Ang Lee
Visually, this man knows exactly what is needed to burst life into his films which can even be said for ones that people didn't particularly care for. From the beautiful scenery and landscapes in Brokeback Mountain to the giant and breathtaking spectacle that Life of Pi brought us. This is something that Ang Lee could masterfully perfect and use to good effect in Bond 24 if he was picked to helm the project. Although I wasn't overly impressed with Skyfall as much as everybody else seems to be, one of the aspects that I did appreciate was the way that it was shot from the locations right down to the cinematography. I believe if Ang Lee was picked to direct, this is something he wouldn't have a problem implicating into the sequel and mirroring the effect it had in Skyfall.
The main problem that I have with Ang Lee is that he sometimes tries to over compensate substance for style. It was certainly the case in Hulk where the story was overly dull and never really seemed to take off and this is something that I believe Ang Lee knew himself. Maybe he thought he could have gotten away with an uninteresting concept and bland execution and therefore believed including these nicely crafted visuals was enough to get by. This wasn't the case and it remains his worst piece of work to date. It could easily be a replication if he was to work on Bond 24 with the amounted pressure and expectations that would be resting on his shoulders just like he had to deal with when directing Hulk.
Shane Black
This name is probably the most appealing out of all that I have read and maybe even the most fitting. Now hear me out, off the back of that statement some people may believe I'm in over my head. Shane Black has had involvement with some great action films including two of my favourites of all time; Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2. Despite him only being the writer for these films, his involvement was partially the reason why the films worked as well as they did. On top of this he also wrote and directed the impressive action/crime/comedy 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'. Not to mention being the director of Iron Man 3 as well as co-writing the film. This filmography alone should read that he is suitable material to be given a shot at directing Bond 24. He handles action sequences like no other, really giving a clear picture of what is going on as well as being able to intensify and immerse the audience into what is taking place. This would be extremely fitting for a Bond film and I would definitely have faith that he could deliver on all fronts if given the chance.
Downfalls that could of course make him unsuitable for the franchise is that his style of filmmaking and genre mixes many not fit the bill. He likes a blend of both action and comedy within his films and this would be something that I don't think would fit well within a James Bond film personally. Not that I don't mind some comic relief or funny moments in an action film but Bond isn't intended to be executed this way. It works perfectly for the over the top, outrageously fun movies that he creates but as for James Bond, it's never something that I've considered to be needed or fitting, as I'm sure many others will agree.
Nicolas Winding Refn
This is probably the more outrageous possibility that I've heard. When I first read this list and was trying to calculate whether they would work or not, I immediately couldn't connect Refn to Bond as a match. Although, his more gritty and darker tone to his films could be something that I would gladly see. As we've got somewhat of a glimpse of this in the newer films and more so in Skyfall then any, it would definitely relinquish any concerns that fans have of matching Sam Mendes' tone of the previous installment. I think it could be a good way to help pick up from where the last film left off and while he would bring some interesting casting and visual choices with him, the feel of the film would fit perfectly.
I will stick to just the main gripe that I have with Nicolas Winding Refn and that is that his films are just too hit and miss with me. He can either produce something that is perfectly shot, interesting, unique and all round brilliant such as Bronson and Drive or completely bore the audience, providing nothing remotely appealing and just slowly collapsing in on itself like Fear X. In a brief summary, Refn just doesn't fit the bill for me at all. I couldn't see him being a popular choice as he is much more suited as an arthouse style director which his much better films fall into that category. Not to mention that he has never dealt with a project on the scale and monumental capacity as a James Bond film. There is so much expectation, pressure and certain credentials that are expected of him when I just can't see him being able to pull it off while it actually feeling like a new entry into the Bond franchise.
Tom Hooper
Another seemingly interesting choice but yet again, I don't feel matches the direction and approach to his films that can imitate what has been such a success for both Casino Royale and Skyfall and can carry that momentum in continuing the franchise. Now don't get me wrong, Tom Hooper is a great director. The Damned United is an absolutely amazing film and one that I have appreciated for many years now. Handling interactions between characters and situations is something that he deals with exquisitely. This is present in all of Hooper's films from Les Miserables right down to The King's Speech. He certainly knows how to handle a scene with the right amount of emotion and depth so that it flows naturally and is always more interesting than the last. This creates real tension which could be used perfectly in a Bond film and could offer us something unique and creative to a franchise that many could argue is lacking these areas.
Yet again my main problem with this choice though would be that his style of filmmaking does not suit that of what Bond 24 should be looking for. I truly believe it needs to carry on where Sam Mendes left off whether he does reprise his role in the director's chair or not. I would love to see a continuation of the route that Skyfall took in terms of style, direction and tone. I thought it was perfectly executed and is incredibly fitting for how a James Bond should look and feel. This isn't Tom Hooper's genre of film to begin with, so it would be like throwing him in at that deep end before he could even swim. He has no expertise or knowledge in this area of the industry and would thus more than likely crumble if he was at the helm of this project. Sure, he would have the dialogue and conversations solidified which would certainly make for interesting characters arcs, villains etc but they wouldn't be able to take this film to new heights because of the restraints he would carry. We wouldn't be given these immense, wild scale action set pieces they we all love and expect from the franchise as well as truly capturing the spirit of the films because of this.
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Ang-Lee-Shane-Black-Nicolas-Winding-Refn-More-Being-Considered-Bond-24-37769.html
No comments:
Post a Comment