A Black Bond!?

[Duke 0]

How can this be!!

 

So since Obama won there's been all sorts of blabla in the media about 'why can't the next James Bond be black?' For some reason the *media* has really taken this and tried to squeeze as much as the can out of it.

 

What are your thoughts?

 

There's also this...P Diddy?

 

 

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This is quite ridiculous in my mind, firstly - Bond just can't be black! He just can't. And that video really sucked.

[Nmenth 291]

Changing his hair is one thing, changing his skin goes way beyond that. Bond is a single person, fictional, yes, but still one man. You can't suddenly change Bond's race anymore than to make a WWII documentary featuring a black Hitler. It would be altering the facts and be a mockery of what is trying to be portrayed. It is not racist to say Bond can't be black, but it seems to me that it is racist to say that he can be.

 

Not that it is actually up for consideration, but to clear the immediate future, Daniel Craig is contracted for the next two James Bond films.

 

As for that video, it was rather boring and pointless. Also, the definition of a king in the beginning is rather amusing, what would history have been like if that was how royalty was decided?

[Chronojam 3]

Yeah that'd never happen in Hollywood.

 

 

Okay, so it does happen, but it's really stupid.

[Luk3us 63]

Bond is a white British MI6 agent. Unless he goes reverse Michael Jackson on us.

 

The media is really screwed up sometiems.

[Sonic 296]

There were rumours years ago that Wesley Snipes was being considered to take over the Bond role. This was before Pierce Brosnan finally played Bond.

 

Personally I feel the Bond franchise has run its course. Its so dated, every movie follows the same formula.

[Saracen 16]

To be honest the bond movies have become one giant advertisement. I haven't seen Quantum of Solace yet, but Casino Royale was one giant Sony showroom. Sony Ericsson Phones, Sony Viao Laptops, Sony Widescreen TV's etc.... It was just short of Bond using a Playstation 3 to kill some time playing games or using the Freeview TV feature, and him using the PSP as a portable satellite navigation device and MP3 player! There was god knows how many other product placements shoved in the faces of consumers... I lost count that's for sure.

 

On the topic of a Black James Bond. Such a thing wouldn't bother me directly. The pre-requisite to any Bond Actor (these days) is that he has to be born in England, since the character is seen to be a true Englishman. As it stands however, there's not a single Black actor in the UK or Ireland capable of pulling off the role. Daniel Craig (as it stands) is perhaps the only actor even close. Although I find the man's acting rather wooden, lifeless, and boring to watch.

 

In my eyes there have only ever been 2 great James Bonds... George Lazenby who only ever took on the role once, but did an outstanding job. The man is Australian too, which is kinda ironic. Then of course there's Sean Connery.... who was Scottish...

 

But Sonic is right, the franchise is running its course. However, there's 'Bond 23' coming out in 2011, which is the end of a trilogy focussing on Bond as a character... from there it is said the franchise can go on any course it wishes... Daniel Craig is contacted to do 'Bond 24' as well and then his 10 year contract ends in 2015. From there I can imagine the franchise going all Hollywood, the Americans will probably murder it, and it will die by 2025.

[Doctor Destiny 41]

Are you kidding me? Lazenby falls behind Dalton as one the single worst Bonds in the franchise. Connery is the best of course, Moore has his charms, Lazenby fell on his face, Dalton blew hard, Brosnan was win and Craig is doing an outstanding job as far as I'm concerned. Meh, I like Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Maybe I'm just open to Bond moving in a new direction. >_>

[Inferno 22]

Yes, anything better than the current james bond.

[(ha) crazy 0]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOO

 

no no no a BLACK BOND i will go psycotic before that happens and die because of it

[Duke 0]

Are you kidding me? Lazenby falls behind Dalton as one the single worst Bonds in the franchise.

 

I agree. For me Connery and Brosnan top the list but Craig isn't doing too badly so far. I havent seen Quantam of Solace yet though but when I do i'll be more qualified to judge!

 

From what i've heard though, a lot of people arn't lovin it.

[Nmenth 291]

From what i've heard though, a lot of people arn't lovin it.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I'll just say it lacked a lot of the normal Bond attributes. Like it was a generic spy movie with the main character named James Bond and a handler called M. Nevertheless, as a generic spy movie, it wasn't that bad.

[Chronojam 3]

I wouldn't mind if somebody would invent up more Bourne.

[Mina Synd 0]

bourne was painful for me. i LOVE bond... but sadly daniel craig... eh... the movies are entertaining, but not in the way bond should be. they are entertaining in the way of an old random action movie. not even stallone or arnie... not even quite a seagal level. craig's bond is just mindless action and violence. it's taken the whole scenario and made it into a serious situation. it's depressing...

 

bond was MEANT to have humour. the original movie was peter sellers for christsakes (original casino royale. yup. it's the remake of the original.) now i know all the movies couldn't be like that... each bond had their own qualities. but saracen is right - craig's movies are just one big advert. all you see on the tv constantly is "THIS NEW PHONE, AS FEATURED IN BOND!" or computer or car or whatever. and when you watch the movie they are extra careful to show you the details of the object, what it can do and such as well as the brand and such...

 

so for the moment the bond franchise is dead to me. i mean the ian flemming books were originally based on the WW2 spy, william stephenson, who pretty much started the cold war and won WW2 with the flood of amazing intel given. (i happen to be watching a documentory on him right now ironically enough xD)

 

back on the main topic; i'm not racist in the slightest (besides for natural anger against immigrants who abuse the system and are crushing british tradition and customs...) but yah i really don't think bond should be black... if it was like say, Dr Who where you have a different physical person everytime the hero dies then yah that would rule - go with the flow. but he's meant to be the same person... it just doesn't really work :\ if they really are going to be a black bond i can't really think of any british black actors (or black actors who could pull of a british accent, or a monotone accent to hide an american one...)

 

about the only english black people who come anywhere close were the two "brothers" on eastenders a while ago, and simon from blue (who i happen to know exists now thanks to i'm a celeb...) but somehow i just can't see a black bond. i mean let's be honest here, if there was a black man driving a fancy car the police would pull him over and ask him where he stole it from XD the bond personality is just too radical for a black man to pull off without looking like a retard or a quirky eccentric...

 

the closest comparison we have to a black bond would be "shaft"... though i dunno what happened to the original guy and could you imagine samuel l jackson as bond? o.O; don't get me wrong it would be very cool... but that's not who bond is. it would just be shaft again. if you want a kickass cool black hero, just make another shaft movie o.o; i mean seriously, bond is the only kickass white british male "hero" character out there besides Dr Who. and he's an alien... and doesn't really make movies...

 

nonono, bond is our little legend. we need to stick close to the books. also, having just thought about this for a second more we DO have another british hero. Sharpe. staring sean bean in a fictional (though often involved in historical events) situation, as the commanding officer of a british rifle squad in the napoleonic era (the whole way through, and as of a couple of years ago it's moved onto the indian campaign...) it's basically one long series (based on a series of books written by Bernard Cornwell) and each little adventure/book is a feature-length (tv movie?) or something.

 

it is a very excellent series. you have action, battles, heroism, comradeship, romance and many other things... richard sharpe is very bondlike in many ways. however he is just a common man, risen up from the ranks. so he is lacking in the upper class traits... and the fact that he is a loyal partner. when he finds a girl, he marries her and stays with her (at least, until she dies or something. which happens surprisingly often. and no, he doesn't kill them XD)

 

so far for total episodes there are the 14 napoleonic episodes (which you can get in one bigass box set with two per dvd case) and two other episodes from the indian campaign. there are more incoming in the future, as cornwell has written another half dozen books and is constantly writing more to the series. as it is 2 or 3 episodes have been missed out from the napoleonic campaign so later on he may go and make them too...

 

(/rambling)

[Rich Nagel 0]

Could there be a black Bond? Could there be a white Shaft?

 

No, and no.

[Mina Synd 0]

exactly! it just doesn't work. you need the specific personality and attitude style. as well as the market they play to. shaft was purely ghetto and had that slick "cool" factor, whereas bond has that upper class suave and dashing factor... i mean you COULD switch them round... but the audiences that watch them just wouldn't feel comfortable with it. primarily because we've experienced the characters how they are for a long time... we've become used to them and love them how they are.

 

now if you created a new superspy character who is black that would be different. they pretty much did that with xXx... problem is it didn't quite work. more defaulted to a generic action hero style...

[Rich Nagel 0]

i mean you COULD switch them round... but the audiences that watch them just wouldn't feel comfortable with it.

 

Although, now to come to think of it, I *could* see a comedy skit on Mad TV or Saturday Night Live <LOL>!

 

 

[Inferno 22]

And a blond bond does work? Hell no.

[BioBen 3]

Ok who else voted for the black bond?

[Julbri 0]

It just wouldn't be bond

[(ha) crazy 0]

bourne was painful for me. i LOVE bond... but sadly daniel craig... eh... the movies are entertaining, but not in the way bond should be. they are entertaining in the way of an old random action movie.

 

 

craig's bond is just mindless action and violence. it's taken the whole scenario and made it into a serious situation. it's depressing...

 

 

each bond had their own qualities.

 

 

 

so for the moment the bond franchise is dead to me. i mean the ian flemming books were originally based on the WW2 spy, william stephenson, who pretty much started the cold war and won WW2 with the flood of amazing intel given. (i happen to be watching a documentory on him right now ironically enough xD)

 

 

(/rambling)

Ok first.

 

In Casino Royale Bond MADE USE OF HIS HEAD unlike people like Roger Moore. he also used technology to maximum potential like the laptop GPS tracking trick. I need to watch it again but i don't remember Bond firing a shot in Casino Royale keep in mind i havent seen it recently enough

 

secondly i agree that each bond did have thier own qualities

 

 

third

i agree about the WWII spy stuff but keep in mind that they had to use thier heads more than anything else

Edited December 3, 2008 by (ha) crazy

[Chronojam 3]

Right but if you're going to talk about technology, you have to look at the fact that the "new bond" doesn't get "Bond gear" or any kind of fancy technology to help him at all; his stuff, while clever uses of off-the-shelf tech, really doesn't count all too much as "spy gagetry." That's more what they were aiming for, to get rid of some of the outlandish stuff (and boy did some of it get crazy at the end of the normal Bond movies) but they've replaced that with just pimping recognizable civilian-accessible equipment. Like it's been said before, HEY LOOK SONY STUFF! YOU COULD BE BOND TOO!

 

While watching somebody improvise was the entire appeal of a show like MacGuyver, when the majority of improvising is using dual-purpose technology it's not really impressive at all.

[Doctor Destiny 41]

The new Bonds were meant to be like that though. It's a reboot of the current storyline, going back to the beginning and revamping Bond to be grittier and less hokey. I don't mind the new direction since I go to the movies to be entertained. The new ones entertain me so they win.

[Inferno 22]

Only most of the old ones have that bond feeling to it that can entertain me

[Doctor Destiny 41]

No question. The old Bonds are indeed very epic but the new ones have that grit Bond had in the books, which are ten times better anyway.

[Inferno 22]

Well maybe it's that I never read any of the books that I don't enjoy the new Bonds then. And the overcommercialisation, like Bond drinking a Coca Cola Zero instead of a martini <_>