Idris Elba strongly considered to be next James Bond by producers

[ChrisIII]

I think spin-offs were also considered at points for Felix and Wai Lin as well. (Felix did get an IDW comic series, but that's just comics...)


Wai Lin also was almost in Die Another Day, where she would've appeared in the Hong Kong harbor segment, presumabely at the hotel.

[Coin Biter]

How about creating a new black spy character instead of leeching off of a white characters legacy?

Also Elba is probably too old. At the most you would probably be able to get two movies before having to recast, and that would also depend on how soon Eon could get another Bond movie into production after Craig's next Bond film.

Bond has been played by a Scotsman, an Irishman, a Welshman, an Australian, and two Englishmen. His hair colour has run a variety of shades, from blonde, to brown, to black.

He’s been played by a couple of large men who were convincing in action scenes (Connery and Craig), a large man who played his action scenes mostly for laughs (Moore), and a slighter man who wasn’t particularly convincingly physical at all (Brosnan).

He’s been a spy at the height of the Cold War (Connery), a spy who’s been described as a relic of the Cold War (Brosnan) and a spy who has nothing specifically to do with the Cold War at all (Craig). Sometimes he is loyal to a country that is treated as being fairly unambiguously righteous; sometimes that country is portrayed as being cold and ruthless.

He’s been a vindictive and emotionally impervious character (Connery, who casually shot an unarmed man, and then went back and shot his corpse a couple of times more ). He’s been a romantic (poor old Lazenby, in his scenes with the garlic chewing Diana Rigg). He’s been an avuncular, albeit pervy, rogue (Moore). He’s been emotionally traumatised by injuries suffered by a close friend (Dalton); then meets that friend for the first time in a reboot (Craig).

He’s a snob and a poseur who insists on his drink being prepared in a ridiculous way (Connery). Another version of himself saw that as being absurd (Craig).

In short, he’s been a lot of different, occasionally partially contradictory, things. Bond has been a movable feast; being played by Elba would merely form part of that.

[ChrisIII]

^James Brolin was also considered to replace Roger Moore during the early 80s.

[skyvolt2000]

How about creating a new black spy character instead of leeching off of a white characters legacy?

Also Elba is probably too old. At the most you would probably be able to get two movies before having to recast, and that would also depend on how soon Eon could get another Bond movie into production after Craig's next Bond film.

Question-how much WORK are you willing to do for that original black spy?

While either route will bring on the racists-the barriers to the original guy will be stronger than a black bond.

Show me a movie theater that wouldn't show a black bond? Or any store that would NOT sell black James Bond products?

The LINE starts to the right of folks who will fight to make that movie fail because they don't want it made. While PUBLICLY screaming what you just stated.

While LOGIC says use someone like Alex Simmons's Blackjack-the road of easy street says Black James Bond.

Now there is NOTHING saying you can introduce a black guy in the next Bond film. Give him the situations that one might not feel comfortable with Bond.

[Coin Biter]

^James Brolin was also considered to replace Roger Moore during the early 80s.

Well that certainly would have been a major departure. I’ve just seen his screen test - I wonder if they’d have asked him to affect an English accent, as they did with Lazenby?

It’s fascinating looking at the actors who were considered for the role. Jeremy Brett... Sam Neill... Julian McMahon, even. Bizarrely, Wikipedia informs me that Broccoli offered to screen test Lord Lucan for the role.

[choptop]

Personally I'd rather Djimon Hounsou.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

^James Brolin was also considered to replace Roger Moore during the early 80s.

I don't think they'll ever hire someone whose not from the UK again. It's sort of been an unwritten expectation for many years and Brolin was kind of considered the start of that as the objection to him was that he was American.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Bond has been played by a Scotsman, an Irishman, a Welshman, an Australian, and two Englishmen. His hair colour has run a variety of shades, from blonde, to brown, to black.

He’s been played by a couple of large men who were convincing in action scenes (Connery and Craig), a large man who played his action scenes mostly for laughs (Moore), and a slighter man who wasn’t particularly convincingly physical at all (Brosnan).

He’s been a spy at the height of the Cold War (Connery), a spy who’s been described as a relic of the Cold War (Brosnan) and a spy who has nothing specifically to do with the Cold War at all (Craig). Sometimes he is loyal to a country that is treated as being fairly unambiguously righteous; sometimes that country is portrayed as being cold and ruthless.

He’s been a vindictive and emotionally impervious character (Connery, who casually shot an unarmed man, and then went back and shot his corpse a couple of times more ). He’s been a romantic (poor old Lazenby, in his scenes with the garlic chewing Diana Rigg). He’s been an avuncular, albeit pervy, rogue (Moore). He’s been emotionally traumatised by injuries suffered by a close friend (Dalton); then meets that friend for the first time in a reboot (Craig).

He’s a snob and a poseur who insists on his drink being prepared in a ridiculous way (Connery). Another version of himself saw that as being absurd (Craig).

In short, he’s been a lot of different, occasionally partially contradictory, things. Bond has been a movable feast; being played by Elba would merely form part of that.

Ehhhhh Moore's fights were never really played for laughs at the beginning. He sort of evolved into that as he got older. Bond's always had comical fights on occassion (Bond vs Oddjob for Connery for instance) but generally competent (see the pyramid scene for TSWLM for Moore). And seriously watch Goldeneye if you think Brosnan wasn't convincing physically. The fact is most Bond's (Connery, Moore, Brosnan) all were a bit lighter on action as they aged into the role because they were looking their age.

Also as for the different portrayals, Bond's always been a pretty vindictive killer. Even Moore's Bond had no problem offing someone ruthlessly. Lazenby was a romantic because of the situation where he met the "love of his life" it was meant to be a different circumstance just like Craig's Vespar was meant to be different. Also Craig not caring about the drink was meant to show that this wasn't a fully fleshed out Bond yet and that he was still evolving.

Generally Bond's been the same. He's a blunt government instrument who will kill coldly and ruthlessly and will laugh it off while privately having pathos of misgivings about his role in all of it. He has very toxic relationships with most women, viewing them as "disposable pleasures" but does have a bit of a white knight complex in him. He's quick witted and knowledgeable about a wide array of common topics. Resourceful. Massive ego and superiority complex.

[Vinsanity]

As long as he is a Brit, or from the British Commonwealth (or their former countries), I'll be good.

My concern with Idris is his age. Cause how many movies would he be contracted for?

[Carabas]

As long as he is a Brit, or from the British Commonwealth (or their former countries), I'll be good.

That includes countries like the USA, Australia, Mozambique, Uganda, and Jamaica, but not Ireland where Pierce Brosnan hails from.

[Vinsanity]

That includes countries like the USA, Australia, Mozambique, Uganda, and Jamaica, but not Ireland where Pierce Brosnan hails from.

Forgot Pierce was from Ireland.

Well, Ireland is fine too.

[ChrisIII]

Sean Bean also auditioned for Bond at some point, probably remembered during the casting for Goldeneye.

We were actually supposed to get Brosnan a bit earlier with Living Daylights, but of course the Remington Steele contract sort of messed that up. Funny thing is there's actually a few soda ads here and there with Brosnan sort of playing a sort of pseudo-Bond around that time. Kind of like Tom Selleck doing the Indiana Jones-inspired Magnum P.I.

[Vinsanity]

I remember Sam Neill doing audition. They show it as well.

It would be really cool to see an African English Bond.

[motherofpearl1]

I love Idris, so I'm fine with him as Bond.
But...the problem is, if someone suggested a white guy play Shaft.....hell to pay. It's this type of double standards that gets on my nerves.

[G. Boney]

Sean Bean also auditioned for Bond at some point, probably remembered during the casting for Goldeneye.

We were actually supposed to get Brosnan a bit earlier with Living Daylights, but of course the Remington Steele contract sort of messed that up. Funny thing is there's actually a few soda ads here and there with Brosnan sort of playing a sort of pseudo-Bond around that time. Kind of like Tom Selleck doing the Indiana Jones-inspired Magnum P.I.

Not sure what you mean here. They wanted Selleck for Indiana Jones but he'd already filmed Magnum PI and the network wouldn't let him do the movie.