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Comments
Thank you for a great, lucid post!
Great post. Well said.....every word is true.
I agree casting a black actor for the sake of it won't work. But what if there is a great black actor who comes along who would make a great Bond? We're talking about 2020 and a fictional character who has been on the screen for 60 years. Nothing is written in stone.
It is because the character is white. So a black actor isn’t suitable for the part of Bond.
We are talking about literary, fictional creations. Bond can be played by a black actor if someone makes that decision (as I am sure they will at some point) and they find the right actor.
I am one of those who felt Idris Elba had something that might have made a good Bond. I am basing this mainly on his early performance in The Wire, where he basically steals every scene. There's a confidence and restrained performance there that is a bit like Craig in Layer Cake - the sophisticated gangster. Elba is too old now but he definitely had something that for me made me think Bond potential.
I personally would rather have an excellent black actor as Bond than someone else like Brosnan who IMO was probably miscast and just ushered in an era of really bad films.
Colour blind casting is here and it's not going to go away. The character has changed over time. Connery being cast meant Fleming invented a Scottish back story for his character. We've had an Irish Bond who speaks English with an Irish brogue. Stuff changes.
Really good piece in the Irish Times on this subject, that also mentions Bond.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/calm-down-online-bores-colour-blind-casting-isn-t-woke-1.4156284
We’ll have to agree to disagree. For me ‘blackwashing’ an iconic character is wrong. He should remain as Fleming created. ‘White washing’ a black character is also wrong. E.g a white Shaft, Blade, Black Panther, Axel Foley etc.
For me, if the producers change Bond’s race I won’t be watching it, as it isn’t Bond anymore.
Problem is most don't understand changing a bit here and there(hair color etc) and changing complete race of the character are two different things. I wouldn't prefer either, that's why Timothy still my favorite. Other supporting Characters won't matter much to me as much as bond although i would say it's time for white traditional supporting characters - Male M/White moneypenny/Older Q. They can do whatever they want with it, make bond a woman if you will but i wouldn't watch that.
As a white man I applaud your sensible thoughts and comments. This should already be enough to shut the white pc crowd up.
You do realize that Benard Lee, Robert Brown and Dench's M are completely different characters? Brosnan even mentions her predesecor in GoldenEye. Granted yes M was a male up till then but if you're trying to use Dench's casting as proof that major changes can be made to a longstanding character then you're kinda half wrong as it's not even the same person. Also Moneypenny and Felix are more supporting characters who appear briefly and thus can be recasted without trouble. Besides Craig's era is a totally different timeline than the original so them having their nationalities changed didn't really make such a huge backlash so to speak as well they're not the same Felix and Moneypenny we knew from before.
Also you'd rather have a great black actor than another Brosnan huh? Nice to see your Brosnan hate boner is still at large good sir. Bond should remain white because he's Always been that way from the very beginning, it's one thing to change supporting characters but you can't just change the lead role and top dog. Like Gatecrasher said if you really must have a Black Bond then make a whole new spy character instead of forcibly changing Bond's long established race just for muh shock and muh publicity.
+1
Post of the year. Now if only your comments, which are dead on, could close the door on Black Bond, but it won't.
Excellent post that succinctly explains me feelings.
The whole ‘literacy character’ argument has zero merits, it would immediately contradict the decision to hire Connery (too working class and Scottish), Lazenby (an Aussie!), Dalton (Welsh with an American mother!), Brosnan (Very Irish) and Craig (Blonde!!!!).
I also agree that Idris Elba had something. Sadly, his time has probably past. But you raise a fair point – a bland agreeable actor (someone like Henry Cavill) would be disastrous. Perhaps, you don’t need someone as iconoclastic as a black actor. But certainly someone like Daniel Craig. With a bit of an edge.
Still a crying shame that Idris isn’t Bond. Though here he is in 2020 and he still looks beautiful. Maybe a bit too famous now though…
Idris is a great actor and very cool...but Bond he is not.
Thanks for sharing the picture.....he'd make a fantastic Mr Big.
I wouldn't say he should be playing a Villian, he can be another 00/CIA agent to help bond. He is indeed a great actor though.
I still say he's be a great imposing Mr Big......as that Fleming villain has never been done properly.
Opinions are allowed. Thanks.
Interesting you say that. It seems that, given the past, often didn't count for me or others. You see @NicNac, @Pierce2Daniel keeps on posting stuff regarding guys he finds hot, rather than being suitable for Bond. That is my opinion and a bit of banter is allowed I reckon.
Opinions are subjective.
All I want is for the thread to remain amicable without unnecessary baiting. If it's banter, and you are all ok with it then I'm sure nothing will transpire.
And if you have grievances for anything said to you in previous posts (If that is what you are suggesting) then drop me a PM and I'm happy to look at it. No one has been warned, yet.
Good post.
Alright, thanks @NicNac I'll make sure to do that if it happens. What I said was meant in jest, just a tiny tad critical in the sense that Bond doesn't necessarily have to be hot, or look effete, whichever you'd lean to.
What was the topic again?
I never took Lee and Brown as being the same at all. I always considered Brown the successor.
(God no one can replace Lee)
The idea of having brand new characters take on the MI6 positions of M and Q was not really a thing until the Brosnan era, which was much more explicit in introducing Judi Dench and John Cleese as different people. Craig would somewhat continue that, introducing a new M and Q in SF that were brand new characters rather than rebooted versions of Miles Messervy and Major Boothroyd.
Kind of hard to just let people assume the same character was played by Bernard Lee, Robert Brown, and Judy Dench however.
Not just the quips but the presentation, blocking and framing during her introduction. It's very deliberate. Contrast that with how Robert Brown was introduced, as if he was just the same old pipe smoking M that we've known since 1962.