Don't know where you're coming from. Those are just stereotypes of masculinity period.evilthecat said:
Idris Elba reportedly being considered for next James Bond
- Thread starter totheendofsin
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Oh, for Christs sake. I thought this was a necroed thread for a moment.
Elba is too old. Elba is a different type of character. I still think that if they want a black Bond / female Bond / whatever, they should just invent a new character. Bond is a drink-downing, public-school attending, womanising, Scottish sociopath. And yes, I was pissed off at Craig being cast as Bond. And the overly gritty direction the films took when he started (admittedly, they've now tilted back almost too far in the other direction).
Just let a franchise die peacefully, already.
Elba is too old. Elba is a different type of character. I still think that if they want a black Bond / female Bond / whatever, they should just invent a new character. Bond is a drink-downing, public-school attending, womanising, Scottish sociopath. And yes, I was pissed off at Craig being cast as Bond. And the overly gritty direction the films took when he started (admittedly, they've now tilted back almost too far in the other direction).
Just let a franchise die peacefully, already.
Weird people are saying Idris Elba (45) is too old. He's younger than Daniel Craig (50) was when he made Spectre (he was 47).
It seems I am in the minority, but I actually like Daniel Craig as Bond (even if many of his movies were meh). I can definitely see Elba pulling off the same "grizzled" Bond if that's what they're going for.
It seems I am in the minority, but I actually like Daniel Craig as Bond (even if many of his movies were meh). I can definitely see Elba pulling off the same "grizzled" Bond if that's what they're going for.
Craig's my favorite Bond as well. Far as I can tell, that's a common consensus, if not on this forum.Fappy said:
That said, Elba is already 45. If he was chosen to be Bond after Bond 25, you'd have to add probably at least 5 years onto that current age before seeing him. My guess is that the producers would want to get a good run out of him. Craig may be getting older now, but he was in his thirties when he first took the role.
OK that's fair enough. I'd still say that the way you describe Elba here is the same way I'd describe Craig. He's M's 'blunt instrument' through and through, with none of the charm or intuition of the other actors to play the role.Hawki said:
He's actually done it twice now- first in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and now Mission Impossible: Fallout as well.Elijin said:
Agreed- he's got a pretty great job and lifestyle- he can't even crack a smile once in a while!? At least the others (save for Dalton) knew how to use their sardonic humour from time to time...Johnny Novgorod said:
You're confusing a stereotype and an ideal.PsychedelicDiamond said:
Stereotypes are a simplified idea of what a group is like. Often, a stereotype can be expressed in the form "all/most X are Y".
Masculinity as an ideal may (sometimes) be hypersexual, violent and materialistic. That's the ideal which characters like Bond are selling, after all. But noone actually thinks all white men are hypersexual, violent and materialistic. If you watch adverts for household goods, or food products, you're going to see a very different portrayal and ideal of (invariably white) men as inoffensive, down to earth dad-types. These are not "breaking the stereotype" of masculinity, they are a different form of "softer" masculinity sold to different men, because (white) men have a variety of ways to find societal value. The loving husband and father who provides for his family is a much older and more conventional expression of ideal masculinity than James Bond.
For black men, however, the hypermasculine image exemplified by Bond is a stereotype. Black men are percieved as more violent, more hypersexual and more materially driven than their white peers. Every black man grows up with this set of stereotypical assumptions (which aren't always negative, many black men come to identify strongly with them, hence the popularity of such characters in media aimed at black men). The point is, there are many ideals and expressions of white masculinity, but much fewer for black masculinity.
What I'm saying is, it's fine to want a black James Bond. Heck, I want a black James Bond, because I find the "traditional" depiction of the character revolting and will support anything that rips up that legacy. Besides, I'm sure there are a lot of black men and boys out there who would see a black actor playing James Bond as affirmative, which is cool. However, if you're white, and you like James Bond, and you want a black actor to play James Bond, then I do think you need to ask yourself why. Why is it so appealing to have a black actor play a violent, hypersexed "badass". Do they not play those characters enough? Have we not seen an endless procession of very similar black male characters in media since the Blaxploitation craze of the 70s?
Again, it's not just an ideal, it's a stereotype.
I love Idris Elba as much as the next warm-blooded heterosexual male, but I think I've had enough of James Bond. I mean, is there any chance the franchise will go back to the silliness of the Connery and Moore days? Especially with a guy like Elba in the role? No way, and at this point that's all that would justify it's continued existence. I mean the last 4 Bond films have been Bourne films in disguise, and now all action-spy-thriller movies are the same.
Either let it finally die a dignified death, or cast someone like Daniel Radcliffe and hire Steve Coogan to direct, let it go totally wild.
Either let it finally die a dignified death, or cast someone like Daniel Radcliffe and hire Steve Coogan to direct, let it go totally wild.
His name will get butts in the seats, and that is all that matters anymore apparently. He is a phenomenal actor and i love watching his movies....but i dont want him as the next bond, just like i didnt want scarjo as the major (or matt damon in the wall).
I'm not really into James Bond, but this'll be interesting if for no other reason than to watch the purists and the racist assholes get pissy about it.
He couldn't save the Dark Tower, but I'm not sure that was possible.
I wouldn't mind Joel Kinnaman as the next Bond. I don't think there's anything that make him particularly good for it, I just think he's good in the things he's in and he's the only young-ish actor I can think of.
I wouldn't mind Joel Kinnaman as the next Bond. I don't think there's anything that make him particularly good for it, I just think he's good in the things he's in and he's the only young-ish actor I can think of.
That'd be great, but it won't happen. One, he's aged too much. Two, he already said he's not interested, iirc.
If he can pull off Bond, then Elba sure can as well.
He's not british, and usually just plays Denzel Washington. So naaaah, there are tons of better picks, black or not.\Samtemdo8 said:
Hawki said:
Disagree. Out of those two, Elba comes to me as the one with less boorish, and more suave roles. Can't think of a movie from Craig's filmography where he didn't look tired or pissed.Johnny Novgorod said:
If he can pull off Bond, then Elba sure can as well.
I don't think Craig's a very good Bond to begin with. He acts like a mirthless thug.MrCalavera said:
Hiddleston can be charming and have fun (obviously, he plays Loki) but I've never seen him pull off a good leading role.
I honestly can't think of a good Bond pick at this point.
I suspect not, because he's too old.totheendofsin said:
James Bond as a character must be under 45, because that's the mandatory retirement age. From Ian Fleming's books, it suggests he's in his late 30s. Obviously with the wonders of make-up and personal trainers, you can pass a guy aged ~50 off as ~40, so Daniel Craig can still get away with it, but time is rapidly running out. The last thing anyone needs is to go back to the Roger Moore era with a patently over-the-hill guy about to get his bus pass huffing and puffing through the action scenes.
Idris Elba isn't much younger than Daniel Craig, and as they haven't even released Craig's last Bond movie yet Elba will be around 50 by the time his first Bond film would emerge. Assuming they'd want at least three movies and with the current rate of new titles (3-4 years), Elba would be pushing 60 by the end of a minimal stint as Bond.
