Ah, the Hollywood press release gods have smiled upon us this sunny afternoon, PopWatchers. As you may have heard, there were not one but two big bits of news on the directing front. First, we learned that the helmer of the next James Bond flick (tentatively titled Bond 22 and due out Nov. 7, 2008) will be Forster, Marc Forster. Then, along came word that the great Michael Apted (himself a 007 veteran, by chance) will take the reins of the third Narnia movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (due out May 1, 2009). Yay!
Really, yay. I couldn’t be happier about these two choices — true artists, both. Totally psyched.
I’ve loved almost all of Forster’s movies, like Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland, and Stranger Than Fiction. He’s shown great range and a terrific ability to make actors shine and make the characters they play feel real. What’s more, I mean, look at that photo: Dude totally looks like a Bond villain! (Which one, though? Maybe Robert Carlyle in The World Is Not Enough? Or Telly Savalas in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service?) Anyway, the 007 producers’ choice to go with the series’ first director who hails from outside the British Commonwealth (Forster is Swiss) is yet another sign that they’ve finally learned how mixing things up a bit, you know, breaking the mold, or whatever, works. It’s one of the reasons why Casino Royale earned almost $600 million worldwide and scored rave reviews (and, yes, the two keys to that film’s success, Daniel Craig and screenwriter Paul Haggis, will be back). Somewhere Ian Fleming is taking that long cigarette holder thing out of his mouth and smiling.
As for Apted, well, he’s one of Hollywood’s great workhorses, an underrated director who churns out way-above-par product each time (see: Coal Miner’s Daughter, Gorillas in the Mist, Thunderheart, the aforementioned The World Is Not Enough, and, of course, the terrific Up documentary series). Any franchise would be well-served by this bloke.
Of course, that’s my take. What say you, dear watchers of pop? Do you agree that these are fine picks, or were you hoping for someone else? And what else would you like to see from the movies they’re about to make? Hey, don’t keep your thoughts top secret and for your eyes only.
I saw “Stranger than Fiction” for the first time this past weekend, and was pretty impressed with the things Forster did visually. I don’t think he was anybody’s first choice out there, but I think it’ll work…I like that they’re going a bit off the grid with the new Bond franchise.
Slightly off-topic: why do we say “above par” when we mean “better than average” or “good”…being above par is bad! (and vice versa). Eh, one of those things.
What exactly is so great about the news that a guy who has never directed action, a chase or for that matter anything that’s just pure visual excitement, who in contrast is known for pretentious, cheesy crap such as Monster Ball and Finding Neverland is gonna direct an action-adventure franchise that just was rescued from turning completely cornball?
Marc Forster could be a villain in the next Bond. Man creeps me out.
Let’s not forget that “The World is Not Enough” was pretty awful, and Forster’s “Stay” was equally bad. I would kill to see what David Fincher would do with the Bond series, or, to a lesser extent, how about Tony or Ridley Scott? “Narnia” should go to Todd Field. It could be wonderful, it could be awful, but wouldn’t you like to see all the subtlties Field could put into the children’s tale?
I’d love it if David Fincher got a shot at directing a Bond film.
I’m a fan of the Bond films, and I’m a HUGE fan of Marc Forster. But I’m not thrilled about this announcement. After the extraordinary STRANGER THAN FICTION, I would have hoped Forster would have followed up with something not full of car chases and explosions. Not that Bond movies should be dumb, but let’s face it–they are lighter fare. The next Bond movie should have gone to a director that endulges himself in fun, not overly dramatic material like Quentin Tarantino (who has expressed interest on several occasions) or Robert Rodriguez.
Monster’s Ball was awful! I can’t believe someone would consider it a good movie.
Anyways, I loved Stranger Than Fiction and Finding Neverland. Let’s hope that Forster does a good job!
Andrew, in answer to your question about Todd Field and Narnia…no. One thing I don’t need is some director pulling post-modern subtexts out of my favorite kids’ books.
what was wrong with Martin Cambell. Sure, Goldeneye sucked, but he totally redeemed himself with Casino Royale? At least he’s directed an action movie, unlike Marc Forster
Um, I think you missed out on some of the directors’ worse movies – those two aren’t as “genius” as the article made them seem. Apted is responsible for such disasters as “Critical Condition” (starring Richard Pryor as an imbecile doctor); “Nell” (one of the worst Jodie Foster films, and there aren’t that many bad Jodie Foster films); “Enigma” (a confusing mess with Kate Winslet as its sole redeeming factor); you mentioned “The World is Not Enough” but isn’t it one of the silliest James Bond chapters (Denise Richards’ ham, anyone?); and let’s not forget “Enough” with JLo, enough said.
As for Forster, the overrated “Monster’s Ball” was one long distressing trip with no redemption factor – so depressing that it ultimately self-destructed in masochistic gloom. “Finding Neverland” was sentimental and cliched, “Stranger…” was a Charlie Kaufman rip-off, and “Stay” was a confusing mess.
Now, lets get Tarantino to do Bond, and Guillermo Del Toro to do Narnia – THAT would be craazy!