My understanding is they brought in Phoebe Waller-Bridge as a writer for some of the Craig Bond films to address the sexism and make them more "modern" in this regard. At the same time, the older Bond films are one of my guilty pleasures because of that brutal sexism. You know they can't make that kind of film anymore, so that makes them more enjoyable...hahaha!

Yeah. I struggled with why they felt the need to make this movie. If anything, just continue with another sequel if they felt they needed to make another movie, but to try to reboot on what was a classic film was a huge mistake.

I think they've squeezed everything they can out of this. It's always tempting to keep milking successful franchises, and hard to stop at a trilogy. But if they writing is going to continue to slip, they need to stop.

As long as the writing is tight, I think they'll do fine with a Neagley spin-off. She's very much like Reacher in attitude/demeanor. I love the dialogue in "Reacher." If they can maintain that and keep the cast around her strong, it'll be great. Also, the series won't be bound by any of the books, so there's even GREATER potential.

Another two-time winner, Michael Caine, was asked in an interview why he would do a film like "Jaws: The Revenge." The film was an absolute abomination, and most would say it was beneath an actor of his pedigree. His response was simple - he's an actor, and he likes to work. Just like the rest of us get up every morning, grab our keys and wallet and go to work, he likes to do the same. He didn't always choose a role because he thought the film was going to be critically acclaimed or the role would get him nominated. Sometimes he worked because he thought it would be fun. That particular film was shooting in some Caribbean paradise, and it would be a nice place to spend a few weeks and get paid for it. Sometimes it's just for the check, the location, or they just want to stay busy until the great script comes along.

First, the "Oscar bump" is myth. There's no such thing. Some actors knock the perfect role out of the park, then go back to what they'd been before that one role. Most multiple nominees have always gotten the kind of roles in the kind of films that get nominated, so there's no real change in their careers. Brody has worked steadily in a variety of films since his initial win, then happened to get a role similar to the one that got him his first Oscar. I think most actors measure their career by how much they're working, and not how many nominations/wins they get. I think expectations for actors that win unreasonably grow, and it seems disappointing when they don't get flooded with Oscar-worthy roles afterwards. Few actors in the business get those kinds of roles constantly.

The first problem is that a woman can't be JAMES Bond. In "No Time to Die," a woman was 007, which is simply a number designation assigned to any agent in the 00 Section. But her name was Nomi, not James. We can write in roles for female 00s and give them substantive screen time, as they did for Lashana Lynch. It makes more sense for a Black man to be Bond, though that makes a lot of people mad as well. Idris Elba (age aside) embodies EVERYTHING Bond, and is a talent worthy of the role, but too many claim they would refuse to see the film if he's cast. That's sad.

I've always thought that the casting of Bond should be focused more on the actor being the right look and fit, as opposed to being an already notable actor. Hollywood cares mostly about filling the seats, and a big name at the top of the marquee brings an automatic audience. I've always wanted to see open auditions to find the next star. The franchise is the star already, and whoever fills the 007 role becomes a star because of it. While there are a couple of guys out there that I wouldn't mind seeing in the role, if we're rebooting this thing (and we are), find a new fresh face to kick off the new era of Bond.

My primary concern was the one expressed at the end of the piece - the new Bond film will no longer be an event, because we'll be saturated with Bond material. At the same time, the Moneypenny spin-off has potential if done well. And if Naomi Harris is the lead. In "Skyfall," she was a field agent and got sidelined temporarily as punishment for shooting Bond. She anticipated going back out in the field, but at the end of the film decided not to and serve as M's assistant permanently. I envision a scenario where she's forced back out into the field to assist on a mission, and never looks back. I'd tune in for a well-written series like that. They'd have a notable, talented actor in Harris to star in it, giving it a leg up on success. The end of "No Time to Die" signaled a new era no matter who was at the helm of the Bond franchise, so now's the time anyway. I just don't want to see Amazon turn something so valued and steeped in tradition and history into just another property.