One thing that I always get a kick out of when it comes to James Bond casting news is when someone reports that an actor is interested in playing 007. Every actor on this planet, from the A-list to uncredited extras and from England to bloody Antarctica, should be willing to slap their own mums for a shot at playing the ultimate gentleman spy. From there, it’s simply up to the studio to choose the actor and us to determine just how awesome or horrible of a choice it may be. In fact, criticizing potential Bond casting decisions and baseless rumors has become a favorite game of mine, so let’s get to the next name on the block… JASON STATHAM!
In an interview with the Guardian for his new action-comedy film Spy, everyone’s favorite bald British badass touched on everything from superhero movies (“It’s absolutely, 100 percent created by stunt doubles and green screen. How can I get excited about that?”) to his next project, Viva La Madness, the follow-up to the wonderful 2004 film Layer Cake. So, it was fitting that when talking about following in Daniel Craig’s footsteps, the topic changed to Bond… James Bond.
“Could I do it? Abso-f*cking-lutely,” he says. “Would I do it? Abso-f*cking-lutely. Is Daniel Craig a great Bond? Abso-f*cking-lutely.”
There’s no doubt Statham can walk the Bond walk. And talking his talk can hardly be an issue with a character whose accent has fluctuated between Sean Connery’s Scottish brogue and Timothy Dalton’s Welsh. Added to which, Statham’s self-made, by-the-bootstraps backstory is surely more in tune with modern Britain than the traditional public-school elitist Bond biography. “Yeah, I’d make a decent Bond,” he says. “But it’d be very, very different if I did it.”
What about a Bond villain?
“Er …” he hesitates. “I don’t know if I wanna to do that. That’s not my thing. I’d rather play the other guy.” (Via the Guardian)
Between this and the news about Fox wanting The Rock to play Jack Burton in a Big Trouble in Little China remake, I feel like Hollywood is telling me that it’s time for me and Danger Guerrero to run a studio. Or maybe I had a stroke, hit my head on the toilet, and have been laying in a pool of blood for two weeks. If that’s the case, nobody find me, because I’m in action-movie heaven right now.
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Vince’s Note: Obviously, I love this idea. I can picture it now… “Oi, conts. Da naime’s Da Stafe. Oy mean Bond. Da naime’s James Focken Bond, ‘aven’t I, Tommy.”
In fact, I’d like to see The Stath replace the lead in most action franchises.
“Oi, Da Stafe knows wat you’s askin yoahsef. ‘As dis cont foiyud foive shot or six? Ta tew ya da trufe in aw dis excoitment oy koinda lost track meseff, ‘asn’t oy, Tommy. But dis bein da four e four focken magnum, da flashest focken sazz gun in alla norff London, a cont loike you ‘as ta arsk ‘imself one focken question, ‘asn’t ‘e. Da question is, do you fink da Stafe ‘as got da bullets to blow yoah Lizz Winstead off? Wew ‘as i, cont?” -The Stath, as Dirty Harry
