A Word About The James Bond Films In Hiatus…
There have
been several reports and other really sad and pathetic stories (we will not
call them analysis, because that would mean the writers/authors would actually
know what they are talking about) about how the Bond films might be
finished. It is built on total
misunderstandings of the series, its current situation and its fate to come.
The
series is at one of its greatest high points as Daniel Craig has become the
most popular and successful Bond critically and commercially since Roger Moore,
so yes, there will be more films and any actor to make it to a third Bond
always found that films to be one of their biggest and most successful
outings. The hold up is not that the Bond producers are out of
money, but that distributor MGM is in trouble and transition, so they cannot
fund their part of it. Billions of
dollars in debt, they filed for bankruptcy reorganization after a takeover a
few years ago by a partnership of companies did not work out despite the company
owning all the MGM films since 1987, the Orion catalog, the American
International catalog, some other indie gems and the United Artists catalog
which they still have from being merged as MGM/UA in 1980 when Michael Cimino’s
ambitious Heaven’s Gate (1980)
caused UA to fold.
When that
happened, the late great producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli took action to secure
the promotion of For Your Eyes Only
and MGM/UA still distributed. The result
was a huge hit that continued the series, remains one of the best films it ever
produced and helped MGM/UA when they needed the money most. As the company changed hands many times
since, Bond was the prize franchise, even when it seemed it might end. After U.S. distribution of Licence To Kill (1989) did not produced
the big box-office the film found overseas due to political differences to
involved to go into here, The Cold War ended, the producers and studio had
additional disagreements over how rights were sold for TV in some markets and
except for the animated series James
Bond Jr., Bond was gone for six years until GoldenEye (1995) revived the series, even as other Spy franchises
were being launched by major studios.
Now Craig
is Bond and is still under contract and is still well within the age range (and
physical shape, he is making other films as you reads this, so his career is
not on hold either), still wants to play the role and the public still wants
him big time. If anything, this delay
will only make the next Bond film an event like Dark Knight or Avatar or
other recent mega-hits were, but for totally reasons different than those
international blockbusters.
For
instance, Quantum Of Solace (which
had more working for it than many have given it credit for) was the most
expensive Bond yet in a series that often sets new records for its budgets in
the tradition “Cubby” Broccoli and his original partner Harry Saltzman (who
produced all the way to the 1974 release The
Man With The Golden Gun before he sold out his half of the series, but to
United Artists and not his former partner, whose family revived the series and
have kept it alive since) except in those cases where they decide to do gritty
thrillers, which is why I think the curiosity will be especially huge on
Craig/Bond #3.
The third
films (Goldfinger, The Spy Who Loved Me, even the awful The World Is Not Enough) were
budget-busting big productions that were also popular, profitable worldwide
hits, yet the Craig Bond films have relished being grittier with less gadgets,
yet still keeping the glamour and classiness that the series is famous
for. I have seen the series go through
so many changes and as even Steven Spielberg admits, it is the greatest
franchise of all time. Why? Because it took the movie series from Hollywood B-movies to the A-level releases we get all the
time today.
No spy or
action series has ever lasted as long, had as much of an influence and Bond has
rarely followed any imitators, though occasionally (as a sign of respect)
absorbed some of their qualities. The
Bond films continue to be a huge hit, constantly play somewhere in the world on
TV all the time, constantly sell on home video (the Blu-rays are the latest
profitable success), the films still play movie theaters including revival
houses, memorabilia continues to sell well with the best pieces setting record
prices (the original complete remaining Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger just sold for $4.6 Million,
a record price for a movie memorabilia item and besides the car’s fame, it is
now one of the most valuable cars of any kind in the world!) and the books
continue to make writer/creator Ian Fleming one of the most popular fiction writers
since Agatha Christie. Unlike most
franchises, Bond is not just about the movies, though they play a great part.
Instead,
Bond is about a school of thought, a way of life, an international sensation
almost 50 years old that has never gone away.
The fact that he could be reinvented after The Cold War and come back as
big as ever speaks volumes to the richness of the phenomenon. This is not a franchise that is at its end by
a long shot and interest is not fleeting in the least. Instead, Bond is alive and well and with the
huge profits at stake, it is only a matter of time before a new film is finally
made. And when (not if, but when) that
happens, every so-called expert will not look as smart as they think they are
and we’ll have another Bond film to see.
The only
question is, will it be a gritty thriller or will they go all out for a big
budget blockbuster that will put Bondmania well into the 21st
Century? Can’t wait to find out? Just hang on!
- Nicholas Sheffo
