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  1. The Men Who Could Be Bond

    By Athena Stamos on 2004-05-02

    With MGM Vice Chairman Chris McGurk saying that there will be a decision as to who will be James Bond “in the next few months” (MGM Vice Chairman Talks Bond 21), speculation as to who will play 007 in Bond 21 has been running wild. Will Pierce Brosnan come back for one last outing, or will we see an all-new actor in the role? As we wait for an official announcement, do the lists on IMDB of the leading candidate’s upcoming projects offer any clues as to who will be wearing Bond’s tux in 2005? Here’s a look…

    (Bond 21 is currently set for a late 2005 release, which means filming would take place in late 2004 and/or early 2005)


    Orlando Bloom
    He currently has two films set for release in 2005 (Kingdom of Heaven and Elizabethtown) and one set for 2006 (Pirates of the Caribbean 2). Seeing as Kingdom of Heaven (2005) is currently being filmed… there are two scenarios. If Elizabethtown is filmed in late 2004 / early 2005 and Pirates of the Caribbean 2 is filmed in late 2005, then he probably won’t have time to fit Bond 21 (2005) in. But if Elizabethtown‘s filming doesn’t conflict with Bond 21’s filming and Pirates of the Caribbean 2 is set for late 2006 instead of early 2006 (being filmed in early 2006), then he will indeed have time for Bond 21.

    Pierce Brosnan
    He has two films, excluding Bond 21, set for release in 2005 (Instant Karma and Mexicali). He’s currently filming The Matador which means that Instant Karma will probably be filmed in late 2004 and Mexicali will film before or after Bond 21 in 2005. Bond 21 is listed in his current films, but notice the cast list is just the 3 Bond characters who carry over from film to film – M, Q, & Bond. I think he is definitely making room for it if the roll is offered to him again.

    Colin Farrell
    He currently has two films listed for release in 2005 (The New World and Ask the Dust). From the looks of it, it’s possibly that both will be filming in 2005 and therefore it would be a tight squeeze if he were to add Bond 21 into his schedule.

    Mel Gibson
    He has one film listed for release in 2005 (Mad Max: Fury Road). From the looks of it, it seems possible that the filming of Mad Max would conflict with the filming of Bond 21.

    Hugh Jackman
    His last project listed is Van Helsing (2004, currently in theaters). He is not yet listed for X-Men 3 (2006)… is he holding out for something else? You’d think being Wolverine that his negotiations would have been one of the first to be taken care of. Even if he does get signed for X-Men 3 (2006) filming would take place in late 2005 / early 2006). He is also performing in a Broadway play, The Boy From Oz, but the show will end it’s season in September 2004. So, knowing this… he could in fact work both X-Men 3 and Bond 21 into his schedule.

    Jude Law
    He currently has one film listed for release in 2005 (Dexterity). Oddly enough he has seven films coming out this year, two being filmed in 2004 and the rest in post-production. And now suddenly he only have one film for 2005, maybe he has something up his sleeve? He definitely has the room for Bond 21 in his schedule.

    Heath Ledger
    He has three films set for release in 2005 (Nautica, Brokeback Mountain, andCasanova). So from the looks of things his time is taken up for 2004-2006, therefore it’s highly unlikely that he would be able to work in Bond 21 for a 2005 release.

    Ewan McGregor
    He has one film set for release in 2005 (Robots) which is currently being filmed. Then he has one film set for release in 2006 (Gnomeo and Juliet), to either be filmed in late 2005 or early 2006. So he quite possibly has the whole of 2005 open for Bond 21.

    Clive Owen
    Filming for his next film Savage Grace (2004) should start soon. This is the last film he has listed on IMDB. That leaves him with an open schedule in 2005 for Bond 21.

    George Lazenby
    His schedule is completely clear for him to accept the roll. Will he be given a second go at 007?


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