Sorry, Bond fans. The Academy Awards producers do not want you to enjoy an anticipated reunion of the men who’ve played secret agent 007 over the years, as it has now been confirmed that the tribute to the 50-year-old franchise during Sunday’s Oscars telecast will not gather the former Bonds together in one spot.
Speaking to Deadline ahead of the telecast, co-producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron opened up about plans for the show, saying:
“It’s something else, something very unique and very exciting but no, we’re not getting the Bonds together.”
Did the idea sound too good to be true? We wrote about the possibility of reuniting the Bonds on stage as the franchise celebrates five decades. Can you think of anything more exciting than seeing every generation of 007 on the same stage, drinking in the applause of appreciative Bond fans in attendance at the Oscars? Maybe the egos are too large, and the men who played Bond over the years – from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig – refused to share the spotlight? TMZ ran a story citing Pierce Brosnan as the holdout. We won’t really know until we see what the Oscars ends up doing instead, but pour cold water on that hope of a Bond reunion, because it isn’t happening.
Zadan and Meron swear that the entire show will be about entertaining the audience in addition to honoring the Oscar nominees. Anything will be an improvement over the experiment from two years ago with Anne Hathaway and James Franco as uncomfortable co-hosts. The Academy Awards air on Feb. 24. Are you disappointed the Bonds won’t reunite on stage? Share your thoughts below.
