I'm slightly happier today than usual. Why am I so cheerful and gay? No Colin hasn't released a private video. Quite simply along has come the kind of talk which makes me giddier than Harry Knowles writing his legendary "Blade 2" review or a certain red-haired teen starlet when she stumbled upon a pound of Bolivia's finest. There's been months of speculation with more names thrown around than I dare to list, but only one has ever truly tickled my fancy to next play the role of James Bond and that is Clive Owen. I could not think of a more perfect choice to tackle this slightly darker and more serious film in the Bond franchise. The Bond character, a retired Naval commander turned British MI6 spy with a licence to kill, is a difficult mix of intelligence, quick thinking, sharp wit, chauvinism, sex appeal, arrogance and giddy playfulness. It requires a man who can be totally charming one minute, and lethally ruthless the next.
Owen has been in fact one of the earliest rumoured replacements for Brosnan, long before it was confirmed the Irish actor would be leaving the mega-successful spy franchise. Initially reports from Owen indicated he didn't want to do it and he seemed almost irritated by the constant questions about it.
Then this week his tone began to change. Doing the promo rounds for "Sin City", he was asked about the talk that he wasn't interested - "I've never said that [I don't want the role]. All of that has always been rumors. It's been sort of, you know, media speculations. It's been announced a number of times that I've signed to do it. It's all been, you know, speculation...I have no problems being associated with (Bond)".
Then IESB reports that at the premiere of "Sin City", he was asked outright "Yes to Bond or no to Bond" to which he repeatedly replied "I'm pretty busy for a while" whilst smiling and nodding. James Bond fans seem to be split on what Clive Owen actually meant by his answer. Then again whilst he may have been more open this weekend, Commander Bond reports that on PBS last night he went back to his old ways - "All this talk about Bond. That's all it is...totally unsubstantiated rumors. It's been flying out there and I can understand why. I do BMW Films and race cars around and a croupier with a tuxedo. So I can understand why that thing's there. But it's complete sort of... it's just been out there in tabloid land for a couple years."
So what the hell is going on? For now who knows it seems.
Thanks to 'Mitja', 'Vipul', 'Eddie' & 'Athena'
