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Bond, and even Fleming is complicit here, is a vehicle for a writer's mores and ethics. Whilst the originL books are obviously racist, the films have toned such political intrigue down, mainly because of the box-office.
There will be plenty of advocates for 'dewoking' 007 and with Bezos ultimately at the helm, it may happen.
Bingo.
I don't want a woke Bond either. Why would anyone want one in the first place?
I don't know what he's talking about. It's highly unlikely that Hollywood will become truly racist.
Anyway, let it be clear, you want headlines and bums in seats? Viral stories? Make Bond what he was during the Connery era. Shagging anything that moves, killing every piece of subhuman creature he crosses, (fat people, rich people, hideous people), etc.
Then watch counting the money, as the whole WWW goes crazy and accuse him of sexism and fascism and whathaveyou.
If you go the other way, the film will just sink past the opening week-end.
My feeling, they will do a Beverly Hills Cop 4 and after much paid promotion, this will just disappear from the radar, with the franchise dead.
Agreed. It’s such a lazy catch-all.
https://theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/20/james-bond-name-battle-007-uk-eu-trademark?CMP=share_btn_url
I’m late to this particular show ;) but this fella’s opinion mirrors my own. He is spot on. Very good, simple video.
I agree
In any case 1960s James Bond was never an architypal "Swinging 1960s" character. Although we like to pigeonhole fashions and behaviour into convenient 10 year boxes, Bond's generation was in it's prime from the mid 1950s to mid 1960s, the era portrayed in "Mad Men". He's a contemporary of the Rat Pack, who prefers jazz (like his creator). and more formal dress, to rock and jeans. He's into Bennies not Mary Jane.
But the rock and jeans generation still identified with him and flocked to theatres to see him. Many times the audience wants to pretend they are something else and don't want a character who lives in the same World as themselves
Many people want to see how the other half live, and experience that lifestyle vicariously for a couple of hours, that won't change. (Just look at all the reality shows about "celebs" and their mundane but opulent lives)
Being cool is never out of fashion, so as long as Bond demonstrates a calm demeanur under pressure, can outwit his opponents mentally, out duel them verbally and physically, he will be fine. He doesn't need to comment on pop culture or morality. He has modified his behaviour in certain areas over time, but single people still sleep around in today's World and villains can be slapped around for information, even if they are women.
In any case the majority of the audiences don't think of him as "posh", only as British, because that is as far as their assessment of his accent goes. In many markets he will be dubbed and sound like a fellow countryman. Secret Agents are percieved to be living the high life on an expense account, not an inheritance, and mix with the filthy rich and famous as part of their mission, not their private lives.
You’re never going to fully recreate any era of Bond no matter what. That’s why it’s important to reinvent the character each time as EON used to say.
I think a 50/60s setting could work but it’s easy to slip into self-parody. I’m not a cultural anthropologist, nor am I exceptionally knowledgeable about Britain in the 1960s, but it seems that part of why London was swinging, as it were, is because of Bond. So, it seems a little meta to place Bond back in an era, for which he’s partly responsible in fashioning, as though he were merely a bystander. Bond is a fictional character after all. Setting a Bond film in the 1960s isn’t the same as making a biopic about the Beatles. I think the only real way to avoid satire or parody is to re-adapt the Fleming canon as a cohesive whole.
I’ve mentioned before that I’d even be open to seeing a modern Bond in a stylized world based upon Ken Adam’s work. What would a world based upon Ken Adam’s designs from the 60s look like in the 21st century? Not simply placing Dr. No’s island or Blofeld’s volcano lair in 2027 but crafting an evolution of design and fashion, style and art.
Absolutely agree with the idea of a 2027 Ken Adams vibe influencing architecture and design, fashion, style, and art. That was part of the fun of the original Bond films. So much felt new.
Not interested in seeing a gigantic room filled with computers again. Already a boring concept. I hope we can steer clear of the virus, AI, computer stuff that's been done too death.
Lol, I think people in the 1960s imagined Kem Adam's designs were what the 21st century would look like (along with Gerry Anderson's "TV Centruy 21" TV programs). Alas we haven't quite managed to get there so far.
I find "futuristic" design often shares certain characteristics, big bold macro curves and a lack of decorative micro detail (to expensive to make).
However it makes me think it would be worth the new producers investing a bit of time and money scouting for a 21st Century equivalent of Ken Adam, and recruit him as a regular member of the team going forward.
That’s a pretty cool idea and something I could actually imagine happening. A PTS set very much in the Eon 60s but not actually featuring Bond: just lots of Adam-style sets and Barry-esque music, but with some other spy or characters, then we flash forward to meet Bond in the present day dealing with some hangover from the situation we’ve just seen in the 60s. I could actually buy that might happen.
I would love to see this happen. As you say, without Bond, but the set up could be a great way to tie the present with the past.
Andor was great, he wouldn’t be a bad choice if he was still interested.
Anyway, it sounds rubbish.
A period Bond film makes perfect sense. In black and white not that much.
Eon didn't want that but we already know that they break their own rules when they want.
I think as said above setting it in the 60s creates this weird paradox where Bond films had so much impact on the culture. Maybe an original period piece Bond is the sort of thing better suited to a video game, regardless of the decade (and I suppose it’s even been done in FRWL).
Anyway, never been an idea I like or how people justify it.
It’s definitely the sort of idea I can see filmmakers believing more unique than it actually is. The black and white and 30 million budget is very strange though.
I'm sure it will happen. Not today, and probably not tomorrow, but it will happen.
I think it comes from filmmakers being perhaps a bit too nostalgic for the Connery era - notice how it’s always the 60’s that filmmakers want to bring Bond back too - never the 50’s, 70’s, 80’s etc.
Perhaps another aspect that could be viewed as a reason for this strange desire many have for a 60’s set Bond film is because aside from Quentin Tarantino - lots of filmmakers haven’t really explored 60’s nostalgia the way we see lots of 70’s and 80’s nostalgia.
And Fleming.
I don't think it's that strange. It's like Sherlock Holmes and the Victorian era.