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I think you misunderstood what I was saying, @QsCat ...
Think about the period of time between LTK and GE... The producers crafted a script that was taking place in an almost new world (as in the Berlin Wall fell, and how would James Bond fit into this new time).
James Bond is a "present day" man and the producers have to rediscover the "point" of James Bond in the post Craig, post-pandemic world. I mean, what is spy-craft today? Much different than back in 1962 (not saying that 007 has ever been an accurate portrayal of a spy, but the fantasy must at least feel believable); who are contemporary villains? What is the point of having a license to kill in the mid 2020s (once again grounding the fantasy into something that feels "believable")...
When they discover this, a script will reflect a proper adventure that fits into the present day, and the appropriate actors to lead us into the new era will also rise.
The chance of having period-set Bond adventures are slim to none when the producers have already shot down this concept. It's not commercially viable. And EoN is, after all, in the film "business". If they want new bums in seats, they will not capture the general audiences imagination by plucking James Bond out of "today" and dumping him in the past (and no recreation of the 50s/60s will ever feel as genuine and as real as the original Connery films).
So this wasn't me saying write a script that's about James Bond's relevancy in present day, but find the relevancy as subtext to the new era: who is James Bond and why is he here? What's his point? His value as a hero? Once they can answer these questions, a proper, contemporary story and appropriate candidates to represent this, will emerge.
Sadly you are right, as I'd love period Bond back in action again. Solid post, Peter.
Bond has to live in the present day to stay relevant.
However. I do think there will come a point when enough time has passed since Fleming that Bond will have to be done in a period setting. Similar to Sherlock Holmes, Zorro, Tarzan and Dracula. Especially with the longer gaps between films, it seems inevitable to me.
For instance, the Dracula films made prior to Hammer's 1958 DRACULA, were set in the time they were made. By the time Hammer got around to The Count, the novel was more than 50 years old so it made sense to remake the story as a period piece.
I do feel we're getting close to that point for Bond. One can try to keep reinventing Bond and the Scooby gang for the modern era, but essentially the filmmakers are just creating new characters. Fiennes M is not the same person in the books. Neither was Dench.
We have also had Bond films made from that era (in and around), and;
Think about the budget for re-creating the 50s/60s! It’s an extraordinary amount, which, if it guaranteed bums in seats would be worth it.
But is the worldwide general audience clamouring for period James Bond? I don’t think so. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze.
This is Bond, not Indiana Jones (which has always been set in yesteryear). The producers would rather take the budget of dressing 007 in period, and use it for a contemporary set-piece that will blow audiences away and be a competitor in its genre.
Well, that didn't really turn out well, did it? Lames(t) Bond died and seemed to be a shadow of himself.
Good one.
No no, I get what you’re saying. i’m just commenting on how this obsession for relevancy has been at the forefront for the last few films, and the films have suffered for it. Obviously think of relevancy when in pre-production but it doesn’t have to be signposted in the script…
Yes, it’s going to very difficult to reinvent Bond. I don’t think the difficulty lies with addressing spy-craft though. I think the main issue is how to portray Bond as a man who lives in society today and lives the lifestyle he lives, but is also an action-man/secret agent. It’s easy if you’re going to play it as a joke, but to play it straight is very difficult. Certain tropes and habits of Bond have to be dropped, but if too many are dropped, is he still Bond?
As much as I would like to see faithful period adaptations of the books, I think Bond ought to be a contemporary figure. Part of the appeal of the old films is that you’re watching a time capsule, you know it’s genuine. Newly-made films set in the past would just feel false, surely they’d lose some of the thrill? I want to feel that Bond could be out there currently.
As you say, there’s no way the next film won’t be modern day, because of all of the merchandise, sponsors, sartorial elements.
A period film seems to be easiest option, but EoN really need to just work on their ideas. If they can’t come up with an incredible film, is it really worth making them, just to keep the franchise going? Watching NTTD was largely very dull. I’m now fed up with the reused elements in every single film, I’m fed up with feeling I’ve been strung along again by a film which is just a fresh skin over an increasingly familiar and tired skeleton… I’m very conflicted on where the films should go next…
But where do they go from here? I wouldn't want that job, but I think a couple things are clear: the producers aren't suddenly going to jump back into the way things were done pre-Craig, and they're not going to try and cut and copy from the Craig era either.
They will be going for bold and fresh to stand out in a crowded market, and I think they will do this through casting. I'd take the gamble that whoever gets cast as the next James Bond will be their most daring to date. If this is the case, my only hope is that the best man gets the job-- someone who captures the essence of who James Bond is, while ushering in his own interpretation that feels fresh and connects with the global box office....
Thing is, though, the British Establishment of the 1950s wasn't a colourblind or classless meritocracy. Realistically, in the '50s, Elba wouldn't be a British citizen, he'd be a first-generation immigrant in a country where his very presence was resented by the authorities because a single-term, post-War socialist government had introduced Commonwealth immigration against the wishes of the Establishment. Again, there's dramatic potential there, too. But, in reality, no matter what his abilities, they wouldn't even have given him a chance to show what he could do: he'd've been blocked at every turn by the racist elites who ran the system. 'Not one of us' and all that. I fear that Elba literally wouldn't have got through the door of MI6 in the '50s, let alone have achieved 00 status.
On the other hand, I wonder how many younger people are actually aware of just how hidebound and restrictive Britain really was back then? Probably not many, actually, so the dramatic potential could well override any sense of 'hang on a minute, that just wouldn't happen...'. It wouldn't be a documentary, after all. Hmm. I don't think I'd want it for Bond, tbh, but there could well be potential in this. If the BBC ever run anything like it, I'll remember where I heard it first, Since!
Perhaps the way to do it would be that M and his close circle knew the man they wanted for the missions and selected him, elitists be damned. Thank you for clarifying - I did not know the historical state of Britain in that time period. I do think, though, that someone like M would have wanted to put the right person on a given job. Lady, gent, Indian, African, European, American, Scot, Irishman, Welshman, Englishman - whatever. The agent might not be welcome at Blades, but imagine M bringing a Bond of color to his club ! I have another idea for the LALD storyline, since American Felix Leiter would be part of it. In the middle of their time together in the US, Felix asks Bond if Bond would help Felix with a separate matter he would like to attend to, on the side. Felix is supposed to work on international matters, as a CIA guy, but Felix also has a conscience. They're in the deep US South in the early 50s for LALD at one point, a place where "strange fruit" would hang from the trees. Felix has inside info from a friend in the FBI, and Bond and he apprehend some racist murderers and hang THEM from the trees, though not dead. Tarred and feathered, with evidence tying them to crimes up in the tree, too, and set up for apprehension and unavoidable prosecution. M later tells Bond about it, and asks Bond whether he was aware of it, as in went on during Bond's visit with Felix. Bond says "No" and M says, "I see, well, certainly a job well done by whoever did it !"
Quite right ! As a non-Bond it would be less restricted and more accepted, right ? They ARE a Secret Service, so surely some things were done in secret. Realistically, there would have been Secret Agents in Africa, the Middle East, India, Asia - all natives to the area who would not stick out like sore thumbs.
One things is for sure, though, no matter what happens in such a story or in a Bond story - Canada and Australia will not be settings ! There's a law, right ?
The Gray Man was, without a doubt one of the silliest films I've seen and a waste of $200 million.... And what the Russo Bros did with poor Ana!!
By far the weakest actor in the film, by a long shot, is now their suggestion to be the next James Bond! They should just focus on making a good film next time, without CGI they borrowed from 1999, and leave James Bond to the professionals!
The original script has been kicking around Hollywood since 2009. As I told a reader of these boards, it was highly acclaimed, based on a series of books I believe, but it was trapped in Development Hell (Ive been there myself, but, as was the case with me, the original writers were paid for all those options!).
The original script made the prestigious Black List of 2010 and continued being passed from studio to studio until 2020; that's when Netflix made a deal with the Russo's (basically offering a blank check); they chose The Gray Man; brought on one of their Marvel writers and; did an unnecessary page one rewrite.
I kid you not when I say the only things remaining from the original script, and the one you watched, are the title and one character name.
That's it.
And the finished product is far worse than a script that got on the Black List and had many suitors (while it rode Development Hell).
The biggest sin: by changing everything about the script, including character names, the original writers weren't awarded any credit, therefore they didn't get a production fee, meaning the Russo Bros screwed the original writers in the most terrible way (basically they didn't want to share credit, or fee).
And that's unforgivable.
Yeah I'm not sold on a few potential actors in the running. Nothing against Page, he's just not got that edge to him, that you need to be Bond. Didn't the producers once compare Bond to a coiled spring? That's what I think of when I judge most of candidates and I don't see that in most of them
I’ve backed out of guessing about potential candidates and was only heard-heartedly throwing my two cents into the ring. But I do know my feelings on Page are a hard no!
No one genuinely excites me, though.
I do believe that once EoN have a script, we will see the true potentials rise (since the producers at EoN and Amazon/MGM will have a defined “type” they will be seeking based on the new direction and script; now it’s just guess work, and no one is genuinely standing out).
It was an awfully generic film...so of course Netflix is moving forward with a sequel and spinoff. What a world.
Bringing your guy over to infiltrate that community would by-pass the initial Establishment barriers - and there's your man, right in the game where you want him. All the juicy dramatic conflict we mentioned earlier could then unfold as the story went on. At the end, he's proved his worth in a British context and gets asked to stay and carry on - despite the ongoing resentment in certain quarters. And from there, you could come up with further storylines. That actually does sound pretty feasible to me. I really do think you could be onto something here, Since - go for it!