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SPECTRE

You're seen to be moving with the times, 60 years ago there was no such thing as equality in Hollywood. By changing it now you’re “proving” it’s a level playing field and anyone can play anyone regardless of colour, gender, sexual preference and so on.

As I said, I don’t agree, James Bond is white, male and British. Let it be.

 
Gem said:
You're seen to be moving with the times, 60 years ago there was no such thing as equality in Hollywood. By changing it now you’re “proving” it’s a level playing field and anyone can play anyone regardless of colour, gender, sexual preference and so on.

As I said, I don’t agree, James Bond is white, male and British. Let it be.
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If they want to create more leading roles for black actors in Hollywood then they should get on the phone to the screen writers guild and ask them to come up with a new IP where the main protagonist is black. 

The idea of butchering a much loved and respected fictional character for the sake of box ticking is rather pathetic in my opinion. 

 
I'm not disagreeing, in fact my initial post on this subject agreed with you.

I’m just explaining how it can be seen as PC by considering other people for this role.

 
I'm no Bond expert. Apart from the fact that previous Bonds have been played by white actors, is there anything about the character of James Bond that specifically requires him to be white?

 
Gem said:
I’m just explaining how it can be seen as PC by considering other people for this role.
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It can be seen as being an open minded choice, but I'm not sure about how it is a PC choice. Politically correct is something that is meant to be as neutral and inoffensive to people as possible. I'm not saying I would be offended if they made a Bond movie with a black lead actor or a female actor in the role of 007. Far from it, but then again... Would changing the ethnicity of Shaft be considered politically correct? Or if Ripley would be played by a man in the next Alien movie? I don't think fiddling around with established characters is the way to bring true equality. That will need bigger changes in the industry and society.

 
bluedave said:
I'm no Bond expert. Apart from the fact that previous Bonds have been played by white actors, is there anything about the character of James Bond that specifically requires him to be white?
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Main thing I can point to is Ian Fleming's personal image of Bond

220px-Fleming007impression.jpg


All the real life person's the character is based on were white as well. 

He's "required" to be white in so far as that's how he was written. 

 
ForeverCarefree said:
Main thing I can point to is Ian Fleming's personal image of Bond

220px-Fleming007impression.jpg


All the real life person's the character is based on were white as well.

He's "required" to be white in so far as that's how he was written.
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So it's (mainly) an aesthetic consideration? Where do we draw the line. Fleming's sketch clearly shows a man with dark hair, yet Daniel Craig has blond hair. I wonder how people would react if the next Bond was ginger...

Daniel Craig seems to be pretty well liked despite the fact he bears no physical resemblance to Fleming's idealised version of Bond. I think this is because he's a competent actor and the Bond films he has been in have been of a relatively high standard. Whatever the new Bond looks like, I suspect people will get used to it as long as the films are decent enough.

 
bluedave said:
So it's (mainly) an aesthetic consideration? Where do we draw the line. Fleming's sketch clearly shows a man with dark hair, yet Daniel Craig has blond hair. I wonder how people would react if the next Bond was ginger...

Daniel Craig seems to be pretty well liked despite the fact he bears no physical resemblance to Fleming's idealised version of Bond. I think this is because he's a competent actor and the Bond films he has been in have been of a relatively high standard. Whatever the new Bond looks like, I suspect people will get used to it as long as the films are decent enough.
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There was plenty of grumbles at a blonde Bond when Craig was revealed. 

Basically, I don't see any logical argument for changing race and/or sex of the character? 

It's not like they need to revive interest in the franchise, it's bigger than ever. It's completely pointless in my opinion. 

Why not cast  Rick Moranis as Shaft and just be done with it? 

 
ForeverCarefree said:
There was plenty of grumbles at a blonde Bond when Craig was revealed. 

Basically, I don't see any logical argument for changing race and/or sex of the character? 

It's not like they need to revive interest in the franchise, it's bigger than ever. It's completely pointless in my opinion. 

Why not cast  Rick Moranis as Shaft and just be done with it? 
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Same as bluedave, I'm not a Bond expert, just a casual fan, but surely the logical argument is to pick the best actor for the role? Daniel Craig has blonde hair but is a terrific Bond, just like a black actor could be best suited to being Bond.

 
So could a black guy play Hitler in a WW2 film if he's considered to be best for the role?

 
No, it's just controversial on purpose. Could be a fictional character in a fictional story in the same setting. There are some roles and characters where the physical description is given, well known and expected.

A black international spy asks for a new story and a new character. Why try to force it to be Bond when it could easily bettern then that? How about a dark and grim spy story with Idris Elba? Could be so much more interesting than another Bond (and I like Bond films). As I see the only reason to make it Bond is to use an existing brand and I happen to find that pathetic.

 
RichardCFC said:
Same as bluedave, I'm not a Bond expert, just a casual fan, but surely the logical argument is to pick the best actor for the role? Daniel Craig has blonde hair but is a terrific Bond, just like a black actor could be best suited to being Bond.
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But if Bond is black he ceases to be Bond.

Regardless of how the actor plays him, he's simply not Bond.

It would be like making Superman black... Just because Jamie Foxx, for arguments sake, is supposedly the "best" actor for the role. It would be stupid.

 
Ian Fleming's James Bond has a Scottish father and a Swiss mother. I've read all the Bond novels on numerous occasions; this fact was revealed in You Only Live Twice (novel). Fleming was influenced by Sean Connery's portrayal of Bond after he had seen Dr No. He's a white male. Simple as.

And he'll stay that way, there is no way EON will change this. They shouldn't either. 

 
The newer novels, not written by Fleming, could be of our time as could Bond. British society is multi cultural, I wouldn't mind seeing Colin Salmon as a contemporary Bond. The novels have moved with the times, perhaps the depiction of Bond should. British government agents are not all white.

 
ForeverCarefree said:
But James Bond is.
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In his time as Fleming's creation. New writers could make him different from Fleming's world. Or make him a her, even a black her.

Chances are Bond had a number of off spring and any one of them could take up the reigns.

 
Droogba said:
In his time as Fleming's creation. New writers could make him different from Fleming's world. Or make him a her, even a black her.

Chances are Bond had a number of off spring and any one of them could take up the reigns.
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Then do a spin off, make a film about 006 or whoever and make them black, Asian, indian, an alien, a woman, transgender...whatever but I see no logical reason to, after 60 years, change Bond's race. It does nothing to enhance the character, all it does is disillusion and piss off a large section of a loyal following.

 
Droogba said:
In his time as Fleming's creation. New writers could make him different from Fleming's world. Or make him a her, even a black her.

Chances are Bond had a number of off spring and any one of them could take up the reigns.
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The owners of Ian Fleming's estate would quite simply not allow it. 

 
White following? Fleming based some of his writing on real life people and gadgets, we now know those who contributed as spies and so forth were male and female and not always white.

I'm a huge Bond fan and went to an exhibition of actual gadgets used in the war, and have drunk in a pub Fleming visited, walked where he lived in Kent; interesting man.

 
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