Is This the Beginning of the End? I Sure Nope NOT!

Fun illustrative images for some of the points in this post are in the comments.

NO, not the end of me, or even my time here – something much more monumental is in the works! But before we get to that, a brief history lesson.

In 1961 Harry Saltzman and Albert R. (Cubby) Broccoli and acquired the rights to Ian Fleming's James Bond / 007 novels. Soon thereafter “Dr. No†starring Sean Connery and Ursula Andress was released and was a huge hit. (See top image in top comment.) Connery continued in the series for several years, with various “Bond girlsâ€, perhaps the most notable being Honor Blackman as “Pussy Galoreâ€. (See second image in top comment.)

When Connery tired of the role he was replaced George Lazenby. THANKFULLY that was for just one movie, the best part of which was his costar Diana Rigg. (See third image in top comment.) Connery came back for one additional movie and then was replaced by Roger Moore. Moore made seven Bond films including the BEST one ever – The Spy Who Loved Me. I say best because it had the best song (Nobody Does it Better, sung by Carly Simon), best opening chase scene (Bond escaping death under a Union Jack emblazoned parachute), best villain (Jaws) and of course best leading lady – Barbara Bach, aka Mrs. Ringo Star, as Comrade Major Anya Amasova. (See fourth image in top comment.)

Moore was replace by Timothy Dalton for two (fairly mediocre) films before being replaced by Pierce Brosnan for 4 films. A long time ago someone once said I looked like Pierce (those UK mutt genes of mine coming through perhaps) so he is somewhat of a favorite. And OH did he hit it big in his last appearance as Bond, costarring with Halle Berry, Rosmund Pike, and featuring an (uncredited) cameo by Madonna, who also sang the title song. (See fifth image in top comment.)

I don’t recall the specific details, nor did I do the research to determine them, but at some point Harry Salzman left the partnership and Cubby remained alone. He later brought in his step-son, Michael G. Wilson, as a writer. Then later Cubby’s daughter, Barbara Broccoli, joined the family business too. Michael and Barbara continued on as producers when Cubby retired.

After much consideration Michael and Barbara picked Daniel Craig – a blond!! - to be Brosnan’s replacement. It was considered a major change at the time. Craig’s first film was based on Fleming’s first Bond novel, Casino Royale. The film took a bit a step backwards in time and showed the start of Bond’s career as a Double-O assassin. Despite considerable skepticism at the time, Craig proved worthy of the selection. He added a bit of grit to the role, and certainly had chemistry with the newly strong and empowered version of the Bond “girlsâ€, like Eva Green as Vesper Lynd. (See top image in second comment.)

Craig has played Bond in five movies since, the last being 2020’s “No Time to Dieâ€. Since then production has been halted as Micheal and Barbara seek a new Bond. Names floated include: Idris Elba, Aaron Taylor-Johnson or even the twist of making the role into “Jane Bond†with Halle Berry, or Priyanka Chopra Jonas playing the role. (See remaining images in second comment.)

So that brings us to this week, and the news that Michael and Barbara have have agreed to relinquish control of the Bond series to Amazon. The deal, which was announced Thursday morning, comes after a behind-the-scenes standoff between the step-siblings and Amazon, which gained a significant ownership stake in the franchise in 2021 as part of its $8.5 billion purchase of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. At this point no one really knows what this means, but reportedly there had been considerable contention over some of the ways Amazon hoped to capitalize on the property. Hopefully this all will get resolved soon, and we can look forward to another installment of the series soon.

Should the next 007 be black, white or Asian?
Should the next 007 be female, male, or transgender? (NO WAIT – that doesn’t exist any more. well not in the US anyway ðŸ˜&sbquo
What are your thoughts on Jeff Bezos as a Bond villain? Or would Elon would be better for the role?

See my post Bond, new Bond for more Bond-mania if you’re inclined. (Only one of MANY such posts I’ve made I suspect!)