October 31, 2004
Pierce Brosnan speaks on leaving Bond
Empire have the quotes from Pierce Brosnan as he leaves the franchise for good, and it looks like he wasn't happy about it. I've read rumours which claimed that he wanted to do the fifth and that he was told no. They were going to make it with another actor, someone they hadn't even begun to look for.
"Bond is gone," the 51 year old actor tells us in the new issue of Empire. "Over. Done. Dusted. My contract was for four movies, they [EON Productions] invited me back for a fifth and I said yes, then somewhere in the middle of negotiations they changed their minds."
To me this makes no sense at all. I mean Brosnan is the archetypal Bond, I would even go so far to say he's in the top three Bonds of all time, although I'm not going to name my top three, I'll wait and see what you all come back with. Now if one of the best Bond's ever comes to you as his contract is running out and says he'd like to do another movie, and you have no other actor lined up and the franchise is running well enough to produce another movie quite quickly, what would you do?
I know what I would do and that would be to sign him up for at least another movie, or keep him on option for more than one. Use the filming time to search for the next Bond, and if there isn't, use him for another. It makes good sense to me, there's nothing wrong with Brosnan doing another, he hardly looks his age does he?
I can't fathom this decision at all. However, with Quentin Tarantino openly speaking about his desire to remake Casino Royale (returning to the original text) wouldn't this be a perfect opening? Brosnan himself has even said that he would be interested in bringing this to the screen as it goes back to the roots of the Bond character, Check out the story at Empire, but the key quotes are below.
"Tarantino said that he would ditch the high-action antics of the past few Bond movies in favour of a return to the more character-driven spy plots of the first few 007 films""Pierce Brosnan, speaking a couple of weeks ago to Chud.com, also expressed a strong desire to get back to character, and professed an admiration for Casino Royale as “somewhat the blueprint for the Bond character. If you go to that book, you find out more about James Bond than in any of the other books.""
""The producers now seem to be in a malaise of confusion as to how to go forward." He [Brosnan] said that he still wants to be the next Bond, and finished by saying of the Bond producers, "They know where to find me if they want me for the next one.""
Still makes no sense to me. What would be the hunger for the next Bond movie to be a return to the origins of the book character, with Tarantino as screenplay writer and director and Brosnan as Bond? To me that sounds fantastic! Do it!
I know Bond is cheesy, but the movies are some cracking entertainment, and this would just bump up the level a notch higher. Perhaps that is what they are afraid of, the formula right now is quite easy, and bettering that will mean that future movies will be gauged against this one. I don't know. Still sounds like they are missing a golden opportunity.
Posted by at October 31, 2004 09:27 AM
Comments
Posted by: jason at October 31, 2004 04:06 PM
Or....buy the rights to Thunderball and do that one again...its been 15 years since it came out.
Posted by: jason at October 31, 2004 04:07 PM
Or just do the books as they are in the originals.....set it all in the 60's ....have little hats, cigarrettes, vintage sportscars...the lot - it'd be excellent!
Posted by: psychbloke at October 31, 2004 04:22 PM
I say it's time to move on. While Brosnan was good, all the Bond flicks he's been in have been generic and forgetable -- can the average moviegoer name them and tell them apart? eg. Which one had Michelle Yeoh in it? Did you know Halle Berry was in one?
Maybe going back to the roots of Bond would be good -- a remake of Casino Royale. I say go for Clive Owen. Screw all the big names (like Hugh Jackman, Ewen McGreggor). Stick with a critically acclaimed BRITISH actor who actually looks and sounds the role, and isn't just the latest popular pretty boy.
Posted by: Mark at October 31, 2004 06:47 PM
Goldeneye was the last good Bond movie, as far as I'm concerned. Maybe it's time to put Bond on the shelf for a decade or so and then come back and try it again.
Marc Bowker
Alter Ego Comics
New action figures and collectibles at fair prices.
Posted by: Marc at November 1, 2004 08:30 AM
Brosnan's Die Another Day is my favorite non-Connery Bond flick. I haven't been a big fan of Brosnan's other flicks but the last one worked on many levels for me. Its a shame they want to change course just after they figured out how to make great Bond films again.
Posted by: Rob Merritt at November 1, 2004 09:33 AM
casino royale HAS already been remade. it's called austin powers.
Posted by: thekinginyellow at November 1, 2004 04:29 PM
I've noticed a few comments regarding the old Casino Royale;
"casino royale HAS already been remade. it's called austin powers."
"Casino royal was a spoofy version right? The one with Jimmy Bond"
I think it's important to remember that the movie Casino Royale and the Bond novel have little to nothing in common. A Tarantino helmed film based on the novel? How cool would that be?!
As a trivial footnote, the first adaptation of Casino Royale (an adaptation faithful to the book, not the spoof) was a BBC production that predates all other Bond flicks (from the 50's I believe). I haven't seen it myself, but it's kinda nifty to think that there was a Bond before Connery.
Posted by: Jim at November 1, 2004 06:08 PM
I Bond done as a period piece set in the 60's would be cool. I thought The Bourne Identity kind of had that feeling to it, although it was present day.
As far as I'm concerned Bond jumped the shark with Brosnan (I don't remember which movie) when Moneypenny said something about filing a sexual harassment suit.
Barf.
Vic
Posted by: Screen Rant at November 1, 2004 10:43 PM
hey can u give me your e-mail address?
Posted by: riyaz at December 6, 2004 05:27 AM
Alright, personaly Pierce Brosnan is the best James Bond to me, his acting is superb. I hate it when a movie has a great team of actors, and then all of a sudden, the sequal has a completely different cast. Look what happened to Batman. They changed the main actor and director and look what happened. The first movie was the best of course. Michael Keaton was the best Batman, theres no if and's or but's about it. I say Pierce Brosnan should be James Bond until he gets too old. My favorite Bond movies are all with Pierce Brosnan.
Posted by: Steven Jackson at January 29, 2005 04:10 AM
This is a shame. I rank Pierce as #2 right behind Sean Connery, in a distant 3rd is tim dalton, and Roger Moore and George Lazenby's movies could be erased for all I care. I'm a rather picky fan, and to not let Pierce stop until he drops seems ludacris to me. While Roger Moore had the charm, he wasn't an action here, and the reverse for Dalton, but Pierce? He has it all.
Posted by: David Page at January 31, 2005 12:57 PM
The next bond film needs a major boycott Pierce Should be bond in casino royal and even the next again as long as the public want him then he should be BOND.
I personally have no interest in the next bond flick knowing peirce Wanted to do the role and was dropped for no good reason is enough for me to hope the next film is a flop.
I have enjoyed all of the bond films myself and am a fan of Pierce since watching him in Remmington steele (doesn't seem to have aged much has he lol)
And I agree with David Page yes Pierce has charm and plays a good action hero.
Well thats my opinion anyway
Petition the makers to re-instate brosnan I insist.
Posted by: Dwarfy at October 14, 2005 05:01 PM
Who owns the rights to Casino Royal? I know that someone else owns the rights to Thunderball....thats where Never say never again came from....Casino royal was a spoofy version right? The one with Jimmy Bond....I say....find out who has the rights to Casino Royal and let the Miramax Brothers buy it for Quintin and offer it to Brosnan....AND in the process....make a great film. Seems easy to me!