Pierce Brosnan won't be back as James Bond
07-27-04, 08:16 PM
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I've always wanted Clive Owen to succeed Pierce Brosnan, but...not this soon! I really, REALLY, wanted to see Pierce do ONE last 007 flick! It could have helped him go out on a high note. He's my second favorite Bond, right after Sean Connery. If they get Clive Owen (and new screenwriters, of course), then all will not be lost. I'm such a huge James Bond fan that this news actually makes me sad. I'll be very sorry to see Pierce go. James Bond is my favorite franchise, so this is big news to me.
07-27-04, 08:21 PM
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Originally posted by metaridley
I'm such a huge James Bond fan that this news actually makes me sad.
I'm such a huge James Bond fan that this news actually makes me sad.
07-27-04, 08:50 PM
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A good article on Brosnan to share....Pierce Brosnan has given so much to the series. He joined it at its all time low (the 6 year gap) and left it at its all time high. He was also the instrumental player in reigniting a character that many believed in the early 1990's was obsolete and irrelevant in the post Cold War world. Whereas other movie genres have come and gone, Brosnan has kept Bond as the world's favorite action hero. Each of Brosnan's four outings as Bond saw a further development of the character, yet retained the nature of the Bond of Ian Fleming and each of his four predecessors in the role. Brosnan's biggest achievement was that he was the first Bond since Connery to be the only actor envisaged by the whole public as James Bond. Even before GoldenEye, fan polls regularly voted for him as their choice to be the next James Bond and he has done this fair justice.
GoldenEye, showed just how great Brosnan was going to be as Bond. He had tough resourcefulness, he could knock an enemy for six and genuine regret and anger at the thought of his friend betraying him and his country (the statue park scene is fantastic), and it is clear that the scene on the beach with Natalya is a foundation for what Brosnan's more introspective Bond wanted to play off of.
Tomorrow Never Dies showed another great performance by Brosnan as Bond, especially exuding the confidence and coolness of the character. However, what is great about that film is the inner conflict Brosnan portrays in various scenes over Paris (a character with far too little screen time, if only because Hatcher has always been a favorite of mine). The main problem is the switch to all action man finale, though that isn't Brosnan's fault.
The World Is Not Enough was Brosnan's crowning moment, throughout the film exerting a whole range of emotions from anger, regret, loss and so on. His scenes with Marceau are truly magnificent, with Brosnan managing to make Bond both weary of her but emotionally attached to her at the same time. TWINE is possibly, along with On Her Majesty's Secret Service and From Russia With Love, the most cerebral and developed Bond film yet, with Brosnan showing sides of the character not really seen before.
With Die Another Day, Brosnan was able to showcase Bond in some unprecedented ways, due in part of the amount of screen time James Bond was given in this adventure. The shift in tone in the film also shows Brosnan's ability to seamlessly homogenize James Bond characteristics. From the moment he engineers the switch with the courier and steals his sunglasses, it's evident that he is Bond...James Bond. Then through the torture and the stripping of his 00 status, you see the fear and the small moments of doubt. You then see him tap into his inner strength and confidence showing the power that has allowed the 00 agent succeed all these years. When he strolls through the Yacht Club in wet pajamas, looking like a bum and acting like a king, it's evident that while James Bond may have cool gadgets and great clothes, this Bond is actually himself, stripped of everything.
Yes, Bond does seem to sometimes genuinely care for the women he crosses, but he also has the traditional vengeful, aggressive side that makes for a complex and interesting character, and the closest to Fleming's Bond we have seen. This is done in three specific ways: his ruthlessness, fatalism to his own life, and the presence of a hardened intelligence officer. Bond is a hardened intelligence officer -an executioner who doesn't like to kill, but one who does his job well. He is a man who realizes that he doesn't have much of a life of his own - he belongs to the service. This is what Fleming usually tells us about Bond in the books, that MI6 is his life. All of Brosnan's films have shown this.
Brosnan has thus far shown us a more consistently ruthless, deadly James Bond moreso than any of his predecessors. But Brosnan's Bond, with his no-hesitation executions of Trevelyan, Kaufman, and especially Elektra, has made the licence to kill more than just a cool-sounding trademark.
Yet to all of those who look to the Bonds as a sense of escapism, Brosnan has been able to bring the cold-bloodedness of Bond out in a smooth, almost humorous way. Something unachieved by his illustrious precredessors. As Bond looked into Kaufman's eyes in Tomorrow Never Dies, you know he has no problem with pulling the trigger. Yet as Kaufman says in desperation, "Wait, I am just a professional doing a job," 007 echoes back, "Me too." Brosnan's Bond is the first to order a martini and kill a man with equal aplomb. Along with that acknowledgement of who he is and what constitutes the essence of his profession comes a certain fatalism regarding his own life. It comes out in his response to Xenia's suggestion that he "enjoy it while it lasts" ("The very words I live by") and M's reference to his "cavalier attitude toward life." When Bond answers Natalya's question about what makes him so cold by saying "It's what keeps me alive," and she responds "No, it's what keeps you alone," they're both right. These aspects of Bond's character, all of which have their roots in Fleming's writing, have become Brosnan's contribution to the screen portrayal of 007.
For what physical likeness is worth, he has attributes about him that are rather similar to physical descriptions Fleming gives to us. Brosnan has blue gray eyes (see one of the few opening shots of GE); in more than one scene Brosnan has had his comma of hair right above his right eye. In TND the scar on his cheek is visible, all too similar to the scar Fleming's Bond bore. It's little things like this that add to his interpretation that makes it seem, at least to me, more authentic. His performance as Bond can also equate itself with his well-made Bond films. I think the Brosnan films are able to mirror the flow of Fleming's story not only by enhancing the elements of James Bond, but by modeling a lot of their own characters after Fleming characters, or at least the spirit of them. Good looking, but not a pretty boy. Heartless, but feeling. I think Brosnan's Bond is a great model of the character, whose films have generated and reinvigorated appeal for the whole series, it's past and future.
GoldenEye, showed just how great Brosnan was going to be as Bond. He had tough resourcefulness, he could knock an enemy for six and genuine regret and anger at the thought of his friend betraying him and his country (the statue park scene is fantastic), and it is clear that the scene on the beach with Natalya is a foundation for what Brosnan's more introspective Bond wanted to play off of.
Tomorrow Never Dies showed another great performance by Brosnan as Bond, especially exuding the confidence and coolness of the character. However, what is great about that film is the inner conflict Brosnan portrays in various scenes over Paris (a character with far too little screen time, if only because Hatcher has always been a favorite of mine). The main problem is the switch to all action man finale, though that isn't Brosnan's fault.
The World Is Not Enough was Brosnan's crowning moment, throughout the film exerting a whole range of emotions from anger, regret, loss and so on. His scenes with Marceau are truly magnificent, with Brosnan managing to make Bond both weary of her but emotionally attached to her at the same time. TWINE is possibly, along with On Her Majesty's Secret Service and From Russia With Love, the most cerebral and developed Bond film yet, with Brosnan showing sides of the character not really seen before.
With Die Another Day, Brosnan was able to showcase Bond in some unprecedented ways, due in part of the amount of screen time James Bond was given in this adventure. The shift in tone in the film also shows Brosnan's ability to seamlessly homogenize James Bond characteristics. From the moment he engineers the switch with the courier and steals his sunglasses, it's evident that he is Bond...James Bond. Then through the torture and the stripping of his 00 status, you see the fear and the small moments of doubt. You then see him tap into his inner strength and confidence showing the power that has allowed the 00 agent succeed all these years. When he strolls through the Yacht Club in wet pajamas, looking like a bum and acting like a king, it's evident that while James Bond may have cool gadgets and great clothes, this Bond is actually himself, stripped of everything.
Yes, Bond does seem to sometimes genuinely care for the women he crosses, but he also has the traditional vengeful, aggressive side that makes for a complex and interesting character, and the closest to Fleming's Bond we have seen. This is done in three specific ways: his ruthlessness, fatalism to his own life, and the presence of a hardened intelligence officer. Bond is a hardened intelligence officer -an executioner who doesn't like to kill, but one who does his job well. He is a man who realizes that he doesn't have much of a life of his own - he belongs to the service. This is what Fleming usually tells us about Bond in the books, that MI6 is his life. All of Brosnan's films have shown this.
Brosnan has thus far shown us a more consistently ruthless, deadly James Bond moreso than any of his predecessors. But Brosnan's Bond, with his no-hesitation executions of Trevelyan, Kaufman, and especially Elektra, has made the licence to kill more than just a cool-sounding trademark.
Yet to all of those who look to the Bonds as a sense of escapism, Brosnan has been able to bring the cold-bloodedness of Bond out in a smooth, almost humorous way. Something unachieved by his illustrious precredessors. As Bond looked into Kaufman's eyes in Tomorrow Never Dies, you know he has no problem with pulling the trigger. Yet as Kaufman says in desperation, "Wait, I am just a professional doing a job," 007 echoes back, "Me too." Brosnan's Bond is the first to order a martini and kill a man with equal aplomb. Along with that acknowledgement of who he is and what constitutes the essence of his profession comes a certain fatalism regarding his own life. It comes out in his response to Xenia's suggestion that he "enjoy it while it lasts" ("The very words I live by") and M's reference to his "cavalier attitude toward life." When Bond answers Natalya's question about what makes him so cold by saying "It's what keeps me alive," and she responds "No, it's what keeps you alone," they're both right. These aspects of Bond's character, all of which have their roots in Fleming's writing, have become Brosnan's contribution to the screen portrayal of 007.
For what physical likeness is worth, he has attributes about him that are rather similar to physical descriptions Fleming gives to us. Brosnan has blue gray eyes (see one of the few opening shots of GE); in more than one scene Brosnan has had his comma of hair right above his right eye. In TND the scar on his cheek is visible, all too similar to the scar Fleming's Bond bore. It's little things like this that add to his interpretation that makes it seem, at least to me, more authentic. His performance as Bond can also equate itself with his well-made Bond films. I think the Brosnan films are able to mirror the flow of Fleming's story not only by enhancing the elements of James Bond, but by modeling a lot of their own characters after Fleming characters, or at least the spirit of them. Good looking, but not a pretty boy. Heartless, but feeling. I think Brosnan's Bond is a great model of the character, whose films have generated and reinvigorated appeal for the whole series, it's past and future.
07-27-04, 09:09 PM
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I hope Brosnan does one more Bond movie then leaves. He's picture perfect for the role in ways the others never were. I do think he started showing his age just a wee bit in the last movie but also believe he should do one more before giving Bond to someone else. Whoever they pass the role to won't be as a good a Bond as Brosnan has been.
07-27-04, 09:31 PM
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So, how old is Bond? According to Fleming, he got his "00" prefix at the end of WWII... OK, let's say he was 33 in Dr. No (1962)... How old would he have to be in 2004?
Oh, yeah, we're not supposed to think about years... it's part of the suspension of disbelief. However, that's something palatable for comic book characters, but Bond was supposed to be above comic books, not another Batman or Superman (another geriatric wonder)... well, guess what, it doesn't work that way.
I remember reading a SF novel a few years ago, set in a distant future, where the main character passes by a theatre where the latest Bond flick is playing - Bond is Asian, by this time... Most of the people here seem to be OK with the prospect, but that would be just a dumbed-down idea.
Like anything human, ideas and fictional characters have to evolve and disappear. Bond should be laid to rest. This is the era of blockbusters, and comic book adaptations. Perhaps U.S. audiences have problems in letting go, but he's *this* close to being abandoned in Europe, media hype notwithstanding.
Oh, yeah, we're not supposed to think about years... it's part of the suspension of disbelief. However, that's something palatable for comic book characters, but Bond was supposed to be above comic books, not another Batman or Superman (another geriatric wonder)... well, guess what, it doesn't work that way.
I remember reading a SF novel a few years ago, set in a distant future, where the main character passes by a theatre where the latest Bond flick is playing - Bond is Asian, by this time... Most of the people here seem to be OK with the prospect, but that would be just a dumbed-down idea.
Like anything human, ideas and fictional characters have to evolve and disappear. Bond should be laid to rest. This is the era of blockbusters, and comic book adaptations. Perhaps U.S. audiences have problems in letting go, but he's *this* close to being abandoned in Europe, media hype notwithstanding.
07-27-04, 09:41 PM
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Originally posted by Playitagainsam
...Like anything human, ideas and fictional characters have to evolve and disappear. Bond should be laid to rest. This is the era of blockbusters, and comic book adaptations. Perhaps U.S. audiences have problems in letting go, but he's *this* close to being abandoned in Europe, media hype notwithstanding.
...Like anything human, ideas and fictional characters have to evolve and disappear. Bond should be laid to rest. This is the era of blockbusters, and comic book adaptations. Perhaps U.S. audiences have problems in letting go, but he's *this* close to being abandoned in Europe, media hype notwithstanding.
What are you rambling about?
Playitagainsam ,what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
07-27-04, 10:51 PM
#32
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Another vote for Clive Owen. He has done some great work in the last couple of years. I haven't seen King Arthur yet but, I have heard he does a decent job. His work in the BMW films sold me.
07-27-04, 10:58 PM
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Originally posted by Gandalf_007
The World Is Not Enough was Brosnan's crowning moment, throughout the film exerting a whole range of emotions from anger, regret, loss and so on. His scenes with Marceau are truly magnificent, with Brosnan managing to make Bond both weary of her but emotionally attached to her at the same time. TWINE is possibly, along with On Her Majesty's Secret Service and From Russia With Love, the most cerebral and developed Bond film yet, with Brosnan showing sides of the character not really seen before.
The World Is Not Enough was Brosnan's crowning moment, throughout the film exerting a whole range of emotions from anger, regret, loss and so on. His scenes with Marceau are truly magnificent, with Brosnan managing to make Bond both weary of her but emotionally attached to her at the same time. TWINE is possibly, along with On Her Majesty's Secret Service and From Russia With Love, the most cerebral and developed Bond film yet, with Brosnan showing sides of the character not really seen before.
07-27-04, 11:09 PM
#35
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If this is true, I'm so sad. i really have no idea who i want to see fill this role.
Btw, excellent article, galdolf_007
Btw, excellent article, galdolf_007
07-27-04, 11:21 PM
#36
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I'll miss Brosnan, even though my favorite Bond (next to early Connery) is Dalton. I always preferred a darker, more serious Bond. I think Jackman would be a perfect Bond, moreso than any of the others mentioned, but I doubt the role would actually be good for his career.
I've always found it somewhat ironic (when people discuss the actors they think were, or would be, best to play Bond) that Ian Fleming's choice was Roger Moore. But he didn't have the ultimate say when Bond was first cast.
I've always found it somewhat ironic (when people discuss the actors they think were, or would be, best to play Bond) that Ian Fleming's choice was Roger Moore. But he didn't have the ultimate say when Bond was first cast.
07-27-04, 11:36 PM
#37
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I'm certainly no movie insider, so I don't know what exactly happened. But from everything I've read, it seemed Brosnan was perfectly willing to come back for one more movie provided that the story went a bit "old school" and focused less on the action and more like some of the eraly Bond films. Unforunately the producers (Wilson and Brocolli I presume) did not see eye to eye on that idea.
That's a shame, since the Bond franchise can survive anything at this point, IMO. A little experimentation is hardly a risk at at, and may even be a nice shot in the arm to those a bit tired with the series. It seems the producers fear even a small departure from a pretty standard formula.
Oh well. I do hope a new Bond is chosen wisely and the next movie is even remotely in the ballpark as Brosnan's first, Goldeneye. I would have like to have a seen a remake/updated Casino Royale, but I'll take any Bond over no Bond.
That's a shame, since the Bond franchise can survive anything at this point, IMO. A little experimentation is hardly a risk at at, and may even be a nice shot in the arm to those a bit tired with the series. It seems the producers fear even a small departure from a pretty standard formula.
Oh well. I do hope a new Bond is chosen wisely and the next movie is even remotely in the ballpark as Brosnan's first, Goldeneye. I would have like to have a seen a remake/updated Casino Royale, but I'll take any Bond over no Bond.
07-27-04, 11:39 PM
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Brosnon brought alot to the character and the film series. It's a shame to see him go.
I would agree with alot of you that Clive Owen would make a good 07 but I haven't seen him in enough films so I can't really get a good handle on him as an actor. Hugh Jackman has good screen presence and he's proven he has excellent range as an actor. He might make a good choice.
On a somewhat related note. My brother (who is a fan of the Bourne novels) was saying how Matt Damon is NOT Jason Bourne. And actually said that Hugh Jackman was what he pictured Bourne being like.
I would agree with alot of you that Clive Owen would make a good 07 but I haven't seen him in enough films so I can't really get a good handle on him as an actor. Hugh Jackman has good screen presence and he's proven he has excellent range as an actor. He might make a good choice.
On a somewhat related note. My brother (who is a fan of the Bourne novels) was saying how Matt Damon is NOT Jason Bourne. And actually said that Hugh Jackman was what he pictured Bourne being like.
07-27-04, 11:41 PM
#39
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Originally posted by Jackskeleton
Pierce will never live down that Bond role. He is tainted for life.
Pierce will never live down that Bond role. He is tainted for life.
07-28-04, 12:16 AM
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Actually Thomas Crown was a decent box office hit with total grosses of 130million (budget 40m), top 10 rental 2000 and top 10 most watched films in TV in UK. If you say he was not a recognizable movie star before Bond, this I agree (still he was a famous TV actor) , but he is definitely a movie star in his own right now, and a seriously underrated actor.
Last edited by Gandalf_007; 07-28-04 at 12:21 AM.
07-28-04, 12:35 AM
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Originally posted by THORN
i cringe at the thought of hugh jackman, he is a good actor but doesnt fit as bond. wrong accent, wrong look, wrong attitude.
i cringe at the thought of hugh jackman, he is a good actor but doesnt fit as bond. wrong accent, wrong look, wrong attitude.
Last edited by Gandalf_007; 07-28-04 at 01:41 AM.
07-28-04, 12:53 AM
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Pierce Brosnan was a great Bond! Of course, I only watched Goldeneye once in the theatre, and didn't see anything else but 15 minutes of that awful one with Teri Hatcher in it... but still...
Now Remington Steele on the other hand...
Clive Owen's a great actor... I kinda hope he doesn't become James Bond, since it would stop him from doing other, better films.
Maybe getting some aussie yocker like Hugh Jackman will confuse and distract long-time viewers of the "true" British Bonds like Connery (Scottish), Dalton (Welsh) and Lazenby (oh god, another aussie).
"G'day, I'm Bondai - James Bondai"
Now Remington Steele on the other hand...
Clive Owen's a great actor... I kinda hope he doesn't become James Bond, since it would stop him from doing other, better films.
Maybe getting some aussie yocker like Hugh Jackman will confuse and distract long-time viewers of the "true" British Bonds like Connery (Scottish), Dalton (Welsh) and Lazenby (oh god, another aussie).
"G'day, I'm Bondai - James Bondai"
07-28-04, 01:27 AM
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It's a shame he decided to quit when he did...Die Another Day sure as hell wouldn't be the way I'd want to exit the series. Although, maybe not as bad as Roger Moore and A View to a Kill. 
07-28-04, 03:14 AM
#45
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I heard his announcement -may be- part of contract negotiations...
07-28-04, 03:19 AM
#46
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Originally posted by Chad
It's a shame he decided to quit when he did...Die Another Day sure as hell wouldn't be the way I'd want to exit the series.
It's a shame he decided to quit when he did...Die Another Day sure as hell wouldn't be the way I'd want to exit the series.
Do all you guys who didn't like...hated... DAD realize most people liked the movie and that you are in the minority? I happen to like the film a lot. This coming from a guy who stopped watching Bond movies in the theaters a long time ago. It was the first Bond flick I went to see in the theater since the late 70's. The last Bond movie I watched was a rental of License to Kill (another great Bond movie) back in the 80's. After that, but NOT because of License, I just lost my taste for Bond.
But DAD brought me back.
BTW, i'm speaking in general not singling you out Chad.
Peace
Last edited by Giantrobo; 07-28-04 at 03:23 AM.
07-28-04, 07:23 AM
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Originally posted by Get Me Coffee
What are you rambling about?
Playitagainsam ,what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
What are you rambling about?
Playitagainsam ,what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Careful, there's no need to insult other members simply because their opinion is different than yours.
07-28-04, 07:43 AM
#48
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Originally posted by THORN
i cringe at the thought of hugh jackman, he is a good actor but doesnt fit as bond. wrong accent, wrong look, wrong attitude.
i cringe at the thought of hugh jackman, he is a good actor but doesnt fit as bond. wrong accent, wrong look, wrong attitude.
07-28-04, 07:56 AM
#49
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Originally posted by scott1598
That sucks. He really made a great Bond and I fear no matter who they get it will be another Dalton experience!!
That sucks. He really made a great Bond and I fear no matter who they get it will be another Dalton experience!!
My personal pick for the next Bond would be Russell Crowe - but I know he'll never do it, so it's just a pipe dream. Jackman would make a good Bond...he essentially tried out for the role in Van Helsing, god awful as that film was.
Last edited by Shannon Nutt; 07-28-04 at 08:00 AM.