Rachel Weisz Rumour

[Blowfeld]

Things must still be slow. Seems like if a there is a female in a movie with Daniel they are spring-boarded to signed co-start status. Meanwhile I am waiting patiently for the Nicole Kidman rumours to start up.

Rachel Weisz Could Be James Bond's Next Villain
By Josh Tyler: 2010-03-28 17:30:34

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Rachel Weisz Could Be James Bond's Next Villain Everything at MGM is pretty much on hold until the company gets sold, but that doesn’t mean movies like James Bond and The Hobbit won’t happen. They just may take a little longer to get done. And while actual production may be on hold, that doesn’t mean these films’ producers aren’t planning their next step, so that once things are go, they’ll be off and running. Our sources say in the case of the 23rd James Bond movie, they may even be thinking about casting, which would explain the flurry of Bond girl rumors which have been flying around. While this rumor involves a girl, it’s definitely not another Bond girl rumor.

We’ve heard that Rachel Weisz could be involved in Bond 23. In the past she’s joked about becoming a Bond girl, and though she’s certainly beautiful, casting an actress of her caliber as yet another Bond nookie babe seems like kind of a waste. But Weisz is actually friends with Daniel Craig (in fact they’re working together on the upcoming movie Dream House) and in the past she had a personal relationship with would-be Bond 23 director Sam Mendes. All Bond girl kidding aside, she has before expressed real interest in doing a Bond movie with Craig. So why not give her something substantive in the movie, something that won’t reduce her to being 007’s latest conquest? Why not let her play the villain?

Our source says that’s exactly what they’re discussing behind the scenes of Bond 23. In fact, they’re considering Weisz to play the head of Quantum, the secret organization responsible for all the bad guy activity in the last two films. More than just another Bond babe, she’d be the mastermind pulling the strings behind everything that’s happened in Daniel Craig’s Bond movies so far, and the architect of James Bond’s suffering.

While the Bond franchise has had female villains before, they’ve never been much more than henchmen. Famke Janseen is fantastic as Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye, but she’s a follower, not a criminal mastermind. Weisz would be the first woman to take on such a role in the Bond universe, and I’d say it’s about time.

So now the big question: How likely is any of this to happen? Reality check time.

While Cinema Blend isn’t in the business of scooping news, when we do run across something interesting we feel it’s our job to share it with you, our readers, to mull over and discuss. Part of sharing information with you, for us, means that we always tell you as much as we can about where it came from. We’re not out to pull the wool over your eyes. Some rumors are more reliable than others and while we can’t always give you the names of our sources (lest they face repercussions), we feel it’s our responsibility to be up front with you about how much we know in order to allow you to decide for yourself whether this is a credible rumor or just wild speculation.

What we can tell you in this case is that our information comes from a reliable, proven source who’s broken numerous, since confirmed stories to us over a period of several years. For instance, it was this same source that was the first anywhere to break the news that Black Widow would be in Iron Man 2. But as with all rumors, even when they’re from a proven source like this one, it’s just rumor until it can be confirmed by a second, independent source. In fact this particular source affirmed that in our communication, reiterating that it’s still very early in the process and that because of this, “things can change in a heartbeat and they might even try to deny what I told you but that's what's the brainstorming going on now.” Now you know what we know.

[James]

Is this the twist they were on about? Sounds awful.

[bjmdds]

A female villain? How shocking? Not new though, ala Octopussy and TWINE.

[mcbride007]

They should ditch Quantum.

[The Sweeney]

It's good news if the movie is starting to take shape behind the scenes, as this article suggests, but its bad news if the head of the villain organisation is a woman. Is this the `shock' factor Morgan was talking about? And here we all were, thinking the shock factor maybe the opening from Fleming's TMWTGG. Probably too much to ask, that they honour the books.

First a female M, and now this. Babs has gone truly insane with this women power BS!!!
It's got Elektra written all over it. Babs strikes again for Spice Girl female power. Go girl!!!

Since when did Fleming ever, EVER have a gorgeous female as the head honcho of an evil organisation? The only two female villains I ever recall were Rosa Klebb and Irma Bunt, and they were not exactly overly-blessed in the looks department. They were both Myra Hindley type females - evil and ugly. Bring someone of similar calibre, and I'd be all for it.

This just has Babs' Millie Tant, feminist influence stamped all over it

[007]

Don't tell me they are going to spin this half-baked Quantum nonsense out for another film. I miss the days when they just used to make a James Bond film. And casting Rachel Weisz as the baddie sounds more like Austin powers than Bond.

[Mazer Rackham]

Hot Tub Time Machine did one thing right it woke everyone up to how fucked MGM is. It can't be coincidence that after the 97m Hot Tub fell on its face everyone now recognizes The Hobbit and James Bond productions are indefinitely on hold.

I don't take the Weisz rumor too seriously although Craig does like to work with people he is comfortable with on other projects. Eon and Craig (who likely has more sway over production thanks to the infatuated Babs **cough**Mendes **cough**) have said they will be no trilogy and no continuation of Quantum story line. They can go back on this sure but they have to give the audience what they want and Quark showed them that they had lost sight of that big time. For the first time in 20 years the franchise took a major step backwards, yes I am counting 1990 as a stable year and I probably shouldn't. It is just that 20 years sounds so damned good and 15 rather feeble.

The continuation of weak DVD sales and the backslide at the Box Office should rattle Eon awake, it did the studio. There were people like some of the Craig fans who said Quark couldn't fail it had to do more than CR that the market share would continue to grown as it does with most series and sequels, it didn't.
With Brozza and big competition they maintained a solid base, at least two of their usually reliable markets have continued to slide since 2006 and they lost a huge chunk of audience from CR to Quark. Maybe that can be written off as to how bad Quark is but you also can't discount the people who tried CR and decided not to return for next one.

As for Weisz I give her a maybe filing it between doubtful and hopefully not. She is even pickier than Craig and so far it hasn't helped her pick projects any better. The Bond girl/ Bond stigma might scare her off like a mummy was chasing her.

[Kristatos]

Hot Tub Time Machine did one thing right it woke everyone up to how fucked MGM is.

I know absolutely nothing about this film beyond the terrible title. I didn't want to say anything in case it turned out to be a surprise sleeper hit, but when I heard that MGM's financial hopes were being pinned on a film called Hot Tub Time Machine...I have to confess it made me a little nervous!

[Omega]

Hot Tub in the name was a turn off why not Watered time machine. Hot tub in the title brings bad pornos to mind. How is it they spent $97 million on this movie? BO MOJO has it at $36 million and will have made half the money back already. It will not save them still it shouldn't kill them.

[Kristatos]

Hot Tub in the name was a turn off why not Watered time machine. Hot tub in the title brings bad pornos to mind. How is it they spent $97 million on this movie? BO MOJO has it at $36 million and will have made half the money back already. It will not save them still it shouldn't kill them.

You know that a film has to make 2½ times its budget in order to show a profit, right? I've never quite understood why, I'm sure Mazer will be able to explain it.

[FormerBondFan]

Rachel is too big of a name to appear in Bond.

[Kristatos]

Rachel is too big of a name to appear in Bond.

She's not that big a name. No bigger than Halle Berry or Dame Judi Dench.

[katied]

Cinematical turned the rumor into another argument about Spectre, etc. etc. same old, same old.

[bjmdds]

Hot Tub in the name was a turn off why not Watered time machine. Hot tub in the title brings bad pornos to mind. How is it they spent $97 million on this movie? BO MOJO has it at $36 million and will have made half the money back already. It will not save them still it shouldn't kill them.

You know that a film has to make 2½ times its budget in order to show a profit, right? I've never quite understood why, I'm sure Mazer will be able to explain it.

The movie theatre's take comes out 'overall' around 50% of the box office gross, so a $100 million budget requires a $200 million box office take to break even on the budget alone. Then you have the $50 million+ to market it in advertising all over the planet. So, you need at least $300 million in box office take to break even on ALL costs of a film. ($300 million/2 - $50 million).

[bjmdds]

It's good news if the movie is starting to take shape behind the scenes, as this article suggests, but its bad news if the head of the villain organisation is a woman. Is this the `shock' factor Morgan was talking about? And here we all were, thinking the shock factor maybe the opening from Fleming's TMWTGG. Probably too much to ask, that they honour the books.

First a female M, and now this. Babs has gone truly insane with this women power BS!!!
It's got Elektra written all over it. Babs strikes again for Spice Girl female power. Go girl!!!

Since when did Fleming ever, EVER have a gorgeous female as the head honcho of an evil organisation? The only two female villains I ever recall were Rosa Klebb and Irma Bunt, and they were not exactly overly-blessed in the looks department. They were both Myra Hindley type females - evil and ugly. Bring someone of similar calibre, and I'd be all for it.

This just has Babs' Millie Tant, feminist influence stamped all over it

This feminist interpretation of Bond by Pascal and Broccoli is ruining this franchise. Bond is the star, NOT the female characters around him. MGW is a wimp to allow this. Someone wake him up for his next cameo as a drug addict in Afghanistan in the poppy fields.

[Mazer Rackham]

Hot Tub in the name was a turn off why not Watered time machine. Hot tub in the title brings bad pornos to mind. How is it they spent $97 million on this movie? BO MOJO has it at $36 million and will have made half the money back already. It will not save them still it shouldn't kill them.

You know that a film has to make 2½ times its budget in order to show a profit, right? I've never quite understood why, I'm sure Mazer will be able to explain it.

The movie theatre's take comes out 'overall' around 50% of the box office gross, so a $100 million budget requires a $200 million box office take to break even on the budget alone. Then you have the $50 million+ to market it in advertising all over the planet. So, you need at least $300 million in box office take to break even on ALL costs of a film. ($300 million/2 - $50 million).

Studios keep generally 40 to 45%, some have better terms and generally the bigger the movie the better the studios terms. Some can afford to pay themselves a 10% distribution free, others who farm it out lose that in addition to other costs.

Here is a well known example of a Disney movie from a few years ago.

It made $135.5m in foreign Box Office; Here is how that breaks down

Disney kept $58m (43%) then paid out $38m in additional expenses (foreign advertising, prints, translators,taxes, currency conversion, insurance, etc) making only $20m take home of the reported $135m. 15% of the foreign was Disney's profit, not all that unusual. The DVD boom really saved their asses, now the dvd declined and rise of digital is eating their lunch. For some reason beyond me they are making the same mistakes the Music Industry did in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In Hot Tub Time Machine's case MGM mislead their investors purposely about the cost so they would approve a bigger advertising budget. Now if all that money wasn't spent it will help their bottom line.

[Goldeneye]

James post this in the Capt. Flandry's Crystal Ball thread Re-posting it here in case anyone missed it.

Anyone posted this yet? It's from a Rachel Weisz blog that suddenly disappeared - apparently after a warning from Eon. No idea if any of this is true or a bit of mischief.

http://rachel-weisz-fans.blogspot.com/2 … l#comments

According to a close friend of Rachel there already exists a first draft for the upcoming Bond adventure. The working title is "The Property of a Lady" - just like "Quantum of Solace" the title of a short story by Bond creator Ian Fleming. But unlike QOS, some elements of the original story are used for the screenplay - among other things the name Maria Freudenstein for the villainous role, and the auction (Fleming wrote the story for Sotherby's magazine The Ivory Hammer) This auction will be seen in the pre-title sequence. It is a clandestine international auction that takes place during a conference in the United Nations headquarter in New York - a sequence similar to the opera scene in "Quantum of Solace".

"They turn the usual Bond story upside down", said the friend. "Typically 007 chases a megalomaniac and restrains him from taking over world domination in the end. This time Bond has to learn just in the beginning that Quantum already has world domination." That also defines the title: The property of this lady is the whole world. And of course Quantum does it's best to go to war against Bond and the MI6, with disturbing means. "They really shock the audience this time", he smirked. Remember that this film will be the swan song for Judi Dench's M. One of the screenplay's topics is supposed to be genetic engineering and the swine flu.

[katied]

I call B.S. on the blog post,Seems fishy, but I can't quite put my finger on why.

[Kristatos]

Seems fishy, but I can't quite put my finger on why.

Ooh, I know this one. Maybe because...THE FRIGGING SCRIPT HASN'T BEEN WRITTEN YET?

[Omega]

The concept for Property of a Lady sounds like the kind of lame interpretations the modern Bonds have.