No Time To Die: Production Diary

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Comments

  • edited March 2017 Posts: 386
    GetCarter wrote: »
    I'd like a new mission every 2 years. It's their job.

    But on the other hand I'm very happy with the last 4, the train is on the tracks. Quite a body of work with Craig. They got me.

    There's no law that a new Bond movie be produced every two years.

    But it's clearly what Cubby preferred. It's what the fans have been conditioned for. It's a good, solid time frame. Enough time to savor the current product. Enough urgency to keep the business ticking over nicely. It's a good, balanced business model.

    No one asked for Sam Mendes. No one asked for sumptuously mounted scenes in Italian villas that go for three minutes. No one asked for arty fist fights against elaborate neon backdrops. No one asked for dreamlike car chases with all the immediacy of a Sunday cruise.

    And before all the film students on here jump on to stress how unbearably hard it is to make movies these days, can it. Any mug on the street can see how other prod cos are killing it on shorter turnarounds. Yes, at all budgets and scales.

    It takes elbow grease, yes. Vision. Ambition. Perhaps it takes putting your precious lead actor's nose out of joint. Most importantly, it's eminently possible.

    Whether a distributor can be found or not, there is overwhelming evidence to suggest the entire operation has gotten too big. Bond isn't star wars. It isn't the Avengers. MI should be the template. Hell even FATF. Possibly a tier or two below that.

    Bond is about style, intrigue and sly humor. Such elements need not cost the earth.

    A betting man would conclude the producers have lost their way.

    No, no one asked for Mendes, but he delivered admirably on his first effort. And for all SP's faults, you have to appreciate some of the good things he did achieve. There's great stuff at Lucia's villa. He knows how to stage and shoot a scene. Lucia's arrival back from the funeral felt authentically Bondian without succumbing to tried tropes of the past. It's his ability to surprise with a new approach that I appreciate the most. Like Tennyson in SF- I didn't expect the public enquiry scene to pack such a punch, and it is perhaps one of the most evocative and effective sequence in the entire series. Yet it doesn't feel out of place in a Bond film. Likewise, the one shot fight against the neon back drop is brutal, bizarre and stylish in equal measure, which is highly suggestive of a Fleming novel because, as you say, Bond is about style, intrigue and sly humour. And Mendes can deliver on this.

    As you're probably aware, SF cost less than QOS, so they know how to make a good film with less money (though $150m is a 'helluva chunk of dough').

    I don't think the producers have lost their way. They just need to think a little harder on certain decisions (i.e. Bond/Blofeld shared history, The Bond Begins origin story, CGI to accomplish outlandish/crazy stunts, etc.)

    You make some good points. Yeah I can see the dollars on the screen for QoS, but in that particular case I felt the director botched the pacing. There's a good half hour of Bondian savoir faire missing from that film.

    I guess my point is this - Bond doesn't necessarily need to draw upon epic budgets and high spectacle to succeed.

    Narrative tension still wins. Red Grant shadowing Bond in FWRL. Dalton's Bond rushing to get back to Sanchez's villa in LTK. The train sequence from OP.

    Savoir faire still wins. Lazenby's Bond stepping out with the golf clubs in OHMSS. Vesper and Bond organizing each other's attire before high stakes poker in CR. Moore ordering dinner with Kristatos in FYEO.

    These are the things that cost next to nothing. The current Craig trajectory is too big, too overblown. No one wants that. Not the producers, not the fans. Perhaps P&W allude to this when when they say that things cannot continue in the same vein.

    Casino Royale was breathtakingly good at getting the small things right. None of the films since can claim that IMHO.

    And yet the filmmakers have extracted as much dramatic meat from Craig's incarnation as the franchise can endure without it becoming vapid.

    If the producers saw the writing on the wall in the aftermath of Spectre (pardon the pun), and I think they are professional enough to do that, then the next film with be another FYEO. Scaled down budget. A tighter, narrative-driven thriller that gets the small things right. Here's hoping anyway.

  • edited March 2017 Posts: 3,275
    GetCarter wrote: »
    GetCarter wrote: »
    I'd like a new mission every 2 years. It's their job.

    But on the other hand I'm very happy with the last 4, the train is on the tracks. Quite a body of work with Craig. They got me.

    There's no law that a new Bond movie be produced every two years.

    But it's clearly what Cubby preferred. It's what the fans have been conditioned for. It's a good, solid time frame. Enough time to savor the current product. Enough urgency to keep the business ticking over nicely. It's a good, balanced business model.

    No one asked for Sam Mendes. No one asked for sumptuously mounted scenes in Italian villas that go for three minutes. No one asked for arty fist fights against elaborate neon backdrops. No one asked for dreamlike car chases with all the immediacy of a Sunday cruise.

    And before all the film students on here jump on to stress how unbearably hard it is to make movies these days, can it. Any mug on the street can see how other prod cos are killing it on shorter turnarounds. Yes, at all budgets and scales.

    It takes elbow grease, yes. Vision. Ambition. Perhaps it takes putting your precious lead actor's nose out of joint. Most importantly, it's eminently possible.

    Whether a distributor can be found or not, there is overwhelming evidence to suggest the entire operation has gotten too big. Bond isn't star wars. It isn't the Avengers. MI should be the template. Hell even FATF. Possibly a tier or two below that.

    Bond is about style, intrigue and sly humor. Such elements need not cost the earth.

    A betting man would conclude the producers have lost their way.

    No, no one asked for Mendes, but he delivered admirably on his first effort. And for all SP's faults, you have to appreciate some of the good things he did achieve. There's great stuff at Lucia's villa. He knows how to stage and shoot a scene. Lucia's arrival back from the funeral felt authentically Bondian without succumbing to tried tropes of the past. It's his ability to surprise with a new approach that I appreciate the most. Like Tennyson in SF- I didn't expect the public enquiry scene to pack such a punch, and it is perhaps one of the most evocative and effective sequence in the entire series. Yet it doesn't feel out of place in a Bond film. Likewise, the one shot fight against the neon back drop is brutal, bizarre and stylish in equal measure, which is highly suggestive of a Fleming novel because, as you say, Bond is about style, intrigue and sly humour. And Mendes can deliver on this.

    As you're probably aware, SF cost less than QOS, so they know how to make a good film with less money (though $150m is a 'helluva chunk of dough').

    I don't think the producers have lost their way. They just need to think a little harder on certain decisions (i.e. Bond/Blofeld shared history, The Bond Begins origin story, CGI to accomplish outlandish/crazy stunts, etc.)

    You make some good points. Yeah I can see the dollars on the screen for QoS, but in that particular case I felt the director botched the pacing. There's a good half hour of Bondian savoir faire missing from that film.

    I guess my point is this - Bond doesn't necessarily need to draw upon epic budgets and high spectacle to succeed.

    Narrative tension still wins. Red Grant shadowing Bond in FWRL. Dalton's Bond rushing to get back to Sanchez's villa in LTK. The train sequence from OP.

    Savoir faire still wins. Lazenby's Bond stepping out with the golf clubs in OHMSS. Vesper and Bond organizing each other's attire before high stakes poker in CR. Moore ordering dinner with Kristatos in FYEO.

    These are the things that cost next to nothing. The current Craig trajectory is too big, too overblown. No one wants that. Not the producers, not the fans. Perhaps P&W allude to this when when they say that things cannot continue in the same vein.

    Casino Royale was breathtakingly good at getting the small things right. None of the films since can claim that IMHO.

    And yet the filmmakers have extracted as much dramatic meat from Craig's incarnation as the franchise can endure without becoming vapid.

    If the producers saw the writing on the wall in the aftermath of Spectre (pardon the pun), and I think they are professional enough to do that, then the next film with be another FYEO. Scaled down budget. A tighter, narrative-driven thriller that gets the small things right. Here's hoping anyway.

    Well said! Post of the day.

    Give this man a beer! =D>
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Really this isn't surprising. Some of you were losing it with the whole "what do they mean, this fall or next fall". With all that's going on or not going on, you'd have to be dreaming to have believed filming would start this year; they don't even have a distributor.
  • Posts: 11,425
    good post @jetsetwilly. I think a lot of us feel this. That the small details, scenes and dialogue that make a great Bond film don't actually cost very much, and are too often absent over the past 25 years.
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 386
    Connery ordering figs, yoghurt and "very black" coffee in FRWL.

    Dalton securing opera tickets in TLD.

    The things I remember and love.

    These tiny elements are missing in the "speeding bullet" of QoS and the "grand spectacle" of Mendes's double.
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 3,985
    GetCarter wrote: »
    Connery ordering figs, yoghurt and "very black" coffee in FRWL.

    Dalton securing opera tickets in TLD.

    The things I remember and love.

    These tiny elements are missing in the "speeding bullet" of QoS and the "grand spectacle" of Mendes's double.

    I think there's a fair few in QOS.

    Love the little scene where Bond asks the desk agent to tell Universal Exports that he's going to Cairo, when they ring.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 6,761
    GetCarter wrote: »
    Connery ordering figs, yoghurt and "very black" coffee in FRWL.

    Dalton securing opera tickets in TLD.

    The things I remember and love.

    These tiny elements are missing in the "speeding bullet" of QoS and the "grand spectacle" of Mendes's double.

    Yes, the wine in FYEO, the questionable champagne in TLD, fresh flowers every day in LTK. John Glen might have been a journey man, he did a great job with at least three of his five Bond films. I think he "got" Bond and only Martin Campbell came close since then.
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 5,767
    GetCarter wrote: »
    Connery ordering figs, yoghurt and "very black" coffee in FRWL.

    Dalton securing opera tickets in TLD.

    The things I remember and love.

    These tiny elements are missing in the "speeding bullet" of QoS and the "grand spectacle" of Mendes's double.

    I think there's a fair few in QOS.
    Agreed. And besides that, QoS has its own merits as kind of an abstract painting of a Bond film. Mendes´s two films I find more and more difficult to get into with time. While QoS does digress from classic Bond, every time I watch it it sticks to my mind after. I let myself be haunted by SF and SP and pop them in every now and then, but there´s nothing really that draws me in, let alone something that sticks afterward. Mendes doesn´t resonate much with me.




    GoldenGun wrote: »
    GetCarter wrote: »
    Connery ordering figs, yoghurt and "very black" coffee in FRWL.

    Dalton securing opera tickets in TLD.

    The things I remember and love.

    These tiny elements are missing in the "speeding bullet" of QoS and the "grand spectacle" of Mendes's double.

    Yes, the wine in FYEO, the questionable champagne in TLD, fresh flowers every day in LTK. John Glen might have been a journey man, he did a great job with at least three of his five Bond films. I think he "got" Bond and only Martin Campbell came close since then.
    John Glen was the best thing that happened to Bond in the last 30 or so years. I´m not saying all new Bond films should be as instantaneously recognisable as Bond films, but during the last eight films, much of the energy seems to have gone into lack of self-confidence. Drop bs like the DB5 and make a film that makes sense for itself. Look at Logan and learn.

  • Posts: 19,339
    Bond orders 'Champagne for one' in CR before he buggers off and leaves Solange .
  • SirHilaryBraySirHilaryBray Scotland
    edited March 2017 Posts: 2,138
    echo wrote: »
    peter wrote: »
    @JamesBondKenya hits nail on head: Greg Wilson..., what makes him the saviour?

    There's no evidence of that. Babs and MGW apprenticed for a while.

    And what have Barbs and Mike have been doing for the franchise in the last couple years

    Jesus Wept. MGM financial woes, Writers strikes. Yet they still managed to get films out. hardly EON or in particular Barbs and Michael's faults. Sell it to a fan. Quality response =D>

    Their family made Bond what it is today, nobody works harder or does more to protect the Bond brand. Their last 2 have been the highest grossing in the brands history and the World is on the edge of their seats because the global fan base has increased.

    An easier question, what more could Barb and Michael do?
  • Posts: 5,767
    Produce good Bond films?
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited March 2017 Posts: 23,883
    Great discussion over the past few pages. I'm in agreement with most of the posters here. The savoir faire has definitely been missing for many years. I'm afraid leaving some champagne for Q when one steals an Aston doesn't quite cut it. Neither do suits that look like they could split open at at any moment.

    I'm ashamed to say that what has been missing from Bond films for many years is a little Kingsman style & flair, and that is precisely what I expect to see in the next one. Not caricatured, like in the Vaughn directed film, but rather embraced. For that, one needs an actor who can outshine all competitors in the style & finesse dept. One who is infinitely credible on screen as a connoisseur of the finer things in life, while also being convincing as a hardened killer. One also needs a refined & intelligent script.
  • Posts: 199
    So, Purvis and Wade confirmed (more or less) as writers for Bond 25. I take that as a good sign. Story meetings would have taken place with the usual suspects. Ideas would have been pitched and, most likely, Babs / Michael Wilson, et al. would have discussed at length with various writers before agreeing on a 'direction' for the movie and settling on "their" writers to bring the story to life. Once they have delivered the 1st draft (maybe June / July this year) it will be shown to Daniel Craig. If he likes what he see's I think we'll get a press statement a few weeks later confirming he'll return to the part. The script will evolve, naturally, and Daniel Craig will have an input too (he usually does), and when they land a director, he / she will also want to put their creative "stamp" on the final script. All normal stuff. I just wonder if anything other aspects of the production will go in tandem with the development of the script? We've heard of scouting locations already (Crotatia), so I wonder how advanced they are on pre-production and whether in 12 months they will be shooting? Based on previous productions, it is reasonable to expect Bond 25 for November 2018, or perhaps Spring / Summer 2019. I just hope Purvis and Wade deliver better script than Spectre.
  • Posts: 15,785
    SonofSean wrote: »
    So, Purvis and Wade confirmed (more or less) as writers for Bond 25. I take that as a good sign. Story meetings would have taken place with the usual suspects. Ideas would have been pitched and, most likely, Babs / Michael Wilson, et al. would have discussed at length with various writers before agreeing on a 'direction' for the movie and settling on "their" writers to bring the story to life. Once they have delivered the 1st draft (maybe June / July this year) it will be shown to Daniel Craig. If he likes what he see's I think we'll get a press statement a few weeks later confirming he'll return to the part. The script will evolve, naturally, and Daniel Craig will have an input too (he usually does), and when they land a director, he / she will also want to put their creative "stamp" on the final script. All normal stuff. I just wonder if anything other aspects of the production will go in tandem with the development of the script? We've heard of scouting locations already (Crotatia), so I wonder how advanced they are on pre-production and whether in 12 months they will be shooting? Based on previous productions, it is reasonable to expect Bond 25 for November 2018, or perhaps Spring / Summer 2019. I just hope Purvis and Wade deliver better script than Spectre.

    Imagining we're on a 2 year gap, and say we had got a new film last November....now would pretty much be the time Purvis and Wade would begin treatment for the next film. So November 2018 would still be a possibility.
    However- the new information that's come to light that Eon are producing an historical epic at the end of the year does put a rain cloud on the proceedings. I suppose it's possible to be producing a couple projects at once, and the primary focus could be Bond.
    It is looking like Bond 25 isn't exactly a priority, and honestly I feel at this point it's probably too late to have the next film be a direct follow up to SP. I have a feeling Purvis and Wade will be brainstorming other ideas.
    I think B25 could be about as related to SP as DAF was to OHMSS.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    edited March 2017 Posts: 11,139
    boldfinger wrote: »
    Produce good Bond films?

    Exactly.
    I think some people are living off EoN's history a bit too much. The cinematic contributions of the Bond films can't be denied BUT the landscape of today isn't like it was in the 1960s. Competition is stiff and Bond is no longer the key market player in town. We dont need yet another film that tries to validate the character's existence; just get on with telling a cracking story that people can walk away from and feel excited about.

    I have my grievances with the way EoN have been performing these last couple of movies but with SP I can't shake my head enough at the overwhelming dereliction of duty from EoN. They need to dramatically step their game up and start producing properly. Oversight isn't about leaving things to the last minute and then doing some crappy rushed job to meet a deadline. EoN are OGs in the film business they should know better. The way they oversaw SP from the preproduction stage (the crucial stage of any film) can never be repeated again. That was just messy beyond belief.

    Furthermore, there are elements in other movies and other franchises that are easily doing what the Bond films should be doing. The entire lift scene through to the stairwell fight tracking shot in the Atomic Blonde trailer had more tension and was more gripping than anything from EoN's last couple of efforts.
    They seriously need to ardently refocus their efforts on cutting costs, strip things down, simplify and deliver engaging stories.

    Creatively as of late, they've overcomplicated things for themselves unecessarilly and things just feel so subpar. I'm so over the whole circus spectacle of a Bond film's press conference that they always do. Its time to start delivering again on the end product. Bond 25 is going to be the ultimate litmus test and if they mess it up, well that'll just be inexcusable. They have the experience, the clout and material to put out great quality films. Its high time they start doing so.

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited March 2017 Posts: 23,883
    doubleoego wrote: »
    boldfinger wrote: »
    Produce good Bond films?

    Exactly.
    I think some people are living off EoN's history a bit too much. The cinematic contributions of the Bond films can't be denied BUT the landscape of today isn't like it was in the 1960s. Competition is stiff and Bond is no longer the key market player in town. We dont need yet another film that tries to validate the character's existence; just get on with telling a cracking story that people can walk away from and feel excited about.

    I have my grievances with the way EoN have been performing these last couple of movies but with SP I can't shake my head enough at the overwhelming dereliction of duty from EoN. They need to dramatically step their game up and start producing properly. Oversight isn't about leaving things to the last minute and then doing some crappy rushed job to meet a deadline. EoN are OGs in the film business they should know better. The way they oversaw SP from the preproduction stage (the crucial stage of any film) can never be repeated again. That was just messy beyond belief.

    Furthermore, there are elements in other movies and other franchises that are easily doing what the Bond films should be doing. The entire lift scene through to the stairwell fight tracking shot in the Atomic Blonde trailer had more tension and was more gripping than anything from EoN's last couple of efforts.
    They seriously need to ardently refocus their efforts on cutting costs, strip things down, simplify and deliver engaging stories.

    Creatively as of late, they've overcomplicated things for themselves unecessarilly and things just feel so subpar. I'm so over the whole circus spectacle of a Bond film's press conference that they always do. Its time to start delivering again on the end product. Bond 25 is going to be the ultimate litmus test and if they mess it up, well that'll just be inexcusable. They have the experience, the clout and material to put out great quality films. Its high time they start doing so.
    I completely agree. Even ignoring Atomic Blonde, I think there's more tension (and classic style) in the Opera sequence in MI-RN than in anything in SP.

    I'm glad they did what they did with reboot Bond in retrospect because it will always exist as a standalone reinterpretation of the character and his main foe. The Craig era has represented a peeling back of the veneer, and he is/was the right actor to do that with, because he has the requisite machismo to deliver that aspect of the character without coming across like a wuss on screen.

    Having said that, I believe it's time to move on. Keep it tight, efficient & engaging next time out. Get a director who's workmanlike, but who knows how to deliver the action & tension, and combine that with traditional Bondian film & novel elements. I don't really care how much gross it makes at the box office. I'm more concerned with the next film re-establishing the credibility of the Bond brand as one to be reckoned with in a hyper-competitive market, like TSWLM, GE & CR all did before them, and after similar long waits.

    If they can get a director who will commit to a multi-film contract and vision, I'll be even happier, so we can return to some consistency of output, visual style & concept.
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 199
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    Imagining we're on a 2 year gap, and say we had got a new film last November....now would pretty much be the time Purvis and Wade would begin treatment for the next film. So November 2018 would still be a possibility.
    However- the new information that's come to light that Eon are producing an historical epic at the end of the year does put a rain cloud on the proceedings. I suppose it's possible to be producing a couple projects at once, and the primary focus could be Bond.
    It is looking like Bond 25 isn't exactly a priority, and honestly I feel at this point it's probably too late to have the next film be a direct follow up to SP. I have a feeling Purvis and Wade will be brainstorming other ideas.
    I think B25 could be about as related to SP as DAF was to OHMSS.

    I think the gap between Spectre and B25 will handled simply enough. When Bond was driving away at the end of Spectre, we'll learn he wasn't retiring, merely enjoying an extended holiday for a job well done - no mention of Swann other than ("another one got away") . When we next see Bond, he'll be back on the job - spying, killing, shagging, the usual (hurrah!). The only connection with Spectre will be Blofeld and the Spectre organisation. I expect Blofeld will escape from prison and then do something horrible as an act of revenge, killing someone close to Bond. Bond will have to track him down to some hollowed out volcano / lair to finish him for good. So business as usual then. My one prediction will be that Blofeld will be played by a different actor. And he'll probably be bald.

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    SonofSean wrote: »
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    Imagining we're on a 2 year gap, and say we had got a new film last November....now would pretty much be the time Purvis and Wade would begin treatment for the next film. So November 2018 would still be a possibility.
    However- the new information that's come to light that Eon are producing an historical epic at the end of the year does put a rain cloud on the proceedings. I suppose it's possible to be producing a couple projects at once, and the primary focus could be Bond.
    It is looking like Bond 25 isn't exactly a priority, and honestly I feel at this point it's probably too late to have the next film be a direct follow up to SP. I have a feeling Purvis and Wade will be brainstorming other ideas.
    I think B25 could be about as related to SP as DAF was to OHMSS.

    I think the gap between Spectre and B25 will handled simply enough. When Bond was driving away at the end of Spectre, we'll learn he wasn't retiring, merely enjoying an extended holiday for a job well done - no mention of Swann other than ("another got away") . When we next see Bond, he'll be back on the job - spying, killing, shagging, the usual (hurrah!). The only connection with Spectre will be Blofeld and the Spectre organisation. I expect Blofeld will escape from prison and then do something horrible as an act of revenge, killing someone close to Bond. Bond will have to track him down to some hollowed out volcano / lair to finish him for good. So business as usual then. My one prediction will be that Blofeld will be played by a different actor. And he'll probably be bald.
    Or they can start the film much later in the cycle, and only refer to Bond having dispatched Blofeld in M's office as a recap. I wouldn't mind that either, so we can get a move on from the SP storyline without dwelling on it. Make the new one about Bond being hunted by someone intent on revenge for Blofeld's killing. A Bunt perhaps?
  • Posts: 15,785
    SonofSean wrote: »
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    Imagining we're on a 2 year gap, and say we had got a new film last November....now would pretty much be the time Purvis and Wade would begin treatment for the next film. So November 2018 would still be a possibility.
    However- the new information that's come to light that Eon are producing an historical epic at the end of the year does put a rain cloud on the proceedings. I suppose it's possible to be producing a couple projects at once, and the primary focus could be Bond.
    It is looking like Bond 25 isn't exactly a priority, and honestly I feel at this point it's probably too late to have the next film be a direct follow up to SP. I have a feeling Purvis and Wade will be brainstorming other ideas.
    I think B25 could be about as related to SP as DAF was to OHMSS.

    I think the gap between Spectre and B25 will handled simply enough. When Bond was driving away at the end of Spectre, we'll learn he wasn't retiring, merely enjoying an extended holiday for a job well done - no mention of Swann other than ("another one got away") . When we next see Bond, he'll be back on the job - spying, killing, shagging, the usual (hurrah!). The only connection with Spectre will be Blofeld and the Spectre organisation. I expect Blofeld will escape from prison and then do something horrible as an act of revenge, killing someone close to Bond. Bond will have to track him down to some hollowed out volcano / lair to finish him for good. So business as usual then. My one prediction will be that Blofeld will be played by a different actor. And he'll probably be bald.

    I like that. Pretty much how I would prefer it to be handled as well. I'm also all for a new Blofeld-bald and classic. Unless the filmmakers went the route of having him made up as described in one of the books, I'd be interested more in a classic Eon Ernst.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    It's clear to me from Wilson's comments last year and P&W's in February that EON are looking more outward with the next film. I believe that it will be plot based and will be influenced more by current & possible future events and fears.
  • JamesBondKenyaJamesBondKenya Danny Boyle laughs to himself
    Posts: 2,730
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    SonofSean wrote: »
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    Imagining we're on a 2 year gap, and say we had got a new film last November....now would pretty much be the time Purvis and Wade would begin treatment for the next film. So November 2018 would still be a possibility.
    However- the new information that's come to light that Eon are producing an historical epic at the end of the year does put a rain cloud on the proceedings. I suppose it's possible to be producing a couple projects at once, and the primary focus could be Bond.
    It is looking like Bond 25 isn't exactly a priority, and honestly I feel at this point it's probably too late to have the next film be a direct follow up to SP. I have a feeling Purvis and Wade will be brainstorming other ideas.
    I think B25 could be about as related to SP as DAF was to OHMSS.

    I think the gap between Spectre and B25 will handled simply enough. When Bond was driving away at the end of Spectre, we'll learn he wasn't retiring, merely enjoying an extended holiday for a job well done - no mention of Swann other than ("another one got away") . When we next see Bond, he'll be back on the job - spying, killing, shagging, the usual (hurrah!). The only connection with Spectre will be Blofeld and the Spectre organisation. I expect Blofeld will escape from prison and then do something horrible as an act of revenge, killing someone close to Bond. Bond will have to track him down to some hollowed out volcano / lair to finish him for good. So business as usual then. My one prediction will be that Blofeld will be played by a different actor. And he'll probably be bald.

    I like that. Pretty much how I would prefer it to be handled as well. I'm also all for a new Blofeld-bald and classic. Unless the filmmakers went the route of having him made up as described in one of the books, I'd be interested more in a classic Eon Ernst.

    Sounds good, also if we don't want to rush it at this point perhaps a 2019 release is better
  • Posts: 154
    ggl007 wrote: »
    MI6 twitter...

    9lG7ZoV.jpg

    Looks like I called it exactly a few pages back.
  • DonnyDB5DonnyDB5 Buffalo, New York
    Posts: 1,755
    I'm honestly amazed nothing came out of the Omega event. All the articles out there say "DC stirs James Bond rumors." How exactly? Nothing was asked, he never gave any hint about returning. This dry spell is truly unfortunate.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,372
    DonnyDB5 wrote: »
    I'm honestly amazed nothing came out of the Omega event. All the articles out there say "DC stirs James Bond rumors." How exactly? Nothing was asked, he never gave any hint about returning. This dry spell is truly unfortunate.

    That's the garbage that is known as clickbait.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,586
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    DonnyDB5 wrote: »
    I'm honestly amazed nothing came out of the Omega event. All the articles out there say "DC stirs James Bond rumors." How exactly? Nothing was asked, he never gave any hint about returning. This dry spell is truly unfortunate.

    That's the garbage that is known as clickbait.
    Precisely.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    bondjames wrote: »
    doubleoego wrote: »
    boldfinger wrote: »
    Produce good Bond films?

    Exactly.
    I think some people are living off EoN's history a bit too much. The cinematic contributions of the Bond films can't be denied BUT the landscape of today isn't like it was in the 1960s. Competition is stiff and Bond is no longer the key market player in town. We dont need yet another film that tries to validate the character's existence; just get on with telling a cracking story that people can walk away from and feel excited about.

    I have my grievances with the way EoN have been performing these last couple of movies but with SP I can't shake my head enough at the overwhelming dereliction of duty from EoN. They need to dramatically step their game up and start producing properly. Oversight isn't about leaving things to the last minute and then doing some crappy rushed job to meet a deadline. EoN are OGs in the film business they should know better. The way they oversaw SP from the preproduction stage (the crucial stage of any film) can never be repeated again. That was just messy beyond belief.

    Furthermore, there are elements in other movies and other franchises that are easily doing what the Bond films should be doing. The entire lift scene through to the stairwell fight tracking shot in the Atomic Blonde trailer had more tension and was more gripping than anything from EoN's last couple of efforts.
    They seriously need to ardently refocus their efforts on cutting costs, strip things down, simplify and deliver engaging stories.

    Creatively as of late, they've overcomplicated things for themselves unecessarilly and things just feel so subpar. I'm so over the whole circus spectacle of a Bond film's press conference that they always do. Its time to start delivering again on the end product. Bond 25 is going to be the ultimate litmus test and if they mess it up, well that'll just be inexcusable. They have the experience, the clout and material to put out great quality films. Its high time they start doing so.
    I completely agree. Even ignoring Atomic Blonde, I think there's more tension (and classic style) in the Opera sequence in MI-RN than in anything in SP.

    I'm glad they did what they did with reboot Bond in retrospect because it will always exist as a standalone reinterpretation of the character and his main foe. The Craig era has represented a peeling back of the veneer, and he is/was the right actor to do that with, because he has the requisite machismo to deliver that aspect of the character without coming across like a wuss on screen.

    Having said that, I believe it's time to move on. Keep it tight, efficient & engaging next time out. Get a director who's workmanlike, but who knows how to deliver the action & tension, and combine that with traditional Bondian film & novel elements. I don't really care how much gross it makes at the box office. I'm more concerned with the next film re-establishing the credibility of the Bond brand as one to be reckoned with in a hyper-competitive market, like TSWLM, GE & CR all did before them, and after similar long waits.

    If they can get a director who will commit to a multi-film contract and vision, I'll be even happier, so we can return to some consistency of output, visual style & concept.

    Amen to that.
  • Posts: 199
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    DonnyDB5 wrote: »
    I'm honestly amazed nothing came out of the Omega event. All the articles out there say "DC stirs James Bond rumors." How exactly? Nothing was asked, he never gave any hint about returning. This dry spell is truly unfortunate.

    Well, I for one and more encouraged by the fact that EON have contracted long time writers Purvis and Wade to write the screenplay. This is the first signs of things moving properly forward.
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 787
    bondjames wrote: »
    It's clear to me from Wilson's comments last year and P&W's in February that EON are looking more outward with the next film. I believe that it will be plot based and will be influenced more by current & possible future events and fears.

    I'm a bit uncomfortable with this, for a few reasons:

    1) It can be tough to make a 'topical' film that's also a good one. Weaving in hot topics can work to spice up a narrative, but it's not easy. And screenwriting, most of us probably agree, is one area where the franchise has struggled a bit lately (whereas talent both sides of the camera is outstanding).

    2) The topical stuff often doesn't age very well. Mujaheddin, anyone?

    3) Bond films are ultimately mass-market spy movies, not art house thinkpieces. The topical stuff usually has to get dumbed down and abstracted so that it's not too 'on the nose.' So you end up with something like SP. Ostensibly it's about surveillance, which is a major contemporary concern, but it really did nothing interesting with the topic, and Blofeld might just as well have been trying to control oil or the stock market or nukes or something - no difference to the plot.

    Godspeed to them if they can make a movie that does something interesting with contemporary concerns within the timeless Bond framework. But I won't hold my breath, and would be just as happy with a nice stand-alone mission against an old-fashioned villain.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,372
    I had no confidence in those earlier rumors, particularly regarding the vintage helicopter, but I am happy they didn't pan out - helicopters have featured a good bit in the last few films, would enjoy seeing action sequences take place with vehicles/set pieces/locales/etc. that have yet to be utilized, or at least haven't been done in quite some time.

    It's like skiing action sequences - we haven't had one in so long, I'm dying for its return, but if the next three or so films incorporated it, it would get a little old.
  • ggl007ggl007 www.archivo007.com Spain, España
    Posts: 2,535
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