[HartleyMBaldwin]

Yeah, after Sean Connery it wasn’t James Bond anymore, just some other guys calling themselves that. And even Connery wasn’t a perfect match to the Bond in Fleming’s books.

[Reily]

As far as the books are concerned the two best matches were Lazenby and Craig.

[JBW1949]

I agree with most of your comment, but Sean Connery was the exact image I got from reading Ian Fleming’s books....

[JBW1949]

I agree with most of your comment, but Sean Connery was the exact image I got from reading Ian Fleming’s books....

[JBW1949]

I started reading the Bond books in the early ‘60’s...Connery fit the image...

[Joe 6-pack]

Honestly, I've always had a soft spot for George Lazenby. OHMSS was released the year I was born so I felt a connection to the film. The story behind how Lazenby infiltrated his way into the audition for the role was in and of itself, almost Bond-like. I would have loved to have seen what he would have done with the role over a couple more movies. Similarly, I think Dalton, with a strong Shakespearean acting background, immersed himself in Fleming's novels researching the part and probably came across as the truest to the literary character. Dalton is as good, but by the time he came along he was really the optimum choice at the time for giving film fans the Bond they expected to see on screen.

The franchise has run out of steam, not because spy thrillers have played out, but because the thought of an individual risking his life, "for king/queen and country," is little more than a quaint anachronism, when the UK has opened its arms to its worst enemies.

The best bet for the franchise at this point is to go retro with an origin story showing Bond's coming of age in WWII and early cold war exploits.