Martin Campbell, the director behind Daniel Craig’s James Bond debut in Casino Royale says he misses the humor of the older films in the franchise. Not only responsible for launching Craig’s turn in the role of MI6’s super spy, Campbell was also behind the James Bond debut of Craig’s predecessor, Pierce Brosnan, in 1995’s Goldeneye. Campbell also lent his directorial talents to the Antonio Banderas led The Mask of Zorro and The Legend of Zorro, and his latest action film The Protégé currently stars Maggie Q, Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson.
When Brosnan announced that he was departing the coveted role of the world’s most beloved secret agent in 2004, producer Michael G. Wilson claimed that over 200 potential names were being considered for his replacement. Out of that list, however, Campbell has previously stated that The Witcher’s Henry Cavill was the only other actor besides Craig in serious contention for the role, but he was deemed to be too young at the time. In 2005, Craig was officially announced as the sixth actor to play Bond, and his debut outing was lauded by critics for its fresh take on the long-running franchise and its return to the more serious Bond portrayed in Ian Fleming’s original novels.
Now with Craig also set to vacate the role following the release of No Time to Die, Campbell spoke with Pop Culture about his thoughts on the franchise and where he would like to see it go next. While he admits that he hasn’t “got a clue” about who should next in line to play Bond after Craig’s departure, he did admit that he misses the humor from the older films “just a little bit”. Check out what he had to say below:
“It all changed with [Casino Royale] because it got much grittier and tougher. I had his feet on the ground.. [Those] old Bond elements, just a few of those I slightly miss. Daniel’s done a wonderful job, but now Bond, I think has become much more serious and internalized… In a way that I do miss some of those moments, I have to say.”
While Campbell may have been the man responsible for shaping Craig’s initial steps as a more serious James Bond, he certainly isn’t alone in missing the humor which characterized the franchise’s earlier entries. From the early days of Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Roger Moore, right through to Timothy Dalton’s and Brosnan’s entries in the ’80s and ’90s, the previous James Bond films have always possessed varying degrees of tongue-in-cheek humor mixed in with the slick action sequences and super suave espionage. Craig’s turn in the role, however, removed nearly all of that in preference of a darker, more reserved take on the character.
While Craig has indeed done a wonderful job bringing his take on the character to life, it will be interesting to see if whoever the next Bond is brings a sense of humor with them back to the baccarat table. With Amazon recently acquiring MGM Studios, there are other questions about the future of the long-running franchise beyond who the next actor will be, but it is probably a safe bet that James Bond will continue for many years to come regardless of what form that takes. In the meantime, Daniel Craig will finish his time in the role he began in Casino Royale with this October’s release of No Time to Die.
Key Release Dates
Bond 25
Release Date:2021-10-08
