By: Greg Payne
I should start off by clarifying that this article is not my attempt to campaign for Michael Fassbender to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond. Instead, this post constitutes my argument that when the time comes for Daniel Craig to step down as 007, I want Michael Fassbender to step up. In an ideal world, Craig would stop aging and be James Bond forever. Seriously, Craig is such an ideal fit for Ian Fleming's iconic character, and perhaps even more importantly, he cares about the property. This isn't just some gig that lands him a boatload of cash and the admiration of every dude and the longing of every woman on the planet.
Craig once said: "There's a perfect Bond movie out there. And I'm going to find it if it kills me."
Boom. Done. Lock it up, strap a bow on it. What else do you need to know? He's not spitting bullshit at us when he says that. He means it. Go watch any of his interviews with late night talkshow hosts or anyone else when he talks Bond and you'll see the sincerity he carries around with him.
Producer Michael G. Wilson, a household staple on the Bond flicks, wants Craig to surpass Roger Moore's personal Bond-playing record and do eight films, which speaks to the brass' faith in his ability to stretch this character to new lengths and consistently keep him interesting and infinitely watchable.
And this is exactly why, when age eventually does force Craig to hang up the tuxedo for good, we're given a legitimate substitute, and right now, there's no better candidate than Michael Fassbender, who's star power currently burns brighter than the sun after memorable turns in 300 and Inglourious Basterds and starring roles in X-Men: First Class and Shame. I haven't seen Shame yet, but it's at the top of my list (Redbox, hook a guy up!), and I fully expect it to reinforce the fact that Fassbender can step into virtually any role and thrive.
His next joint, Ridley Scott's not-quite-prequel to Alien, Prometheus, drops next month, and he plays David, an android. Who is David? Find out below in this truly awesome video that serves as part of Prometheus' excellent viral campaign:
The video's engrossing, but also kind of unsettling, wouldn't you say? The content is rich and interesting, but Fassbender's performance is riveting.
So why Bond? In a sentence: Fassbender has the presence, the good looks, the charisma, and the physical prowess to pull it off. Seriously, go back through Ian Fleming's original novels and you'll find that Fassbender, at least physically, resembles the character the author originally created. And Bond is meant to evolve with our time. How do you think he's survived 50 years on screen? He's adaptable, and the filmmakers can craft Fassbender into whatever type of Bond the world needs when it's his time to take up the mantle.
Go back and watch X-Men: First Class. Watch when Fassbender starts hunting Nazis around the globe. It's almost eerie how much he resembles Bond, particularly when he's in the South American bar. Granted, Bond can't control metal with a flick of his finger, but the essence of a tense Bond scene is present throughout those moments, and Fassbender more than delivers. Put him in the hands of a crew who has been crafting Bond films for decades and we're looking at some serious possibilities here. It'd be like handing Anthony Davis over to Gregg Popovich and his staff. Endless potential.
It's not necessarily about star power when it comes to Bond. Craig wasn't a legitimate movie star when he took over in 2006 with Casino Royale. Seriously, how many of you legitimately knew who Daniel Craig was when the casting was first announced? He had stellar turns in Road to Perdition and Munich, and he was fabulous in the British crime flick Layer Cake (coincidentally directed by X-Men: First Class director, Matthew Vaughn), but he wasn't a well-known property.
What it is about is acting ability. Particularly now. While some franchises thrive on their special effects and insane action sequences (I'm looking at you, Transformers), there are many others that have scaled back from such endeavors, with the Bond franchise at the top of that list. The films rely less on elaborate set pieces and more on Craig's pure charisma, allowing him to carry the movie and inserting all the staples of a Bond film along the way. It's his presence that made Casino Royale such a great film (Quantum of Solace was a mess, but Craig still gave it his all).
Fassbender, who would boast significantly more star power if he's elected as the next Bond than Craig did when he started, has that same presence. Just ask Ridley Scott, who was quoted in the latest issue of GQ as saying: "[Fassbender is] probably one of the best three or four actors out there. He holds the screen." Scott's an Academy Award nominated director, so we can trust his judgement.
And you can trust mine. It should be Fassbender, and no one else.
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