James Bond Deserves A Prequel More Than Kingsman
Now that Kingsman: The Secret Service has gotten a prequel, we can’t help but feel a little disappointed: The King’s Man ended up being as bland as the original films were bold, giving us a prequel more disappointing than anything Star Wars or Star Trek ever did. It just seems there are many more franchises that would be deserving of a sequel, and after mulling over it over a few martinis and more than a few rounds of baccarat, I’ve determined that James Bond deserves a prequel more than Kingsman.
James Bond may have debuted as a series of novels, but (as with Kingsman) the world knows it as a blockbuster film franchise, and we think that’s a franchise deserving of its own blockbuster prequel.
Before any of you smartasses come at me claiming that James Bond already had a prequel, James Bond Jr. doesn’t count because the hero is (despite the name) James Bond’s nephew and not 007 himself.
We’re also not counting the (surprisingly decent) James Bond prequel novels written by Charlie Higson or any other literary material. James Bond may have debuted as a series of novels, but (as with Kingsman) the world knows it as a blockbuster film franchise, and we think that’s a franchise deserving of its own blockbuster prequel.
With those disclaimers out of the way, let’s get right to it: just why does James Bond deserve a prequel more than Kingsman? To start with, Bond begins the franchise as an older character who already has an entire history, including service in the Royal Navy and making his way up the ranks of MI6.
Even if a James Bond prequel isn’t set in the far past, showing us a character who is, say, 20 years younger would be the perfect narrative excuse to have both Bond and the baddies relying on simpler technology.
This means we could get early onscreen adventures of the actual characters that audiences know and love, something that the Kingsman prequel could not do because the main characters of the original already began their adventures so young.
Speaking of characters we know and love, some would say that the earlier Daniel Craig James Bond movies should “count” as prequels because they show us things like how Moneypenny became a personal assistant rather than a badass field agent.
However, Craig’s Bond is already a 00 agent in Casino Royale, meaning that we never did get to see the earliest days of his character development. Also (spoilers, sweetie) Craig’s franchise ends with the death of the secret agent…not much of a prequel.
Another reason that we’d want to see a proper James Bond prequel is because it would give a future filmmaker an excuse to do something that fans have wanted for years: to have a Bond period piece rather than a film set in the present day. That would be an excuse to once more have James Bond fighting off against the Soviet Union (fan-favorite foes) and generally give everything a fun, throwback feel.
Ultimately, these are just a few of the reasons we think James Bond needs a prequel just as much (more, really) as the Kingsman ever did.
Even if a James Bond prequel isn’t set in the far past, showing us a character who is, say, 20 years younger would be the perfect narrative excuse to have both Bond and the baddies relying on simpler technology. Like horror movies, secret agent films are a lot cooler when audiences don’t have to constantly ask why everyone isn’t relying on cutting-edge smartphones to escape danger.
Just as there was serious charm in seeing the earliest Kingsman characters creatively using basic technology, we’d love to see a younger 007 have to think on his feet with only the barest of tools.
Ultimately, these are just a few of the reasons we think James Bond needs a prequel just as much (more, really) as the Kingsman ever did. Since the franchise is struggling to find the perfect actor to replace Daniel Craig (you guys know Henry Cavill is right there, right?), throwing a younger actor into the mix could make casting easier while giving this venerable franchise an injection of fresh blood.
Once a prequel Bond film with a younger actor gets greenlit and needs audiences for test screenings, we’ll be there right away wearing our very best (Oxfords, not Brogues).
