The BJMDDS General Discussion Thread......

[Kristatos]

BBC podcast asking why it has taken 5 years to cast a new Bond. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but I thought it would be of interest to people here:

The Global Story - The battle to save James Bond from becoming slop - BBC Sounds https://share.google/cxl1DXsmUaORRsKNZ

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[Kristatos]

Update: so I listened to it, and it didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know. Very much aimed at the casual moviegoer (who, to be fair, probably make up 95% of the audience).

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[bjmdds]

So this is how the auditions work, in a hotel room? https://youtu.be/wfUV2jNX6DQ

[bjmdds]

Idris now speaks: "In realistic terms, some markets just don't go for that," Sir Idris said. "Bond is big all over the world. And [audiences] won't [all] go for a black male, an African male, playing Bond. That's not what they like in their culture. Period." He is off base. It is NOT a racial thing. It is being true to the literary novel. PERIOD.

[kater23]

Sir Idris..I like it!

[Jake]

I think you could replace Craig in his films with a border collie and it wouldn't make much difference. Once you turn Bond into "Generic Action Hero", it doesn't really matter what ethnicity the character is.

No, it wouldn't make sense for Elba to star in a faithful adaptation of Fleming's novels, but we're well past the point of this series being accurate to the books.

[Kristatos]

I actually suspect that by "some markets", he means China. Western films with black lead actors are a notoriously tough sell there.

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[kater23]

I think you could replace Craig in his films with a border collie and it wouldn't make much difference. Once you turn Bond into "Generic Action Hero", it doesn't really matter what ethnicity the character is.

No, it wouldn't make sense for Elba to star in a faithful adaptation of Fleming's novels, but we're well past the point of this series being accurate to the books.

Border Collies are not Bond.com?

[bjmdds]

Kalshi has updated the latest standings for its next James Bond girl prediction, confirming that a new top contender has emerged. Golden Globe nominee Margaret Qualley, daughter of Andie MacDowell, 31, has now taken over the number 1 spot, becoming the latest actress who has the best odds to become the James Bond franchise's next female lead. Sweeney's standing has dropped to third place, with The Queen's Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy getting a 2% lead over her.

[bjmdds]

This website is going nuts! Posting does not go through, then it does, then I get bounced off and have to log in, then posts reappear!
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[Kristatos]

This website is going nuts! Posting does not go through, then it does, then I get bounced off and have to log in, then posts reappear!
The submitted form was invalid. Try submitting again.

I get that as well. Normally it just means an extra mouse click. Tapatalk works fine, for the most part.

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[kater23]

The operative words being “for the most part”. LOL

[Kristatos]

The operative words being “for the most part”. LOL

Well, I'm not going to pretend that Tapatalk is entirely free of glitches, but it works a lot better than the browser-based version at the moment.

[James]

Callum Turner was interviewed by the Hollywood Reporter and asked about James Bond.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 236617120/

“I know as much as you do — really, I know as much as you do,” he says, after I mention Amazon MGM’s recent announcement that casting for the new James Bond film, to be directed by Denis Villeneuve, had officially begun. Is he at least interested in taking the gig, should it be offered? Turner laughs to himself, looking down at his sneakers. “I’m not going to comment on that.”

“I’ll tell you what’s so funny about the Bond thing: Even your best friends ask you, people text you that you haven’t spoken to for 10 years — and you know nothing!” Turner says. “It’s such a weird thing of something happening and nothing happening at all. I genuinely know nothing. I just find it quite amusing.”

When asked for his list of dream directors, Turner smirks and says, “You want me to say Denis?” referring to Villeneuve, who will direct the next Bond (and yes, he is on it).

The article says Turner has just turned 36. He might be getting a bit on the old side now for the Young Bond angle they seem to be going for although that obviously didn't stop them with Casino Royale - where we had a 38 year-old Daniel Craig being mistaken for a car parking attendant.

[Kristatos]

If they're already auditioning and he hasn't had a call from his agent yet, that could be good news (or bad news, if you want him as Bond).

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[bjmdds]

Spielberg: “I’d always wanted to make a James Bond film from the day I saw Dr No. So I called Cubby Broccoli after Jaws and I volunteered. I said, if you need a director, I would love to direct one. And he said, no. And he moved on."
“Cubby called me again after Close Encounters came out and that was a big hit … and said, we’d like to use the five notes in Moonraker. And I said, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll give you permission to use the five notes if you let me direct a Bond film. And he said, nope. But I gave him the five notes anyway.”
“That’s when George [Lucas] said, I have something better than Bond. It’s called Indiana Smith, which is what it was called at the time. And he told me the premise of the Indiana Jones series. And that’s how I got that job.”
“[Broccoli] never explained why he wasn’t letting me in the Bond family. If they ever asked me to make a Bond film now, my answer would be: you can’t afford me.”

[kater23]

Tidying/organizing my bookshelves and I found my(very retro looking) copy of Casino Royale which I *still* haven’t read;it’s not very long-could probably finish it in a day or two(I’m a fast reader.)

[Kristatos]

Spielberg: “I’d always wanted to make a James Bond film from the day I saw Dr No. So I called Cubby Broccoli after Jaws and I volunteered. I said, if you need a director, I would love to direct one. And he said, no. And he moved on."

I thought this was common knowledge. Didn't Cubby say he didn't want any name bigger than Bond on the poster, or something like that? Anyway, I'm glad he did, otherwise we may never have got Raiders.


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[bjmdds]

Jason Bourne 6 has been stuck in development for ten years. In 2025, the franchise experienced a major shakeup, as Universal Pictures lost the rights before regaining them later that year. In a new interview with Parade, Matt Damon confirmed there is still interest in Jason Bourne 6, and he's open to hearing plot ideas.

[bjmdds]

Turner flatly refused to even comment on whether he would even be interested in taking on the iconic role. However, his frontrunner status received a massive boost when Hollywood icon George Clooney, who famously directed Turner in the 2023 sports drama The Boys in the Boat, publicly endorsed the actor. The Ocean's star told THR that he fully supports Turner in the James Bond 26 gig, declaring: "I hope Callum ends up being the next Bond. He's tall and handsome and charming and British, so he's the perfect guy to do it." Rumors have also suggested that Turner is a top choice for director Denis Villeneuve, who is directing the upcoming reboot from a script by Steven Knight, who has already teased that the new era will be led by a "better, stronger, and bolder" protagonist. It is also heavily speculated that James Bond 26 will explore the character's origin story, specifically the time before earning his famous "Double-O" status. However, Turner's involvement could also enable a mind-blowing franchise-first that could completely disrupt the timeline.