Is it time for James Bond to put up his tux?

Published 12:01 pm Sunday, November 15, 2015

After watching “Spectre,” the 24th James Bond film, I found myself wondering if it’s about time to pause the series or dramatically overhaul it.

Now let’s admit, this isn’t going to happen, but it’s worth discussing as the character is starting to feel a bit tired.

“Spectre” is far from a perfect bond film, but it’s enjoyable and it puts a neat enough bow on Daniel Craig’s four films as the famed character. From his talk in a few interviews and the way “Spectre” ends, it appears he’s stepping aside.

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Craig and those leading his films did their job by taking the series in a direction that suited modern audiences and continued a story arc over the four movies — something that hadn’t been done in prior bond movies. Simply continuing with a new actor playing Bond would feel almost insulting to Craig.

But while watching “Spectre,” I couldn’t help but think this same routine is getting a bit old, especially as other movie franchises are now competing with the series.

Some sort of break in story lines is needed, so here are a few thoughts about revamping the franchise:

 Let it go or take break

After watching the latest bond movie, I kept asking myself one thing: Why keep it going? Tradition? Money? It’s probably both.

While it’d be a shame to let the longest running movie franchise die, I think it’s time for some soul searching.

Bond isn’t the only rodeo in town like it was when Sean Connery made the character famous in the 1960s. It was the only action flick of its type then. Now we’ve got the Jason Bourne and “Mission Impossible” franchises that implement the action formula just as well, if not better.

But let’s face it: There’s too much money to drop the franchise. What I’d like to see is the character take a break.

Time builds suspense and expectations. Just look at the buzz for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” While a Bond hiatus certainly wouldn’t reach “Force Awakens” levels, it would likely garner a lot of attention.

 Bring back Sean Connery

I would absolutely love for the Scottish acting legend to return one last time as an aging Bond.

This likely isn’t going to happen, because Connery is 85 and retired. However, the studio could feature another actor as an aging bond. They could then work in a young bond — likely the original’s son — to take the franchise forward.

 Cast a Bond who is not a white male

Buzz has been building that it’s time for Bond to break the traditional gender/race stereotypes of the character.

Many people are calling for Idris Elba to be the first black James Bond or for Rosamund Pike — a former Bond girl in “Die Another Day” who later starred in “Gone Girl” — to be the first woman cast in the role.

I’m all for either plan, even if it’s going to erupt in an onslaught of off color protests from idiots online.

Either move would create a mountain of publicity, talk and hype. But I hope they do it to take the character in a new direction or to suit the right actor rather than a simple publicity gimmick.

 Keep the support system

Whatever happens, find a way to keep the supporting cast.

Over the last four films (especially the last two), the franchise has built a strong support system for Bond in the way of Ralph Fiennes as M, Ben Whishaw as Q and Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny.

“Spectre” would have struggled without them, especially since Craig’s Bond is often a bit understated. While it would be difficult to keep them on while overdoing massive changes, the series would benefit from keeping them on board.