Achi news desk-
More people have walked on the Moon than have played James Bond, so it’s no surprise that the swaggering secret agent with a license to kill is one of the most coveted roles in cinema. The casting of a new 007 always captures the public imagination – even now, when it’s only rumored that British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been offered the part.
There have been false rumors in the past. I still remember a non-story that Australian model Finlay Light was cast as the new Bond in 1986.
Even before social media, the casting of James Bond was always a matter of public mystery. Before Sean Connery was cast in Dr No (1962), the Daily Express ran a competition to find the public’s choice for the “ideal” Bond. The winner was model Peter Anthony, who won ahead of a number of other competitors, including stuntman Bob Simmons.
The oft-told story that Cary Grant was “offered” the part by producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli should be taken with a large dose of salt. Grant’s picture fee at the time was over four times the total Dr No cast budget of £25,000.
Harry Saltzman, Broccoli’s producing partner, told the press that Michael Craig and Patrick McGoohan had been considered. And the United Artists archive reveals that Broccoli and Saltzman saw the war picture The Valiant (1962) but reported that “Robert Shaw in this particular film did not impress us as James Bond”. However, Shaw was then cast as a murderer in From Russia With Love (1963).
Two myths have accumulated around Connery’s casting over the years. One is that he was unknown when he was cast. In fact, Connery was already an established television actor and had meaty supporting roles in films such as Another Time, Another Place (1958) and The Frightened City (1961) before he got the call.
Broccoli said it was Connery’s role in Disney’s whimsical fantasy Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959) that put the actor on his radar.
The other myth is that Bond creator Ian Fleming disapproved of Connery, considering him too rugged and ready to play the suave secret agent. However, as revealed in Fergus Fleming’s collection of his uncle’s letters, The Man With the Golden Typewriter (2015), Fleming met – and approved – Connery.
The writer told his confidante, Blanche Blackwell, that “the man they’ve chosen for Bond, Sean Connery, is a real charmer – fairly unknown but a good actor with the right looks and body”.
Next in line
Bond was the box office phenomenon of the 1960s, and when Connery decided it was time to step back after five films, finding a replacement was a lengthy process. Australian model George Lazenby, a real unknown whose only acting experience had been in television commercials for Fry’s chocolates, won the part because of his ability to stage convincing fight scenes.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) is the closest of the adaptations to Fleming’s book, but it did not perform as well as previous Bonds at the box office. Lazenby carried the can for his perceived failure: he was to be a one-time Bond.
American actor John Gavin, best known for playing Janet Leigh’s love interest in Psycho (1960), was signed for Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Gavin had the right kind of looks and physique for the part, and would have played Bond as a British.
However, United Artists were determined to get Connery back, and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: 12.5% of the distributor’s net receipts with an upfront cash advance of US$1,250,000 (£983,050) and an agreement to produce two film. of the actor’s choice. No wonder Connery seems to be enjoying himself so much in Diamonds Are Forever. Gavin was paid and released from his contract.
The casting of Live And Let Die (1973) was controversial. United Artists wanted a star with a household name and its archive confirms that Clint Eastwood and Paul Newman were approached – but neither was interested.
In the end it came down to choosing between Burt Reynolds or Roger Moore. Saltzman reportedly favored the former but Broccoli “violently opposed” Burt Reynolds. Moore emerged as the compromise choice as he was the only actor they could agree on.
Moore was the first established star to be cast as Bond – although his fame was on the small screen, as the stern noble hero of The Saint (1962) and The Perswaders! (1971). He was also the oldest Bond at the point of casting. As one reviewer said: “Roger Moore is 45. I predict he could be playing James Bond in his fifties.” As indeed he did.
Another television actor was Moore’s successor, Irish-born Pierce Brosnan, star of Remington Steele (1982). But when the network refused to release Brosnan from his contract, Timothy Dalton replaced him late for The Living Daylights (1987) and License to Kill (1989). Brosnan eventually got the role he thought he had taken nine years later in GoldenEye (1995). In that sense he was the longest “Bond-in-waiting”.
Modern Bonds
Brosnan was the bookies’ favourite. In contrast, his successor, Daniel Craig, whose main role was in the British gangster film Layer Cake (2004), was an unexpected choice. His casting prompted quite a backlash from fans – that he was too short, too “ugly” and too blonde for Bond.
There was even an online campaign, “Craig Not Bond”. However, the success of Casino Royale (2006), Skyfall (2012) and three other blockbusters silenced the critics. Craig, one of the few Bonds to leave the series at a time of his choosing, retired from HM’s Secret Service with the five most popular Bond films in the series’ history.
So, with the exception of Lazenby and Moore, Bond producers have usually cast an actor on the brink of fame. Aaron Taylor-Johnson – if the rumor is true – would fit that pattern. He’s not unknown, but he’s not a superstar. And at the age of 33 he would also be the youngest Bond since Lazenby, not an insignificant consideration considering that the producers will want to sign the new Bond for at least three films.
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