Campbell talks about Casino Royale and Bond's future

By Matt Holmes /

Interviews with the cast and crew of Casino Royale are all over the Internet right now but this one at Superheroflix I found particularly interesting. Director Martin Campbell talked a bit about the decision not to use Brosnan and about the future of the franchise... "When I came on, it was already decided that Pierce wasn't going to do it, so I was not involved in that at all. The idea was that when you go back to basics with Bond, he's a much younger Bond and a different Bond, so clearly, Pierce having done four wouldn't work in Casino Royale". Can't argue with that, if you are restarting the franchise and focusing on Bond's first mission then you can't go with Pierce Brosnan as the lead. It's like using Michael Keaton in Batman Begins, it just wouldn't work. "...we stuck pretty closely to the book. There's no 'Q 'in the books, he doesn't appear...We kept away from gadgets. It just doesn't sort of fit the tone of the movie. We couldn't suddenly have Jon Cleese storming in with a rocket car. Maybe in the future, in some form, he'll be reintroduced, but there's been no discussion of that". I miss Q. My favourite scenes from every Bond movie are the gadget scenes, really hope they bring the character back and use John Cleese or even someone else for that matter. On the subject of a possible S.P.E.C.T.R.E. plot with Blofeld.... "I don't think they'll go as fantastical in that direction. You won't get the huge room with twenty-seven people sitting at the table and the man stroking a cat, and then #27 disappears into the shark tank. (laughs) Or gets electrocuted. Which is all wonderful stuff, actually, but I don't think you'll see that. You may see a more realistic interpretation of that". Again it's a shame. Although I don't neccesarily want them to re-use Blofeld, that type of character and villain situation is why I love the Bond franchise. That's what makes Bond unique and magical, you wouldn't get that type of thing in any other franchise. Casino Royale lost a lot of that for me, which is probably why I'm not so keen on it. On the subject of Campbell returning to helm Bond 22... "I don't know. The thing is that after Goldeneye, I said I wouldn't do another one, because I felt like I was repeating myself, and here I am". Has Campbell changed his mind about not returning to helm the next movie? Look at the quotes he has given above, he sounds more like a director preparing for Bond 22 than a director's that's not. Has the success of Casino Royale and the universal critics praise seduced him into wanting to make another? You can read the whole interview for yourself by clicking here source - filmstalker, superheroflix