1. Nostalgia holding back the quality of storytelling, too many references to the previous films that were either unnecessary or doesn't fit in with the narrative.
2. Tackling the relevance of Bond (and to the lesser extent, the MI6) at this modern world.
3. Mathilde showing up, to prove that he's the same guy.
4. The Codename Theory
5. Bond having romances with Bond Girls whose younger than him, big age gaps between Bond and the Bond Girl, I wish they will change this.
6. Recycling old plots from the previous movies, how many times do we see those old films being recycled again and again? I don't liked them rehashing plots, think of a new plot that's haven't seen or told yet.
7. Hiring an A-List/Oscar winning actors only for them to be underused.
8. MGM/Amazon issue affecting the production of the film, and that would lead to rewrites, issues, think of what happened with Quantum of Solace with the writer's strike, or with No Time To Die because of the Production issues and the COVID-19 pandemic.
9. Bond being a copy of other generic action heroes, please! Bond should have his own trademark, identity and he should also be a trendsetter like what he was before, not copying those John Wicks, Jason Bournes, Ethan Hunts and etc, the same could be said for Batman, Marvel and other Superheroes, stop following the trends, let Bond be on his own as James Bond.
Just going to repeat these two, as these two are my most fear for Bond 26, that I wish should never happen again!
1. Nostalgia holding back the quality of storytelling, too many references to the previous films that were either unnecessary or doesn't fit in with the narrative, (they've been doing these many times in the Brosnan Era and extending it to the Craig Era like Strawberry Fields covered in oil that's reminiscient of Girl covered in Gold in Goldfinger, different M portraits, OHMSS music cues played in NTTD, the Aston Martin DB5 in Skyfall), and those weren't necessary, instead of making some good plot, it suddenly turns into the "Greatest Hits". I don't need those references, make a good plot and story! Period!
2. Recycling old plots from the previous movies, how many times do we see those old films being recycled again and again? I don't liked them rehashing plots, think of a new plot that's haven't seen or told yet. The last three films from Craig seemed to borrow from the plots of the previous movies:
* Skyfall - TWINE
* SPECTRE - Thunderball, OHMSS
* No Time To Die - You Only Live Twice, Dr. No, The Spy Who Loved Me, OHMSS, Octopussy (the stealing of something then would sell it to the highest bidder sounds like the Octopussy plot for me; Nanobots/Fabergè Egg).
I may be wrong but I think @AugustWalker may have been referring to the casting of James Bond himself, and not the other regulars, in which case I fully support that view. I have no problem with ethnic diversity casting for M, Q, Moneypenny etc etc.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
I wouldn't care about the race of anyone, makes no difference to me. I'm not interested in arguing with anyone about it either, I just wanted to say that to present a bit of balance.
Gosh I think if you're seeing Skyfall and Spectre as remakes of those films then you may not be happy with any future films- at this point there's pretty much guaranteed to be crossover with one of the previous 25 films in some way.
There's no single 'best' person for any role: after all, both Brosnan and Dalton got cast as 007 for The Living Daylights- they can't both have been best. Anyone who assumes that someone got given a role because of their gender or race rather than because of their ability has the problem with themselves- there's no way to prove that assumption. Sean Connery got the role of 007 because he was a white man, not sure I'd call that 'PC-casting'.
As an example, casting Naomie Harris as Moneypenny was an excellent decision. On top of being a fine actress in her own right, she also played extremely well off of Daniel Craig. The fact that she was a black actress 'taking over' a role previously held by a white actress became completely irrelevant.
But how on Earth can you know/prove that she wasn't just cast to 'tick a box'? I'm not for a moment suggesting that I think she was- I think she was brilliant and had more chemistry with Craig than some of the main heroines, and I'm sad we're not likely to see her in the role again; but if one of your 'worst fears' for the next film is that some of the roles are cast in box-ticking exercises, how will you know if that comes to pass or not? How will the motives behind anyone's casting be revealed to you?
Casting a female M in GoldenEye, on the other hand, was treated as a bit of a gimmick at the time and was part of its promotion. Does anyone think that that didn't turn out to be a rather good move?
Yeah I'd like to see Lynch as Nomi again; I thought she was genuinely cool as a superspy, and still in a feminine way. But Nomi just had nothing to do in the story, which was a real shame. I'd say I'd like to see her in her own spinoff, but I don't think you can do a Bond spinoff where you simply replace Bond in a Bond plot with another person shooting guns and driving Aston Martins, because the audience will just be wondering why they're not just watching James Bond. I genuinely think that Harris' Moneypenny could have lead her own thing though, and as she's not a double-O it could have had a different flavour. A bit more London thriller, office conspiracy sort of theme. Anyway, different thread! 😁
I didn't mind Seydoux, I bought them as a couple; I guess it's quite subjective. I'm one who thought that Eva Green didn't really work with him all that well; in fact Skyfall has Harris and Craig do the verbal jousting thing, with lots of under-the-surface signals and byplay, which I think Green completely failed at in the CR train scene (I can really feel Craig working in that scene and just not being matched). But your mileage may very well vary on that: it is, as I say, subjective.
And then Monica Bellucci in Spectre I totally bought that they just fancied each others' pants off; same with Caterina Murino in CR actually- I think that might be the sexiest scene in any Bond. Maybe Craig needed to visit Italy less often and be given more Italian leading women instead- and fewer French ones!
Similar to recycling plot tropes, my fear is that they can't come up with really world-class villains anymore. Craig was lucky in that he got to battle two genuine Fleming villains in Le Chiffre and Blofeld, maybe more than any Bond since Moore?
For the past 30 or so years the villains have been created by the scriptwriters and they mostly feel very generic fan-fiction stuff. It's easy to make villains called Von Sturmvogel and his henchman Vexlax etc.
Plus I worry that with the streaming services hoovering up anyone with the slightest bit of talent at birth means we will never really be surprised by villain casting anymore. We'll already have seen them umpteen times in something else.
I always laugh when people say "cast the best person for the role." I am program manager in real life, and I interviewed numerous candidates and lead multiple interview panels. For a lot of positions, once you get to the final 3-4 candidates, everyone is going to have a different opinion who they think is the best. Because not everyone's values are the same. Even after I picked the person, I still sometimes think back and wonder if I made the wrong choice.
Also, race can be a legitimate factor into choosing. Factors are not mutually exclusive. I can cast the black actor I just auditioned, for example, because he did fantastic in the audition and because someone high up determined that diversity is good for business. The executive may be wrong, but race, just like stature, personality, acting skills, looks, is a factor. I think too many people think there is always a clear tier of candidates when in reality, there isn't.
Neal Purvis and Robert Wade writing the script. But I think it that ship has sailed.
Inability to create a compelling villain.
Reusing the same plotlines or play to nostalgia.
An Bond actor that lacks gravitas and charisma. Far more important than race or looks imo.
Creating story elements that are way to fantastical. Laser beams, a suit that renders him invisible, his car can transform into a swarm of nano-drones.
Definitely don't want another slow paced "haunting" theme song in the diva mode. Need to have an OHMSS theme or LALD song shake up that really kicks ass. Been a long time since a Bond theme song had serious swagger.
I don't think I'd mind that, he's been doing some top pop recently.
It would be nice not to have another sad one though. I would have made an exception for Radiohead because that one had a serious mood, and if you want a sad moody piece then nobody does it better.
I'd much rather see (hear) Taylor Swift or Beyonce sing the title song. Most people here are probably better placed to predict this, but my guess is Taylor Swift.
I'm hoping we get a new cast of MI6 regulars that won't demand the same amount of screen time as the last lot. No more adventures around London with the Scooby Gang please!
John from Cork
Posts: 111MI6 Agent
Comments
Craig comes back.
Would agree on both those fears. Although in CR we had Bond's back story altered.
Other biggest fears;
Not liking the choice of actor to play the role of Bond next, either upon announcement or after seeing the film.
The film's cast and their back stories becoming as important as James Bond himself.
Too much emotional baggage and real life issues.
My fears:
1. Nostalgia holding back the quality of storytelling, too many references to the previous films that were either unnecessary or doesn't fit in with the narrative.
2. Tackling the relevance of Bond (and to the lesser extent, the MI6) at this modern world.
3. Mathilde showing up, to prove that he's the same guy.
4. The Codename Theory
5. Bond having romances with Bond Girls whose younger than him, big age gaps between Bond and the Bond Girl, I wish they will change this.
6. Recycling old plots from the previous movies, how many times do we see those old films being recycled again and again? I don't liked them rehashing plots, think of a new plot that's haven't seen or told yet.
7. Hiring an A-List/Oscar winning actors only for them to be underused.
8. MGM/Amazon issue affecting the production of the film, and that would lead to rewrites, issues, think of what happened with Quantum of Solace with the writer's strike, or with No Time To Die because of the Production issues and the COVID-19 pandemic.
9. Bond being a copy of other generic action heroes, please! Bond should have his own trademark, identity and he should also be a trendsetter like what he was before, not copying those John Wicks, Jason Bournes, Ethan Hunts and etc, the same could be said for Batman, Marvel and other Superheroes, stop following the trends, let Bond be on his own as James Bond.
That everyone on this forum agrees about it.
I guess my worst fear would be that there isn't one.
I'm pretty much up for seeing any other new ideas they think are good (and I trust them not to do anything insane with it), as long as it gets made!
😂😂😂 but also 👍️👍️👍️
Number 4: If Mathilde shows up, wouldn't that prove it ISN'T the same guy? In other words the Code Name theory.
PC casting
IG: @thebondarchives
Check it out, you won’t be disappointed
I fear:
- Continued strong focus on everyone's past and emotional lives.
- Too PC, and I'm not thinking particularly about casting. I'm more worried about Bond becoming just another action hero.
- Too many years between movies.
A script that attempts to appease internet journalists rather than true fans of the franchise.
Just going to repeat these two, as these two are my most fear for Bond 26, that I wish should never happen again!
1. Nostalgia holding back the quality of storytelling, too many references to the previous films that were either unnecessary or doesn't fit in with the narrative, (they've been doing these many times in the Brosnan Era and extending it to the Craig Era like Strawberry Fields covered in oil that's reminiscient of Girl covered in Gold in Goldfinger, different M portraits, OHMSS music cues played in NTTD, the Aston Martin DB5 in Skyfall), and those weren't necessary, instead of making some good plot, it suddenly turns into the "Greatest Hits". I don't need those references, make a good plot and story! Period!
2. Recycling old plots from the previous movies, how many times do we see those old films being recycled again and again? I don't liked them rehashing plots, think of a new plot that's haven't seen or told yet. The last three films from Craig seemed to borrow from the plots of the previous movies:
* Skyfall - TWINE
* SPECTRE - Thunderball, OHMSS
* No Time To Die - You Only Live Twice, Dr. No, The Spy Who Loved Me, OHMSS, Octopussy (the stealing of something then would sell it to the highest bidder sounds like the Octopussy plot for me; Nanobots/Fabergè Egg).
These two are my most fears for Bond 26!
I may be wrong but I think @AugustWalker may have been referring to the casting of James Bond himself, and not the other regulars, in which case I fully support that view. I have no problem with ethnic diversity casting for M, Q, Moneypenny etc etc.
I wouldn't care about the race of anyone, makes no difference to me. I'm not interested in arguing with anyone about it either, I just wanted to say that to present a bit of balance.
Gosh I think if you're seeing Skyfall and Spectre as remakes of those films then you may not be happy with any future films- at this point there's pretty much guaranteed to be crossover with one of the previous 25 films in some way.
PC-casting as I would interpret it would mean handing roles in general to people just for the sake of their ethnicity, gender, …
Hand it to whoever fits best.
IG: @thebondarchives
Check it out, you won’t be disappointed
There's no single 'best' person for any role: after all, both Brosnan and Dalton got cast as 007 for The Living Daylights- they can't both have been best. Anyone who assumes that someone got given a role because of their gender or race rather than because of their ability has the problem with themselves- there's no way to prove that assumption. Sean Connery got the role of 007 because he was a white man, not sure I'd call that 'PC-casting'.
As an example, casting Naomie Harris as Moneypenny was an excellent decision. On top of being a fine actress in her own right, she also played extremely well off of Daniel Craig. The fact that she was a black actress 'taking over' a role previously held by a white actress became completely irrelevant.
But how on Earth can you know/prove that she wasn't just cast to 'tick a box'? I'm not for a moment suggesting that I think she was- I think she was brilliant and had more chemistry with Craig than some of the main heroines, and I'm sad we're not likely to see her in the role again; but if one of your 'worst fears' for the next film is that some of the roles are cast in box-ticking exercises, how will you know if that comes to pass or not? How will the motives behind anyone's casting be revealed to you?
Casting a female M in GoldenEye, on the other hand, was treated as a bit of a gimmick at the time and was part of its promotion. Does anyone think that that didn't turn out to be a rather good move?
Yeah I'd like to see Lynch as Nomi again; I thought she was genuinely cool as a superspy, and still in a feminine way. But Nomi just had nothing to do in the story, which was a real shame. I'd say I'd like to see her in her own spinoff, but I don't think you can do a Bond spinoff where you simply replace Bond in a Bond plot with another person shooting guns and driving Aston Martins, because the audience will just be wondering why they're not just watching James Bond. I genuinely think that Harris' Moneypenny could have lead her own thing though, and as she's not a double-O it could have had a different flavour. A bit more London thriller, office conspiracy sort of theme. Anyway, different thread! 😁
I didn't mind Seydoux, I bought them as a couple; I guess it's quite subjective. I'm one who thought that Eva Green didn't really work with him all that well; in fact Skyfall has Harris and Craig do the verbal jousting thing, with lots of under-the-surface signals and byplay, which I think Green completely failed at in the CR train scene (I can really feel Craig working in that scene and just not being matched). But your mileage may very well vary on that: it is, as I say, subjective.
And then Monica Bellucci in Spectre I totally bought that they just fancied each others' pants off; same with Caterina Murino in CR actually- I think that might be the sexiest scene in any Bond. Maybe Craig needed to visit Italy less often and be given more Italian leading women instead- and fewer French ones!
Similar to recycling plot tropes, my fear is that they can't come up with really world-class villains anymore. Craig was lucky in that he got to battle two genuine Fleming villains in Le Chiffre and Blofeld, maybe more than any Bond since Moore?
For the past 30 or so years the villains have been created by the scriptwriters and they mostly feel very generic fan-fiction stuff. It's easy to make villains called Von Sturmvogel and his henchman Vexlax etc.
Plus I worry that with the streaming services hoovering up anyone with the slightest bit of talent at birth means we will never really be surprised by villain casting anymore. We'll already have seen them umpteen times in something else.
To much wokeness and diversity LGTQB crap its being rammed down our throats in everything
Bond hopefully will be kept a certain british stiff upper lip way
and yes i know Q was gay ( but it was not rammed in there and turned into a musical )
I always laugh when people say "cast the best person for the role." I am program manager in real life, and I interviewed numerous candidates and lead multiple interview panels. For a lot of positions, once you get to the final 3-4 candidates, everyone is going to have a different opinion who they think is the best. Because not everyone's values are the same. Even after I picked the person, I still sometimes think back and wonder if I made the wrong choice.
Also, race can be a legitimate factor into choosing. Factors are not mutually exclusive. I can cast the black actor I just auditioned, for example, because he did fantastic in the audition and because someone high up determined that diversity is good for business. The executive may be wrong, but race, just like stature, personality, acting skills, looks, is a factor. I think too many people think there is always a clear tier of candidates when in reality, there isn't.
Biggest fears:
Definitely don't want another slow paced "haunting" theme song in the diva mode. Need to have an OHMSS theme or LALD song shake up that really kicks ass. Been a long time since a Bond theme song had serious swagger.
I was going to say that I hope they're both still around by then, but at the speed Eon works we'll be lucky if Billie Eilish is still around.
Yea, you say lucky 👀
I don't think I'd mind that, he's been doing some top pop recently.
It would be nice not to have another sad one though. I would have made an exception for Radiohead because that one had a serious mood, and if you want a sad moody piece then nobody does it better.
I'd much rather see (hear) Taylor Swift or Beyonce sing the title song. Most people here are probably better placed to predict this, but my guess is Taylor Swift.
I'm not actually gets sad while listening to Nobody Does It Better, I think the saddest Bond theme for me is You Only Live Twice.
When puns backfire...
I'm hoping we get a new cast of MI6 regulars that won't demand the same amount of screen time as the last lot. No more adventures around London with the Scooby Gang please!
Bond26 in 2026