Ralph Fiennes says "Skyfall" will be a special Bond film

Quote :

Talk about fortuitous timing. Earlier today at a press conference, Eon Productions officially announced the 23rd James Bond film, "Skyfall," as well as its full cast list: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Albert Finney, and Ralph Fiennes. A few hours later, I happened to be chatting with Fiennes about "Coriolanus," his fascinating debut as a film director. As a huge Bond fan, I had to use the last few minutes of our interview to hear what he had to say about the film, which goes into production next week.

"If you're a Bond fan," Fiennes told me when I confessed my 007 obsession, "then you'll be happy. I can tell you that John Logan has written a fantastic screenplay and [director] Sam Mendes is a class act. They're doing something quite special I think. I think they're going to be great for Bond."

Fiennes is a Academy Award nominated actor, but is he a Bond fan? "I love the Bond books particularly," he said. "I like the books even more than the films. I like the darkness of the books. But I've also enjoyed all the films." Fiennes also told me he vividly remembers the first Bond he ever saw: 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" with George Lazenby.

Darkness is a word you hear a lot in relation to Craig's Bond films, but I'd read some speculation that Mendes' take on the character may be even darker than the one in "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace." So I asked Fiennes if he thought that Mendes and Logan were bringing some of the "darkness" he loves from the books to "Skyfall."

"No, for me the books' darkness comes from their period nature," he replied. "I always wished they'd done a Bond set in 1955 in the Cold War like a Graham Greene novel. But no, this is just a great piece of screenwriting and the human drama at the center of this is quite affecting. And it's full of amazing stunts and action sequences."

Will he get to join in on the stunts and action sequences? Fiennes took a long pause. "I can't answer that question," he said. "I don't get laid, that's for sure." That might be a clue, or it might not be -- typically Bond's the guy who gets laid in James Bond films; that's why they're called James Bond films.

If I can put on my fan hat for a moment, here's my totally unsubstantiated speculation. Bardem is confirmed as the main villain of "Skyfall" and there have been some hints that he might be playing the new version of Ernst Blofeld, Bond's arch-nemesis from all the old Sean Connery films. But it took three movies to see Blofeld's face onscreen during the original run of Connery Bonds; in "From Russia With Love" and "Thunderball" he was just the mysterious evil mastermind lurking in the shadows stroking a cat. I have a hunch Bardem works as a lieutenant for Blofeld, who's played by Fiennes. I mean come on: who'd be a better Blofeld than Lord Voldemort? Nobody I can think of.

We'll see if my guess is right on November 9, 2012 when "Skyfall" hits theaters. In the meantime, look for more of my interview with Fiennes about "Coriolanus" closer to its release on December 2. It's not Bond, but it's a very interesting movie.

http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/11/ralph-fiennes-on-bond-skyfall.php

if Bardem is "confirmed as the main villain", then Fiennes can't be "playing a new version of ESB"

what sort of role is Albert Finney playing?
he must be even older than Dame Judy, so not the replacement for M

John Logan?
Winner, 1999 – Writers Guild of America Best TV Adapted Writing, for RKO 281
1999 Any Given Sunday Screen story, Screenplay (loved it)
2000 Gladiator Screenplay (good stuff)
2002 The Time Machine Screenplay also Co-Producer (very ordinairy)
2003 Last Samurai, TheThe Last Samurai Screenplay, story (didn't do anything for me)
2004 The Aviator Written by (enjoyed it)
Winner, 2010 -Tony Award Best Play, for Red.
Winner 2008 – Golden Globe Award Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, for "Sweeney Todd"
2011 Rango Screenplay, story (not bad)
2012 Skyfall Screenplay (???)
sounds promising

If Fiennes is playing Blofeld (and I hope he is, if only because I fear that otherwise he's playing Bond's brother or father, which would be unutterably dreadful), I don't see why it should be kept under wraps any longer. Why all the secrecy?

I mean, seriously. Blofeld's only a sodding movie franchise character, whom the average bloke on the street doesn't give a shit about. You'd think that the return of Ernst Stavro was an event of such mindblowing cultural significance that humanity had to be very slowly and carefully prepared for it. "Oh, we can't tell them at the press conference that he's playing Blofeld - the world would have a collective heart attack."

Seve wrote:

if Bardem is "confirmed as the main villain", then Fiennes can't be "playing a new version of ESB"

Isn't Adolfo Celi the main villain of Thunderball?

FourDot wrote:

Seve wrote:

if Bardem is "confirmed as the main villain", then Fiennes can't be "playing a new version of ESB"

Isn't Adolfo Celi the main villain of Thunderball?

if Fiennes is only going to get as much screen time as Blofed in Thunderball, why bother

I can understand why they'd want to keep Blofeld under wraps. After Austin Powers, people have a good idea as ever who Blofeld would be, not to mention Bond fans who are already well aware of who he is. It would be a nice treat if that were to stay a surprise for a while.

Jack Wade wrote:

I can understand why they'd want to keep Blofeld under wraps. After Austin Powers, people have a good ideas as ever who Blofeld would be, not mention Bond fans who already well aware of who he is. It would be a nice treat if that were to stay a surprise for a while.

Agreed. And it could be an electrifying moment when Blofeld once again makes his entrance.

Seve wrote:

FourDot wrote:

Seve wrote:

if Bardem is "confirmed as the main villain", then Fiennes can't be "playing a new version of ESB"

Isn't Adolfo Celi the main villain of Thunderball?

if Fiennes is only going to get as much screen time as Blofed in Thunderball, why bother

Not literally the same amount of time, but it's entirely possible and plausible that you have a main villain AND Blofeld.

Loomis wrote:

If Fiennes is playing Blofeld (and I hope he is, if only because I fear that otherwise he's playing Bond's brother or father, which would be unutterably dreadful), I don't see why it should be kept under wraps any longer. Why all the secrecy?

I mean, seriously. Blofeld's only a sodding movie franchise character, whom the average bloke on the street doesn't give a shit about. You'd think that the return of Ernst Stavro was an event of such mindblowing cultural significance that humanity had to be very slowly and carefully prepared for it. "Oh, we can't tell them at the press conference that he's playing Blofeld - the world would have a collective heart attack."

No kidding. And the press would run with the news; it would be great for publicity.

Fiennes is a real man. His only interest in Skyfall is whether he gets laid.

Other reasons for a knighthood:

1.Fiennes prefers the Fleming novels to the films.

2. He likes fucking random airhostesses in lavatories.

It’s all good.

Bugger. I better go and do some work.

Harmsway wrote:

Loomis wrote:

If Fiennes is playing Blofeld (and I hope he is, if only because I fear that otherwise he's playing Bond's brother or father, which would be unutterably dreadful), I don't see why it should be kept under wraps any longer. Why all the secrecy?

I mean, seriously. Blofeld's only a sodding movie franchise character, whom the average bloke on the street doesn't give a shit about. You'd think that the return of Ernst Stavro was an event of such mindblowing cultural significance that humanity had to be very slowly and carefully prepared for it. "Oh, we can't tell them at the press conference that he's playing Blofeld - the world would have a collective heart attack."

No kidding. And the press would run with the news; it would be great for publicity.

If the average bloke on the street doesn't give a shit about Blofeld, why would announcing his reappearance be great publicity?

At the end of the day, Bond films hardly need publicity anyway. They are a cinematic tradition that generate their own publicity and buzz.

I don't want a "special" Bond film. We already had that with QOS. I want one that entertains me like most of the previous ones do.

In fairness Fiennes racked up very little screen time in the Harry Potter's, though he remained the 'big Baddie'.

If by "special" Fiennes means especially good, then great. And I suspect that's exactly what he means.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Harmsway wrote:

Loomis wrote:

If Fiennes is playing Blofeld (and I hope he is, if only because I fear that otherwise he's playing Bond's brother or father, which would be unutterably dreadful), I don't see why it should be kept under wraps any longer. Why all the secrecy?

I mean, seriously. Blofeld's only a sodding movie franchise character, whom the average bloke on the street doesn't give a shit about. You'd think that the return of Ernst Stavro was an event of such mindblowing cultural significance that humanity had to be very slowly and carefully prepared for it. "Oh, we can't tell them at the press conference that he's playing Blofeld - the world would have a collective heart attack."

No kidding. And the press would run with the news; it would be great for publicity.

If the average bloke on the street doesn't give a shit about Blofeld, why would announcing his reappearance be great publicity?

At the end of the day, Bond films hardly need publicity anyway. They are a cinematic tradition that generate their own publicity and buzz.

By that logic, why have yesterday's press conference?

When I say that the average bloke on the street doesn't give a shit about Blofeld, I mean that he isn't as obsessed as we are with everything Bond-related. By comparison to us, not only does he not give a shit about Blofeld - he doesn't give a shit about Bond.

Still, this proverbial man on the street is the one whose wallet is being targeted by this film, not us (we'll buy tickets to see it whatever happens and also buy on it DVD/Blu-ray). I agree with Harmsway that announcing Blofeld would be great for publicity - it's the return of an iconic villain after decades of absence from the screen (if we're taking DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER as the character's last appearance in an Eon film, that's forty years ago), and what's more played by one of the world's most successful and respected actors, Ralph Fiennes.

It's the kind of news that would arouse the curiosity of non-Bond fans (particularly those people who feel that the Craig films - with their lack of Moneypenny and Q, their playing around with the gunbarrel, their light use of the James Bond Theme, etc. - aren't "Bondian" enough). I'm not a Batman fan, but when I heard that the Joker was returning and would be played by Heath Ledger, it increased my interest in THE DARK KNIGHT. The announcement of Fiennes as Blofeld would, I think, have a similar impact on a lot of people who don't really care about Bond but might be willing to check out SKYFALL if they thought it was going to be unusually good.

FourDot wrote:

Seve wrote:

FourDot wrote:

Seve wrote:

if Bardem is "confirmed as the main villain", then Fiennes can't be "playing a new version of ESB"

Isn't Adolfo Celi the main villain of Thunderball?

if Fiennes is only going to get as much screen time as Blofed in Thunderball, why bother

Not literally the same amount of time, but it's entirely possible and plausible that you have a main villain AND Blofeld.

Quote :

If you're a Bond fan, Fiennes told me when I confessed my 007 obsession, "then you'll be happy. I can tell you that John Logan has written a fantastic screenplay and [director] Sam Mendes is a class act. They're doing something quite special I think. In fact I think it might be almost as special as my last excursion into the espionage genre in 'The Avengers'."

If I can put on my fan hat for a moment, here's my totally unsubstantiated speculation. Bardem is confirmed as the main villain of "Skyfall" and there have been some hints that he might be playing the new version of Ernst Blofeld, Bond's arch-nemesis from all the old Sean Connery films. I have a hunch Bardem works as a lieutenant for Blofeld, who's played by Fiennes.

Fiennes took a long pause. "I can't answer that question," he said. "But I will say this, you never see my face and only my hands ever appear in the movie, stroking a big furry pussy, but I don't get laid, that's for sure."

:affraid:

Well, if it is Blofeld, that's great news. Hopefully, if not in Bond 23, Bond 24 can implement escapism, and we could get a FRWL, TB or OHMSS.

FieldsMan wrote:

Well, if it is Blofeld, that's great news. Hopefully, if not in Bond 23, Bond 24 can implement escapism, and we could get a FRWL, TB or OHMSS.

Been hearing that for half a decade now. "Don't worry, the next one will be a traditional Bond film."

We'll wait and see. :|

I don't understand how Bond 23 can have all of the classic Bond elements, and yet Mendes is making it more revolutionary, mature and complex, and how Bond riding a motorbike off a bridge onto a train will "co-exist" with M's history coming back to haunt her. This is why I'm a bit skeptical. I'd prefer a traditional Bond film, but I have faith in Mendes and what he'll do. I'm not sure what to expect. I'm excited but anxious.

FieldsMan wrote:

I don't understand how... Bond riding a motorbike off a bridge onto a train will "co-exist" with M's history coming back to haunt her.

Maybe M was a competitor on the BMX motorbike circuit back in her younger days. Maybe she cheated, and now that she's gone legit, someone from her past is attempting to blackmail her and use their connections to M to get certain votes in Parliament to go their way.

Though I don't hate Skyfall as a title, it kind of sounds like the name of a bar at a major airport. You half-expect Bond to be knocking back martinis in the Skyfall Bar and Lounge at Heathrow or JFK.

God dammit he was right, though its detractors might use it in the other sense.