DB7

Revealed - The 007 Flops Who Almost Killed Bond
Written by James MacGregor Monday, 22 May 2006


007 -licensed to kill, but almost killed offIt is a little-known story until now, but though James Bond triumphed over all kinds of would-be assassins, but according to some newly released documents, it was a bunch of accountants who almost killed him off.


Concerned over dwindling box-office receipts for films in the late 1980s starring Timothy Dalton, the estate of 007's creator, Ian Fleming, was warned of "grave doubts" that another Bond movie would ever be made.

The extent of these fears over the Bond brand's future are revealed in papers just discovered in the archive of Kenneth Maidment, former vice-president of Columbia Pictures. He acted as the financial consultant for Fleming's estate for almost two decades.

FATAL TO THE FRANCHISE

During his time with Columbia, Maidment presided over many hit films including A Man For All Seasons and Lawrence of Arabia. In correspondence he said that neither of the Dalton films was likely to make a profit - a state of affairs he suggested might prove fatal for the franchise.

Writing to the Fleming estate's solicitors, Maidment said that the way Dalton was portraying Bond was alienating fans.

Three years before Pierce Brosnan replaced Dalton as 007, Maidment wrote in 1992: "Despite the exercise of a further option before April 2, 1992, the prospect of a further Bond film seems highly uncertain. I pointed out in my 1984 valuation that there was a big question mark over the future of James Bond films. The last two pictures have starred Timothy Dalton but sadly the results have, unfortunately, not had the same box-office success.

Hackett

I liked Dalton as Bond. I liked the way he played him. Second too Connery for me.

DB7

Thought he was terribly wooden and lacking in charisma.

btw welcolme back Hackett, in your third incarnation now?

smudge

It didn't help that LTK looked like an overlong episode of MIAMI VICE...

SMUDGE

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

Wolfgang

One thing that upsets me is that we get English Bond girls, Russian Bond girls, Swedish Bond girls, French Bond girls, Chinese Bond girls, Japanese Bond girls, Italian Bond girls, American Bond girls, Dutch Bond girls but thus far Germany is represented solely by:



And arguably she does not count because it cuts away just before she sleeps with Bond.

A Pemberton

Timothy Dalton did give a certain edge/nastiness and sullen version and showed a certain vunerability which I believe is important to Bond and Dalton is certainly capable of that good characterization which was more in line with the Fleming books .
I would place him second to Connery ,way above the debacle that was Roger Moore! The columbia executive probably saw the Bond franchise in purely financial terms and we all know box office success does not guarantee a good film............

Quiller

I was only a kid when the Dalton bonds came out, but I remember the time they premiered on TV - they were great. I think they were more gritty than some of the last Brosnan bonds - tho I prefer Brosnan over 0-0-Steroids.

Dalton did something in his two bonds that they didn't seem to do very much in the last few: kill people - violently. Licence To Kill - 15 certificate - fantastic! Brit Grit.

And The Living Daylights, and License To Kill have some spectacular action set-pieces that only Goldeneye came close to - and that was with some beautiful miniatures - whereas the finale of Dalton's bonds were full-scale.

I've got to admit, I'm not looking forward to a pretty-boy bond film, a la Casino Royale. Gritty, as they're trying to make it, just makes me think it's a clever way of prete~ding there'll be lots of action, when the budget is half of the last one.

Merton Park

I have been told that Casino Royale starts in the US on 17 November. Not that long to find out if he is up to it.

Cheeky Bob

Dalton was arguably the closest to Ian Fleming's original Bond, but as Fleming's Bond is a cold, rather dislikeable character, that's not necessarily a good thing. And clearly wasn't in this case.

On a strictly technical level, Dalton is easily the most accomplished actor to have played Bond, and I'd also argue that Daniel Craig might well be second on the list given his track record thus far - though as Dalton's experience proved, that might not necessarily be an advantage!

In fact, I might as well go the whole hog and attempt a full list:

Dalton
Craig
Connery
Brosnan
Moore
Lazenby (no arguments here, whatever you think of the rest!)

Quiller

I have to admit that with the current state of filmmaking in general - or lack of it - I haven't been to the cinema in nearly a whole year! That's a long time for a 25 year old not to see a film.

The classics just become more appealing with every piece of modern dross that gets released. Whatever happened to entertainment?

(I meant to say I won't be seeing the new Bond film. lol, I didn't see the last Bond one at the cinema, and glad I didn't.

Captain Casper

Dalton played Bond as if he hated him. Brosnan brought reality to the role and really enjoyed the films.

I'd still like to see Clive Owen given a chance.

Cheeky Bob

Actually, I think you'll find that Dalton was the one who made the best fist of "bringing reality to the role" - he's certainly one hell of a lot closer to Fleming's original Bond than any of the others, and his two films were appreciably less cartoonish than the Moore and Brosnan ones that bookended them.

Unfortunately, that's not necessarily a good thing - I always found the Bond of the books to be cold, misogynist and faintly repellent, and the toning-down of the larger-scale set-pieces didn't do Dalton too many favours.

Cuffy

Whilst I think that Dalton is a fine actor and the Bond films he appeared in weren't all that bad either...... well.... the combination of the two just really didn't didn't work for me for reasons I'm not entirely sure of.

Connery
Moore
Brosnan
Dalton
Lazenby (although OHMMS is my favourite film in the series)

MikeB

Dalton never did it for me at all - although his first was far better than the second (I think that Miami Vice actually looked more expensive than Licence to Kill..). Brosnan brought real chrisma back to the role, although he eventually left because of the money, as usual. Hopefully, the new one will bring some of that charm, as well as being a bit ruthless. The idea of having a website hating the man before he's even on screen seems a little unpleasent. However, its only often the actor doing his best with the material - again we are back to Dalton.

Captain Casper

Interesting new slant on 007 :-

The day Connery's 007 career nearly went for a Burton | the Daily Mail