Casting Call: Remixing

Put it here for now, I guess it's fan area, anyway. My latest reviews got me thinking on my social distancing enterprise. How would we, if say we were Cubby and Harry, go about casting films done at different times. Bear with us:

On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1967

They've found an ideal locale so OHMSS follows Thunderball. Perhaps more gadget laden. The one given is Connery with the usual supporting (Lee/Maxwell/Llewellyn).

Thus, You Only Live Twice 1969

unknowns perhaps Connery does stay on or let's assume he leaves anyway and Peter Hunt still directs and goes for a more back to basic approach as he did in OHMSS.

Or: Thunderball 1962

and say Dr No 1967-69

I'll leave my ideas now, see if any of you chaps have some.

I imagine Brigitte Bardot would have got Tracy instead of Diana, were it with Connery in 67.

I've often wondered what a 90s FRWL would look like. Brosnan as Bond, Scorupco as Tanya (imagine!), Bean as Grant? Not sure this is the point of the thread, but something I've thought about.

Ah, Brigette Bardot.

Thunderball '62 might have been more streamlined even if done by Young. Still have Ursula Andress in there as Domino perhaps. Even Honor Blackman as Paula.

Honor would be wasted as Paula. Ursula as Domino... there's a thought!

Diana Rigg as Domino. Now that would be epic. Pre-Avengers, young. Cor.

Would've been something to see Connery and Rigg in a Bond film together. I can't think if they did a non-Bond together. (Must check out that one she did with George C. Scott set in a hospital).

I think I've seen interviews where Rigg complained about being partnered with Lazenby and not Connery. Probably because she's still bitter about Lazenby's philandering but the sexual energy between Rigg and Connery might have helped make quite the pairing!

As I said elsewhere last night I was thinking about Octopussy (steady). Let's say for whatever reason she gets her own film now, a prequel story as it were or even after she's met Bond (assuming Bond's gone all Marvel/Star Wars and doing a 1001 films about characters etc).

Who would we cast now as Octopussy? Part of the remit I'd imagine would be a woman who could handle herself in fights, have brains and isn't a pushover etc.

I personally have no idea, he says, as Amy Adams is the most I can think off right now.

Hayley Atwell might do a fine job as Octopussy. Unrelated but Osato would approve.

Interesting...Yes, I could see it. She, er, has some fine attributes.

This seems the best fit and no point doing a new thread. The brief mention of former CPO Hammond in another thread got me thinking about casting him in films gone or to come. Granted in the film OHMSS he was there for a blink and miss it but in the book he had a bit more to do and elsewhere....So anyway...

If featuring in a 50s Bond, perhaps Frank Lawton. An actor whose heyday was the 40s and by the 50s was struggling (features in Night to Remember as J Bruce Ismay). With Hammond being a former CPO under Sir Miles, I assume he would of course be younger but be relatively close in age.



This one might be left field but Kenny Williams had all the markings of someone who could do a fairly serious role in spite of his Carry On typecasting. Plus, he was adept at different voices and could slot into a 1970s Bond tonally. Half serious, half wink and a nudge should it be so.





And who would we have today? Sadly I can't see beyond either Alexander Armstrong or his old mucker, Ben Miller.                              

With his comedy chops and science-geek side, Miller might make a decent Q.

That could work. Not too late for Q.

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

Hayley Atwell might do a fine job as Octopussy. Unrelated but Osato would approve.

Great suggestion for the main role in a series film period. They really have to get actresses with experience, grit and ability to pull off the heroines. We still haven't gotten a proper Gala Brand yet. I still swoon over somehow doing the MR novel ending in a film.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

With his comedy chops and science-geek side, Miller might make a decent Q.  

Not a bad choice.

Not too late, as you say, Hily. After all, Miller is 6 years older than Desmond was in DN. 'Bout time we returned to Q being 007's grumpy uncle, rather than his illegitimate, effete son.

Makes me think who we'll have as a new Bond and how they are interacting with the likes of Wishaw's Q.

Though I still think it was a little off not having Q in the first two Craig films.

The Cregg era could be memory-holed with the next actor as far as I'm concerned.

Heck, why not have a subtle reference to Tracy in there to allude to this Bond being the ageless '62-'02 Bond.

Hilly wrote:

Makes me think who we'll have as a new Bond and how they are interacting with the likes of Wishaw's Q.

Though I still think it was a little off not having Q in the first two Craig films.

Indeed ... those anonymous 'support staff' in CR grated, and still do. Was quite glad when they failed to appear in QOS and were replaced by Kinnear's nu-Tanner.

On a side note, hurrah for this thread's reminder of Hayley Atwell's spectacular tits.

She has her points...

CJB wrote:

The Cregg era could be memory-holed with the next actor as far as I'm concerned.

Heck, why not have a subtle reference to Tracy in there to allude to this Bond being the ageless '62-'02 Bond.

If they keep this reboot/reset Bond going into the next actor, can't help but think we've yet to meet Tracy-kind of thing. Be a nice touch if they did.

If that's the case, New Age Draco might have to rethink the 'What she needs is a man to dominate her!' angle.

On the other hand, keeping screechy opinion writers in business is important in these trying economic times.

Depressing thoughts really. Though I can't help but wonder if a New Age Draco would in fact be a woman.

Might be a safer bet.

Or best not redo it at all.

this is the hope at least. But if they ever needed a Tracy for flashback scenes, perhaps no further than Dame Diana's daughter herself, Rachael Stirling.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Or best not redo it at all.

Agreed. Considering what they've done to Leiter, Moneypenny and worst of all, Blofeld, I'd rather they approach Tracy as they did in the Moore, Dalton and Brosnan eras: her ghost casting a shadow over Bond.

HGTB wrote:

They really have to get actresses with experience, grit and ability to pull off the heroines. We still haven't gotten a proper Gala Brand yet. I still swoon over somehow doing the MR novel ending in a film.

We haven't been completely devoid of capable actresses that encompass experience, grit and technical competence- Blackman, Paluzzi, Dor, Rigg, Scorupco, Yeoh, Marceau and Marlohe are all universally praised for such. I'd personally also add Roberts and Hatcher too. It's sometimes just about how they're written too... St. John could have been one of these actresses too if she didn't devolve into a bimbo by DAF's end (which the script dictated). And this reminds me of how they used Kara in TLD. There was much more intrigue and sex appeal of the Sniper in the short story with room to develop such grit in the film but the film makers decided to make her a pawn in Koskov's plan instead of creating a dynamic femme fatale... and so they cast Kara in the form of d'Abo.

We almost did get a Gala Brand in DAD. I'm glad when the characters' alliance switched in the rewrites they renamed her Frost instead. I think once we get into the groove of the new Bond (say in his third film?), the post-MeToo world is the perfect space to introduce Gala Brand and her resisting of Bond's advances at the end of the story.

Be interesting to see the MR novel ending done ... I think the only movie to date to end with Bond not having banged his 'leading lady' is QOS (and even at that, he had of course nailed Fields earlier).