Who will be the 007th James Bond?
Commander James Bond has gotten himself out of many tricky situations over the past 64 years, but this year 007 faces his toughest challenge yet.
No, itâs not the teaser plot for the latest instalment of the blockbuster film franchise; it describes the situation behind the scenes, for production on the 25th Bond adventure is in limbo.
Those who havenât been paying attention to the trials and tribulations of bringing Bond to the big screen would suggest that the series is in rude health. The last two outings - Skyfall and Spectre - took in almost $2 billion between them at box offices worldwide.
Considering that Daniel Craigâs dark depiction of the character over four films - including Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace - has reaped almost $3.2bn for everyone involved, youâd think a follow-up to Spectre would be trouble-free and a guaranteed success.
But youâd be wrong. Bond 25 is apparently in chaos. It has been hit with a perfect storm of disasters involving its main actor and its script. But before we tease out those problems perhaps we should address the biggest threat to MI6âs finest - reality.
âWORLD IS FANTASYâ
You may not recognise the names Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. Theyâre the guys who put Bond in various difficult situations and conjured up clever ways to get him out of them. Theyâve helped write the last six Bond outings, starting with The World Is Not Enough with Pierce Brosnan, so they know how to knock out a 007 screenplay complete with quips, villains, guns and girls.
Earlier this year, when fans were eagerly awaiting the title of the next Bond film, Purvis gave an interview with The Telegraph which set alarm bells ringing. Instead of offering hints of what will be in the next screenplay, Purvis not only revealed that he and Wade havenât written one, he was stumped as to how anyone could script a Bond adventure given the geopolitical turmoil facing the world today.
âIâm just not sure how you would go about writing a James Bond film now,â admitted Purvis. âEach time, youâve got to say something about Bondâs place in the world, which is Britainâs place in the world. But things are moving so quickly now, that becomes tricky. With people like [US President Donald] Trump, the Bond villain has become a reality. So when they do another one, it will be interesting to see how they deal with the fact that the world has become a fantasy.â
WHOâS THE BADDIE?
His remarks concern two of the biggest political upheavals in western democracy since the Second World War - the ascent of Trump, and the shock of Brexit.
Remember, Purvis and Wade also co-wrote Tomorrow Never Dies, in which the bad guy is a media baron who wants to provoke a war so TV viewership figures will go through the roof. In 20 years their plot has detached from fantasy given there is a reality TV star in the White House. Perhaps their non-involvement with Bond 25 means the producers want to set a new course, to shift the tone either back to the escapist fantasy land where the likes of Mission: Impossible do their business, or plunge Bond into the real world.
This latter route offers Bondâs owners the chance to take on his younger rivals, such as Jason Bourne, in a plot that would dispense with any evil maniacs and replace them with the baddies du jour - Islamic terrorists.
In a cruel coincidence, the last time weâve seen Daniel Craig as Bond - apart from the final shot of him atop a building and gazing out over London - was when he had his final showdown with Blofeld on Westminster Bridge, the same bridge where people lost their lives two weeks ago.
PSYCHOPATHIC DINOSAUR
Do we really need and want Bond to hunt down our real-life baddies? Granted, it would give us all a temporary satisfaction to watch him deal with more IS militia than you could shake a martini at. And it would be a dream come true for most of us if 007 foiled a dastardly plot by a rogue US president with dodgy hair. But thatâs not what Bond is about.
James Bond began life as the maleâs ideal male; a cool, suave killer whose longest relationships were those with his employer. The other men he met were either used by him or killed by him - he usually only interacted with women in one way⊠More than six decades later, heâs much the same character, though recent screenwriters have put a few cracks in his smooth exterior to reveal a centre that may be human, filled with angst and a desire to not be the way he is.
Thankfully, he remains a narcissistic psychopath and, as Judi Denchâs M memorably described him, âa sexist misogynistic dinosaur, a relic of the Cold Warâ.
AGENT OF RETRIBUTION
The Bond character is a fantasy figure, bringing him into reality would diminish his impact. He exists out of phase with the humdrum everyday and its boring set of morals and laws of nature. Heâs not only a secret agent, he is an agent of retribution. If we release him like a well-tailored dog after our Taliban/al-Qaeda/Islamic State/whatever-comes-next boogeymen then he becomes less of a fantasy and that would lessen his appeal.
This is why the character cannot be played by a woman. A Jane Bond would undo everything James has been telling us about himself, about masculinity, about how not to treat women, and about our own deep desires. If you want to see how a female 007 would play out, just watch Angelina Jolie in the 2010 movie Salt. The screenwriters understood that the characterâs gender would evoke levels of emotions from the audience that a male character would not, such as empathy and pity for her perceived weaknesses, which the writers duly flipped. James Bond gets no pity from us, nor does he look for it. While he wallows in the bottom of a bottle of hard liquor, we count the seconds until heâs suited and booted again, with therapy sessions involving causing lots of hurt to lots of henchmen (and henchwomen).
In some ways, Bond is a simple character; we can guess how he will react in a situation (usually itâs more fight than flight). Daniel Craig has addressed 007âs complexities too: "The question I keep asking myself while playing the role is, âAm I the good guy or just a bad guy who works for the good side?ââ
CRAIG GOES ROGUE
Which brings us to the problem of a lead actor who has apparently gone rogue and is set to walk away from the franchise, just as he walked away from the injured Blofeld on Westminster Bridge. During the promotional tour for Spectre, Time Out magazine asked Craig if could imagine doing another Bond film. He infamously replied: âNow? Iâd rather ⊠slash my wrists. No, not at the moment. Not at all. Thatâs fine. Iâm over it at the moment. Weâre done. All I want to do is move on.â
Thereâs two ways to decipher his comments. They could either be seen as the equivalent of a Premier League footballer raising doubt over his future at a club in order to secure a better contract, or - which is more likely - they could be result of an exhausted actor who is sick to the back teeth of the marathon marketing campaign that goes with a blockbuster movie. Craig probably answered the same question one hundred times during a global tour, and the one time he stuck his tongue in his cheek or was brutally honest is the one that gets aired time and again. Still, the six months of diet and daily gym routines, plus seven months of filming, plus a final two months of promotional duties adds up to a year and a half of hard work. Fans would love to see Craig return for a fifth film. Thereâs no doubt that a script will help him make up his mind.
There is also no doubt that Bondâs producers have had serious discussions about Craigâs replacement, whether that announcement is required this year or in the near future. There hasnât been a casting misstep since Timothy Dalton - who was perfect for the role, but audiences never took to him. Daltonâs cold dark take on the character was ahead of its time, one that Craig embraced after the smirk and pun outings for Pierce Brosnan had run their course.
THE HARDY BOY
One wonders if the first Bond of the post-Brexit era can be non-British. If the bookies know their stuff then the odds are stacked in favour of another Irish Bond. Two of the top three favourites for the role are Irish. Aidan Turner and Michael Fassbender are first and third, respectively, among the top ten most likely replacements. Turner is the fansâ favourite, no doubt from his shirtless scenes in Poldark. Fassbender would give producers the critical and box-office heft they would need to keep the Bond juggernaut going.
Between them is a British actor who would both keep the focus on Blighty and give the franchise a lead with vast emotional and physical capabilities - Tom Hardy. Here is an actor who is unafraid to cover his face for an entire movie (The Dark Knight Rises), or rarely speak (Mad Max: Fury Road), or play second fiddle to more conventional leading men (twice with Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant and Inception). Some fans have been salivating over the prospect of a Bond dream team - Tom Hardy directed by Christopher Nolan. Though Hardy was quick to not discuss playing Bond, and in doing so revealed that he was interested in the part, he too was excited by the idea of the man who rebooted Batman being given the reins to the 007 franchise.
âYou know, thereâs a saying amongst us in the fraternity of acting, and in the fellowship of my peer group, that if you talk about it youâre automatically out of the race. So I canât possibly comment on that one! If I mention it, itâs gone,â said Hardy. âBut Chris Nolan, what a fantastic director for a Bond movie. Because Daniel (Craig) is so good, and what (Sam) Mendes and Barbara (Broccoli) have done has been so impressive, that it would be a very hard re-imagination to follow after. I wonder what the next installment of that franchise would become, and I think when you mention someone like Christopher Nolan, thatâs a very powerful figure to bring into that world who could bring something new and create something profoundâŠagain.â
007TH BOND
Trying to guess the next Bond involves mulling over the issues we have covered here - whoâs best to take the franchise into a world where Trump is the most powerful man on the globe; where the US presidentâs relationship with Russia is highly suspect; where Britain has officially filed for divorce from the EU; where jihadists stalk the streets of Europe; and where a powerful manchild in North Korea acts like heâs Auric Goldfinger and Ernst Blofeldâs number one fan.
Craigâs own announcement as Bond tells us that the next choice is not likely to be the bookiesâ favourite, meaning bad news for Dublin-born Aidan Turner. Months before Craig controversially got the gig in 2005 - which sparked outrage on the internet because he was blond and below six feet tall - one bookmaker had stopped taking bets on Clive Owen becoming the sixth Bond. Owen had all the ârightâ credentials to become 007 - the film that launched his career just six years earlier, Croupier, featured him looking dapper in a tuxedo; his most recent role, in Closer, won him a Bafta and an Oscar nomination; he is 6ft 2in tall; and he had just turned 40. It was almost a one-horse race to succeed Pierce Brosnan, barring a surge of interest in giving the role to Owenâs weak rival Dougray Scott. But the Bond producers chose a dark horse on the day, bringing Daniel Craig up the Thames on a speedboat to announce him as the sixth Bond.
So, after some amateur analysis of what is required for the role, we would hazard a guess that the next actor to play Bond will be a British-born white male in his late-30s, early-40s with a proven film track record and a large fanbase. Lucky then that Hollywood is awash with such talent.
Just donât be surprised if the choice for the 007th Bond raises a few eyebrows.
POSSIBLE RECRUITS
Daniel Craig is contracted to do one more film as James Bond, to bring his tally to five outings. This will make him the third longest-serving 007 after Roger Moore (seven) and Sean Connery (six). However, after Craig confessed before the release of Spectre that he would ârather slash my wristsâ than imagine filming another spy adventure, the rumour mill has been running at top speed in discussing possible replacements.
The good news is that there are two Irish actors among the favourites to become the seventh James Bond. discusses the top 10 actors who are most likely to follow in Craigâs suede brogues:
1) AIDAN TURNER
33
Irish
Poldark; The Hobbit.
The Poldark shirtless scene caused a great stir, which was reminiscent of the reaction to Craig emerging from the sea in blue swimming trunks in Casino Royale.
Certainly looks the part, but does he have the acting chops to play an alcoholic assassin and carry what multibillion-dollar franchise? A few more meaty roles would certainly keep Turner on the Bond radar.
Octopussy.
2) TOM HARDY
39
English
Peaky Blinders, Band of Brothers; The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Mad Max: Fury Road.
Heâs got the looks - used to be a model - and the ability - a Bafta winner and Oscar nominee. Would be a perfect fit for a Bond re-boot.
Hardy is more famous for his supporting roles and only takes the lead in unconventional films.
The Spy Who Loved Me.
3) MICHAEL FASSBENDER
40
Irish
12 Years a Slave; X-Men; Shame; Prometheus.
Played a spy to great effect in Tarantinoâs Inglorious Basterds and has enjoyed action roles of late.
His box office value took a hit with Assassinâs Creed. Like Hardy, he may dislike getting locked into a contract to play the same character for several years.
The Man With the Golden Gun.
4) JAMES NORTON
31
English
Grantchester; War & Peace miniseries.
Could be mistaken for a taller, broader younger version of Daniel Craig whoâs already been Bafta nominated.
Norton has never played the lead role in a film.
A View to a Kill.
5) TOM HIDDLESTON
36
English
Thor; War Horse; Kong: Skull Island.
He already has a James Bond test reel with his role in The Night Manager. It seems Hiddleston would wear a tux while popping out to buy milk. Bulked up for Kong.
No one would dispute Hiddleston is suave and debonair and would know which wine to have with fish, but could he play a stone-cold killer?
Moonraker.
6) IDRIS ELBA
44
English
The Wire; Luther; Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
Plenty of action roles under his belt. If thereâs going to be black Bond, then Elba would be perfect and make lots of fans happy. Has already shot a big movie by portraying what was originally a white character - the gunslinger in Stephen Kingâs opus The Dark Tower.
Producers may want a younger man to begin the next tranche of Bond films. Purists canât get past the fact that Bond is and should always be a white character.
Diamonds Are Forever.
7) RYAN GOSLING
36
Canadian
La La Land; Drive; The Nice Guys; The Big Short.
Heâs one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood. Knows how to move, given his dancing prowess.
There may be a greater possibility of a black Bond than a North American Bond, especially in a post-Brexit world.
Moonraker.
8) JACK HUSTON
34
English
Ben-Hur; American Hustle; Boardwalk Empire.
Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has admitted that she is a âbig fanâ of Huston; worked with him in West End.
Not yet a household name. Bond role may come a little too early in his career.
For Your Eyes Only.
9) ANDREW LINCOLN
43
English
The Walking Dead; Love Actually; Teachers.
He is the lead actor in what has become the biggest broadcast television series among the Bond audience profile.
He is tied into a contract with The Walking Dead, which may hinder filming and global promotions.
Live and Let Die.
10) DAN STEVENS
34
English
Legion; Downton Abbey; Beauty and the Beast.
One to watch, Stevensâ career is at a rare juncture â he is currently the star of the biggest cinematic release (Beauty) and the most talked about TV show (Legion). Heâs definitely worth an outside bet if youâre partial to a flutter.
Heâs locked into a second season of Legion. May need more big film roles to make him hard to dismiss as a future Bond.
For Your Eyes Only.
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