Stephen Arnell

The name’s not Bond: the best cinematic rivals to 007

  • From Spectator Life
Photo: Rex/Shutterstock

The Covid-19 delayed No Time to Die, Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond, is set for release this November – a more traditional slot for the franchise than the previous April 2020 date.

Whilst expectations for the picture may not be quite as high as expected due to the disappointing reception given to 2015’s Spectre, there’s little doubt that Bond fans will be out in force – social distancing permitting.

Although we tend to think of Ian Fleming’s character as a unique creation, that hasn’t stopped filmmakers trying to get a piece of the action over the years.

Some have proved successful, but many others have fallen by the wayside.

Let’s take a look at a few, starting with the new releases and then harking back to the old classics:

Tenet (2020) – UK release 12/08/20


Christopher Nolan’s long-gestating time-manipulation spy thriller has had fans salivating, as plot details carefully been kept underwraps.

John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman) stars as an agent of spy agency Tenet attempting to prevent WWIII.

The King’s Man (2020) – UK release 16/09/20

A prequel to Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsmen: Secret Service (2014) and Golden Circle (2017), this time we go back into the 1900s to witness the formation of the upmarket tailors/independent intelligence agency. The Kingsmen films have found a gap in the market ever since Bond dropped the hammy jokes and found his serious side. They fill the void perfectly with their tongue in cheek take on the thriller genre.

Ralph Fiennes stars as founder The Duke of Oxford – a proto Bond/M, with Harris Dickinson (Trust) as his son/sidekick Conrad.

Rasputin (Rhys Ifans) is the bad guy, which considering the near constant inebriation of his real-life counterpart, is a bit of a stretch.


Black Widow (2020) – UK release 28/10/20

Finally given her own solo movie, Scarlett Johansson returns as the former Russian spy with ‘red in her ledger’, drawn to investigate a conspiracy linked to her past.



Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in