15 Interesting Facts About The Daniel Craig Bond Films
How do Tarantino and Batman fit in?
James Bond is undeniably one of cinemas most famous characters. His adventures have now spanned 24 movies and over half a century, making his saga one of the longest and most profitable in all of film. Nowhere has that success been more apparent than in recent years.
The Daniel Craig era, specifically, has breathed to life into the franchise. Introducing 007 as a gritty agent in a realistic world of espionage, the newest films have let go of the ridiculous gadgets and instead clung to believable action scenes. The results have been a string of massive blockbusters, each ones production bigger than the last.
Of course, since these films are so popular, much of their production has long been public knowledge. Even to the average filmgoer, the goings-on behind the scenes of a Bond film are hardly too surprising. Thanks to websites reporting on every aspect of these movies, details like alternate scenes or potential casting choices almost never go unnoticed.
With his newest film Spectre just now hitting theatres, theres never been a better time to look back at the Daniel Craig legacy and see all of the backstage drama that helped shape his films.
15. Gary Oldman And Chiwetel Ejiofor Were Approached To Play Spectre Villains
When it comes to the villains, the first two Craig movies snatched up two lesser-known foreign actors in Mads Mikkelsen and Mathieu Amalric to fill in the role. Still, the James Bond franchise has never shied away from getting big stars to play its baddies and Javier Bardem is proof of that. This familiar trend would continue in Spectre with Christoph Waltz, but it was almost not so.
Its rumoured that Gary Oldman was at least considered for Franz Oberhauser before the movie was made. Likewise, the infamous Sony hack revealed that Chiwetel Ejiofor was the original choice to play Max Denbigh. Controversially, he was passed over for Andrew Scott because he would cost less money.
Ultimately, it seems like both the actors would have been wasted in these thinly-written parts so maybe its not so bad that neither signed on. Nevertheless, hopefully this means both Oldman and Ejiofor will remain under consideration for such a villainous role in the future.