The James Bond Story Zack Snyder Wants To Make And It’s Perfect
More often than not, prequels are an unnecessary way for a studio to exploit an existing IP for more money. Not one Han Solo fan went into Solo thinking, “Finally I’ve been wondering where Han got his last name for years!” A James Bond origin story, on the other hand, would make for a very compelling movie, and Zack Snyder wants to be the one to make it.
Zack Snyder Would Love To Make A James Bond Prequel Film
A recent interview with the Rebel Moon director touched on his willingness to go back to directing preexisting IPs like the ones the director is most famous for. “It’d be cool to see, like, 20-year-old James Bond,” Zack Snyder suggested. “The humble roots that he comes from. Watever trauma of youth that makes you be able to be James Bond. There has to be something there.”
Why We Aren’t Likely To See A Young James Bond Any Time Soon
While the 57-year-old director’s idea for a James Bond prequel is intriguing, it’s not something we’re likely to see from the franchise anytime soon. From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, the average age of Bond actors is 37.5. The youngest Bond, one-hit-wonder George Lazenby, was 30 when he starred in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service—still a whole decade older than what Zack Snyder envisioned.
Now that Daniel Craig has retired from the role of James Bond, it would seem like the perfect time to reinvigorate the franchise with Zack Snyder’s idea. Unfortunately, producer Michael G. Wilson put an end to the idea of a younger bond when he publically announced that the next 007 would be a “30-something.”
The announcement came after speculation last year that Spider-Man actor Tom Holland was being tapped to replace Craig as the new Bond.
Franchise Heads Strictly Against Casting Young Actors
The preference for an older super spy was echoed earlier this year when casting director Debbie McWilliams explained in an interview that unlike the contents of Bond’s signature shaken martini, youth and James Bond don’t mix. When describing the casting process for Casino Royal, Daniel Craig’s first outing as 007, McWilliams said she looked at “a lot of young actors” but that they lacked the “gravitas” to portray James Bond accurately.
But that’s a 20-year-old playing a seasoned James Bond already firmly entrenched in his role as a spy. We can only assume that the lack of gravitas would serve an actor well in the role Zack Snyder described. A young, inexperienced Bond on his way to becoming the 007 we all know and love should logically be a bit of an ill-fit for the role in the beginning.
No Director Or Actors Set For The Next James Bond Outing
No actor or director has been announced for the next James Bond film, but even without the Bond team’s commitment to an older actor for the role, it’s unlikely Zack Snyder would be up for the job. The director has seemingly gone all in on his most recent Netflix project, Rebel Moon, and with various spin-offs and adaptations being planned, who knows when he’ll be available for anything else.
Zack Snyder Could Create His Own Bond-Like Franchise
On the other hand, there’s always the chance that the director could pull another Rebel Moon and adapt his James Bond idea into something “original.” Moon was originally conceived as a Star Wars project, after all, before Zack Snyder adapted it into an original IP—though ripoff might be the slightly more accurate term. Don’t be surprised, Bond fans, if you see Netflix announce a “brand new” spy thriller they’re developing from an idea by Zack Snyder in the next couple of years.
Source: The Atlantic
