EoN sells up - Amazon MGM to produce 007 going forwards (Steven Knight to Write)

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Comments

  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 18,705
    Yeah it feels like they’re actually trying to make the best film they possibly can, rather than a Force Awakens-style easy crowd pleaser (not that I don’t enjoy FA), and I’m very happy about that.
    I must admit I can’t see Villeneuve doing a straightforward macguffin chase: there’s going to be some meat to get his teeth into.
  • edited 3:31pm Posts: 5,669
    mtm wrote: »
    Yeah it feels like they’re actually trying to make the best film they possibly can, rather than a Force Awakens-style easy crowd pleaser (not that I don’t enjoy FA), and I’m very happy about that.
    I must admit I can’t see Villeneuve doing a straightforward macguffin chase: there’s going to be some meat to get his teeth into.

    I can see a McGuffin being used as the kickstarter to the plot, but I suppose that’s the same case with SF and there’s certainly lots going on! Even FRWL has a few layers to it beyond the Lektor. Anyway, with a Bond story they’ll generally rely on those similar but broad set ups (at some point in the first act something will get stolen, or someone important killed, or perhaps Bond will get involved with a woman or villain and that’ll get things going, or perhaps he’ll attain something unexpected during a mission… that sort of thing). Agreed, there’ll definitely be more going on in the story.

    We’ll hear at some point what they’ve decided to do. I can imagine there’ll be that tinge of futuristic technology/that 5 minutes into the future element we get with modern Bond, but with a new take on it. I mean, many of Villeneuve’s films definitely have that going for them - how technology influences character/their worlds. It would make sense. It may even be a bit ‘out there’ I guess you could say - something I’m sure some of us here may not fully enjoy in a similar way some didn’t like the nanobots in NTTD! But we’ll see. And as you hinted I think this will be a relatively meaty film in terms of character - I think we will get some form of personal conflict with Bond throughout this adventure, and I think they’ll try to craft an interesting Bond girl and villain who challenge him. At the very least there’ll be more going on beneath the surface.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    edited 3:37pm Posts: 9,132
    It seems like they have gone with Villeneuve for his Aesthetic and stylistic qualities more than his tonal/thematic sensibilities. Almost like he will be more of a director for hire, but in a good way of taking advantage of some of his strongest traits. This is definitely a Steven Knight film first.
  • I'll be disappointed if they are heavy notes of science fiction to start the next era. Considering that the films generally get less and less real over an era, a science fiction start might descend into ridiculousness by the end of the era.
  • edited 4:00pm Posts: 5,669
    It seems like they have gone with Villeneuve for his Aesthetic and stylistic qualities more than his tonal/thematic sensibilities. Almost like he will be more of a director for hire, but in a good way of taking advantage of some of his strongest traits. This is definitely a Steven Knight film first.

    Well, as far as any of us are concerned we know absolutely nothing about Villeneuve's meeting with the producers and what they discussed. Nor subsequent meetings with Knight. We have no idea why they were picked specifically (yes, they’re established names, but why were they picked over many other big names? What did they say or pitch that sold them? What did Heyman and Pascal have in mind before finding their director and in turn writer?) I don’t think you can make those claims definitively, especially considering him and his wife are also executive producers. For all we know it’s very much a Heyman/Pascal led idea with heavy developmental input from Villeneuve and Knight… so a collaborative effort, albeit one with a hierarchy. They’ll all bring something to it.

    For what it’s worth any director/writer has to share that creative vision for the project they’re working on. They should always bring worthwhile input even if they don’t have final cut. And also for what it’s worth technological threats in modern Bond is pretty standard, and if that’s a route they wanted to go down I can very much see that being a big appeal towards hiring Villeneuve, especially if he came up with specific ideas that resonated with them.
    I'll be disappointed if they are heavy notes of science fiction to start the next era. Considering that the films generally get less and less real over an era, a science fiction start might descend into ridiculousness by the end of the era.

    As I said, some of us here will complain, but it makes no difference. And we don’t know what the specifics of this hypothetical take on a Bond story is, or if it’ll come to fruition (although if it’s a modern Bond, which I presume it is, some element of technology will be there, and I have no doubt every one of these creatives will be asking themselves what scares people in today’s world that they could use as the basis of a villain’s caper, much in the same way EON claimed to do in years prior. Not to say we’ll get a billionaire wanting to create a killer AI - although I suppose it’s possible and I guess could work, obvious as it is - but that’s probably how they’ll approach it).

    At any rate even if it was quite fantastical they could always go the other way and go more ‘down to earth’ at some point. That’s what Moore’s era did.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 5,122
    If there is a true cowriter, I think that Phoebe Waller-Bridge will come back. She has connections to Amazon, and she has Bond experience. Better her than Purvis and Wade.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 9,132
    @007Hally oh I'm not saying they can't lean into that, but that's not Villeneuve doing his own unique thing but him merely keeping up the longstanding tradition for Bond. You could say certain Elements of Arrival are just like a more realistic Moonraker '79. I even think the characters will have a lot going on, but I think Steven is there to give it that heart of a real bond adventure, and not get lost in ponderous minutiae. The main things Villeneuve brings is his scope, production style, world building and dryness and sobriety of storytelling. As you rightfully point out, the early Bond films until at least 67 were fairly hardboiled, and even Moonraker is quite stoic in its presentation given some of the barmy stuff that happens. That's what Villeneuve is good at getting right, and I expect a somewhat cerebral film that takes risks but hopefully Steven Knight can pump up the fist-pumping heroism and keep Villeneuves excesses well in check. This has to be a film people leave feeling jubilant and energised, not a dour think piece.
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