Black Bag

Michael Fassbender ’s latest movieBlack Bag , directed by Steven Soderbergh , has been an overpowering success with audiences and critics likewise . The undercover agent thriller sees Fassbender playing an tidings agent for the British secret servicing , which is likely the end the actor will ever arrive to trifle fabled MI6 agent James Bond . Fassbender did previously try out to play Julian Bond 20 long time ago , but , unfortunately for him , Eon Productions decided to go with someone else for the role . Nevertheless , the actor should be proud of his oeuvre as a undercover agent inBlack Bag , depict enigmatic NCSC official George Woodhouse .

Alongside Cate Blanchett , Fassbender depend suitably suave as Woodhouse , while hinting at the enigma that might lurk beneath the character ’s deadpan salamander face . In the custom of thebest James Bond actor , he dons both a causa and a polar cervix with the requisite poise , and commands a room quite speak calmly and restfully . by nature , as a big - filmdom orphic agent should , George Woodhouse also mixes business with delight , no matter how in person parlous the situation is likely .

Black Bag Is Michael Fassbender’s Chance To Be A British Spy

Fassbender Plans George Woodhouse, A Spy Who Works For Britain’s NCSC Agency

persona via Focus Features

Michael Fassbender has demonstrated his suitableness for undercover agent roles before in his career , and British spy roles , at that . For case , Fassbender play MI6 factor Paul in 2011’sHaywire , which also encounter to be a Steven Soderbergh moving-picture show . Nevertheless , before playing Woodhouse inBlack Bag , none of Fassbender ’s espionage characters had been the central grinder in a movie about a British undercover agent authority .

In his latest movie , Fassbender ’s part receives a brief from his superior , just as James Bond would , before he start body of work on rooting out a outflow within his agency . There ’s a whodunit element toBlack Bag , which doubles up as a dinner - board relationship drama , too . finally though , George Woodhouse ’s job is about protecting the involvement of the British statefrom a surveillance point of scene , by any means necessary .

Black Bag (2025) Official Poster

Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender are set to asterisk in Steven Soderbergh ’s undercover agent thriller , Black Bag , and this is what you should see beforehand .

Black Bag ’s endinggives us an idea of the length to which George Woodhouse and his married woman Kathryn St. Jean will go to do their Job , while somehow managing to protect each other in the unconscious process . Both of them have a license to pop , to use 007 ’s terminology , and they are n’t afraid to use it .

Michael Fassbender Auditioned To Be James Bond In Casino Royale

The Actor Lost Out To Daniel Craig After A Strange Move In His Audition

Strangely , Michael Fassbender acquire pretty close to being 007himself back in 2005 . While appearing on Josh Horowitz’sHappy Sad Confusedpodcast this year , Fassbender told his interviewer that he ’d meet with Eon Productions head Barbara Broccoli , who boost him to try out for the persona of James Bond . Fassbender went on to claim self - deprecatingly that he does n’t believe he was ever “ in the mix ” for the role .

Even if he was , however , the doer on the face of it feel the part should go to someone else , as he move into the auditory modality and lead off bigging up Daniel Craig as the next James Bond . Eon ’s producers manifestly recollect he had a point , as they depart on to hireCraig for five Bond movies start out with 2006’sCasino Royale .

“ I do n’t know why I was promoting him , ” Fassbender evidence Horowitz . “ I should have been promoting myself . ” It ’s undeniably a unknown move to big up your contention in an hearing , but perhaps this misunderstanding can be put down to face , asJames Bond would have been the young Fassbender ’s very first movie role .

Michael Fassbender in Black Bag and Daniel Craig In Casino Royale

Custom Image by Ana Nieves

In any case , most of us , include Fassbender can jibe thatDaniel Craig is up there as perhaps the best James Bond actorof all fourth dimension , given his innovative and iconic take on the function between 2006 and 2021 . The next James Bond following Craig has a lot to live on up to . Whoever they are , though , they wo n’t be Michael Fassbender , even though the actor could have made a great Bond , asBlack Bagdemonstrates .

Black Bag Proves Michael Fassbender Could Have Been A Fascinating James Bond

Fassbender’s Bond Would Have Kept His Cards Close To His Chest

If Daniel Craig show us morose and more human side to James Bond , then Michael Fassbender would have take things a step further still . As his enactment of George Woodhouse inBlack Bagillustrates , Fassbender is one smooth operator in his British undercover agent function , with all the good luck charm it takes to be adherence . However , Fassbender would probably show more modesty and simpleness than any James Bond in story while act 007 , leaving it up to us to guess what he ’s thinking most of the prison term .

Fassbender ’s 007 would arguably be the close thing to the James Bond we see in some of Ian Fleming ’s novels , who ’s far more guard and less camp than the graphic symbol appears in most of theBondfranchise movies .

The actor playsBlack Bag ’s Woodhouse as a tricky character engaged in all manner of blind , even if it ’s for the right reasons . He ’d arguably be the closest thing to theJames Bond we see in some of Ian Fleming ’s novels , who ’s far more guarded and less campy than the character appears in most of theBondfranchise movies . Craig ’s version of 007 was intended to fit more to the character on the pageboy than former iterations , butFassbender ’s Bond would be more mysterious and virtuously ambivalentstill , while beholden to the personal calculations synonymous with Fleming ’s persona .

George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) lying down with a sad expression in Black Bag

Image via Focus Features

Michael Fassbender Is Probably Too Old To Play James Bond Now

Fassbender Is One Year Older Than Roger Moore Was In His First 007 Movie

Alas , since Michael Fassbender failed his audition 20 years ago he ’s been consigned to the “ most ” mound of 007 enfranchisement history . At 47 year of years , Fassbender is probablytoo honest-to-god to be a contender for the next James Bond worker . It ’s straight that Roger Moore was only one year younger than Fassbender is now when he starred in the 1973 Bond movieMoonraker , but Amazon - MGM are going to be looking for a Bond actor who ’s in it for the long draw as Craig was , ready to wager the character repeatedly over a 10 to 15 - yr period .

Daniel Craig ’s James Bond era came to an end with No Time To Die , but how do his five movies as 007 comparability ? Here ’s each one , rank worst to good .

By the time that period is over , Fassbender will be in his sixties , and older than any James Bond worker in story . He ’ll have to make do with playing the spy protagonist in arguably one of the effective James Bond movies that does n’t really feature James Bond .

Michael Fassbender reading a book in Black Bag

Steven Soderbergh’sBlack Bagis a masterclass in suspensive espionage . It might not regard MI6 or 007 , but it has all the making of a classic Bond movie under a unlike name . Michael Fassbender ’s word picture of George Woodhouse , an clever and deadly surveillance specialist who keeps his cards impossibly close to his chest of drawers , is the most important factor in the movie ’s achiever . Fassbender would have made a fascinating Bond , but he ’s already made a brilliant Woodhouse .

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