the bond rumor mill in full swing
Another little treat from Empire: Pierce Brosnan "has hung up his Walther PPK" and said adieu to the successful franchise, claiming that Die Another Day was his final performance as secret agent James Bond.
Right. Didn't we go through this before with Bond 21? And wasn't there that awful petition that clogged up my junk mail folders for months trying to get him reinstated, and then the silly thing worked? There is, of course, speculation that this is a roundabout way of renegotiating a salary contract (isn't it always?), or that TPTB are concerned about his age (51 and the clock's ticking-- he didn't look up to his usual standards in the last one, age had indeed caught up), or similiarly TPTB were pissy with his desire to radically shake up the character with Tarantino in the director's chair (the girls and gadgets thing is a bit tired, not to mention campy; it does need a shot in the arm, but not necessarily an epipherin shot to the chest a la Tarantino.)
Yet the can of worms has been opened and all those sexy young hopefuls are on the forefront again. Let's dissect them, shall we?
1. Hugh Jackman. They've talked about him since he broke out as Wolverine. He's sexy, can handle the violence, and with a little help, the Aussie accent becomes British. However, he already has one franchise under his belt; carrying another could be problematic, if not impossible.
2. Clive Owen. The proclaimed front runner. He certainly has the intensity and powerful presence that we've come to associate with the character of Bond, James Bond, but he's also come out several times that he would never play such a tired role and has no interest in the franchise. (Not to mention that he can take the poker-face expressionless thing to extremes; he might as well have been a statue in King Arthur.)
3. Eric Bana. I really don't know why he's listed. He's Australian and a brunette, but that's it. (I have been told that he's considered very sexy but I don't see it. I really don't. Ick. Ick. Ick. And after Troy, I'm not very certain he can act, either.)
Double ick. (For good measure.)
4. Colin Firth. A solid British heart-throb, to be sure, and a great actor. But Bond? The edginess simply isn't there- not to mention that Firth is (I think) the oldest contender being considered. If Brosnan's too old at 51, and if all the films take this damn long to produce, he'd be lucky if he gets two done. (Another George Lazenby, perhaps?)
5. Steve Rider and Boris Johnson. Two guys who are mentioned in the above article. I've googled them: they don't exist. They're at the very beginning of their careers- it would be a chance of gargatuan proportions to entrust the franchise to an untested unknown. (Even Pierce had Remington Steele under his belt before he made Goldeneye.)
6. Gerard Butler. AKA the guy in Tomb Raider 2. (Didn't see it; can't comment on acting skills.) But he does look pretty. And apparently he's the new Phantom of the Opera.
7. Heath Ledger. You've got to be kidding me, right? Sure, the tweens will go wild, but still, you've got to be kidding me, right?
8. Jude Law. I think all of his tiny perfect bones would shatter into a million zillion little pieces if he got near an explosion, much less had to run from one. No, Law belongs in dramas where he can be michieviously snarky and have other people do the dirty work for him.
9. Hugh Grant. Now you're just being silly. (And I am a fan of his.)
10. Ewan McGregor. A puzzling one. He is a great actor, can sing (not that James Bond is known for breaking out into song but it's still a fact, the man has a great voice), can do the physical stuff, is quite the hottie, but would he do it? One cannot rely on his kids' persuasion as George Lucas did for the SW prequels. Hmmm... puzzling.
11. Ioan Griffudd. (My personal favorite, best for last.) AKA Horatio Hornblower in the A&E series, or Lancelot in King Arthur. A Welsh heartthrob, like Connery once was (or according to some, still is), a young, good-looking strong actor who's done action, comedy and drama. Not well-known enough to create havoc with viewer's ideas, but not a novice. Utterly fantastic and perfect.
(I did mention I was extremely biased, right?);)
Right. Didn't we go through this before with Bond 21? And wasn't there that awful petition that clogged up my junk mail folders for months trying to get him reinstated, and then the silly thing worked? There is, of course, speculation that this is a roundabout way of renegotiating a salary contract (isn't it always?), or that TPTB are concerned about his age (51 and the clock's ticking-- he didn't look up to his usual standards in the last one, age had indeed caught up), or similiarly TPTB were pissy with his desire to radically shake up the character with Tarantino in the director's chair (the girls and gadgets thing is a bit tired, not to mention campy; it does need a shot in the arm, but not necessarily an epipherin shot to the chest a la Tarantino.)
Yet the can of worms has been opened and all those sexy young hopefuls are on the forefront again. Let's dissect them, shall we?
1. Hugh Jackman. They've talked about him since he broke out as Wolverine. He's sexy, can handle the violence, and with a little help, the Aussie accent becomes British. However, he already has one franchise under his belt; carrying another could be problematic, if not impossible.
2. Clive Owen. The proclaimed front runner. He certainly has the intensity and powerful presence that we've come to associate with the character of Bond, James Bond, but he's also come out several times that he would never play such a tired role and has no interest in the franchise. (Not to mention that he can take the poker-face expressionless thing to extremes; he might as well have been a statue in King Arthur.)
3. Eric Bana. I really don't know why he's listed. He's Australian and a brunette, but that's it. (I have been told that he's considered very sexy but I don't see it. I really don't. Ick. Ick. Ick. And after Troy, I'm not very certain he can act, either.)
Double ick. (For good measure.)
4. Colin Firth. A solid British heart-throb, to be sure, and a great actor. But Bond? The edginess simply isn't there- not to mention that Firth is (I think) the oldest contender being considered. If Brosnan's too old at 51, and if all the films take this damn long to produce, he'd be lucky if he gets two done. (Another George Lazenby, perhaps?)
5. Steve Rider and Boris Johnson. Two guys who are mentioned in the above article. I've googled them: they don't exist. They're at the very beginning of their careers- it would be a chance of gargatuan proportions to entrust the franchise to an untested unknown. (Even Pierce had Remington Steele under his belt before he made Goldeneye.)
6. Gerard Butler. AKA the guy in Tomb Raider 2. (Didn't see it; can't comment on acting skills.) But he does look pretty. And apparently he's the new Phantom of the Opera.
7. Heath Ledger. You've got to be kidding me, right? Sure, the tweens will go wild, but still, you've got to be kidding me, right?
8. Jude Law. I think all of his tiny perfect bones would shatter into a million zillion little pieces if he got near an explosion, much less had to run from one. No, Law belongs in dramas where he can be michieviously snarky and have other people do the dirty work for him.
9. Hugh Grant. Now you're just being silly. (And I am a fan of his.)
10. Ewan McGregor. A puzzling one. He is a great actor, can sing (not that James Bond is known for breaking out into song but it's still a fact, the man has a great voice), can do the physical stuff, is quite the hottie, but would he do it? One cannot rely on his kids' persuasion as George Lucas did for the SW prequels. Hmmm... puzzling.
11. Ioan Griffudd. (My personal favorite, best for last.) AKA Horatio Hornblower in the A&E series, or Lancelot in King Arthur. A Welsh heartthrob, like Connery once was (or according to some, still is), a young, good-looking strong actor who's done action, comedy and drama. Not well-known enough to create havoc with viewer's ideas, but not a novice. Utterly fantastic and perfect.
(I did mention I was extremely biased, right?);)
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home