The task of replacing Connery as Bond was a challenge many preferred not to undertake. Several actors actors were approached including Timothy Dalton, who did not think an actor could escape the shadow of Connery (Broccoli, Zec). Saltzman and Broccoli disagreed with Dalton and believed established TV actor, Roger Moore, could cleanse the palette of any cinema-goer.

Moore had previously been offered the role of Bond twice; however, his prior commitment to his mystery-spy TV show, The Saint, forced Moore to deny the role (Lee). That is until 1973 when, at the age of 45, Moore introduced himself to the world as Bond. James Bond.

The first set of films starring Moore; Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker; experience the growing pains of a franchise attempting to regain its footing. The absence of Connery resulted in a directionless franchise grasping at straws.

The past four James Bond films were either aimless episodic adventures anchored by Connery’s performance or On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, which grossed the least amount of profit since the character’s introduction.

The “failure” of On Her Majesty’s, the film with the most adherence to the source material, resulted in a lack of faith in the novels; therefore, the first batch of Moore films abandoned many of the major plotlines of Fleming in favor of original stories inspired by the works of Fleming. This will be the status quo until Casino Royale.

Lacking the originality of Fleming, the screenwriters looked to Hollywood and popular culture to determine the plots. James Bond soon began to fight thugs in Harlem during the Blaxploitation movement, fight ninjas in Asia after the success of the Kung Fu Film, and blast off into orbit after the worldwide phenomenon of Star Wars.

Rather than being reflective of the culture of the masses, Bond became reflective of the masses of culture. Bond no longer stood as a symbol of rebellion and revolution. He was diminished to a parody. The elaborate stunts and set pieces that dazzled audiences previously, now concluded with a tongue-in-cheek joke. Even Bond’s signature gun, the Walther PPK, was replaced at one point by a Smith and Wesson .44 Magnum, the same gun used in Dirty Harry.

The plots of the Cannibal Era are in line with the era’s representation of Bond. Bond dismantles a voodoo cult; slays a villain known best for his third nipple; and engages in zero-gravity coitus. The series abandoned any realism in favor of larger sets, crazier characters, and more jokes.

This suited Moore. As an actor known for playing a sophisticated playboy on The Saint, Moore smoothly transitioned into the role of Bond; albeit a sophisticated, playboyish Bond. This transition was only further aided by the screenwriters. Due to the disparity in physicality between Moore and Connery, set pieces and plot points were created to give Moore a tougher edge. Richard Maibaum explained, “We knew Roger was not a rough, tough guy like Sean. So, we deliberately gave him things to do that would make him tougher.”

Despite middling reviews and much derision of the forced humour, the Cannibal films were extremely successful at the box office. Moonraker even eventually eclipsed Thunderball as the highest grossing bond movie to that point.

As the visual spectacle of the series was unlikely to surpass that of Moonraker, once again, Bond needed a new identity to reinvigorate the franchise as throwing money at the screen could only prove so effective.

Broccoli and Moore agreed that the franchise needed a new direction. They decided, “to focus more upon character and story than the familiar set-piece fireworks (Broccoli and Zec).” A trimming of cinematic fat and an increase depth alloted to Bond gave way to a more subdued Moore as The Cold Warrior.