As far as silver screen secret agents are concerned, there are few fictional spies as iconic as Ian Fleming's James Bond.
No American has ever starred in the Bond series, but a few came close, and Burt Reynolds was one of them after George Lazenby departed the series following On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Though he was offered the part, Reynolds said no, believing an American could never play the spy.
Austin Powers is a film series created by Canadian comedian Mike Myers. Many of the characters throughout the franchise are parodies of Bond characters, including Myers' character of the same name. Myers has said that Sean Connery was the inspiration for his character, especially Powers' thick chest hair.
Starring Rowan Atkinson in the title role, Natalie Imbruglia, Ben Miller and John Malkovich, it is the first installment of the Johnny English film series and serves as a parody and homage to the spy genre, mainly the James Bond film series, as well as Atkinson's Mr. Bean character.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been identified as one of the leading candidates to replace Daniel Craig as the next James Bond. After it was revealed that the 32-year-old actor had participated in a screen test, he unexpectedly became the frontrunner to play the leading role in the self-titled film franchise.
This is a problem,'” Jackman said. Of course, instead of Jackman, the role of James Bond went to Daniel Craig, who went on to star in the role for more than 10 years. Craig appeared in five total films, the final of which was 2021's No Time to Die.
Craig, who finished playing the character with 2021's No Time to Die, told the outlet that the decision to make the film his final turn as Bond was simple. "I said, 'This is it. I don't want to do any more,' " he said.
Connery responded to the criticisms that Craig was "too blonde" to play the iconic spy. He said: "I think Daniel Craig is a terrific choice." The actor then spoke about the change in direction for the series, which went a little more rough-and-tumble than previous iterations of 007.
Roger Moore's take on James Bond was defined by his wry sense of humor and slapstick gags. Some of his Bond films were borderline comedies. After Sean Connery's iconic initial turn as James Bond, Roger Moore managed to make the role his own with a record-holding seven-movie run.
Dusko Popov was Ian Fleming's inspiration
Popov began his career as a spy when he was at university, thanks to his friend Johan Jebsen, who offered him the chance to join the Abweh as a double agent. Dusko was born in present-day Serbia and was fluent in German.
Austin Powers was a character seen as a parody of James Bond, and being influenced by Evelyn Tremble (played by Peter Sellers) in the spoof James Bond 1967 movie Casino Royale.
George Robert Lazenby (/ˈleɪzənbi/; born 5 September 1939) is an Australian actor. He was the second actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).
James Bond and the multiverse
In other words, all the Sean Connery Bonds (plus the George Lazenby 007) are in one universe. The Roger Moore Bond is in another, the Timothy Dalton Bond is in another, and the Daniel Craig Bond in another.
The actor who plays James Bond doesn't have to be British. Pierce Brosnan, for example, was born in Ireland and later took US citizenship. The holder of the codename 007 has to be British. The job title 007 doesn't isn't always held by James Bond.
In the official Bond canon -- the films made by Eon Productions -- there are 25 films, including No Time to Die. Because of licensing issues, there were two other, non-canonical movies: the 1967 version of Casino Royale, and Sean Connery's final outing, 1983's Never Say Never Again.
The findings reveal that Sean Connery was the favorite among survey respondents, with 61 percent stating that they had a very favorable impression of the actor's interpretation of James Bond. A total of 51 percent said the same about Pierce Brosnan.
Before Casino Royale took James Bond down a darker path, there was Timothy Dalton's final 007 outing, Licence To Kill... So this is the anti-Bond.
Brosnan did share praise for Daniel Craig's run as 007 during a separate GQ video interview, saying, “I have the greatest admiration for Daniel Craig and what he did. The physicality he brought to the performance was monumental.”
Yes, for the first time in the character's 59-year cinematic history (and 68-year literary one), 007 is killed. The movie's title lied to us. It's pretty definitive too; he'd been badly wounded by Safin and the missile strike wiped out the island.
Bond 26: Is there a release date? There is no release date currently set for the next James Bond movie. The last entry in the franchise, No Time To Die, was released on September 30, 2021.
Sir Michael Caine
'The Dark Knight' actor turned down the opportunity in 1967, before George Lazenby took over the role in 1969 in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'. 'The Ipcress File' star sold himself short by considering himself too ordinary for the role. He said: "Bond was a glamorous, imaginative creation.