Based on Ian Fleming’s novel series, James Bond has become one of the characters that has been portrayed by several actors over the years. Starting with Sean Connery, multiple actors, including Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig, and others, have brought the character to life on screen. While many of these were blockbusters, some have failed to leave the same impact at the box office and on its audience as well.
One such movie in the years-long franchise is also believed to be Moore’s 1974 film The Man with the Golden Gun. The movie saw a massive box office fall as compared to its predecessor and was also highly criticized for the performance of its lead cast, excluding one actor, Christopher Lee, who was almost replaced as Bond’s antagonist in the movie.
Screenwriters Did Not Want Christopher Lee as a James Bond Villain
Screenwriters Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz drafted the script of Roger Moore’s 1974 film The Man with the Golden Gun. They are also known for working on Sean Connery’s Diamonds Are Forever, and Mankiewicz also penned the script for Moore’s James Bond debut in Live and Let Die.
Not just writers, the director of the film, Guy Hamilton, is also known for giving hit Bond movies like Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever. Considering all three of them had worked on some of the best movies under the franchise, it was expected to receive the same reception as their earlier work.
However, none of them reportedly agreed on Christopher Lee’s casting as the villain in the movie. Lee was cast as Francisco Scaramanga after Jack Palance rejected the offer. In Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman’s book Nobody Does it Better, the screenwriters claimed that Palance should have been cast as Scaramanga.
“I actually begged and pleaded and banged the table to have Jack Palance play Scaramanga,” Tom Mankiewicz said and claimed that he would have been the perfect actor for the role. Maibaum also disapproved of Lee’s casting, stating that his character was not “properly” cast and was far from what he was described as in the book.
“I thought the character should be what he was in the book,” he shared. The screenwriter claimed that in books, the villain comes from a “circus background.” However, on Lee’s suggestion, the makers decided to keep Scaramanga more like James Bond, who has “veered over to crime.” However, despite their disagreement, the actor was cast in the role and turned out to be the best thing in the whole film.
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Christopher Lee Turned Out to be the Only Good Thing in the Movie
Guy Hamilton’s 1974 The Man with the Golden Gun brought back Roger Moore as the iconic British spy after his debut as James Bond in Live and Let Die a year earlier. The 1973 film was a box office hit, grossing $161 million, and even earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
However, its sequel was unable to follow up on its success and grossed $97 million. The movie, including its cast’s performance, was heavily criticized, as critics claimed that Moore “hasn’t settled into making Bond his own.” Unlike the other Bond movies, the villain of the 1974 film outshined its protagonist.
Christopher Lee stars in the story as Francisco Scaramanga, a character who is described as the dark image of the super spy himself. It is also considered to be the only good thing about the movie, as the actor was highly praised for his performance and is still considered to be one of the best Bond villains.
The Man with the Golden Gun is available on Prime Video.
Source: Nobody Does It Better
