What did Dalton to make of the series and, perhaps more importantly, did he set his hopes up way too high?Įven before Dalton arrived, director John Glen and screenwriters Richard Maibaum and Michael G. You can listen to a more in-depth telling of the story behind the making of The Living Daylights in this episode of the Film Stories podcast, but this week’s feature is focused is the man in the spotlight (and we don’t just mean that really cool sight gag that echoes the opening gun-barrel sequence about halfway through the film). However, Bond seeks out Czech cellist Kara Milovy (Maryam d’Abo) instead, realising she’s as embroiled in the wide-ranging conspiracy as he is.Īrriving in cinemas in June 1987, the franchise’s silver-jubilee year, The Living Daylights represented something of an uptick in the series’ cinema takings, grossing $191.2 million at the worldwide box office, which is $40m more than Moore’s final fling, A View To A Kill. After two 00 agents are killed on a training exercise, MI6 orders 007 to eliminate KGB head Leonid Pushkin (John Rhys-Davies) based on information from defector Georgi Koskov (Jeroen Krabbé). The film withdraws from foiling plots for world domination and instead finds Bond going undercover to foil a criminal scheme orchestrated by a Soviet general.

Broccoli kept him in mind and after a near-miss in casting breakout TV star Pierce Brosnan, (whatever happened to that guy?) he finally got Dalton to sign up for the 15th instalment of the spy franchise. On each of those occasions, he turned the offer down either because he felt he was too young, he didn’t want to follow Sean Connery, or he flat-out didn’t like the “techno-cool” aspect of Roger Moore’s escapades.īut producer Albert R. As many have observed in reassessing the Dalton double-bill, it’s impossible not to see the star’s work on the series as a precursor to Daniel Craig’s portrayal of Bond.Īs mentioned in previous columns, Dalton was variously offered the lead role in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Live And Let Die, and For Your Eyes Only. The Living Daylights may be a less cuddly and familiar film than some of the earlier 1980s entries, but it works wonders in restoring a bit of jeopardy and fortitude to 007’s exploits.ĭespite being reasonably reviewed at the time, it’s only in recent years that this film and 1989’s Licence To Kill have started moving up the rankings of fan-favourite films. In the James Bond franchise, going from Roger Moore to Timothy Dalton is like swapping a favourite teddy bear for a live adult wolf.

See more : Sing 2 Characters & Cast Guide: Meet the Actors Try three issues of Film Stories magazine – for just £1: right here! This feature contains moderate spoilers for The Living Daylights. Timothy Dalton played 007 in 1987’s The Living Daylights, but having turned the role down three times, he insisted upon a back-to-basics James Bond.

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