Little Storping-in-the-Swuff: James Bond

I’ve long been a fan of Felix Leiter, James Bond’s best friend. Despite my admiration for Joe Don Baker especially his performance in Edge of Darkness, and even Brad Whittaker in The Living Daylights, his Jack Wade (introduced only two films later) was frankly an inadequate replacement for Leiter.

Leiter was savaged in the book Live and Let Die, as he was in the film Licence to Kill. In the books, he ends up with a hook for a hand. In the film, they set it up so he can make a full recovery. But he never returned.

Until now. I’m delighted Felix will make a comeback in the most promising Bond film for over a decade. But I can’t help feeling that it’s slightly odd that Felix will be played by Jeffrey Wright, who is black. Felix wasn’t black before, and now he is. The continuitity of Bond films has always been suspect (Leiter has been played by a different actor in every film he’s featured in, except for Licence to Kill), but isn’t this quite a big change of identity? Certainly, M is now a woman, but “M” is a job, Felix is a character. Judi Dench is not playing the same character Bernard Lee did.

Still, mostly I’m just pleased Felix is back.

So Daniel Craig is the sixth official James Bond. I’m excited. I loved Craig in Our Friends in the North.

Furthermore, it seems Q won’t appear. M may not be Judi Dench. If this isn’t a prequel, then let this not explicitly be the start of Bond’s career but let it not follow from the recent nonsense either. Everyone knows it’s the 21st official Bond film, but it doesn’t need to make a point of fitting (or not) with the previous 20 films (as in the irritating referencing to each of the previous 19 in Die Another Day).

One thing is clear, this Bond is going to back to Fleming’s blueprint. Even if he is blond.

In fact, Casino Royale (offical website, requires Flash Player 8 ) is shaping up to be the Bond film I’ve been wanting to see for ages.

Here’s my wishlist (with reasons to be cheerful)

- A Bond who can act (Daniel Craig could be the perfect Bond)
- More ephasis on the quality of the writing (Million Dollar Baby writer Paul Haggis is polishing the script)
- Fewer gadgets – ie piss off, John Cleese, and take your invisible car with you (no Q in Casino Royale)
- Fleming’s Bond, not Moonraker’s Bond (it’s an adaptation of Fleming’s first novel)

And finally… Purvis and Wade (although why not get proper writers to do the job?) have started writing the script for Bond 22. Might Eon have given Craig a contract that means we don’t have to wait 4 years for our next Bond fix? Could we maybe even hope for another 007 film in 2007?

According to variety.com Sony are announcing who will play Bond in Casino Royale tomorrow, and it’s not Brosnan. A sixth actor will take the role.

This suggests that we’re going to be sadled with this improbable reboot of the Bond canon. When, after the excesses of the dire Die Another Day, Eon gained the rights to film Fleming’s first book (previously filmed in 1967 by idiots) they planned to get back to the roots of Bond. There’s precedent for this. The nadir of the series, Moonraker, a ridiculously silly action movie which ended up in space, was followed by the excellent spy yarn For Your Eyes Only. It’s just that this time they’re filming the book which details a formative episode in Bond’s life – it’s the first book – and they’re filming it as such.

This is fine, and not an oriiginal idea. Tarantino wanted to film it, in period, with Bond’s voiceover. However, Eon aren’t exactly planning a prequel to Dr No. It’s going to be a contemporary Bond.

Although the Bond films all essentially follow a set formula, it’s the variations that are interesting. And there are story arcs through the series.

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Because this is an “offical” Bond (unlike the first Casino Royale or Thunderball remake Never Say Never Again) you’d expect it to fit into the canon.

But it seems it’s going to fit into at least two places. Which makes no sense.

There’s speculation there will be an official announcement in the next couple of days. Newspapers are reporting scouser Daniel Craig has got the part, although this is not the first time the rumour has circulated. Still, it’s looking pretty likely: Although there have been rumours Sony want Pierce Brosnan to return for a fifth Bond movie (something Brosnan has hinted at) Casino Royale director Martin Campbell has poured cold water on that idea. This is in because of the strange decision to reboot the Bond saga with a younger Bond, making the 21st Bond film separate, in some way, from the chronology of the previous 20.

Bondmaker [dah-dah] he’s the man/the man with the golden pen….

Tomorrow night on One. BBC One.