Paul Greengrass says Broccoli talked to him about 007

Paul Greengrass

In what should be a surprise to absolutely nobody, three-time Bourne film director Paul Greengrass says he was approached by Eon Productions co-boss Barbara Broccoli about directing a James Bond film, according to the LONDON EVENING STANDARD.

Greengrass has directed three Bourne films, including the newest, Jason Bourne, due out later this month. Here’s what he had to say on the matter.

When asked if he would consider taking on the project during an interview on Radio 4, Greengrass said:

“Honesty and truly no. I mean I know (Bond producer) Barbara Broccoli and we’ve discussed it.

“It’s a bit like your football team, you can’t… I’m a Bourne man, I like Bourne.

(snip)

“Speaking personally as a filmmaker I think encoded in Bond are a series of values about Britain, about the world, about masculinity, about power, about the empire that I don’t share,” he said.

“Quite the reverse. Whereas in Bourne I think encoded is much more scepticism. There’s an us and a them and Bourne is an us, whereas Bond is working for them.

Since at least the fall of 2005, it has been written that the Bond franchise was being affected by the success of Bourne films in the 2000s. The New York Times reported in October 2005 that the Bourne series was one factor in recasting the 007 role with Daniel Craig.

For both Ms. Broccoli and Sony, executives said, the model was Jason Bourne, the character Matt Damon successfully incarnated in two gritty spy movies for Universal Pictures, “The Bourne Identity” and “The Bourne Supremacy.”

After that story came out, another Bourne film, The Bourne Ultimatum, came out in 2007. The most Bourne-like 007 film, Quantum of Solace, was released in the fall of 2008. That film’s crew included a Bourne veteran, Dan Bradley as second unit director.

It should be noted that the Bourne folks don’t seem to be big 007 fans. Besides Greengrass, Bourne star Matt Damon has frequently criticized the Bond character.

A recent example occurred ahead of the newest Bourne film. Here’s what the 45-year-old actor told GQ Australia.

“I like Bourne better than Bond. Bourne has today’s values; Bond has the values of the 1960s. Daniel’s (Daniel Craig) Bond has upgraded him and brought him more into the present, but, classically, that character is a misogynist who likes swilling martinis and killing people and not giving a shit….And Bourne would obviously win in a fight.”

Over the past week, some Bond fans we know have been really annoyed about Damon’s recent remarks. But those comments are consistent (almost word-for-word) for what he said about 007 in the 2000s.

Here’s food for thought. Actors say all sorts of things while promoting their movies. What bears closer watching is how the trustees of the Bond franchise react.

For a time, Eon hired screenwriter Peter Morgan, who didn’t seem like he cared for 007, to write what would become Skyfall. Now, Paul Greengrass has verified Eon was interested in his services, even though he makes clear he’s not a “Bond guy.”

Eon shouldn’t necessarily hire fans. After all, hiring a non-fan could lead to a new perspective. But should they hire, or seek to recruit, people who don’t care for Bond?

Who knows? Something to think about.

SPECTRE reviews: the weekend edition

SPECTRE promotional art

A few more SPECTRE reviews were published this weekend, ahead of Monday’s premiere for the 24th James Bond film.

At the moment, the movie has an 83 percent “fresh” rating on the ROTTEN TOMATOES WEBSITE.

What follows are excerpts from some of the weekend SPECTRE reviews. We’re avoiding mentioning plot points, but the spoiler squemish should probably avoid.

MARK KERMODE, THE OBSERVER (VIA GUARDIAN.COM):  “After the high-water mark of Skyfall (my joint-favourite Bond movie with On Her Majesty’s Secret Service), there was a very real fear that director Sam Mendes’s second 007 adventure may go the misbegotten way of Quantum of Solace. Terrific to report, then, that while Spectre may not be the equal of its immediate predecessor, it’s still bang on target in delivering what an audience wants from this seemingly indestructible franchise.”

“But it’s not until the introduction of Léa Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann that the plot really starts to tick, Bond meeting his match in a woman who can strip a handgun and order ‘a vodka martini, dirty’ while he’s brushed off with a protein shake. Seydoux is the film’s secret weapon.”

HENRY FITZHERBERT, SUNDAY EXPRESS: “It’s everything you could possibly want from a James Bond film, a perfect blend of modern relevance with classic Bond humour, gadgets, girls and preposterousness levelled with terrific characterisation and in Daniel Craig’s 007 the most strongly realised Bond yet…. In other words, Craig goes the full Bond.”

“Spectre is a gloriously realised celebration of Bond’s cinematic heritage which explores his personality and past to the max. Go any deeper into his character and he’ll lose his mystique. It’s the best Bond ever.”

DAVID SEXTON, EVENING STANDARD: “What Spectre does, it turns out, is allude so comprehensively to past Bond adventures and iconography that it’s almost more of a resumé than a fresh adventure, gratifying to Bond freaks and film critics who get off on spotting sly references but underplotted in its own right.”

“The name is Bond, James Bond, and the certificate, when it is released on Monday, is going to be 12A — 12 being about the right age for it, that means.”

SPECTRE reviews continue to arrive

SPECTRE teaser image

Reviews for SPECTRE continue to roll in following Wednesday’s U.K. press showing.

As of Thursday night, 24th James Bond film has a “fresh” rating of 86 percent at the ROTTEN TOMATOES WEBSITE. That’s pretty high, but not quite as high as the 93 percent rating for 2012’s Skyfall.

Of course, there are a lot of SPECTRE reviews yet to come in as the movie gets released early next month outside the U.K.

Regardless, here are excerpts from some additional reviews from some noteable media outlets. We’ve tried to keep this as spoiler free as possible (specifically trying to keep out plot details), but the super spoiler adverse probably shouldn’t read reviews anyway. Enough with the disclaimers. Here we go.

SIMON REYNOLDS, DIGITAL SPY: “Spectre winds up as a direct sequel to Skyfall in both story and theme, delving into Bond’s personal history in a bid to bring new layers to a character who’s barely changed over the course of 50 years. However, the latest film’s big needle-shift for the Bond canon (no spoilers here!) just doesn’t pack the emotional punch of Vesper Lynd or M’s death. Consequently, this feels like a misfire when measured next to the superior Skyfall and Casino Royale.”

NICHOLAS BARBER, BBC: “After years of struggling with its identity, the series had finally stopped trying to compete with the stripped-down toughness of the Bourne franchise, and had embraced the flamboyance and humour that its fans had loved all along….But the long-awaited follow-up (to Skyfall) is a case of ‘Be careful what you wish for.’ As hungry as some of us were to see a new Bond movie stuffed with old Bond movie ingredients, the trouble with Spectre is that it has too many of them.”

HELEN O’HARA, GQ; “There were hints, in Skyfall, that the grand Daniel Craig era of the stripped-back, gritty Bond was over. That film reintroduced classic Bond elements like the Aston Martin DB5, a male M and Moneypenny, gradually shaking off many of the lifts from Bourne and its ilk. Now in Spectre, we’ve moved right past that Connery tribute and into an even broader tone that harks back louder to the Seventies films, making this an awkward marriage of Craig and (Roger) Moore.”

BEN TRAVIS, EVENING STANDARD: “Digging into Bond history, returning director Sam Mendes has, against all the odds, delivered a film that at least matches, and perhaps even betters, Skyfall….Spectre feels even more like a classic Bond film than previous Craig outings….Hoyte Van Hoytema’s stunning glacial cinematography reflects a Bond film totally at ease with itself.

DANNY LEIGH, FINANCIAL TIMES: “And therein lies the problem: after the sombre excellence of Skyfall, Spectre tries to tweak the formula while clearly being thrown into panic at the thought. Everything feels so reliant on its business-class sheen, the grooming, tailoring and tie-pins, that anything other than gunmetal and a scowl unbalances the tone.”

If you want to read more reviews, CLICK HERE to see Rotten Tomatoes’ list of SPECTRE reviews. There are links if you want to read entire reviews.

Bond 24: some teasing from Mendes

Sam Mendes

Sam Mendes brushed off one of his favorite Skyfall sayings to briefly discuss Bond 24.

Here are the details (as few as they are) from THE LONDON EVENING STANDARD from May 21:

Sam Mendes was pressed for clues about the next Bond film, entitled Bond 24, at a BFI Southbank screening of Paris, Texas, last night — but the director’s lips were sealed. “It’s being written, that’s all I can tell you. If I told you I’d have to kill you.”

Not much more to pass along. Back in March, Bond 24 scribe John Logan said the movie’s first draft script was almost done. Logan was hired to write Bond 24 and Bond 25 as a two-part story. The two-part plan was jettisoned to lure Mendes back as director. Mendes has referred to Bond 24 as the “second part of a two-part story.”

The movie is scheduled to start filming this fall for an October 2015 release in the U.K. and the following month in the U.S. (Typo from earlier version eliminated).

A shoutout to our friends at the James Bond Dossier who mentioned the London Evening Standard story.

Bond 24, according to Naomie Harris

Naomie Harris with her Skyfall co-stars in November 2011

As noted before, nature abhors a vacuum. So with little actual news about Bond 24, the next 007 film, recent comments by actress Naomie Harris have drawn a lot of attention. Afterall, she’s the only one associated with the movie who’s been talking much lately.

Harris has been promoting a movie, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. In that film, she co-stars with Idris Elba, who plays Nelson Mandela. But naturally, the subject of Bond 24 keeps coming up.

One of the most recent was in THE LONDON EVENING STANDARD. In that article, she said, “I haven’t seen a script.”

She then added: “Knowing Barbara [Broccoli, the producer], she’s all for women’s lib, isn’t she? She’s extraordinary; she’s completely reinvented the brand, yet kept so true to the essence of what people love about Bond. So I’m sure I won’t be just behind a desk. Or even if I’m behind the desk, there’ll be some twist.”

Earlier this month, she opened up on the subject in a TOTAL FILM INTERVIEW.

“I feel like Skyfall is one part of a continuing story,” the 37-year-old Brit says. “It needs completing and it needs the same storyteller.”

With Sam Mendes on board to direct Bond 24, it looks like Harris should get her wish.

(snip)
“I’m so relieved [about Mendes returning]. He chose me and had a vision for my character.

“I’d feel really weird working for someone who hadn’t chosen me and didn’t have that vision. I just want him to see it through.”

It’s not clear exactly she means by Skyfall elements that need completing. Skyfall’s villain, Silva, died while succeeding in killing Judi Dench’s M. Perhaps she means Skyfall’s ending (new M, new Moneypenny) provides a new springboard for Bond 24.

Or perhaps not. We’ll see.

Skyfall updates: MGW’s U-turn, no Mendes vanity credit

We were catching up on some Skyfall-related items and two caught our eye.

Michael G. Wilson

First, Michael G. Wilson, on the surface, appears to be taking a different position compared with comments he made in December. According to the London Evening Standard, the co-boss of Eon Productions had this to say about star Daniel Craig:

Michael G Wilson, the James Bond producer, was speaking at a culture industry seminar during the (Summer Olympic) Games and said Eon Productions will have no qualms about replacing the franchise’s latest star should Skyfall, the next film in the series, prove to be the rugged actor’s peak.

Recalling the decision to axe Craig’s predecessor, Wilson said: “Pierce [Brosnan] was well-liked and the grosses were going up. But we knew we had to change things before they started to taper off. Bond is the star. He is bigger than any actor that portrays him.”

Less than nine months ago, Wilson had this to say in an interview with the U.K. People Web site:

Legendary Bond producer Michael G Wilson said: “Daniel’s been a terrific Bond, a superb actor and a ­terrific man. The fans love him and I don’t think there’s a better actor to play the part.”

Chester-born Craig, below, is currently shooting Skyfall, his third Bond film. And in an ­exclusive interview with The People, Wilson told how he would love him to do five more.

He said: “It’s certainly something we’ll be ­discussing with him once we finish shooting Skyfall.

“Filming has gone very well so far and I’d love Daniel to surpass Roger’s record and do eight pictures. Daniel’s been an absolute pleasure to be around because he takes the role so seriously. There’s really no one more passionate about making these films work than him – he’s a film maker’s dream.”

This isn’t the first time Wilson has done an about face. In November, he said Skyfall represented no change in direction from Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Then, he said there was a “magical Goldfinger feel” during Skyfall’s filming, suggesting a somewhat more escapist tone.

Fans should probably not overreact either way. Fans who like Craig said it was great the actor would do eight movies (which would mean Craig would be 54 when finishing up as 007, assuming Eon could maintain an every-other-year pace). Fans who want a change may be tempted to rub their hands and start the countdown to a new 007. Given how Wilson changes position, that’s way too premature. Most fans don’t keep track of how the Eon co-boss ducks and weaves. For us, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Wilson’s act and it’s probably not the last.

Second, last week, the early U.K. Skyfall posters were revealed. While many fans debated the images, we tried to check out the credits. They’re pretty small, but they indicate that a question we posed back in January has been answered with a no. Director Sam Mendes doesn’t get a vanity credit (A Sam Mendes Film, A Film by Sam Mendes, etc.) for Skyfall.

Some of our readers correctly predicted the outcome at the time. For example, “M” of the James Bond Dossier Web site had this to say:

“No vanity credit for you.”

I don’t think he will, as the Bond films are Brand Eon.

And reader “Bob” opined:

….and the only vanity credit on the film will be
Albert R Broccoli’s EON Products (sic)
Presents

From what we could see, Skyfall continues the tradition begun with 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies of saying, “Albert R. Broccoli’s Eon Productions Presents.”

How real life may intrude on 007’s Olympics debut

This week, James Bond makes his Olympics debut during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Games in London. But real life may intrude on Bond’s appearance, at least on the U.S. broadcast, in the form of a serious real-life Olympics anniversary.

Daniel Craig’s Olympics appearance as 007 may not be the highlight of U.S. broadcast of the opening ceremonies.

While it hasn’t been officially confirmed, it looks as if 007 will be part of the opening ceremonies on July 27. This first surfaced on April 1 in a story in the U.K. newspaper, The Sun. According to that story, current 007 star Daniel Craig will play Bond in a film where he’s “knighted” by Queen Elizabeth II and heads to the Olympics site by helicopter to help get the Games started.

There have been numerous stories since in places as varied as the MI6 007 fan Web site, the London Evening Standard, the Daily Beast Web site in the U.S. and The Times of Malta, not to mention NBC’s Olympics Web site. Also, MI6 noted filming in June that seemed to be related to the Olympics film.

This has psyched up many Bond fans, including some who argue this is a de facto knighthood for Craig himself (CLICK HERE for a thread on a message board which includes that viewpoint.)

Meanwhile, in the U.S., at least, one broadcaster wants to make note during the opening ceremonies of a more somber event — the 40th anniversary of the killing of Israeli athletes and coaches at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

NBC’s Bob Costas, who will anchor his network’s coverage of the Olympics, intends to make note of the anniversary, including 60 seconds of silence, according to a July 18 story in the Hollywood Reporter.

An excerpt:

When the London games officially launch July 27, Bob Costas will stage his own protest of what he calls a “baffling” decision: the NBC sportscaster plans to call out the International Olympic Committee for denying Israel’s request for a moment of silence acknowledging the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches at the 1972 Games.

“I intend to note that the IOC denied the request,” he tells THR. “Many people find that denial more than puzzling but insensitive. Here’s a minute of silence right now.”

Assuming Costas follows through, it won’t be the first time he’s commented about the 1972 event. In the following video, there are two clips of him commenting on ABC’s Jim McKay, who announced the fate of the Israeli athletes in 1972:

Meanwhile, CLICK HERE for a short commentary in the July 21 edition of the Wall Street Journal that approves of the stand Costas is taking.