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Can you picture Jenna Ortega in a James Bond tux, chasing villains through scenic locales? Sorry, that’s not in the cards anytime soon. The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice star made it abundantly clear in a recent MTV interview—she’s not interested in stepping into female versions of male characters.

Jenna Ortega in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

When questioned about the possibility of collaborating with her Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Wednesday director Tim Burton on a gender-swapped revival of Edward Scissorhands, Ortega made her position clear. In her statement, the young actress is all fired up about the surge of female leads in movies.

However, she’s not exactly rolling out the welcome mat for gender-flipped versions of classic male characters, like James Bond. Instead, she’s calling for fresh, original female heroes who can stand tall on their own two feet, rather than just donning the old suits of their male counterparts.

Don’t expect to see Jenna Ortega in Her Majesty’s Secret Service any time soon.

The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice actress says that she wants to see women get their own purpose-built action roles, rather than taking over parts previously meant for men. Case in point: James Bond.

“I love that there’s a lot more female leads nowadays,” Ortega told MTV. “I think that’s so special, but we should have our own,” she said. “I don’t like it when it’s like a spinoff — I don’t want to see like ‘Jamie Bond.’ You know? I want to see another badass.”

Gregory Ratoff, who originally purchased and developed the rights to Bond in 1955, once considered a woman for the role, according to Nicholas Shakespeare’s new biography of Bond author Ian Fleming. Ratoff flirted with the idea of casting soon to be Oscar-winner Susan Hayward as Bond. That is,...

Sean Connery was the first James Bond, but a woman, Susan Hayward, was considered for the role in the 1950s. Despite the modern stance on Bond being male, the original plan shows the character was never defined by gender. Negative backlash and fear of boycotts may still prevent the Bond franchise from casting a female 007, despite calls for diversity.

The James Bond franchise has cycled through a variety of actors as the title character, with Sean Connery recognized as the first, but there were other names considered prior, including a woman. Connery's debut as Bond in the Terrence Young directed Dr. No in 1962, based on the novel version by James Bond creator Ian Fleming, marked the beginning of a global series, spanning over 25 films. Now, following Daniel Craig's epic five-film run as Bond that ended with 2021's No Time to Die, Bond 26 is inching closer to production,...

James Bond movies are based on Ian Fleming's novels, but not all follow the source material closely. Different actors bring their own interpretations to the role of Bond, making each version unique. The future of the franchise looks promising with Aaron Taylor-Johnson rumored to be the next 007.

Watching all the James Bond movies in order is a huge undertaking and requires a little investigating into the franchise's history in order to pull off. Based on the books by Ian Fleming, the MI6 agent was inspired by Flemings time in the British Naval Intelligence Division while serving in World War II. There are 40 Bond books written by six different authors, but Flemings original 14 founded the entire spy-filled universe. The order of the 007 films does not follow the correct order of Flemings novels. Casino Royale was written by Fleming in 1953, followed by Live and Let Die and Moonraker.

However,...

James Bond casting news is always a big deal, but many fans don’t know that a female James Bond was almost casted a decade ago, with this near casting choice almost breaking two James Bond traditions. James Bond is one of the most iconic movie characters of all time, with discussions around who the next actor to portray 007 will be always occurring. However, every James Bond has been a man so far, but that almost wasn’t the case.

The James Bond movie series is one of the most popular franchises of all time, with the 27 movies being consistent hits through the six decades since Dr. No’s 1962 release. The existence of the franchise is all thanks to James Bond creator Ian Fleming, with many fans of the franchise wanting to know more about the author. Luckily, Nicholas Shakespeare’s new biography Ian Fleming: The Complete Man gives some...

The speculation on casting a female James Bond has been going around for quite some time now, and as expected, it has raised many eyebrows. It seems like a bizarre idea for the general public to have a female spy taking on the role of the famed British agent, but it’s not really that far-fetched, as history goes.

Daniel Craig as James Bond

In fact, the franchise almost had a female Bond about six decades ago when one of the producers suggested an actress take on the lead role. Of course, it did not get off the ground, but it was quite a fantastic idea given the era it happened.

James Bond Almost Had Susan Hayward As 007 Susan Hayward in I Want to Live!

Author Ian Fleming’s agent, Robert Fenn, revealed in the book written by Nicholas Shakespeare, Ian Fleming: The Complete Man, the difficulty of finding an...

With Daniel Craig bowing out after his James Bond was blasted into the afterlife at the end of 2023's "No Time to Die," the question of who will take on the iconic role next has been following the franchise for quite some time. In 2024, as our cultural norms shift and evolve, there's no reason why the super spy couldn't be played by anybody — maybe even, dare I suggest, a woman?

Prior to the release of "No Time to Die," the internet was abuzz with rumors that British actress Lashana Lynch would be the next 007. When the film arrived, it was revealed that Lynch's character, Nomi, did indeed inherit the codename from her predecessor. Later in the film, however, she requests that the title be given back to Bond, after which she takes on the codename 005. So, we didn't get a female Bond, but we sort of did for...

When it comes to the James Bond franchise, progressive is not the first word that comes to mind. Despite this, the 2021 film No Time To Die revolutionized the film series after it introduced the first female 007 in the form of Lashana Lynch. There have been conversations around the same topic for quite some time, with Angelina Jolie famously stating that she did not want to play a Bond girl but the spy herself.

Sean Connery as James Bond

It would seem, however, that the Maleficent actress was not the first to voice these wishes, as over 60 years before the Lynch film, there were conversations about a Bond film being led by a female James Bond.

SUGGESTEDYears After Losing 007 Role to Daniel Craig, Henry Cavill Plays a Character That Inspired James Bond

Although this clearly did not pan out, the story around it was quite interesting.

A Female James Bond...

Previous proposals for a female James Bond show it's not as radical a plan as fans think, despite a polarizing reaction. Cultural status and franchise reputation make the likelihood of a female Bond in the near future unlikely. While a female Bond is still possible, current rumors suggest the next Bond will maintain tradition, delaying a female casting.

While the prospect of casting a woman as James Bond is seen by some as a radical modern step, the proposal was more likely to happen before the Sean Connery era than post-Daniel Craig. After Lashana Lynch pushed boundaries like never before with her portrayal of the first female 007, the possibility of seeing a female James Bond officially assume the spy mantle seemed closer than ever. However, even though it has now emerged that there were long-standing proposals for such an approach, the franchise's reputation makes it unlikely.

For a long time,...

A female James Bond was considered decades ago, with Susan Hayward pitched as the lead. Hayward, an Academy Award winner, was prominent in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s for her powerful roles. While the idea of a female Bond was proposed, author Ian Fleming preferred Richard Burton for the role.

It seems that the idea of casting a woman in the role of James Bond is not a new one, with Nicholas Shakespeare’s upcoming biography of Bond author Ian Fleming, “Ian Fleming: The Complete Man,” revealing that the somewhat controversial idea was first pitched more than 60 years ago. The biography reveals (via Indiewire) that 007 producer Gregory Ratoff wanted Academy Award winner Susan Hayward to lead the franchise adaptation of the first novel Casino Royale.

“Since the mid-1950s, many well-known actors had been approached [to play Bond]. Gregory Ratoff had the arresting idea of having Bond played by a woman,...

Lashana Lynch became the first woman to own the 007 title in the 2021 James Bond tentpole “No Time to Die,” but it turns out a plan to make James Bond a woman was actually pitched over 60 years prior. In Nicholas Shakespeare’s upcoming biography of Bond author Ian Fleming, titled “Ian Fleming: The Complete Man,” it’s confirmed that producer Gregory Ratoff floated the idea of casting Susan Hayward in a film adaptation of Fleming’s first Bond novel “Casino Royale.”

Shakespeare writes in the biography (via IndieWire): “Since the mid-1950s, many well-known actors had been approached [to play Bond]. Gregory Ratoff had the arresting idea of having Bond played by a woman, Susan Hayward. Ian had entertained several possibilities, from Richard Burton (‘I think that Richard Burton would be by far the best James Bond’), to James Stewart (‘I wouldn’t at all mind him as Bond if he can slightly...

Yes, a female James Bond has been over a half-century in the making.

Before Lashana Lynch briefly donned the 007 title in “No Time to Die,” the film adaptation of “Dr. No,” a woman was in talks to lead the franchise 50 years prior.

In Nicholas Shakespeare’s upcoming biography of Bond author Ian Fleming, titled “Ian Fleming: The Complete Man,” it’s revealed that original “Casino Royale” producer Gregory Ratoff had imagined a woman in the titular lead role. In fact, Oscar-winning actress Susan Hayward was in Ratoff’s mind to take the part.

Prior to “Casino Royale,” the two Bond films had floundered with “Thunderball” and “Casino Royale” receiving poor reviews, hence the proposed gender-swap.

Shakespeare writes in the biography, “Since the mid-1950s, many well-known actors had been approached. Gregory Ratoff had the arresting idea of having Bond played by a woman, Susan Hayward. Ian had entertained several possibilities,...

Few American filmmakers of the last 40 years await a major rediscovery like Hal Hartley, whose traces in modern movies are either too-minor or entirely unknown. Thus it’s cause for celebration that the Criterion Channel are soon launching a major retrospective: 13 features (which constitutes all but My America) and 17 shorts, a sui generis style and persistent vision running across 30 years. Expect your Halloween party to be aswim in Henry Fool costumes.

Speaking of: there’s a one-month headstart on seasonal programming with the 13-film “High School Horror”––most notable perhaps being a streaming premiere for the uncut version of Suspiria, plus the rare opportunity to see a Robert Rodriguez movie on the Criterion Channel––and a retrospective of Hong Kong vampire movies. A retrospective of ’70s car movies offer chills and thrills of a different sort

Six films by Allan Dwan and 12 “gaslight noirs” round out the main September series; The Eight Mountains,...

Whenever Hollywood looks to the rest of the world to find talented, beautiful women to star in their films, they inevitably end up falling into one of two categories: They are either able to completely assimilate into what Hollywood deems to be American culture, or they are branded as exotic temptresses. They even do this with American women as well, which is how Margarita Cansino, the child of Romani and Spanish parents, becomes the pale, redheaded bombshell Rita Hayworth. A few women were able to buck this trend, like Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, but they had the ability to transition out from the silent era of filmmaking where their natural accents weren't an issue. Audiences had already grown to love them by the time talkies came around. If you were coming over from Europe in the sound era, you had to nail the mid-Atlantic accent that was in fashion...

Orson Welles in fine form! This lavishly produced costume drama, beautifully cast and directed, was filmed on location in gorgeous Italian palazzos, churches and villas. Welles is cast to type as the literally mesmerizing mountebank Cagliostro, who aids Madame du Barry in a scheme to seize the throne of France. Welles almost certainly ‘helped’ the credited director; the highly theatrical goings-on look exactly like Orson’s style. Super performances from Nancy Guild, Akim Tamiroff, Valentina Cortese, Margot Grahame and Charles Goldner turn Alexandre Dumas’ tale into swashbuckling mind-control excitement; the disc tops it off with a sensationally good restoration.

Black Magic

Blu-ray

ClassicFlix

1949 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 105 min. / Street Date January 25, 2022 / Available from ClassicFlix / 19.99

Starring: Orson Welles, Nancy Guild, Akim Tamiroff, Charles Goldner, Stephen Bekassy, Valentina Cortese, Margot Grahame, Frank Latimore, Gregory Gaye, Berry Kroeger, Robert Atkins, Raymond Burr, Harriet White Medin, Silvana Mangano, Milly Vitale.

Cinematography: Ubaldo Arata, Anchise Brizzi

Art Directors: Jean d’Eaubonne,...

As Disney quietly disappears huge swathes of film history into its vaults, I'm going to spend 2020 celebrating Twentieth Century Fox and the Fox Film Corporation's films, what one might call their output if only someone were putting it out.And now they've quietly disappeared William Fox's name from the company: guilty by association with Rupert Murdoch, even though he never associated with him.***"We offer for your mental scrutiny / The reasons for the mutiny."I believe Where Do We Go From Here? (1945) qualifies as a rarity, having never been released on any home video or streaming format. This is a shame, but you can see why. The whole concept of whimsy has a tendency to lumpenness, even though the very word seems to imply a lighter-than-air approach. Which is heavier, a ton of scrap metal or a ton of feathers?So what we have here is a fantasy in...

Woo hoo! The pre-Code marvels return for one last go-round -- tales of sin and moral turpitude but also serious pictures about social issues that the Production Code effectively swept from Hollywood screens -- financial crimes and ethnic bigotry. Forbidden Hollywood Volume 10 Guilty Hands, The Mouthpiece, Secrets of the French Police, The Match King, Ever in My Heart DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1932-1934 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 63, 62, 78, 85, 70 min. / Street Date October 27, 2015 / available through the WBshop / 40.99 Starring Lionel Barrymore, Kay Francis, Madge Evans; Warren William, Sidney Fox, Aline McMahon; Frank Morgan, Gwili Andre, Gregory Ratoff Rochelle Hudson; Warren William, Lili Damita, Glenda Farrell, Claire Dodd; Barbara Stanwyck, Otto Kruger, Ralph Bellamy, Ruth Donnelly. Cinematography Merritt B. Gerstad, Barney McGill; Alfred Gilks; Robert Kurrie; Written by Bayard Veiller; Joseph Jackson, Earl Baldwin, Frank J. Collins; Samuel Ornitz, Robert Tasker; Houston Branch, Sidney Sutherland, Einar Thorvaldson; Bertram Millhauser, Beulah Marie Dix.

"This land is mine, God made this land for me." Those are just song lyrics, while Otto Preminger's politically daring 70mm mega-production is a lot more subtle in its presentation of the 'Palestinian problem' that led to the formation of the State of Israel. It's a bit ponderous, but Dalton Trumbo's screenplay avoids the pitfalls -- 56 years later, the story is still relevant. Exodus Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1960 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 208 min. / Ship Date March 15, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Ralph Richardson, Peter Lawford, Lee J. Cobb, Sal Mineo, John Derek, David Opatoshu, Jill Haworth, Hugh Griffith, Gregory Ratoff, Felix Aylmer, Marius Goring, Alexandra Stewart, Martin Benson, Paul Stevens, George Maharis, John Crawford, Victor Maddern, Paul Stassino, John Van Eyssen Cinematography Sam Leavitt Art Direction Richard Day Film Editor Louis R. Loeffler Original Music Ernest Gold Written by Dalton Trumbo from...

Susan Hayward. Susan Hayward movies: TCM Star of the Month Fiery redhead Susan Hayward it Turner Classic Movies' Star of the Month in Sept. 2015. The five-time Best Actress Oscar nominee – like Ida Lupino, a would-be Bette Davis that only sporadically landed roles to match the verve of her thespian prowess – was initially a minor Warner Bros. contract player who went on to become a Paramount second lead in the early '40s, a Universal leading lady in the late '40s, and a 20th Century Fox star in the early '50s. TCM will be presenting only three Susan Hayward premieres, all from her Fox era. Unfortunately, her Paramount and Universal work – e.g., Among the Living, Sis Hopkins, And Now Tomorrow, The Saxon Charm – which remains mostly unavailable (in quality prints), will remain unavailable this month. Highlights of the evening include: Adam Had Four Sons (1941), a sentimental but surprisingly...

There's very little written about Gregory Ratoff's movies and even less about the man himself. On the set of Black Magic (1949), it was reported that he liked to bark commands like a parody of the autocratic director in the Erich von Stroheim mold. Yet he turned out dozens of mid-budget studio pictures and was personally chosen to take over Intermezzo by Selznick, a producer who liked to control every aspect of his films. >> -Sean Axmaker...

There's very little written about Gregory Ratoff's movies and even less about the man himself. On the set of Black Magic (1949), it was reported that he liked to bark commands like a parody of the autocratic director in the Erich von Stroheim mold. Yet he turned out dozens of mid-budget studio pictures and was personally chosen to take over Intermezzo by Selznick, a producer who liked to control every aspect of his films. >> -Sean Axmaker...

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. ca. 1935. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was never as popular as his father, silent film superstar Douglas Fairbanks, who starred in one action-adventure blockbuster after another in the 1920s (The Mark of Zorro, Robin Hood, The Thief of Bagdad) and whose stardom dates back to the mid-1910s, when Fairbanks toplined a series of light, modern-day comedies in which he was cast as the embodiment of the enterprising, 20th century “all-American.” What this particular go-getter got was screen queen Mary Pickford as his wife and United Artists as his studio, which he co-founded with Pickford, D.W. Griffith, and Charles Chaplin. Now, although Jr. never had the following of Sr., he did enjoy a solid two-decade-plus movie career. In fact, he was one of the few children of major film stars – e.g., Jane Fonda, Liza Minnelli, Angelina Jolie, Michael Douglas, Jamie Lee Curtis – who had successful film careers of their own.

Teresa Wright and Matt Damon in 'The Rainmaker' Teresa Wright: From Marlon Brando to Matt Damon (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright vs. Samuel Goldwyn: Nasty Falling Out.") "I'd rather have luck than brains!" Teresa Wright was quoted as saying in the early 1950s. That's understandable, considering her post-Samuel Goldwyn choice of movie roles, some of which may have seemed promising on paper.[1] Wright was Marlon Brando's first Hollywood leading lady, but that didn't help her to bounce back following the very public spat with her former boss. After all, The Men was released before Elia Kazan's film version of A Streetcar Named Desire turned Brando into a major international star. Chances are that good film offers were scarce. After Wright's brief 1950 comeback, for the third time in less than a decade she would be gone from the big screen for more than a year.

Joan Lorring, 1945 Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee, dead at 88: One of the earliest surviving Academy Award nominees in the acting categories, Lorring was best known for holding her own against Bette Davis in ‘The Corn Is Green’ (photo: Joan Lorring in ‘Three Strangers’) Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nominee Joan Lorring, who stole the 1945 film version of The Corn Is Green from none other than Warner Bros. reigning queen Bette Davis, died Friday, May 30, 2014, in the New York City suburb of Sleepy Hollow. So far, online obits haven’t mentioned the cause of death. Lorring, one of the earliest surviving Oscar nominees in the acting categories, was 88. Directed by Irving Rapper, who had also handled one of Bette Davis’ biggest hits, the 1942 sudsy soap opera Now, Voyager, Warners’ The Corn Is Green was a decent if uninspired film version of Emlyn Williams’ semi-autobiographical 1938 hit play about an English schoolteacher,...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Nov. 20, 2012

Price: DVD $19.95

Studio: Hen’s Tooth

Orson Welles is Cagliostro in 1949's Black Magic.

Based on a novel by Alexander Dumas, the 1949 mystery-drama film Black Magic stars Orson Welles (Macbeth) as the 18th century master hypnotist and charismatic charlatan, Cagliostro.

After his mother is executed for supposedly practicing “witchcraft,” young Joseph Balsamo is raised by gypsies. Under their tutelage, he perfects his skills performing magic tricks and selling snake oil in the gypsy’s travelling caravan show. Eventually Balsamo meets Franz Mesmer, the famous hypnotist, who convinces Joseph he has even greater gifts which could heal the sick. But Joseph chooses a very different path assuming the name Cagliostro and embarking on a vendetta for power over the man who ordered his mother’s death.

Directed by Gregory Ratoff, the rarely-screened film also stars Nancy Guild, Akim Tamiroff, Margot Graham and Raymond Burr.

Buy or...

DVD Release Date: April 3, 2012

Price: DVD $19.95

Studio: Hen’s Tooth

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. let's his sword do the talking in The Corsican Brothers.

The 1941 action-adventure film The Corsican Brothers, adapted from the 1844 novella by Alexandre Dumas, stars the incomparable Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (The Mark of Zorro).

Hen’s Tooth’s DVD release marks the first time the Gregory Ratoff-directed movie has ever been issued on disc.

There’s plenty of swordplay and swashbuckling adventure in Dumas’ tale of identical twins Lucien and Mario, separated as infants, and raised unaware of each other’s existence. One becomes a Parisian gentleman, the other a country bandit.

When they are reunited as adults (both played by Fairbanks), they seek revenge on the evil Baron (Akim Tamiroff) who plundered their homestead and robbed them of their birthright. Complications arise when both fall in love with the same beautiful Countess (Ruth Warrick, Citizen Kane...

Linda Darnell Linda Darnell on TCM: A Letter To Three Wives, No Way Out Schedule (Et) and synopses from the TCM website: 6:00 Am Zero Hour! (1957) When a flight crew falls ill only man who can land the plane is afraid of flying. Dir: Hall Bartlett. Cast: Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, Sterling Hayden. Bw-81 mins, Letterbox Format. 7:30 Am Sweet And Low Down (1944) Dir: Archie Mayo. Cast: Benny Goodman, Linda Darnell, Jack Oakie. Bw-76 mins. 9:00 Am Rise And Shine (1941) The college president head cheerleader and a gambling gangster try to keep a flunking football star in the game. Dir: Allan Dwan. Cast: Jack Oakie, George Murphy, Linda Darnell. Bw-88 mins. 10:45 Am Brigham Young (1940) Two young Mormons struggle to survive their people's journey to a new home in the West. Dir: Henry Hathaway. Cast: Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Dean Jagger. Bw-113 mins. 12:45 Pm Two Flags West (1950) A bitter...

Simon Brew Aug 14, 2017

Is the named director of a film the one who's actually been calling the shots? Here are 11 where a 'ghost director' may have been involved.

It's not that uncommon for a director to take their name off a film, and to leave the moniker Alan Smithee or whatever the current equivalent is behind. However, what's considerably rarer is when a film is released under the name of one director, but it's later revealed or rumoured that, actually, other hands were at work, either for a solid chunk or even the entirety of a production. That a film was, for want of a better phrase, 'ghost directed'.

See related Gotham season 4: Barbara is set to form an all-female "power base"

Granted, some of these stories that we're about to tell have little chance of ever being fully confirmed, but here are some examples of where the helmer...