From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Originally, Lucas didn't have any particular thoughts, as the job of a Hollywood actor is to challenge different roles; but now that he had calmed down and thought about it, he immediately understood that movie series were slightly different.

Moreover, both James Bond and Peter Parker had already formed their own brand effect, so more caution was needed in selecting actors.

But what surprised Lucas a little was, "Did you just say the first?"

That would mean there's a second and third?

Could it be that Anson is really that unsuitable for 007?

"Second, age."

"Although MGM doesn't have an age limit, the word from the captain is eighteen to forty-five; but that doesn't mean MGM is really willing to pick an eighteen-year-old 007."

"An eighteen-year-old James Bond could lead to the entire movie being juvenilized, especially losing 007's attraction to women, which is a situation MGM absolutely doesn't want to see."

"If James Bond were eighteen, then he would still be in the spy academy, and the whole story would unfold in a completely different way."

"My personal guess is that MGM should still choose an actor around thirty-five years old, which fits the target audience's market positioning and is also the golden age for Hollywood actors."

Anson had always known that, as it stood, age and being a 'pretty boy' were both limiting labels, hindering him from accessing more roles.

In his previous life, in the 007 story, after Pierce Brosnan was preparing to step down, Henry Cavill was once a candidate to be James Bond; moreover, this young British actor performed very well in the audition, passing all the tests and winning the approval of at least four producers.

At that time, Henry Cavill was almost certain to play the new James Bond!

However, the producers and the film company held repeated meetings, and ultimately rejected the idea, the only reason being Henry's youth—

In 2003, Henry was only twenty years old.

In fact, it wasn't just the reasons of MGM and the 007 producers, the main thing was the positioning of the entire international market. Compared to the teenage market, the target audience for mainstream commercial films are adults with stable jobs and stable lives, so naturally, the choice of actors also needs to take this into account.

In the end, Henry fell before the ultimate threshold.

The 007 team started auditioning from scratch, and Daniel Craig emerged, at that time he was only thirty-five years old, which already made him the youngest 007 ever.

It was precisely because of this that the production team defined this 007 as a fledgling James Bond, slightly reckless and impetuous, who might make mistakes himself, and relied more on his body to fight and confront. The first movie in the series was also adapted from the first work in the 007 series, "Casino Royale."

From this perspective, "Walk the Line" being willing to consider him was already an exception, because in the script, the character ranged from twenty to forty years old, and the age range was comparable to "Catch Me If You Can."

But the difference was that in "Catch Me If You Can", Frank Abagnale Jr. was seventeen years old most of the time, and Anson's performance came easily; in "Walk the Line", Johnny Cash was more often in his thirties, and from this perspective, Joaquin was indeed a better fit.

"Also…"

Anson paused slightly.

Lucas didn't hide his surprise, "There's more?"

Anson nodded, "Reputation."

Lucas didn't understand.

Anson continued to add, "Moreover, all 007 actors to this day have been British."

Lucas: … …

Anson shrugged lightly, "These are the three great prides of British popular culture, 007, Doctor Who, and Sherlock Holmes. They insist that these roles must be played by British people, rejecting the invasion of popular culture from other countries. This is the production team's consideration for the market, you can't blame them."

In fact, up until the later history that Anson knew, after Daniel Craig stepped down, the 007 production team had considered catering to the trends of the times and bravely breaking the shackles—

A black 007? An American 007? A female 007? Or a twenty-year-old 007?

Boldly breaking the framework to open up a new situation, the root cause was that when Daniel Craig took over, he encountered a barrage of criticism from the media and the audience, because Daniel was not handsome enough, not elegant enough, and even slightly crude, completely destroying people's image of James Bond; but they never expected that the younger Daniel would inject new vitality into the movie series, revitalizing the 007 series.

Since this was the case, why not break through completely.

Thus, all kinds of rumors were rampant. For more than three years, news of Daniel Craig's successor was everywhere, filling every corner of the field of vision. There were even reports that Daniel would return to film another movie, which were also very certain. Even when Anson traveled through time, there was no clear answer.

According to the latest report, an actor has already received the contract and is waiting to sign—

Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Yes, it's the little actor who played Anson's childhood in "The Butterfly Effect".

In the end, the 007 production team was still conservative. Look at the labels on Aaron Taylor-Johnson:

British. Thirty-five years old (the age when he was about to sign the contract). Man. White.

Although not a second Daniel Craig, he was basically selected according to the template.

Surprise, surprise? Unexpected, unexpected?

And that was already twenty years later, so in 2003, Anson expressed strong doubts that the 007 series would really consider him to take on the role of James Bond.

Lucas didn't understand the film industry, but he was smart enough. After thinking about it carefully, he tasted the deep meaning in Anson's words, "Then does Edgar still insist on you auditioning?"

Anson shrugged lightly, "Hey, that's 007, everyone's dream. When the opportunity arises, who would be willing to miss it?"

Then, he added, "What's more, this is a very good marketing method."

Imagine, TMZ breaking the latest headline—

Anson Wood may become the new James Bond!

Whether it's for Anson or for 007, this is bound to be a traffic password, and the heat wave will explode completely. The topic alone is enough for the movie to reap a wave of expectations.

Of course, there will also be controversy. I'm afraid that in the British Isles, people won't like this possibility.

But no matter what, after "Spider-Man", Anson may be tied to another trump card series. This is undoubtedly a direct proof of Anson's current prominence, and it can even go a step further on the existing basis and perfectly avenge Sony Columbia's behind-the-scenes tactics some time ago.

Therefore, even from a marketing perspective, Edgar would not miss such an important opportunity.

Lucas didn't agree with this. He shook his head gently, "I don't think Edgar is just doing it for marketing. He may sincerely believe that you have a chance."