Who Through The Years . . .
zebond
DolletPosts: 103MI6 Agent
Who through the years should have, in your humble opinions, played James Bond but due to some reason(s) did not or was just never offered the shot?
Personally, I was never huge on the idea of an American Bond actor, but I think I would have been able to make one big exception : Steve McQueen. I realize from things I read he may have tried to control the series and push it towards what he felt it should be rather than the directors, but IMHO he would have done an outstanding job and had the emotion to handle delicate scenes while at the same time (as we saw from almost all if not all of his flicks) be a total bad***.
Personally, I was never huge on the idea of an American Bond actor, but I think I would have been able to make one big exception : Steve McQueen. I realize from things I read he may have tried to control the series and push it towards what he felt it should be rather than the directors, but IMHO he would have done an outstanding job and had the emotion to handle delicate scenes while at the same time (as we saw from almost all if not all of his flicks) be a total bad***.
"Guns make me nervous!"
Comments
Interestingly enough the late Mr. McQueen's widow just announced that if anyone were to portray old Steve for a bio-picture it should be none other than .......Daniel Craig!!!
You may be on to something there.....
I think the best "Bond" who never was would have been Richard Johnson.
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
Adam West would have been a disaster, but I dig the man and would love to see his career be something more than Batman.
The drawbacks are obvious: American, ex-Batman, too light-weight,
But I offer this evidence that Cubby and Harry were not out of their minds when they talked to West:
In Batman, The Movie (1966) there is a lengthy sequence where West is Bruce Wayne in a tux. Do yourself a favor and watch this sequence with an open mind.
If you put aside the campy humor, West carries himself admirably. He has a Roger Moore suave air about him and he looks like a million bucks in a tux.
BUT...most importantly:
When the villians appear, a fight ensues and, (I kid you not, Bond-fans), West (with no stunt-double) more than delivers the goods in the Bondian fight department.
Anyone who scoffs at West as 007 should consider this scene to realize there are WAY too many easy assumptions to be made in the casting of 007,
West as Bond? Not my choice.
But...would he have been a "disaster" as James Kirk imagines? Hardly.
In fact, I now scoff when anyone is 100% positive that any actor would be an out-and-out disaster as 007.
(Daniel Craig, anyone?)
I would hope that, since Bond-fans are the most discerning of pop-culture fans, they can be open to the idea of an unconventional choices.
Whenever a name from the past pops up (Burt Reynolds or Mel Gibson as 007) there are WAY too many fans who laugh at such nonsense.
But I am here to tell you (and with all due respect, Kirk James Kirk) that most opinions of who should play Bond are always loaded with personal preferences.
The key is to wrap around your head to the fact that West was a good enough actor to PERHAPS play 007.
Or that Burt Reynolds in 1971 was NOT the Burt Reynolds we know today. In 1971, Burt was dangerous and moved like a freight train. Burt in DAF? Not as absurd as it sounds.
Ditto for Mel Gibson in 1985. (IMO, the only time Mel was perfect for 007).
To conclude, it would shock me to see anyone actually stand up for West and Burt!
That would require a little bit of flexibility from a Bond-fan...to actually do some homework and examine the era and the context to which Burt Reynolds (!) would have been 007.
To dismiss someone like Adam West outright, based on first impression, without a second thought, can be labelled as typecasting.
Andy Garcia (circa 1992) would have been sensational as 007. In its own way, that would have been as radical a choice as West in 1968 or Burt in 1971.
Garcia as 007? Crazy? Impossible, you say,
Perhaps. But when it comes to who should have played 007 in the past...a little slack is required.
"I have a brother."
"Small world."
Big, you mentioned 'unconventional choices,' well I have one: Ray Liotta in the early 90's. He is incredibly hard and tough (nobody can accuse him of not being capable of killing
I don't think Burt Reynolds would have worked either, as much as I like the man. It's obvious they were considering him, as Burt pre-mustache has a lot of similar qualities to Connery. Reynolds's deep south personality just doesn't have the sophistication needed for Bond.
Interesting, just the other night my friend and I were watching The Great Escape and he had made the comment that Craig resembled McQueen. I hadn't thought about it before but I had to agree with him.
I love Batman, granted the funky techno era left a little to be desired but I never disliked Adam West. I think it would have been interesting to see but I don't think he would have compared to those who have already portrayed Bond. But who knows. . .
Dan, I disagree that Liotta would have made a good Bond -- too rough and tumble, too American (even affecting an accent). However, that's not my main point...which is, this is great out-of-the-box thinking on your part. Quite often, that's in too-short supply around here -- well done. -{
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I like Sam Neil, and judging from his screen test on the TLD DVD, he could have been pretty good, not better than Timothy Dalton mind you. My favorite "what if", though, is Clive Owen. Given the chance, he could be a down-right fantastic Bond!
!! Ah, how funny, I have to agree with you entirely on Clive Owen. Ever since the first time I saw him and everytime since I can't help but think how great a Bond he would be. Though following the pattern, Roger Moore was offered it before Connery, Dalton before Moore, Brosnan before Dalton, perhaps it may happen . . . we can only hope :007)
Gerard Butler would be terrific, as well, as he's got the hard edge to be able to fit the new mold of Bond cast by Craig.
I also wa bummed that Clive Owen was not going to be in CR...At first. But Daniel Craig has proven himself to be IMO the best Bond ever! My regrets are completely over.