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As New 007 Rumors Surface, We Ask: Is Daniel Craig Irreplaceable as James Bond?
By Robert Falconer, May 26, 2011 in Movie News
In The Beginning
Looking back over the pantheon of James Bond films since the original Dr. No in 1962, it doesn’t take long to recognize which actors have held the franchise high upon their shoulders, and which were merely going through the motions.
Sean Connery will, perhaps, always be most closely associated with the character. After playing 007 six times over more than two decades in Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds are Forever (we won’t count 1983′s Never Say Never Again), Connery epitomized what readers had always loved about the character, even if author Ian Fleming was unconvinced about producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman’s choice of a Scotsman in the beginning.
Suave? Check. Debonair? Check. Requisite attitude and physicality? Check. Cheeky? Oh, yeah. Connery’s 007 was a man’s man, a wise-cracking chauvinist in an era of Cold War politics and innovative villains.
Then there was the incomparable Shirley Bassey singing the themes for Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever; the former still voted as the best Bond theme of all time.
To really get a sense of the influence of Connery’s Bond, and what made his original rendition of the character so memorable, listen to what Steven Spielberg had to say at the AFI’s Salue to Sean Connery a few years ago, using the embedded player directly below.
Meanwhile, the gentlemanly Roger Moore — while a fine actor who was wonderful as Simon Templar in the original ITV series The Saint — simply lacked the edge and physicality that had come to define Connery. It’s easy to see why the Bond producers saw him as the logical choice, but that didn’t necessarily make him the correct choice. The contrast in styles was too jarring after Connery had so completely defined the role.
Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. The right actor at the wrong time.
Other actors from George Lazenby to Timothy Dalton tried to put their stamp on 007 (Dalton actually doing a reasonable job in 1987′s The Living Daylights), but something was always missing.
The Interim Years
Meanwhile, the world was changing around Bond. No longer a product of post-WWII and Cold War espionage, 007 was quickly turning into an anachronism, even as he was on a far more perilous road to full self-parody. As geopolitics changed, so too did the direction from which threats came. By the time Pierce Brosnan arrived, it all necessitated more complicated story plotting, but, sadly, with that also came an over-reliance on unlikely gadgets and too-often silly circumstances. As good as Brosnan was (and he was good), his sort of Bond would have excelled better in the 1970s, where Moore’s was left far too flaccid.
That Was Then, This Is Now
Few believed Daniel Craig could possibly be a good choice when he was announced to play James Bond back in late 2004. He wasn’t particularly tall. He wasn’t particularly dark (quite the opposite, in fact, with his blonde hair). He didn’t seem to particularly exude stature or presence. Yet producers Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson and director Martin Campbell saw something in the then 37 year-old actor…something we would all come to see when Casino Royale opened in theaters November 17, 2006: a tough, gritty, no-nonsense 007 ready to defend Queen and country, albeit without the usual double-entendres or invisible cars. The road to self-parody had been abandoned; the franchise given a new lease on life.
Daniel Craig as James Bond, 007. Certainly the best Bond since Sean Connery, and perhaps the best Bond ever.
Craig took everything that worked so well for Connery, but humanized the character more…while at the same turning him into a gritty, Bourne-crushing “blunt instrument”—a product of our post-9/11 world. A study in contrasts, this Bond shows the resourcefulness born of being a blue collared orphan, yet he’s also smart and sophisticated at the same time. Like Connery he hints at chauvinism, yet unlike Connery he shows a sensitivity to women in their vulnerable moments.
Craig has come to epitomize the perfect Bond for our times. In the opening moments of Casino Royale, we see flashbacks to his first kill, a raw, bloody affair in which he takes no pleasure, yet shows no remorse. Craig’s Bond is exhilarating, but never antiseptic. He may not be the best-looking of the Bonds, but he’s definitely the most interesting to watch. Craig imbues Bond with a rugged, working-class charm that’s fascinating. There’s a lot going on behind those eyes, and you can see it in every moment, every nuance. This James Bond is far less the larger-than-life cartoon hero many of us had been previously weaned on.
Michael Fassbender as James Bond? The speculation ensues...
I for one, will rue the day when Craig retires from the role, as he inevitably must. At the very least, he will have left the franchise reborn for a new generation…and a new era.
But who might replace him? Well, we have some new speculation about that, along with the first Bond 23, “Bond girl” rumor to surface.
Read on…
The Latest Word On Bond 23
With Bond 23 slated for a 2012 release, speculation has already begun about who will replace Daniel Craig once he steps down. One name that keeps coming up is Michael Fassbender, reports BBC America.
The Irish-raised actor, who appears as Magneto in the forthcoming X-Men: First Class, seems to already have the vote of First Class director Matthew Vaughn, who regrets that the Brocollis never hired him to direct a Bond film.
Said Vaughn to Bleeding Cool:
I really love Daniel [Craig], though you know, it might be interesting if they one day decide to cast Fassbender as Bond, then maybe I’ll go “Hey!”
Still, Fassbender is muted about the whole idea reports MI6.
“Listen – I grew up with James Bond, it would be an amazing experience,” the former Hex star told The Metro. “At the moment, as I say, those kind of things… I try to sort of deal with one film at a time.”
“I think Daniel [Craig] is doing a fantastic job, he would have been my choice for Bond when they were looking for a new one. I think he’s a brilliant actor, I saw him in Love Is The Devil many years ago and I was blown away by him. So, you know, we’ll see – I’ll take everything as it comes.”
Israeli model/actress Esti Ginzburg is the first actress rumored to be under consideration for a role in Bond 23.
Meanwhile, Hollywood is apparently showing interest in Israeli model-turned-actress Esti Ginzburg. According to Ynet the production staff of Bond 23 made contact with representatives of Ginzburg and invited her to audition for the new film, believing her looks might fit the criteria of “an exotic woman.”
According to the report, Ginzburg currently resides in Tel Aviv and has a potential leg up on other contenders due to her national service in the IDF (Israeli Defence Force).
The untitled film, set to be directed by Sam Mendes, begins shooting in late 2011 for a November 2012 release. Thus far, only Daniel Craig and Judi Dench have been officially announced, though both Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes have been rumored as separate antagonists.