JUST BECAUSE HIS NAME STARTS WITH A B AND HAS ONLY FOUR LETTERS DOESN'T MEAN HE'S THE PERFECT BOND

I like Eric Bana. I really do. Even if he was miscast as Hector, and even if Ang Lee didn't give him much to do other than bug out his eyes and shake, I do remember walking away from Black Hawk Down noticing him in particular, much in the same way I left The Quick and the Dead years ago (while I was still working at a small talent agency) and rushed to check if Russell Crowe already had representation. (He did.)

But I have to say that Bana as the new James Bond, while not a foreseeable horrendous mistake like Hugh Grant would be, is an above-average choice at best, especially when compared to the other possibilities out there. I know I've already stated my Clive Owen preference, and really, I would prefer they end the series rather than miscast the role. I'm guessing they're leaning towards a slightly younger Bond (Bana is 35, Owen turns 40 this year) in the hopes of keeping one face on the franchise for longer, and I don't think Bana is necessarily too young for the role. And I would definitely leave open the possibility of a pleasant surprise resulting from his casting. Still, if this comes to pass, it's a less exciting and interesting choice than someone with the dark complexities of Owen.

(Thanks to DeckerSyn for the link to The Guardian piece.)

UPDATED: It seems that DeckerSyn has become my own personal Bond scout. Later in the day, he sent me a link to this story on comingsoon.net which forcefully uses it's headline to claim "Eric Bana is not the next 007." It's good to know it's not a done deal; but stories like the first one don't pop up in a vacuum, and I'm sure Bana is probably under heavy consideration.

Comments

[Marleigh]

Where did Pierce Brosnan go? And don't tell me he's too old—despite the fact that Clive Owen is handsome, Pierce is hot and suave, so he's the perfect modern Bond. The movies suck in general, but I think he's perfect for the role.

Damn Hollywood and their lame ideas.

[Aaron]

Marleigh, I'm surprised at you. Obviously you not only did not read this post of mine, but you missed the news itself that Pierce was stepping down. Then there's the fact that Pierce (even though I don't dislike him as Bond) has never been the "perfect modern Bond." At best, he was a perfect modernization of the good Roger Moore Bond.