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BOND MARKET
June 24, 2001
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BOND MARKET
June 24, 2001
Note: This article has been clipped for DJE content.
-- PIERCE Brosnan has one more James Bond movie to make. But who will replace him in 2004 as the British secret agent with a license to kill?
The Bond producers made international headlines when they met with unknown actor Gerard Butler, who played the lead in the miniseries "Attila."
They also made a mistake. Ever since Sean Connery made Bond an icon, the producers have wavered between filling the role with movie stars and unknowns on the one hand and TV stars on the other.
George Lazenby, unknown, flopped in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Timothy Dalton, movie star, never quite got a handle on the role and was saddled with weak villains. But TV stars have always clicked.
Roger "The Saint" Moore is still the most successful Bond, starring in more pictures (seven, in all) as 007 than anyone else. And Pierce Brosnan of "Remington Steele" was famously picked to play Bond - until NBC revived his all-but-finished TV series for a final few episodes. That meant cooling his heels for eight years.
Brosnan still has plenty of Bond left in him, but the next film will apparently be his last. So, who will be the next Bond? If the producers want to stick to a winning formula they should turn to television for their hero.
OUR OH! OH! SEVEN CHOICES ARE...
[big snip] DAVID JAMES ELLIOTT
Age: 40. TV role: Commander Harm Rabb on "JAG."
* BEST indication of Bond-ability: Rabb's derring-do in emergency situations.
* CAN he carry a gun? Absolutely, though Rabb is more likely to cite legalese.
* PLUSES: Has the dashing hero look down pat.
* MINUSES: He's almost too much of a straight arrow for Bond. No rough edges here.
M SAYS: No. It would be a shame to take him out of those Navy whites.
[big snip]
