 2049’s Denis Villenueve, Hell or High Water‘s David Mackenzie, and ’71’s Yann Demange. Villenueve seems firmly rooted in Dune — he has Beautiful Boy star Timothee Chalamet set for the lead at Legendary.

Mackenzie is again available, after completing the Chris Pine as Robert the Bruce Scottish epic Outlaw King, and Demange finished the Matthew McConaughey-starrer White Boy Rick. It is unclear but seems likely the two will be back on the short list. Stay tuned.

We'll split this off into an indie Bond 25 thread when it gets more established.

[GeneChing]

AUGUST 21, 2018 3:30pm PT by Richard Newby
Why It's Time for James Bond to Move On


Courtesy of Sony Pictures/Photofest

As Danny Boyle exits Bond 25 and rumors persist about who could replace Daniel Craig, the franchise should chart a fresh path forward.

In a surprising turn of events, Danny Boyle has exited Bond 25, which had been scheduled to begin production in December for a November 2019 release. Citing creative differences, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, along with star Daniel Craig made the official announcement Tuesday afternoon.

The road to Bond 25 has been a long one. After a long search and much deliberation by Eon Productions, Oscar winner Danny Boyle (2008's Slumdog Millionaire) signed on to direct and write (alongside John Hodge) in March. Though the short production schedule was somewhat worrying, it seemed promising that Boyle would be able to bring something new to the franchise and place Craig’s Bond in a position he hadn’t been in before. Although the star seemed by numerous media appearances to be burned out on Bond, hiring Boyle seemed like a reinvigorating move that would allow this iteration of 007 to go out on a high note. But with the director decamping, and increased rumors and speculation about who will step into the tuxedo and Aston Martin next, maybe it’ll be better for everyone if we admit that it’s time to let Daniel Craig’s Bond re in peace.

Without a doubt, Craig has headlined some of the long-running franchise’s best films, and he stands as a personal favorite Bond. Earlier this year, I asked if there was anything left for the actor to do as Bond, and landed on the decision that with Boyle, the answer was "yes." But without the celebrated filmmaker, who seemed sure to deconstruct the character in an emotionally cathartic way, what are we looking at? Sure, it’s feasible to imagine some great set pieces, maybe a well-cast adversary or two, but for Craig’s Bond, who has been the most introspective and emotionally damaged of all the 007 iterations, it seems his story has found closure. Unless a new director can find a way to challenge the character that wouldn’t end in “creative differences,” it really does seem like Craig has explored all he has to offer with James Bond.

Spectre (2015), while not the best of Craig’s run despite bringing back Skyfall’s director Sam Mendes, did manage to tie up all the loose ends of the previous three installments. We see Bond come to terms with his past, finally unveil the reach of Quantum and face off against a classic adversary in Christoph Waltz’s Blofeld. The super spy even manages to curtail his womanizing ways and enter a relationship, with Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux), that promises permanence. Although perhaps too tidy, and too dependent on things the franchise had done before, Spectre feels like a far better sendoff than the rest of the Bonds received.

Despite the sentiment going into Bond 25 that the film will allow Craig to end his tenure with one of the best installments, the fact remains that such an ending has yet to be achieved with any of the long-running Bonds , many of whom stayed well past the age where they could perform without looking stiff and tired. Sean Connery’s run ended with the silly Bond in Vegas entry, Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Roger Moore wrapped things up in A View to s Kill (1985), where he couldn’t match the high energy of Christopher Walken’s villain. Timothy Dalton’s Licence to Kill (1989) was a controversial departure from Bond that owed more to Miami Vice than MI6. And poor Pierce Brosnan was left with what many consider to be the worst in the franchise, Die Another Day (2002). Even the one-and-done George Lazenby’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service ended on a downer with Bond’s wife being killed. If history serves as a map to the future, then we should consider ourselves lucky if Spectre does end up being Craig’s last entry.

Although much has been made about Craig’s age, he’ll be 50 if the film still manages to start production this year, that remains a secondary issue. Roger Moore was 58 when he retired from Bond in 1985. Fifty-six-year-old Tom Cruise just delivered one of the best action movies of his career with Mission: Impossible – Fallout, though no one can quite match the youthful vigor of Cruise. Age isn’t an issue, especially since stars have stopped aging like they used to in Connery and Moore’s days. What is an issue is that it feels like Craig has been Bond for a long time. Cast in 2005, Craig has held the role of James Bond longer than any other actor. His 13 years with the mantle edges out Moore’s 12. There’s simply a feeling, blame it on the buzz over Idris Elba being rumored to take over the role, or Craig’s agitated comments about returning for another, that most audiences are ready to see the actor move on. In the time since Craig became Bond to the present, we’ve seen two Supermen, two Batmen, three Spider-Men, new iterations of the crew of the starship Enterprise, and new Jedi. Even Hugh Jackman hung up his Wolverine claws. Every iconic property has its life cycle, and eventually needs revamping and fresh blood to get audiences involved again. In 2018, the prospect of a new Bond feels more exciting than seeing Craig return as 007 in 2019. That’s doubly true without Boyle.

Spectre may not have gotten the pomp and circumstance of being Craig’s last entry, but perhaps it’s better that way. It’s a fitting end to one of the best interpretations of the character, that is should Broccoli and Wilson see fit to leave it there. Rushing a new script and another Bond into production to meet the release date next year seems ill-advised and an insult to all that Craig has put into his performance. And waiting another year or two for a 2020 or 2021 release date drains any momentum left in an arc that fans are already anxious to see conclude. Rather than force an entry that is apparently no longer there, Eon should go back to the drawing board and figure out who the next Bond is, who can write and direct it, and what the character can mean for the upcoming decade. Craig hasn’t left the role yet, but his Bond seems to be in the midst of death throes. While it may be premature, it seems for now that James Bond is dead. Long live James Bond.

Seems like just yesterday when Craig came out with Casino Royale.

[GeneChing]

SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 1:22AM PT
Cary Joji Fukunaga to Direct New James Bond Film
By HENRY CHU
International Editor


Writer Cary Joji Fukunaga attends The National Board of Review Gala, honoring the 2015 award winners, at Cipriani 42nd Street, in New York2016 National Board of Review Awards Gala, New York, USA
CREDIT: EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP/REX/SH

Cary Joji Fukunaga will direct the new James Bond film, the producers announced Thursday. The 25th Bond installment will begin filming in London, at Pinewood Studios, on March 4, 2019, with a worldwide release on Feb. 14, 2020, a few months after its original target date.

Fukunaga, who won acclaim for 2015 war film “Beasts of No Nation,” replaces Danny Boyle, who exited the project last month over creative differences with producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson and returning star Daniel Craig. Fukunaga will be the Bond franchise’s first American director.

“We are delighted to be working with Cary,” Broccoli and Wilson said on Twitter. “His versatility and innovation make him an excellent choice for our next James Bond adventure.”

Fukunaga won an Emmy in 2014 for helming the entire first season (eight episodes) of “True Detective” and giving the crime series a cinematic look. More recently, he directed multiple episodes of Netflix’s “Maniac,” a new half-hour comedy show starring Emma Stone and Jonah Hill.

Even so, Fukunaga was not on many – or any – Bond watchers’ radar as Boyle’s replacement. Speculation had centered on Bart Layton, director of “American Animals”; S.J. Clarkson, who has been chosen to direct the next installment in the “Star Trek” franchise; and Yann Demange, the helmer of new release “White Boy Rick.” Demange had been considered a strong contender during the first round before the job went, temporarily, to Boyle, and again during the new search.

MGM and production company Eon had little time to pick a new director after Boyle’s Aug. 21 departure to keep the project on schedule. As it is, the new release date of Valentine’s Day 2020 is three months later than the original date of Nov. 8, 2019. MGM will distribute the film domestically and Universal internationally.

Boyle had been hired to direct and to pen the script along with his “Trainspotting” co-writer, John Hodge. The screenplay appeared to have received the green light, and the new Bond girl and villain were soon to be cast, when Boyle and the producers abruptly parted ways. MGM and Eon then began looking for both a director and a writer, insiders said.

Fukunaga’s debut feature film, “Sin Nombre,” earned him the directing award at Sundance in 2009; in its review, Variety hailed the arrival of “a big new talent.” He also directed 2011’s “Jane Eyre,” with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender.

Didn't see that one coming.

[GeneChing]

Time to split off Bond 25 into its own thread, independent of the new james bond thread.

DECEMBER 7, 2018 10:56AM PT
Bond 25: Lea Seydoux Returning to Franchise
By JUSTIN KROLL
Film Reporter
@krolljvar


CREDIT: COURTESY OF MGM

With its spring shoot fast approaching, Eon and MGM have begun bringing back familiar faces for the next James Bond film as Lea Seydoux is set to reprise her “Spectre” role as psychologist Madeleine Swann, a source confirmed to Variety.

Daniel Craig is already on board to return, with Cary Joji Fukunaga writing and directing the pic.

Craig is currently shooting Rian Johnson’s thriller “Knives Out” and Fukunaga is still finishing the Bond 25 script, but insiders say producers have already begun building out the film’s ensemble. Besides Seydoux, Eon is looking for two other actresses — one would play an MI6 agent who works with Bond and another a mystery women — as well as the Bond villain.

According to insiders, Rami Malek was being eyed for the villain role, but his schedule on the last season of “Mr. Robot,” which shoots from March through July, makes it unlikely that he will be able to take the gig, even if Eon offered him the part.

MGM will release the film on Feb. 14, 2020 through a partnership with Annapurna Pictures. Universal will handle international distribution.

[GeneChing]

CREDIT: GREG WILLIAMS/EON PRODUCTIONS

‘No Time to Die’: A Rare In-Depth Interview With the Keepers of James Bond
By BRENT LANG

For nearly 60 years on the silver screen, James Bond, the rakish secret agent who jets from one exotic port of call to another, romancing women and besting bad guys in the name of queen and country, has answered to one person. M, the no-nonsense intelligence chief, is the only one who can revoke the British spy’s license to kill. And even M isn’t always successful at reining in 007.

Off screen, it’s a different story. One family, the Broccolis, has long maintained an iron grip on the franchise. Thanks to a highly unique deal, they have been able to exert an unprecedented level of creative control, serving as the final arbiter on everything from the scripts to the casting to the promotional materials.

Eon Prods., the family’s company, splits profits with MGM/UA, the studio that has the right to finance and distribute all of the Bond movies.

“For better or worse, we are the custodians of this character,” says Barbara Broccoli, who oversees the franchise with her half-brother Michael G. Wilson. “We take that responsibility seriously.”

It’s an arrangement that was first hammered out by Broccoli’s father, the producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, when John F. Kennedy was president and the Twist was all the rage. Miraculously, that pact has prevailed through the decades and generations, enduring everything from corporate mergers and bankruptcies to shifting consumer tastes and geopolitical upheavals. The elder Broccoli died in 1996. but not before ceding control to his two children with the 1995 release of “GoldenEye,” a film that proved a sexist superspy, conceived by novelist Ian Fleming in the 1950s, still had a role to play in post-Cold War cinema.

Hollywood’s longest-running — and one of its most lucrative — franchises, the spy series has spawned 24 films that have collectively amassed $16.3 billion in global ticket sales, adjusted for inflation, according to a 2018 Forbes story on Bond by the numbers ($6.9 billion unadjusted, per data site The Numbers).

On April 10, “No Time to Die,” Eon’s 25th Bond adventure, will hit U.S. theaters, representing a moment of both triumph and uncertainty for the series. It serves as the culmination of Daniel Craig’s critically acclaimed, massively successful five-film run as 007; this time, after threatening to turn his back on the series for years, the star is insistent that he is finally holstering Bond’s Walther PPK for good.

“I’m in total denial,” says Broccoli. “I’ve accepted what Daniel has said, but I’m still in denial. It’s too traumatic for me.”

Broccoli, who joined Wilson in a rare sit-down interview with Variety last month, conducted in a drab Brooklyn studio far removed from the casinos, five-star hotels and villas that Bond habituates, weighs her words carefully. She’ll cast a reproachful eye at Wilson when his attempts at humor strike her as ill-considered. “Americans don’t do irony,” he notes at one point, gesturing toward his U.S.-born interrogator.

Unlike the famously chatty Bond villains who have a penchant for spilling every detail of their deadly schemes instead of concentrating on killing off 007, the plot details of “No Time to Die” are being closely held. There’s a paper-thin logline, one that states that Bond, having retired from active duty, finds himself pulled back into the world of espionage after a scientist is abducted. Neither Broccoli nor Wilson will reveal much beyond that, but they do promise that the film will tie up loose narrative threads left over from previous Craig outings.

“We have come to an emotionally satisfying conclusion,” says Broccoli.

On the press tour for 2015’s “Spectre,” Craig complained about the physical toll of playing Bond, saying that he would rather “slash my wrists” than return for another outing. After giving him time to rest and recuperate, Broccoli prevailed upon him to reconsider.

“Barbara doesn’t take no for an answer,” says Craig. “It’s not in her wheelhouse. I had a nice long break, which I really needed. And then she was just persistent and came to me with some ideas, which we started formulating, and I got excited again.”

Already, the media has begun speculating about who could step into Bond’s impeccably tailored tuxedo, with everyone from Idris Elba to Richard Madden finding himself at the center of chatter. Broccoli and Wilson insist they haven’t started to map out a post-Craig world; they’re focused on completing “No Time to Die,” an enormous, $250 million production. But they seem open to broadening the search beyond the usual suspects.

“You think of him as being from Britain or the Commonwealth, but Britain is a very diverse place,” Wilson says.

“For better or worse, we are the custodians of this character. We take that responsibility seriously.”
BARBARA BROCCOLI

There are certain things the duo appears open to considering, and other conversations that are nonstarters, when it comes to selecting the next Bond. “He can be of any color, but he is male,” says Broccoli. “I believe we should be creating new characters for women — strong female characters. I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.”

If anything, Broccoli and Wilson’s experience with Craig has emboldened them to shake up the Bond formula. On paper, the choice was shocking. Craig, with his blond hair, boxer’s swagger, creased face and gruff volatility, didn’t fit the mold. He wasn’t conventionally handsome, he didn’t smack of fine living and chateaubriand and he lacked the black or brown locks that previous Bonds, from Sean Connery to Pierce Brosnan, had all rocked — though in Connery’s case that was courtesy of a toupee. Craig’s selection was considered to be such an affront to 007 purists that websites, dubbed CraigNotBond, sprang up to decry his casting. Even the actor was surprised to win the role.

“I thought I was just on a conveyor belt of actors who go through their door,” remembers Craig. “I assumed they were just casting their net very wide. I thought I’d go and meet them and then have a story to tell friends about that time I was considered for Bond. When they suggested they were serious about me doing it, I was completely flattered but perplexed.”

It turned out, however, that Broccoli and Wilson were interested in doing something entirely different with the character. Although 2002’s “Die Another Day,” the last of Brosnan’s four-film run, had been the most financially successful movie in the series’ history with a worldwide gross of $432 million, its climax, replete with a giant space laser and an invisible car, pushed the story in a preposterous direction.

“We got too fantastical,” says Wilson. “We had to come back to Earth.”

They were also looking at a much different global situation than the one in which “Die Another Day” was conceived. “The world obviously had changed,” says Broccoli. “We’d had 9/11, and the stakes were higher, and we felt we needed a more realistic Bond.”

Martin Campbell, the director of “GoldenEye” and “Casino Royale,” says finding the right man to play a fresh version of the legendary superspy involved whittling the final list down to eight candidates. Craig, just off a red-eye from the U.S. set of “The Invasion,” was subjected to a series of screen tests. In one, he read a tense tête-à-tête in an office from “Casino Royale,” while in another he re-created a seduction scene that Connery performed in “From Russia With Love.”

“To be honest, it took me a little while to see it,” admits Campbell. “Daniel’s acting was terrific, but he wasn’t a pretty-boy. Barbara was adamantly in favor of him.” Campbell won’t say who else was considered, but one insider says Craig beat out the likes of Sam Worthington and Gerard Butler for the part. Despite the pushback, Broccoli knew she made the right call.

“He brought flesh and blood to the character,” she says. “Bond in the novel is a silhouette. Daniel has given him depth and an inner life. We were looking for a 21st-century hero, and that’s what he delivered. He bleeds; he cries; he’s very contemporary.”

continued next post

[GeneChing]

Barbara Broccoli grew up immersed in the world of Bond. In 1961, as Ursula Andress rose out of the sparkling waters of the Caribbean in a white bikini while filming an iconic scene from “Dr. No,” a diaper-wearing Broccoli, all of a year old, looked on from her mother’s lap. One of her earliest memories is of being sick on a remote Japanese island during the shooting of 1967’s “You Only Live Twice.” Connery intervened, lending the Broccoli family his personal doctor. School vacations were spent at Pinewood Studios, which designer Ken Adam would transform into the high-tech lairs for various Bond adversaries; or in whichever tropical paradise or European ski resort was being featured in the 007 installment of the moment.

Bond was such a vivid part of the family’s life that a young Broccoli became confused. “I thought James Bond was a real person until I was 7 or 8,” she says. “He was always talked about, so I didn’t think of him as a fictional character.”

Wilson, who at 77 is 18 years Broccoli’s senior (his mother, Dana, married Cubby Broccoli in 1959), had a different entry to the franchise that formed the basis of the family fortune. During a break from law school, he worked as one of the extras in the climax of “Goldfinger,” playing a Fort Knox guard. When Cubby Broccoli began having tax problems, Wilson, who specialized in that issue, grew more involved.

“I was a partner in a law firm at the time, but once I came in and got a taste for it, I never looked back,” Wilson says.

From advising on legal matters, Wilson quickly moved into the creative realm. He started as an assistant to the producer on 1977’s “The Spy Who Loved Me,” becoming executive producer on 1979’s “Moonraker” and moving on to full producer with 1985’s “A View to a Kill.” He also co-wrote five scripts for the series, beginning with 1981’s “For Your Eyes Only” and carrying through to 1989’s “License to Kill.” Wilson has continued to pop up in Bond films, making cameo appearances in every installment since 1977’s “The Spy Who Loved Me,” playing blink-and-you-miss-them roles as varied as “Greek priest at wedding” and “Man in corridor when M and C meet.”

People who have labored on the franchise say that Broccoli’s and Wilson’s abilities are complementary. “They both have strong points,” says Robert Wade, who has co-written seven Bond films, from “The World Is Not Enough” to “No Time to Die.” “Barbara is very much concerned with the emotional side of the story as well as the relevance of it to now. Michael’s got a very good story brain and has a macabre dimension that allows us to keep the Ian Fleming flavor of the thing.”

Privately, those who have worked with the pair describe Wilson as “cerebral” and keenly interested in exploring the inner workings of MI6. Broccoli is viewed as more finely attuned to what’s going on in the industry. She’s also willing to go toe-to-toe with studio heads, making it clear that she’s outlasted previous regimes and will still be standing when one film czar is deposed for another.

With the cast and crew, many of whom are long-standing Bond veterans, it’s another story. The pair tries to create a familial atmosphere on set.

“Barbara never stops taking care of the crew,” says Cary Joji Fukunaga, the director of “No Time to Die.” “When I was sick, she’d make me homemade soup. And Michael is like one of those old-school coaches who takes you aside and gives you a pep talk to keep your chin up if he thinks you might be down.”

They take their conservatorship seriously, reading and rereading all of Fleming’s novels to ensure they are remaining true to the essence of the character, even occasionally pulling out a dog-eared edition on the set of a film to prove a point. They see themselves as preserving a legacy, one they hope outlives them both. “Michael once told me, ‘No one wants to make the last Bond movie,’” says Neal Purvis, who has co-written seven Bond films with Wade. “The first time we went off to start writing, he said, ‘Don’t screw it up.’”

continued next post

[GeneChing]

The duo will also use its authority to nix ideas — such as a “Smallville”-like television series that would have followed a teenage Bond at Eton — or to push for casting choices: The Broccolis were able to successfully tap Eva Green as the female lead in “Casino Royale” over studio concerns that the French star couldn’t master an English accent.

They haven’t won every battle. In the early aughts, Broccoli’s ambitions to have a James Bond spinoff film focused on Jinx, the secret agent played by Halle Berry in “Die Another Day,” were foiled when MGM got cold feet about the film’s $80 million budget. That decision left Broccoli incensed. One of her main goals as steward of 007 has been to shake off some of the chauvinism that characterized Bond’s appearances in the novels and early films.

With Craig in the lead, Bond has matured. He’s not just engaged in one-night stands (though he’s had his fair share of those). He fell in love with Green’s Vesper Lynd only to have his heart broken, then embarked on a mature relationship with Léa Seydoux’s Dr. Madeleine Swann, the psychologist he first met in “Spectre.” Those ties will be strained at the beginning of “No Time to Die,” when Swann’s past returns to haunt the couple in unexpected ways. The franchise has come a long way from the time when female characters were often named after sex acts or anatomical attributes (see: ***** Galore or Dr. Holly Goodhead).

But “No Time to Die” presents other challenges. It will be the first Bond movie released in the Time’s Up era. Issues of consent and workplace harassment have been fiercely debated since the last time Bond was on screen, launching his trademark double entendres. Broccoli says that the filmmakers were very careful to reflect the current mood and moment in their portrayal of women. Not only does Swann return, but “No Time to Die” will also include Ana de Armas as a CIA field agent and Lashana Lynch as an 00 operative — both are fully capable of holding their own in the action department.

“Bond’s been evolving along with all the other men in the world,” says Broccoli. “Some have just gotten there more quickly than others.”

“No Time to Die” is expected to dominate the box office when it opens in April, but it faced significant setbacks on its road to the big screen. Danny Boyle, the Oscar-winning director of “Slumdog Millionaire,” was originally tapped to oversee the film, and had reportedly wanted to make a movie that dealt with tensions between the West and Russia. Instead, he left the project shortly before shooting was to start, with the official reason being “creative differences.” Broccoli and Wilson aren’t deviating from that line.

“It was hard on both sides because we had mutual respect and admiration, but better to know [the differences] before you embark on a project,” says Broccoli. “We worked together well for a number of months, but there came a point when we were discussing the kind of film that we wanted to make, and we both came to the conclusion we were not aligned. Movies are very hard to make when you’re all on the same page. When you’re not, it’s basically impossible; We recognized that, and in a respectful way we realized that it wasn’t going to work out.”

The film’s release was ultimately pushed back from October 2019 to April 2020, while the producers scrapped the script that Boyle had been crafting with his collaborator, John Hodge. In Boyle’s place, they tapped Fukunaga, best known for overseeing the first season of “True Detective” and the child-soldier drama “Beasts of No Nation.” Commentators were surprised that Fukunaga, who had spent the bulk of his career making dark dramas, would want to shoot a popcorn pic. But he’d been on the producers’ radar for a long time. Broccoli initially had conversations with Fukunaga about directing “Spectre” before Sam Mendes, who had helmed “Skyfall,” came on board. Later, during a meal at En, a Japanese brasserie in New York, Fukunaga asked to be considered for future opportunities.

“We talked at length about who the next Bond could be — this was before Daniel had decided to come back — and concluded it may take years to find someone else as compelling,” Fukunaga remembers. Having grown up watching the movies, he was eager to slide behind the camera. “It’s the longest-running, most iconic film franchise,” he says. “You get to travel the world, work with the best talent, the finest actors out of the U.K. and go on a real adventure. Who would say no to that?”

When production was supposed to begin on “No Time to Die,” Fukunaga was unavailable, but his dance card freed up by the time Boyle left the project. Purvis and Wade were tapped to write an entirely new script with Fukunaga, while Broccoli and Wilson enlisted “Fleabag” creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge to do a polish, punching up dialogue and working on character development. Broccoli and Wilson say they’re thrilled with what Fukunaga delivered, calling it a visually arresting adventure that follows Bond from Jamaica to Norway, with a stop in the ancient Italian city of Matera.

“He’s brought a fresh new approach,” says Broccoli. “He’s made an emotionally engaging film. It’s epic both in the emotional scale and on the landscape scale.”

Fukunaga and cinematographer Linus Sandgren pushed to have “No Time to Die” shot on film instead of digital, believing it enhanced the look of the picture. They also used Imax cameras for key sequences. These decisions were made with an eye toward boosting the theatrical run of “No Time to Die.” But the film is hitting theaters at a moment of transition for the industry. Netflix has upended the way that people consume movies, providing a direct challenge to the exhibition industry. In the process, Disney has launched a streaming service and Comcast and WarnerMedia are preparing their own subscription offerings. For now, Broccoli says Bond’s future will remain on the big screen, but she doesn’t rule out the possibility that a future 007 adventure could debut on a streaming platform.

“We make these films for the audiences,” Broccoli says. “We like to think that they’re going to be seen primarily on the big screen. But having said that, we have to look to the future. Our fans are the ones who dictate how they want to consume their entertainment. I don’t think we can rule anything out, because it’s the audience that will make those decisions. Not us.”

“I believe we should be creating new characters for women — strong female characters. I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.” This is her motivation behind launching The Rhythm Section.

THREADS
No Time to Die
the new james bond

[GeneChing]

James Bond franchise to shoot for the small screen with new competition show 007's Road to a Million
A million pounds sterling is on the line, people!
By Clark Collis
March 25, 2022 at 01:39 PM EDT

Have you ever watched a James Bond action sequence and thought, "Hey, I could do that!" Me neither. Nevertheless, it was announced today that armchair super-spies will have an opportunity to test their espionage mettle on a new show titled 007's Road to a Million.

The UK Amazon Original series is produced by 72 Films, in collaboration with legendary James Bond movie franchise producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and MGM Television. Filming will start later this year, with the new series launching exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories.


Daniel Craig in 'No Time to Die' | CREDIT: MGM
007's Road to a Million will feature contestants competing in a global adventure to win the ultimate prize of up to £1 million. Billed as a test of intelligence and endurance, the show will be filmed in many of the historic locations featured throughout the Bond movies.

In addition to conquering physical obstacles, the contestants, who will compete in two-person teams, must correctly answer questions hidden in various spots around the world to advance to the next challenge.

Anyone interested in taking part in the cutthroat series can apply here. Everyone else can just stay on the couch and watch No Time to Die again.

threads
the-new-james-bond/
007's Road to a Million