February 25, 2005 - Yahoo! News points out this report in The Sun that claims the two top finalists to be the next James Bond in Casino Royale are Oscar-nominee Clive Owen and Road to Perdition villain Daniel Craig. Craig, who turns 37 next week, has appeared in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Layer Cake and the upcoming thriller, The Jacket. He's also reportedly up for a co-starring role in Steven Spielberg's next project, Vengeance. "They're both good looking and charming, but also have that dangerous edge," said an alleged source for The Sun. "We feel they are the real deal. The million-dollar question is which one will get it. There have been lots of potential candidates but these two really fit the bill." Another Bond finalist is reportedly none other than Dr. Doom himself, Julian McMahon. "I met the producers for a final audition. They told me to expect a decision in a couple of months and they said it was between me and one other person," said the Nip/Tuck star. "It's going to be a very nervous wait." Casino Royale begins filming later this year or early next for a 2006 release. -- Stax http://filmforce.ign.com/bond/articles/591/591091p1.html So it seems an inside source is claiming it's down to Owen and Daniel Craig(this guy is so wrong for the part) and Julian McMahon is claiming he's one of 2 finalists. Out of those 3, I definately prefer McMahon. He looks a bit like a Connery did when he first played Bond. According to the director, Casino will be treated as a prequel, the same way Sum of All Fears was for Jack Ryan. http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/articles/bond_21_bond_begins.php3?t=bond21&s=bond21
I'd prefer McMahon too. I absolutely love him in Nip/Tuck. But just because he's a "finalist" doesn't make me want to see any james bond movies all of a sudden. All the ones I've seen were because of group settings where I was out-voted for another movie. It's probably going to have to be the same way with this one.
I hope Clive Owen gets the role, but I hate the idea of making it a prequel. So everything that happened to Bond in the previous 20 films is thrown out the window? The guy was never widowed on his wedding day? He never met Ernst Stavro Blofeld? He never went into space(ok, maybe that one they should ignore)? The only way this prequel idea could work is if they actually set the story in the 50's or 60's like the novel. Which is what Quentin Tarantino wanted to do in the first place when he was campaigning for the directing job.
If these are supposedly the finalists, then Clive Owen will win in a landslide. That would be an intriguing choice. Julian McMahon's all right, but he's a little too pretty. Owen has rough edges, like a street pugilist. Plus, he's proven himself capable. He has the acting chops, and didn't need the Academy Award nomination to prove it. Hopefully, they'll get away from the ridiculous tone of the last two movies. An ice mansion? That car chase? The one challenge they might have with the new Bond films (and maybe the prequel idea was a response to this) is that Jason Bourne is kicking box office A. The last Bourne film made about $180 mil, I think, in the States, and the last Bond movie made about $130 or so. And that was with big-budget B.S. thrown in. So, we shall see. As far as the prequel idea: I had an idea once, then saw that I wasn't the only one, that involved having James Bond 007 as an identity, a professional alias, assumed by successive agents. You could have cameo appearances by Connery and/or Moore and/or Brosnan and/or (God help them) Lazenby or Dalton, with the new Bond going through training, or enemy agents going after former 00's....or whatever. Something to explain the different faces in different eras that called themselves Bond. James Bond.
None of them really seem to fit like a glove. Sean Connery was my favorite by far,as he seemed to capture all the elements of what Bond is supposed to be. I think Cubby made a wise decision following him up with Roger Moore.He contrasted very well w/Connery,and comparisons between the two were minimized because of it. Dalton is more of a stage actor and seemed miscast to me. ...and while at first,I resisted Pierce Brosnan,I must admit he makes a fine Bond.Sort of a blend between Connery and Moore...more Connery to me.I wish he was still playing Bond. Out of these three,I prefer Clive Owen by far...again a mix..maybe more like Moore,but they seem to be prepackaging Bond to a certain degree and Owen fits well.
I wish Pierce Brosnan could still be Bond; he was perfect for the role. I was flipping through channels last night and saw Goldeneye was on. I can't believe how much younger he actually did look back when he made that movie. I don't remember him looking that much younger, but it was pretty noticeable from Goldeneye to Die Another Day. It'd be cool to see Julian McMahon as the next Bond. He's awesome in Nip/Tuck; I'm a big fan of that show and him in it.
I've heard this idea before. The only problem with it is Roger Moore visited the grave of his dead wife in For Your Eyes Only, and Felix Leiter mentioned in Licence To Kill that Timothy Dalton's Bond had been married once a long time ago. So clearly, Lazenby, Moore, and Dalton were playing the same character.
I don't see how making it a prequel means erasing the previous movies? A prequel doesn't equal a restart. I also don't want it to take place in modern times, but I think that since the movies always take place in current times, this one should take place in the 80s when the Cold War was still going on and so that subsequent films can still take place in modern times.
According to that MI6 site, it seems the reason Brosnan is through was because he asked for too much money. There are conflicting reports about that. It was reported that he asked for 40 million in Variety, but that's been disputed. It seems he asked for 25 million, then lowered it to 20 million and 10% of the gross. 10% of the last movie's gross would have been 25 million, so I don't see how he lowered his offer there. They were willing to give him 17 million and 10% though. Niether would budge and so ended Brosnan's tenure as Bond. I don't know who to blame here. Pierce should be thankful for that kind of deal. Tobey Maguire got 17 million straight up with no profit sharing for Spidey 2 and that grossed twice as much as Die Another Day.
It can't be that middle guy. I can't be better looking than James Bond, it partly defeats the purpose (escapism). Maybe in the next movie, the love interest is going to tell him she likes him but doesn't LIKE him like him.
Would be interesting . .. put them all in the movie and never let the audience know which one is the real BOND until the end Rocket River
