With Daniel Craig apparently moving on from the James Bond franchise (after turning down an offer of $68 million dollars), the Internet is abuzz with suggestions for the next actor who could bring the character to life. It is a hard role to cast, because you don't want someone who's extremely recognizable, but someone who's proven themselves as a capable actor is obviously also wanted.
But right now, the main argument on the Internet seems to be "why should we just consider male actors for the part?" This is a fair enough point, since more and more female-driven properties are being made, whether original or rebooted. So it only makes sense to give James Bond the same treatment, right?
No. Not at all.
It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world or anything. It's just not the right choice for the character. I don't really buy into the whole "just make a character a woman, that's different" way of thinking, because a gender change isn't really a huge deal. It's a fanfiction-level change, something that might be cool to explore in an unofficial way, like cosplay. What I mean by it feeling like fanfiction is that James Bond has been a very specific character since his inception. Different angles have been explored over the course of his films, but the core of the character has remained the same. Exploring a superficial change like that isn't really what the official movies should do.
The solution is to make new characters. I don't know why everyone is so keen on a female James Bond, because a character like James Bond could exist in the universe. If that character is a woman, it wouldn't feel like a carbon copy of James Bond. It might be an interesting plot to have Bond going up against a woman who's every bit as capable as he is. That's what people really want to see; interesting female characters. Existing characters don't need to be made female to be made interesting. Of course, another solution is to just create more original properties, but that always sounds easier than it is. I'm all for awesome female characters being added to existing properties, though. One problem could be that when characters like this do show up, they're written or acted poorly (i.e. Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice). People get really excited to see these characters because they're different, and when they don't live up to expectations again and again, it kind of kills the faith that movies will be able to do it in the future.
For all the people wanting a female James Bond, nobody seems to be crying out for a better supporting cast. I'd love to see a Moneypenny who was capable, because that was set up in Skyfall, and then ruined in Spectre (a description that can be applied to many things). It's possible for the best element of a movie to be a supporting female character. Look at Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (which was released in the same year and featured a surprisingly similar plot as Spectre). Rebecca Ferguson was definitely the coolest and most interesting character in that movie.
Take the Ghostbusters reboot for instance. The idea of having female characters in that world does make sense, because the actors are playing new characters. If they were playing characters named Peter, Raymond, Egon, and Winston, that would be a weird and nonsensical choice (and would probably lead to more fan outrage, if that's even possible). But since it's a straight reboot, and they're not the same characters, there's no reason for the amount of backlash that it's getting. The gender of a character doesn't matter; how they're written does. In the world that this new Ghostbusters film is presenting, anyone can be a Ghostbuster, and this team steps forward. That makes sense, and fits the premise of the original, but is taking it in a new and modern direction. I'm not sure how much the James Bond series will change with a new actor, it's still supposed to be the same character.
One situation where this would work is Doctor Who. That's a character who has no definitive identity in terms of gender because of regeneration. They've even showed a male character regenerate into a female character before with The Master. I'm expecting a female Doctor sometime soon; I wouldn't be surprised if she showed up sometime in the next two or three incarnations. The Doctor's character supports that kind of change because everything about the Doctor's appearance can change.
But James Bond isn't. James Bond is a very specific thing; a British man who drinks martinis, beds a lot of women, and beats the bad guy's evil plan. He's been that way since the 60s, and while there have been updates to the world around him, the character of James Bond has remained the same. That character is what draws people to the movies, just like Indiana Jones. I think it's the same reason that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans got so upset when William Fichtner was cast as the Shredder in the 2014 reboot; aside from whitewashing, it was changing the specific background that makes the character who he is. I would be down for female characters like James Bond or Indiana Jones, or any male character that I love, because I just love great characters. I just want to see characters in movies that I can love. I also want to be surprised by new characters, and with Hollywood embracing diversity a bit more lately (kind of), that's happening a lot.
On the other hand, there is a part of me that thinks "who cares?" because it's just a movie. The idea of a female James Bond doesn't offend me, and I don't care about the series enough that it would have any significant impact on my life. I wouldn't see the change as furthering some kind of nonexistent agenda, because the only character I'd probably defend so vehemently against change is Han Solo. Plus, changing such an iconic character into a woman would be a very risky move, and would show that the people behind the Bond franchise are willing to shake things up a bit.
But they haven't done it for the past 50 years, so why would they start now?
Changing James Bond into a woman would be an empty change, when studios should just be giving women more opportunities to create new iconic roles. Variety is what keeps the medium interesting, so I'd rather see new things than just the same thing but slightly altered. But again, that's unfortunately easier said than done, so I don't think that a female James Bond will or should happen.
But right now, the main argument on the Internet seems to be "why should we just consider male actors for the part?" This is a fair enough point, since more and more female-driven properties are being made, whether original or rebooted. So it only makes sense to give James Bond the same treatment, right?
No. Not at all.
It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world or anything. It's just not the right choice for the character. I don't really buy into the whole "just make a character a woman, that's different" way of thinking, because a gender change isn't really a huge deal. It's a fanfiction-level change, something that might be cool to explore in an unofficial way, like cosplay. What I mean by it feeling like fanfiction is that James Bond has been a very specific character since his inception. Different angles have been explored over the course of his films, but the core of the character has remained the same. Exploring a superficial change like that isn't really what the official movies should do.
The solution is to make new characters. I don't know why everyone is so keen on a female James Bond, because a character like James Bond could exist in the universe. If that character is a woman, it wouldn't feel like a carbon copy of James Bond. It might be an interesting plot to have Bond going up against a woman who's every bit as capable as he is. That's what people really want to see; interesting female characters. Existing characters don't need to be made female to be made interesting. Of course, another solution is to just create more original properties, but that always sounds easier than it is. I'm all for awesome female characters being added to existing properties, though. One problem could be that when characters like this do show up, they're written or acted poorly (i.e. Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice). People get really excited to see these characters because they're different, and when they don't live up to expectations again and again, it kind of kills the faith that movies will be able to do it in the future.
For all the people wanting a female James Bond, nobody seems to be crying out for a better supporting cast. I'd love to see a Moneypenny who was capable, because that was set up in Skyfall, and then ruined in Spectre (a description that can be applied to many things). It's possible for the best element of a movie to be a supporting female character. Look at Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (which was released in the same year and featured a surprisingly similar plot as Spectre). Rebecca Ferguson was definitely the coolest and most interesting character in that movie.
Take the Ghostbusters reboot for instance. The idea of having female characters in that world does make sense, because the actors are playing new characters. If they were playing characters named Peter, Raymond, Egon, and Winston, that would be a weird and nonsensical choice (and would probably lead to more fan outrage, if that's even possible). But since it's a straight reboot, and they're not the same characters, there's no reason for the amount of backlash that it's getting. The gender of a character doesn't matter; how they're written does. In the world that this new Ghostbusters film is presenting, anyone can be a Ghostbuster, and this team steps forward. That makes sense, and fits the premise of the original, but is taking it in a new and modern direction. I'm not sure how much the James Bond series will change with a new actor, it's still supposed to be the same character.
One situation where this would work is Doctor Who. That's a character who has no definitive identity in terms of gender because of regeneration. They've even showed a male character regenerate into a female character before with The Master. I'm expecting a female Doctor sometime soon; I wouldn't be surprised if she showed up sometime in the next two or three incarnations. The Doctor's character supports that kind of change because everything about the Doctor's appearance can change.
But James Bond isn't. James Bond is a very specific thing; a British man who drinks martinis, beds a lot of women, and beats the bad guy's evil plan. He's been that way since the 60s, and while there have been updates to the world around him, the character of James Bond has remained the same. That character is what draws people to the movies, just like Indiana Jones. I think it's the same reason that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans got so upset when William Fichtner was cast as the Shredder in the 2014 reboot; aside from whitewashing, it was changing the specific background that makes the character who he is. I would be down for female characters like James Bond or Indiana Jones, or any male character that I love, because I just love great characters. I just want to see characters in movies that I can love. I also want to be surprised by new characters, and with Hollywood embracing diversity a bit more lately (kind of), that's happening a lot.
On the other hand, there is a part of me that thinks "who cares?" because it's just a movie. The idea of a female James Bond doesn't offend me, and I don't care about the series enough that it would have any significant impact on my life. I wouldn't see the change as furthering some kind of nonexistent agenda, because the only character I'd probably defend so vehemently against change is Han Solo. Plus, changing such an iconic character into a woman would be a very risky move, and would show that the people behind the Bond franchise are willing to shake things up a bit.
But they haven't done it for the past 50 years, so why would they start now?
Changing James Bond into a woman would be an empty change, when studios should just be giving women more opportunities to create new iconic roles. Variety is what keeps the medium interesting, so I'd rather see new things than just the same thing but slightly altered. But again, that's unfortunately easier said than done, so I don't think that a female James Bond will or should happen.
Comments
Post a Comment