Interesting! I will make sure to give it a listen and yeah I have heard a lot about the Production just being a mess, which is a shame really, it could have worked, but it just didn’t.
3 Likes
With the plan being to get my Who and Bond marathons going again on YouTube I just bought an EMBARRASSING amount of Bond comics to plug some gaps. I’ve said elsewhere on these boards that I’m not a comic book guy but some of these are original stories which I haven’t read so I’m quite looking forward to (even if they’re bad) reaching some 007 material that’s new to me.
There are some I won’t be able to get, or at least not without remortgaging the house, but I’ll be definitely hunting extensively for some digital copies available from somewhere.
7 Likes
Have you got hold of any of the Daily Express collections?
2 Likes
Yes and already had some, just not all. Plus have never bothered with the Fleming adaptations, just some of the originals. But today I got hold of the remaining Express strips I hadn’t got plus a few of the Dynamite ones which have come out since 2015, none of which I’ve read but seen bits of and thought they were intriguing.
Work canteen!
4 Likes
2 Likes
So I now have all the reprints of the comics run from 1958-1984 and most of the post 2015 ones, plus managed to bag a first edition of the 003½ book, which means I have finally plugged a pretty big gap in my collection. For a superfan I’d always kind of disregarded the comic books because it’s not a medium I’m big on but I realise that’s silly, so I’m looking foward to working my way through those. Plus I’ve never read the 003½ book before either.
The Dark Horse comics will be tricky to get but I’ll keep trying and looking since I’m still in the early 1960s on my Bond marathon and so do have time on my side (though not money given the amount some of those Dark Horse comics are going for!).
And as there’s no rush, I’m waiting till later in the year before picking up the remainder of the Dynamite run. Still need to eat after all!
7 Likes
A few days ago, someone uploaded leaked screen tests of some well-known actors considered for Bond back when they were casting for Casino Royale. These include Henry Cavill, Rupert Friend, Avatar star Sam Worthington, and The Boys star Anthony Starr.
It’s quite interesting to see how different these takes are from each other and from Craig’s. They are all asked to act out the casino scene in GoldenEye, where Bond first meets Xenia Onatopp.
4 Likes
Oh, yeah, I have seen them all just a few days ago. I must admit I always find seeing Screen Test is more than fascinating, that said I think we got the best Outcome with Craig overall, he was just brilliant in CS.
I find Cavill’s Test fairly okay, admittedly especially now having experience quite a few Bond Adventures, I don’t get why so many People want him as a Bond. No disrespect meant to Cavill, I mean sure he could do a solid Job, but at this Point, I am not even sure if he would like to commit to another iconic Role after his bad luck with Superman. Obviously, his Test has him much younger, so who knows how he would perform if he auditions again.
Surprisingly I like Friend’s Test the most, while not my personal Pick, I think he is a very interesting Energy to him and could have been an interesting Bond.
Worthington… hmm I am not sure if he didn’t really want the Part or if he was just nervous. Again no disrespect meant to any of the Actors but out of the four, he almost feels like the one who least likely wanted the Role, at least that’s what I am getting from his Test.
And Star is an odd one out here, he definitely seems nervous for obvious Reasons and I don’t think I am too big of a Fan of his Body Language here, but I think he did okayish. Even if he doesn’t strike me very “Bond-ish”
3 Likes
Interstesting to see.
&
3 Likes
That’s a great analysis as always! Agree with pretty much everything.
I’m still happy we got Craig; he’s just perfect for the type of Bond they went with.
But Sam Neill would have been such a '90s choice 
It is difficult to imagine him as Bond; I can only see him in Jurassic Park.
3 Likes
Lewis Collins was the best Bond we never had.
3 Likes
There’s also some footage of James Brolin’s screentest for Octopussy out there as well.
Love seeing other takes on Bond, even if I don’t love those takes themselves. Glimpses into parallel universes
4 Likes
3 Likes
Thank you!
And yeah Neil would have been a very 80s/90s Choice, I believe if I am not mistaken in a later Interview he said that he mainly did it because his Agent told him to, and he didn’t really want the Part to begin with.
1 Like
So I did manage to find some digital versions of the Dark Horse comics, a lot more easily than I was expecting to as well. So now I just need to complete the Dynamite run and source more copies of the novelisations (the Wood, Gardner and Benson ones for TSWLM, MR, LTK, GE, TND, TWINE and DAD), which I’m now kicking myself for discarding years ago.
As for those recently leaked screentests, I’ve surprised myself by finding Cavill’s the best. Friend’s is more playful and actually has more character but I find he lacks the steel I like in Bond. Worthington I think was told not to worry about the accent and it’s something they could work on further down the line if he was successful. Even taking that into account, I still don’t think it’s a good test. Starr’s is fine, just quite unremarkable.
The reason liking Cavill’s test the most has surprised me is because I never found myself excited by the idea of him as Bond. He always seemed just a bit obvious, which I guess is why I like his test the most in a paradoxical way. Seeing him play the part makes me think he could do it, but we’re 20 years later from these tests and I think there are more interesting choices around at the moment.
For the earlier ones, I don’t think Brolin or Neill’s tests are great. Roger Moore ultimately signed back on anyway, and even though Moore’s not my favourite portrayal by any means I’ll take him over Brolin any day. Plus, when Neill tested Brosnan got offered the job before it had to go to Dalton, who is one of my favourite Bonds anyway so in those instances I honestly think everything worked out for the better.
Plus I loved Craig so in the instances of those 4 recently leaked tests I think it worked out for the best then too.
Quite honestly, I do have faith in Eon casting the right man for the job because they haven’t really dropped the ball on that front.
Yes, even Lazenby
5 Likes
Lazenby was a good Bond 
And all his movies were one I enjoyed 
4 Likes
What?! Even the oft-maligned On Her Majesty’s Secret Service? You also liked that one?! That’s a hot take!
3 Likes
That was the best one!
3 Likes
Interesting. I found it to be his worst one. Still enjoyed it.
4 Likes
I think we have proved that Scandinavians are fun 
4 Likes