I noticed the other day that former James Bond Timothy Dalton recently celebrated his 66th birthday. This got me thinking it has been some time since I posted anything about James Bond. So here it is in honour of Timothy Dalton’s birthday an idea for a slightly different Bond movie.
James Bond, now in his 60’s has retired and is living in Jamaica. For his last few years in the secret service before retiring he took a job training prospective double 0 agents. Bond receives news from Moneypenny that one of his former students (now 006) was killed on a mission. Because of the nature of the mission and his undercover status the body has not been recovered and a funeral will not take place. He receives a letter from the agent sent shortly before he was killed. Bond launches his own investigation and is blocked at every turn by his own government making Bond even more determined get to the bottom of what happened.
For added impact the movie should be made in total secrecy without anyone knowing it is about an older Bond. In the usual build-up an announcement should be made implying a big name star, but not an obvious choice (I am thinking Colin Farrell) will play Bond. He will in fact be playing 006 who gets killed at the end of an all action pre-credit sequence. Enter the real James Bond, Timothy Dalton. The film would be very plot driven with fantastic dialogue and the odd action set piece, very much like a good detective story. Along the way there can also be a subplot about Bond writing his memoires to the chagrin of his former employers (more on this in a later post). There is a great opportunity to Have fun with the dynamic of an older Bond without turning the whole thing into a joke. And who could direct such a movie, there is only one man: Quentin Tarantino.
Farrell as Bond.
Genius
Oh, oh, oh! How could I forget it was Tim’s b’day a few days ago! This is an awesome idea, Andy, wow! Farrell would make a great Bond, I never thought of him before but yeah! As you know QT wanted to direct a Bond film at one point (with Brosnan as Bond), but I think Farrell will make a grittier Bond worthy of his mentor (Dalton). I heard that if QT were to ever direct a Bond flick, he’d want Uma Thurman as the Bond girl? If he could make it as ballsy yet sophisticated like ‘Basterds’ this could very well be a memorable Bond indeed! Somebody ought to get Dalton out of retirement, please!!
I thought you must have missed this post being Dalton’s biggest fan. I really like the idea of bringing him out of retirement the way Sean Connery did in Never Say Never Again, it wasn’t a great film but it was better than anything Connery was doing at the time! The whole idea of Colin Farrell is just messing with peoples heads. He is the kind of actor that I could see playing the part but lots of fans would be against the idea. Then to top it all off the twist to end all twists, the new Bond isn’t really Bond, its actually the guy who was replaced more than 20 years ago. Only Quentin Tarantino could get away with messing with audiences heads like that. He has said lots of times (last time I heard it mentioned was on Jonathan Ross last year) that he wanted to make Casino Royale with Pierce Brosnan and Uma Thurman. I think in the past he has also said he wanted to make Bond movies as period 50’s and 60’s movies in line with when the books were written/set.
Interesting ideas you have there…I reckon I would watch that. Although you’d have the anti-dalton loby to contend with.
Well those anti-Dalton can kiss my arse! 🙂 It is indeed a brilliant idea, Andy, especially casting Dalton as the mentor instead of the actual spy like NSNA as Dalton would just be too old (like Connery was). Yeah, QT would be the right director to ‘mess with people’s head’ like you said, and after the dismal ‘Quantum of Solace’ we need to reinvent Bond yet again!!
Btw, I got my wish about Dalton coming out of retirement. I’ll post about it by week’s end. Boy I’m beyond excited!!
Dalton is a gangster! He was a good Bond. Maybe not as memorable as Connery or Brosnan, but he was a great Bond.
In some ways Dalton was the best Bond, Connery had the best stories and Brosnan looks the most like the character described by Fleming but Dalton was the cold hard character.
I got into a two hour long discussion at work with co-workers last night about your idea here. I think I’m in agreement with you and Ross. Farrel is genius.
Beyond that Tarantino would be epically epic. (yes it required two of those)
It must have been a really slow night, either that my idea is pure geniuses, I’m prepared to pretend the latter 🙂
Really intriguing idea!! I’d see it. But I wonder, would it seem as engaging if it weren’t 007 and it was some new sort of spy movie running on it’s own steam?
Still a big fan of TD though:)
[…] Dalton: The most underrated Bond, I love the idea of an older (possibly retired) Bond and he would be the perfect man for the […]
I agree- Tim Dalton is under-rated, but he’s never picked culturally significsmt original film role…. and i think that this movie may exist, albeit in a parallel universe version: I cant recall the title but Robert Redford was playing Brass Pitt’s spymaster who won’t give up on his doomed protoge…the cleverness in that movie lay in the way that the “action” scenes around the aged Redford all took place in his outmanouvering senior officers in office administration- proving that you don’t need a gun or an explosion to create tension… & possibly bleeding into the brilliant film called Duplicity?
Suvasis Arya