Adam West offered the role of Bond...

crawfordbooncrawfordboon Posts: 126MI6 Agent
edited February 2007 in The James Bond Films
Though it seems highly ludicrous now, "Batman" star Adam West was offered the role of Bond in the late 1960s when Sean Connery left the series. Initially I laughed, but then if you think of West (maybe with a reasonably-English accent), he could have been great in the role, in the same tongue-in-cheek flippant humour style as the later Moore films.

OHMSS with West, a less serious plot and a breezier, less 'Fleming' tone, would have been a brilliant movie. And though I liked Connery in DAF, West would have been suited to that movie without even changing anything. I have a feeling people are going to hate this idea but for me West had a light touch and would be suited, as Moore was, to playing to a campier style production, in a role with less 'emotion', or 'depth' (as seen in TLD or CR, for instance).

This would return Bond to where it has had its finest successes, i.e. the flamboyant, comic book escapism, with unflappable colourful characters, like YOLT or TSWLM.

On a side issue, has anybody else come across any at-first strange ideas that with some thought end up appearing quite attractive?

Comments

  • John DrakeJohn Drake On assignmentPosts: 2,564MI6 Agent
    OHMSS with West, a less serious plot and a breezier, less 'Fleming' tone, would have been a brilliant movie. quote]

    No it wouldn't. :p

    Seriously, I'm more than happy with the OHMSS we've got. As for the American actors who've been linked with Bond, John Gavin would have been acceptable, but I'm grateful that Cubby never hired Adam West or Burt Reynolds. As for Bruce Willis, (who is an actor I like, for'Moonlighting' mostly), he would have been completely wrong. Bond in a ripped vest, yelling Yippee Kay Ay Miss Moneypenny. Glad that didn;t happen. I think we've done alright casting-wise over the years. Although I must admit there are a couple of actors (Ian Ogilvy, Rupert Everrett) I would have loved to have seen playing Bond.
  • crawfordbooncrawfordboon Posts: 126MI6 Agent
    Agree with you on Willis, and I also think Ogilvy would have been wrong (can't comment on Everett - never seen any of his work).

    I think John Gavin was a generally very wooden actor, with a boomy American voice, and would have been staid and unsuited to Bond.

    As for Burt Reynolds, it's a fantastic prospect, but I think that Roger Moore essentially did an upper class English version of the Reynolds persona. I can't see him in the part but given hsi track record of making greatly entertaining pictures, it coudl well have worked.
  • bigzilchobigzilcho Toronto, ONPosts: 245MI6 Agent
    Anyone scoffing at the notion of Adam West as 007 should take a look at the movie Batman (1966).

    West has a lengthy sequence as Bruce Wayne looking very Bond-like in his tux.

    And check out the fight he has with some goons...an impressive punch-up with West showing some real Bondian style.

    Could he have played 007? Judging from this sequence...he could have been an interesting choice.


    "World domination. Same old dream."
  • highhopeshighhopes Posts: 1,358MI6 Agent
    Holy madmen. Am I ever glad West had the sense to turn them down.
  • Moore Not LessMoore Not Less Posts: 1,095MI6 Agent
    John Drake wrote:
    Although I must admit there are a couple of actors (Ian Ogilvy, Rupert Everrett) I would have loved to have seen playing Bond.

    Ian Ogilvy had the potential to be a very good Bond. It's not difficult to see why he was chosen to play Simon Templar in The Return Of The Saint. He had many of the same qualities as Roger Moore. At the time, it appeared as though he may well be Roger's natural successor as Bond. Alas, The Return Of The Saint was shortlived and Ogilvy never really recovered from it.

    As for Adam West as Bond? If he was offered the role then he made absolutely the right decision. Having said that, he was an absolutely wonderful Batman.
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,279MI6 Agent
    In his autobiography "Back to the Batcave" Adam West does recount a meeting with Cubby Broccoli where the possibility of his playing Bond was discussed. Supposedly Broccoli asked him point blank if he would be interested and though tempted, West ultimately passed on the part due to his strong belief that Bond should be British.

    As for Ian Oglivy, I also thought he would make an interesting James Bond; his physical semblance to a young Roger Moore was pretty uncanny and he showed a good range in the various roles I saw him in - he was hilarious in Death Becomes Her. A few years ago I remember seeing a soft drink commercial with Oglivy that was set up as something of a James Bond spoof: he and a villainous type tried to one up each other at identifying exotic foods and beverages. Even though he was much older, he still definitely looked the part in the tux.
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,988Quartermasters
    Loved 'Back to the Batcave'...very funny, with a healthy measure of self-deprecation. A former Bond actor comes to mind ;) If he'd been British, I think Mr. West might have rivalled Sir Roger for that particular style of performance...

    BTW...there is no bigger fan of the 60's Batman show than me. :D
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • Agent WadeAgent Wade Ann ArborPosts: 321MI6 Agent
    It would be neat to see James Bond scaling a vertical wall on a rope a la '60s Batman style. He's have many more gadgets than Moore ever did, too.
  • Mr MartiniMr Martini That nice house in the sky.Posts: 2,698MI6 Agent
    It would of been cool to see Adam West in the role of Bond. Only for one reason. My last name is West. Every once in a while I get asked if Adam is my dad. BTW, he is not. I've even been called Batboy. I think it would be cool to be called James Bond Jr. Oh well, maybe in another life I'll come back as a Brosnan or Dalton or etc...... One can only hope.
    Some people would complain even if you hang them with a new rope
  • crawfordbooncrawfordboon Posts: 126MI6 Agent
    West's Batman series knocks the spots of Tim Burton's version any day of the week, for me. I preferred how Joel Schumacher tried to make hsi film closer in spirit to the original TV series.
  • LazenbyLazenby The upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent

    OHMSS with [Adam] West, a less serious plot and a breezier, less 'Fleming' tone, would have been a brilliant movie.

    I'm sorry, but that would have been...horrible.
  • SteedSteed Posts: 134MI6 Agent
    Yes, to have done OHMSS as 'less serious' and 'less Fleming' would have removed everything I love so much about the film. And I don't have a problem with Lazenby's portrayal in the first place.

    I'd say most of my fave Bond films ARE the more serious ones, perhaps parts of Goldfinger and Octopussy are the only exceptions to that rule in my top 10. For me, the more comedy and excess that is poured into the film, the weaker it gets- a la Moonraker, Man With The Golden Gun and Die Another Day (the excess part anyway).
  • LazenbyLazenby The upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent
    Steed wrote:
    And I don't have a problem with Lazenby's portrayal in the first place.

    Me neither! The more I watch the film the more I enjoy his performance and realize that he was simply a diamond in the rough who never got a chance to develop.
  • SolarisSolaris Blackpool, UKPosts: 308MI6 Agent
    John Drake wrote:
    Although I must admit there are a couple of actors (Ian Ogilvy, Rupert Everrett) I would have loved to have seen playing Bond.

    Oglivy, I've seen some of return of the saint and I agree he could have been good as Bond.

    but Rupert Everett? he has the god looks of James Bond, but he as a person annoys me and I would have hated to see him as James Bond.
    Did anyone see Comic Relief does the apprentice, where is was found out that Everett has a fear of Cameras?
  • SteedSteed Posts: 134MI6 Agent
    Ian Ogilvy, according to him, was considered for Bond but eventually turned down 'because they didn't want a Bond like Roger' at the time because Roger had just left. Poor old Ian Ogilvy, he's probably forever dogged by comparisons to Roger. I think he was terrific in Return Of The Saint even if the scripts weren't always.

    The best Bond that never was for me is Lewis Collins, no question. I think he had it all- just check out 'The Professionals' or 'Who Dares Wins' for ample evidence. They did a poll in a UK newspaper of who the public would have liked to have succeeded Roger in the 80s- at number 1 was Pierce Brosnan but Lewis was the only other contender in that poll, really.
  • ohmss1969ohmss1969 EuropePosts: 141MI6 Agent
    His real last name is not West but actually William West Anderson fyi ;)
  • Napoleon Han SoloNapoleon Han Solo Posts: 78MI6 Agent

    On a side issue, has anybody else come across any at-first strange ideas that with some thought end up appearing quite attractive?

    I guess this would be up there with Christopher Walken almost being Han Solo...seems strange but maybe it would have worked. But I am glad how things turned out, in both cases. And we are talking about several of my absolute favourite characters here.

    I also love the West Batman. He was very dead-on for the style of what they were doing. And some Batman fans criticize its campiness, where I see all they were doing was spoofing what was going on in the comics at the time, and in fact by overplaying, pushing it to its limits, it I think that ironically they helped usher in the grimmer era of Batman that has been going since, as recently evinced (excellently IMO) in Batman Begins.

    Sorry, back to Bond now, LOL.
  • Napoleon Han SoloNapoleon Han Solo Posts: 78MI6 Agent
    Acutally, one more thing: I love the getting-rid-of-the-bomb scene from the Adam West Batman movie. Still one of the funniest things ever.
  • John DrakeJohn Drake On assignmentPosts: 2,564MI6 Agent
    Solaris wrote:
    John Drake wrote:
    Did anyone see Comic Relief does the apprentice, where is was found out that Everett has a fear of Cameras?

    No. I read a review in the papers describing him as 'Rupert no-mates,' and that he walked out on the show. To be honest, I'd have probably walked too, if I was stuck in a room with Alastair Campbell, Piers Morgan and Ross Kemp. What happened?
  • LazenbyLazenby The upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent
    Acutally, one more thing: I love the getting-rid-of-the-bomb scene from the Adam West Batman movie. Still one of the funniest things ever.

    That whole movie was pretty hilarious. I always liked the scene where Batman fends off the shark: "Robin! Pass the 'Bat' Shark Repellent!" And Robin hands him this aerosol can. lol
  • LazenbyLazenby The upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent

    I guess this would be up there with Christopher Walken almost being Han Solo...seems strange but maybe it would have worked.

    Whoa. I never heard about that. I can't even imagine anyone other than Harrison in that role.
  • bluemanblueman PDXPosts: 1,667MI6 Agent
    Holy casting call, Batman!

    West as Batman = sublime. West as Bond? Uh...no.
  • La CuranderaLa Curandera Posts: 52MI6 Agent
    edited March 2007
    Acutally, one more thing: I love the getting-rid-of-the-bomb scene from the Adam West Batman movie. Still one of the funniest things ever.
    I am an unashamed, unabashed, unwashed Adam West fanatic.
    batmancan.gif
  • LazenbyLazenby The upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent
    Acutally, one more thing: I love the getting-rid-of-the-bomb scene from the Adam West Batman movie. Still one of the funniest things ever.
    I am an unashamed, unabashed, unwashed Adam West fanatic.
    batmancan.gif

    hahaha awesome.
  • La CuranderaLa Curandera Posts: 52MI6 Agent
    Lazenby wrote:
    Acutally, one more thing: I love the getting-rid-of-the-bomb scene from the Adam West Batman movie. Still one of the funniest things ever.
    I am an unashamed, unabashed, unwashed Adam West fanatic.
    batmancan.gif

    hahaha awesome.
    droppin'; bat-bombs, yo.
  • bluemanblueman PDXPosts: 1,667MI6 Agent
    That's awesome!!!!
  • La CuranderaLa Curandera Posts: 52MI6 Agent
    blueman wrote:
    That's awesome!!!!
    batshark3cz0hu.gif
    batdance4ao8nh.gif
  • bluemanblueman PDXPosts: 1,667MI6 Agent
    Isn't that bottom clip from DAD...?
  • La CuranderaLa Curandera Posts: 52MI6 Agent
    blueman wrote:
    Isn't that bottom clip from DAD...?
    DAD wishes it was half as cool as Adam West's Batman.
    "No use, Joker! I knew you'd employ your sneezing powder, so I took an Anti-Allergy Pill! Instead of a SNEEZE, I've caught YOU, COLD!"

    "Naturally you didn't know I was wearing my special Super B long thermal underwear."

    "Plenty of girls and bands and slogans and lots of hoopla, but remember, no politics. Issues confuse people."

    "Shame: You big sissy, you couldn't drive nails in a snow bank.
    Batman: Why would I want to?"
  • SolarisSolaris Blackpool, UKPosts: 308MI6 Agent
    John Drake wrote:
    Solaris wrote:
    John Drake wrote:
    Did anyone see Comic Relief does the apprentice, where is was found out that Everett has a fear of Cameras?

    No. I read a review in the papers describing him as 'Rupert no-mates,' and that he walked out on the show. To be honest, I'd have probably walked too, if I was stuck in a room with Alastair Campbell, Piers Morgan and Ross Kemp. What happened?

    Well I suppose I'd run off aswell.

    but what happened was that they were talking to him and seeing if he could get on the phone to some hollywood "superstar" frinds. which Everett said he couldn't do for various reasons.
    he didn't seem paticially happy at this moment and then said. "I don't like talking infront of the cameras, I freeze up" Piers Morgan then says "But your an Actor" and Everett says something about needing Dialouge as an Actor.

    I think he was more ashamed of not having all these Hollywood friends in his phone book as he said he had and wanted out and quick.
Sign In or Register to comment.