Sorry Hugh Jackman, but your X-Men co-star should be 007.
Sir Sean Connery was the first actor to mutter the words…Bond…James Bond. His shadow has overcast the role ever since. While Sir Roger Moore took over the role and played a brilliant Bond himself, there were always comparison to the original. It is as if every incarnation of James Bond is a carbon copy of the original. Sir Connery, with his Scottish brogue accent and his own stint in the British Navy, gave a Bond who was part psychopath and Casanova. There was also a distinct masculinity in Sir Sean Connery that is hard to replicate. When one looks at old pictures of Sir Connery as a teenager newly enlisted in the Royal Navy, even then, he was more man than boy. Sir Connery was classically handsome, masculine, virile, and possessed with a quiet confidence almost without effort. This is why casting James Bond once Connery left the role has been a challenge. Every actor since has been compared to the incomparable Sir Connery.
Until now.
If Michael Fassbender becomes the next incarnation of Her Majesty’s Secret Service Agent 007, he could break the curse of Sir Connery. Fassbender’s appearance as the young Magneto in X-Men: First Class was almost Bond-like. In the early scene in Argentina, when he kills the Nazis who imprisoned him, the eerie cold confidence of Fassbender showed through. The look in his eyes match the glint in old Sir Connery’s glances in Dr. No. Fassbender is utterly convincing as the seductive charmer, ladykiller, and unflinching assassin. Most of all, Fassbender is the only actor who could eliminate the memory of Sir Connery enough to bring in a new crop of fans. If Fassbender takes over the iconic role, the memory of Sir Connery could be obliterated once his Irish voice says Bond…James Bond. No other actor is capable of doing this.
Why Michael Fassbender for Bond? Let me list the top 10 reasons why.
(1) Michael Fassbender is classically handsome. He has inherited the German bone structure that gives him a chiseled sophisticated appearance. If you look at his scenes in Haywire, you can already see the Bond in him. There are many actors who are gorgeous by Hollywood standards, but classic handsome requires a facial symmetry no plastic surgeon can create. Sir Sean Connery has this face. So does Hugh Jackman. Only Fassbender matches his good looks with a virility that requires more than just beauty.
(2) Look into Michael Fassbender’s eyes. Like I have said before, he can act with just his eyes. A master spy communicates with non-verbal cue. Fassbender does this exceptionally well.
(3) Fassbender never seems to look the same way twice. He morphs with just a change of clothes or hair color. This is what also adds to being a believable secret agent. He can go undercover well in the script and use his capacity for foreign languages to good use. Fassbender can speak German and does a convincing French and Spanish, working with a dialect coach. This would spice up Bond’s missions for sure.
(4) Fassbender embodies his roles and would bring an originality to a Bond that would not appear like a repeat of other actors. If you watch him as Azazeal in Hex and as Quintas Dias in Centurion, there is no sign of the same person in those characters. Audiences would simply see a whole new Bond after many years.
(5) Fassbender can sing and you could imagine him serenading viewers with a theme song for his first film.
(6) James Bond is a kind of heroic psychopath who has no trouble seducing women to get what he wants or needs. Fassbender is the kind of guy who has an Adonis-type of male beauty that would be easy to convince fans why the girl gave it up to him.
(7) James Bond films seem to belong to another generation. Fassbender is young and quickly ascending to the A-list. He is like Brando, who attracts men (even the straight ones) and women alike. If he was 007, a new audience would show up.
(8) Fassbender’s acting skills are in the realm of Sir Laurence Olivier’s thespian chops. His role as James Bond would almost compel producers to improve the script by throwing out the outdated formula.
(9) Fassbender’s physicality is beyond even what Sir Connery had. His confidence and agility would make for intriguing fight scenes. If his sparring with Gina Carano is any indication, Fassbender would be excellent showing off martial arts skills.
(10) The actor is only 34. If he were to star in his first film by the time he is 36 he would have a good 10 to 15 years to bring Bond to life. Think of all the fans flocking to the box office just for him?
