51 years ago, aJames Bondreboot premiered that was more radical in many ways than Daniel Craig’s 2006 reboot,Casino Royale. Roger Moore took over for Sean Connery as 007 in 1973’sLive and Let Die. Moore was an early favorite to play James Bond, but he was unavailable to star in 1962’sDr. No.Roger finally got his chance to play James Bond afterSean Connery turned 007 into a globally successful box office powerhouse, starring in sixJames Bond moviesfromDr. Noto 1971’sDiamonds Are Forever.
Sean Connery grew tired of the role of James Bondafter 1965’sThunderballand the Scottish leading man decided to quit the iconic role he pioneered during production of 1967’sYou Only Live Twice. Producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman chose Australian model George Lazenby to replace Connery in 1969’sOn Her Majesty’s Secret Service.However, Lazenby couldn’t adequately fill Conney’s tuxedo, and George also decided playing 007 wasn’t for him. After Connery returned for one more Bond movie, Roger Moore finally stepped in as 007.This new James Bond turned out to be a significant reinventionof Sean Connery’s 007 formula.
Roger Moore’s Live And Let Die Is A More Radical James Bond Reboot Than Daniel Craig’s
Live And Let Die Was Very Different From Sean Connery’s Bond Movies By Design
Roger Moore’s inaugural James Bond movie,Live and Let Die, is almost nothing like Sean Connery’s 007 movies. Although Connery, George Lazenby, and Moore all ostensibly played the sameJames Bond characterin a continuous canon,Roger was a departure from Sean in numerous ways, by design. Moore neither looked nor acted like Connery, and producers decided to abandon much of Sean’s 007 iconography. For instance, Moore’s Bond smoked cigars instead of cigarettes, carried a .44 Magnum as well as a Walther PPK, and Roger’s 007 did not order a vodka martini, shaken, not stirred.
Every Roger Moore James Bond Movie, Ranked Worst To Best
Roger Moore is the James Bond movie franchise’s longest-serving 007, and here are all seven of his adventures ranked from worst to best.
Roger Moore was a new James Bond for a new decade, andLive and Let Dieeschewed the 1960s elegance of Sean Connery’s James Bond to delve into the 1970s' blaxploitation genre.Live and Let Diehad pimpmobiles, voodoo, and a nearly all-Black slew of villains, not counting Jane Seymour’s virginal psychic, Solitaire. Paul McCartney and Wings delivered the first rock 007 movie theme, “Live and Let Die,” which is a shock given the disdain for The Beatles Sean Connery’s Bond stated in 1964’sGoldfinger.It’s simply hard to imagine Sean Connery starring inLive and Let Dieinstead of Roger Moore.
How Live And Let Die Compares To Casino Royale
Both Films Are Based On Ian Fleming’s First Two James Bond Novels
Live and Let Diecan be considered a soft reboot of James Bond as opposed to the total revampCasino Royalewas. Both films are adaptations of Ian Fleming’s “Casino Royale” and “Live and Let Die,” the first two novels penned by James Bond’s creator. The filmLive and Let Diecontinued the adventures of James Bond that began inDr. No, and Moore’s 007 gradually acknowledged his shared past with Connery in subsequent Bond movies. YetLive and Let Diewas also designed as a jumping-on point for audiencesrequiring no prior knowledge ofSean Connery’s James Bond.
Roger Moore was the longest-serving James Bond with 7 films from 1973-1985 until he was displaced by Daniel Craig, who starred in 5 James Bond movies from 2006-2021.
Due to issues with the novel’s film rights,Casino Royalewasn’t adapted as the first James Bond movie in the early 1960s, but the long-awaited adaptation kicked offDaniel Craig’s new James Bond canonin 2006.Casino Royaleis a total reboot, depicting the origin of Daniel Craig’s younger James Bond and how he earned his Double-O status and license to kill. Audiences watched the step-by-step evolution of the gritty and more emotionally vulnerable Craig into the more refined James Bond. Following the successes of bothLive and Let DieandCasino Royale,the James Bond franchise was reignited, finding new audiences, and setting box office records.
Live And Let Die Was Controversial But Successful
Roger Moore’s First 007 Movie Outperformed Connery’s Last
Roger Moore’s first outing as James Bond didn’t have the instant iconic impact Sean Connery had inDr. No, and it wasn’t until Roger’s third Bond, 1977’sThe Spy Who Loved Me, that Moore perfected the formula for his 007. However,Live and Let Diewas a box office success, earning $126.4 million worldwide, an upward trend from the $116 million grossed by Sean Connery’s final 007 movie,Diamonds Are Forever. Yet despite being a total reboot,Casino Royalehas more of James Bond’s recognizable tropes and iconography thanLive and Let Diedoes.
Live and Let Die can be a tough watch for modern audiences.
Live and Let Dieis no sympathetic or progressive portrayal of Black culture, and its portrayal of bumbling Sheriff J.W. Pepper (Clifton James) is also offensive. The villain is a drug-smuggling Caribbean Prime Minister namedDr. Kananga (Yaphet Kotto), who doubles as the jive-talking Mr. Big.Live and Let Dieportrays voodoo culture in an exploitative boogeyman fashion. For the first time, James Bond beds an African-American woman, Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry), but her CIA agent is a superstitious traitor who soon gets herself killed.Live and Let Diecan be a tough watch for modern audiences, yet it’s also fascinating to see what a James Bond movie got away with in 1973.
James Bond Will Likely Be Rebooted Again
Will Bond 26 Be As Successful As Live And Let Die Or Casino Royale?
1987’sThe Living Daylightsand 1995’sGoldenEyealso introduced new actors as James Bond - Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan, respectively - buttheir inaugural Bond movies weren’t the reinventionsLive and Let DieandCasino Royalewere.The Living Daylightswas a very 1980s Cold War spy picture, whileGoldenEyeintroduced James Bond to the excesses of 1990s movie blockbusters. However,Brosnan’s fourth and final Bond, 2002’sDie Another Day,pushed the 007 formula too far into the realm of a live-action cartoon, which led to Daniel Craig’s back-to-basics reboot.
Ranking All Daniel Craig’s Bond Movies, Worst To Best
Daniel Craig’s James Bond era came to an end with No Time To Die, but how do his five movies as 007 compare? Here’s each one, ranked worst to best.
The James Bond franchise is now in a quandary about what to do following the end of Daniel Craig’s era.Craig was a phenomenally successful and popular 007, and Daniel turned Bond into a billion-dollar-grossing franchise. However,No Time To Dieendedwith the death of Craig’s secret agent, closing the book on his version of James Bond and the canon of his five 007 movies. BarringBond 26picking up the original 007 continuity that ended withDie Another Day, the nextJames Bondwill very likely kick off a third original timeline by rebooting Ian Fleming’s secret agent once more.
