No Time to Die production thread

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  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,518
    Contraband wrote: »
    vSdZZjq.jpg

    tenor.gif?itemid=3556177

    My thoughts exactly.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    Connor wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    RC7 wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    cwl007 wrote: »

    You didn't like his hair in QoS?

    Haha! Yeah it’s really bad in that one; they only really seemed to nail it in Sp! :)
    Looks good in this one too.

    cwl007 wrote: »
    I love all four of Craig's Bond performances. He's reasonably consistent, yet seems to grow into the role. By SP he's certainly a seasoned Bond.
    As much as I like his darker tone in CR and QoS, I'd equally have liked to seen him in a more outlandish entry akin to DAF or OP. I tend to wonder how his Bond would fare in the more ridiculous situations, and could Craig himself have pulled it off?

    I’m sure he’d smash it to be honest: Sf was a bit of a shift in tone in places (The catching the tube gag etc.) and he didn’t seem out of place at all. I think he can move between the tones really well (landing on a sofa!) where I think Dalton would really have felt out of place.

    I agree with that. He’s a little overlooked when it comes to humour but his style of humour is different, indifferent you might say. Craig does nonchalance very well. Always makes me laugh when he delivers the, ‘Good evening’ after the car chase ejector seat moment.

    EDIT: Also with the tube moment - the extra delivering ‘He’s keen to get home’ is dreadful but Craig’s, ‘Open the door...’ is delivered brilliantly. He’s really good at that stuff I just think people got too used to the hard-edged angle. He can do both.

    I really love the “keen to get home” line because it’s so sort of unironically cheesy :) Like that wonderful shot in the pre-titles of the line of police bikes that all ride off when Moneypenny’s Land Rover speeds past them: it’s pure Roger Moore stuff and I love the way Mendes embraces it :)
    And yeah: Craig’s ‘open the door’ is bang on: he’s great at this stuff.


    Exciting about the theme song, although that little snippet there does make me think slightly nervously of Writings on The Wall. Sounds like it’ll be a slow emotional one; fingers crossed it’s a good one! :)

    What’s 4pm PST in English money? :)

    Midnight :)

    Thank you :) That’s Thursday evening I take it?
    octofinger wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »


    Exciting about the theme song, although that little snippet there does make me think slightly nervously of Writings on The Wall. Sounds like it’ll be a slow emotional one; fingers crossed it’s a good one! :)

    She's apparently said that it's "more of a ballad," for what that's worth. Sounds fairly subdued - though I don't think we were expecting a big rocker from her, right?

    Sure, makes sense! :)
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    mtm wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    Walecs wrote: »
    Nobody has EVER claimed P&W are the best Bond writers. If EON actually believed that then they never would have brought in other writers to take over like Paul Haggis, John Logan, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

    Yeah, I know, it's just that your post seemed to make a point about P&B being competent and decent writers and then you ended that by saying that they didn't make QoS, which in my opinion is one of the best written Bonds.

    Really? I find it hugely under-written: the themes aren't really carried through, the gags are weak, the plot is barely there... the writer's strike really shows in that one.

    If it shows there, what happened on SPECTRE? There was no strike there and QOS is nowhere as bad as the nonsense in SP.

    Spectre is full of incident though. I wouldn’t say it’s a great story, no; but it does feel at least fully written. There are lots of decently thought-out lines and situations and the plot at least does try and pull in one direction, without themes and threads just trailing away to nothing.

    I watched the film today it is bloody terrible very badly written, totally lacks tension and goes nowhere.

    That shoot out the at the crater is like a video game and that biggest explosion, I've never seen something more anti-climatic in the era.

    Also that perfect shot that takes down Ernst helicopter, please don't make me laugh. Also 9 eyes delivered with all suspense and danger of a damp squib.

    I don't mind DC more relaxed and jokey in SF but that Mickey Mouse line, maybe I'll give you the one after he parachutes down in Rome but the rest, just awful.

    You’re not really talking about the script here when you say how things are delivered.

    You like the script?
  • GadgetManGadgetMan Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 4,247
    SP simply needed to create fear & tension....even if it meant something like SPECTRE going after a particular 00 agent in order to get something from Mi6. It would have thickened the plot.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited February 2020 Posts: 14,861
    Shardlake wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    Walecs wrote: »
    Nobody has EVER claimed P&W are the best Bond writers. If EON actually believed that then they never would have brought in other writers to take over like Paul Haggis, John Logan, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

    Yeah, I know, it's just that your post seemed to make a point about P&B being competent and decent writers and then you ended that by saying that they didn't make QoS, which in my opinion is one of the best written Bonds.

    Really? I find it hugely under-written: the themes aren't really carried through, the gags are weak, the plot is barely there... the writer's strike really shows in that one.

    If it shows there, what happened on SPECTRE? There was no strike there and QOS is nowhere as bad as the nonsense in SP.

    Spectre is full of incident though. I wouldn’t say it’s a great story, no; but it does feel at least fully written. There are lots of decently thought-out lines and situations and the plot at least does try and pull in one direction, without themes and threads just trailing away to nothing.

    I watched the film today it is bloody terrible very badly written, totally lacks tension and goes nowhere.

    That shoot out the at the crater is like a video game and that biggest explosion, I've never seen something more anti-climatic in the era.

    Also that perfect shot that takes down Ernst helicopter, please don't make me laugh. Also 9 eyes delivered with all suspense and danger of a damp squib.

    I don't mind DC more relaxed and jokey in SF but that Mickey Mouse line, maybe I'll give you the one after he parachutes down in Rome but the rest, just awful.

    You’re not really talking about the script here when you say how things are delivered.

    You like the script?

    The context of my post is how it is a better, more developed script than the one for Quantum of Solace. They had a story which is new and developed through the film, and which links in with the previous ones. QoS is a film in need of a reason to exist: it pitches itself as a sequel to CR but has absolutely no idea where to go with the Vesper plot, ends up treading water with it through the film, ignoring it altogether and then just paying lip service to it right at the very end by taking a scene from a Bourne film and patching it on, having to the repeat the 'he's really James Bond now' ending from the previous film because they literally don't have anyone to write it. As a script in its own right, Spectre is a more polished job. That doesn't mean that it's good or that I hugely like it, no. Both of them are blown away by any of the scripts of the last three Mission Impossible movies! :)
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    Contraband wrote: »
    vSdZZjq.jpg

    tenor.gif?itemid=3556177

    My thoughts exactly.

    I really want to know what part it plays. That is what has intrigued me the most. Pity they couldn't squeeze in the OHMSS DBS too.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited February 2020 Posts: 14,861
    GadgetMan wrote: »
    SP simply needed to create fear & tension....even if it meant something like SPECTRE going after a particular 00 agent in order to get something from Mi6. It would have thickened the plot.

    Yeah I thought the misuse of intelligence angle was a decent one: rather than Blofeld having been behind Silva and Le Chiffre et al it might've been nice if it had turned out they were his enemies/rivals and he'd been manipulating Bond to get rid of them for him. I don't think you even need a personal angle of the likes of the brother thing: just that Bond fitted the profile of someone he could use. Maybe he even selected Vesper as the perfect woman for him.
    Perhaps even reveal that Blofeld was the one typing '007 status approved' in the opening credits of Casino Royale! :D
    Having him to some extent having made Bond would've been more interesting than just them growing up in the same house for a year or two.
  • GadgetManGadgetMan Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 4,247
    mtm wrote: »
    GadgetMan wrote: »
    SP simply needed to create fear & tension....even if it meant something like SPECTRE going after a particular 00 agent in order to get something from Mi6. It would have thickened the plot.

    Yeah I thought the misuse of intelligence angle was a decent one: rather than Blofeld having been behind Silva and Le Chiffre et al it might've been nice if it had turned out they were his enemies/rivals and he'd been manipulating Bond to get rid of them for him. I don't think you even need a personal angle of the likes of the brother thing: just that Bond fitted the profile of someone he could use. Maybe he even selected Vesper as the perfect woman for him.
    Maybe even reveals that Blofeld was the one typing '007 status approved' in the opening credits of Casino Royale! :D
    Having him to some extent having made Bond would've been more interesting than just them growing up in the same house for a year or two.

    :)) Blofeld typing....Yeah, the movie had potential though. But it just doesn't engage the viewer enough. Maybe Moneypenny or Q in peril....then Bond comes to the rescue or M has an hour to deliver a parcel in a scary locale. Just intense moments like these....that's what SP lacked.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    GadgetMan wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    GadgetMan wrote: »
    SP simply needed to create fear & tension....even if it meant something like SPECTRE going after a particular 00 agent in order to get something from Mi6. It would have thickened the plot.

    Yeah I thought the misuse of intelligence angle was a decent one: rather than Blofeld having been behind Silva and Le Chiffre et al it might've been nice if it had turned out they were his enemies/rivals and he'd been manipulating Bond to get rid of them for him. I don't think you even need a personal angle of the likes of the brother thing: just that Bond fitted the profile of someone he could use. Maybe he even selected Vesper as the perfect woman for him.
    Maybe even reveals that Blofeld was the one typing '007 status approved' in the opening credits of Casino Royale! :D
    Having him to some extent having made Bond would've been more interesting than just them growing up in the same house for a year or two.

    :)) Blofeld typing....Yeah, the movie had potential though. But it just doesn't engage the viewer enough. Maybe Moneypenny or Q in peril....then Bond comes to the rescue or M has an hour to deliver a parcel in a scary locale. Just intense moments like these....that's what SP lacked.

    Very true, and I'd say Skyfall managed a few of those.
    I'd like to see them get near the tension levels of Fallout though.
  • GadgetManGadgetMan Lagos, Nigeria
    edited February 2020 Posts: 4,247
    mtm wrote: »
    GadgetMan wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    GadgetMan wrote: »
    SP simply needed to create fear & tension....even if it meant something like SPECTRE going after a particular 00 agent in order to get something from Mi6. It would have thickened the plot.

    Yeah I thought the misuse of intelligence angle was a decent one: rather than Blofeld having been behind Silva and Le Chiffre et al it might've been nice if it had turned out they were his enemies/rivals and he'd been manipulating Bond to get rid of them for him. I don't think you even need a personal angle of the likes of the brother thing: just that Bond fitted the profile of someone he could use. Maybe he even selected Vesper as the perfect woman for him.
    Maybe even reveals that Blofeld was the one typing '007 status approved' in the opening credits of Casino Royale! :D
    Having him to some extent having made Bond would've been more interesting than just them growing up in the same house for a year or two.

    :)) Blofeld typing....Yeah, the movie had potential though. But it just doesn't engage the viewer enough. Maybe Moneypenny or Q in peril....then Bond comes to the rescue or M has an hour to deliver a parcel in a scary locale. Just intense moments like these....that's what SP lacked.

    Very true, and I'd say Skyfall managed a few of those.
    I'd like to see them get near the tension levels of Fallout though.

    Exactly, am ashamed to say Fallout is the best spy film in recent memory. But am glad Fallout came out. As it might have just made NTTD up it's game more....coz James Bond is the Quintessential Spy....he showed other franchises how to do it, so he needs to remain ontop of his game.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    Ah you don't need to be ashamed: films are just made to be enjoyed! I guess you could say I'm on James' team too, but it doesn't actually matter if the occasional movie is better than Bond! :)
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    Contraband wrote: »
    vSdZZjq.jpg

    tenor.gif?itemid=3556177

    My thoughts exactly.

    I really want to know what part it plays.

    I think it plays the part of his car ;)
  • GadgetManGadgetMan Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 4,247
    mtm wrote: »
    Ah you don't need to be ashamed: films are just made to be enjoyed! I guess you could say I'm on James' team too, but it doesn't actually matter if the occasional movie is better than Bond! :)

    Yeah, I suppose so....nothing wrong with subtle jealousy as a Bond fan though :)
  • 007Blofeld007Blofeld In the freedom of the West.
    edited February 2020 Posts: 3,126
    Is this the Spectre thread? or we talking just to add posts?
  • GadgetManGadgetMan Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 4,247
    Not saying it's the Spectre thread, but who can blame us?....Eon chose to connect all of Craig Bond films. That's why we hardly discuss NTTD without mentioning his previous films....as they're all connected. And SP being the latest film, makes it only natural to discuss it....when talking about it's direct Sequel NTTD.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,518
    GadgetMan wrote: »
    Not saying it's the Spectre thread, but who can blame us?....Eon chose to connect all of Craig Bond films. That's why we hardly discuss NTTD without mentioning his previous films....as they're all connected. And SP being the latest film, makes it only natural to discuss it....when talking about it's direct Sequel NTTD.

    And there continues to be not a lot in the way of new NTTD topics to discuss. Not really one for these "stay on topic" requests; let people discuss what they want to discuss.
  • GadgetManGadgetMan Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 4,247
    GadgetMan wrote: »
    Not saying it's the Spectre thread, but who can blame us?....Eon chose to connect all of Craig Bond films. That's why we hardly discuss NTTD without mentioning his previous films....as they're all connected. And SP being the latest film, makes it only natural to discuss it....when talking about it's direct Sequel NTTD.

    And there continues to be not a lot in the way of new NTTD topics to discuss. Not really one for these "stay on topic" requests; let people discuss what they want to discuss.

    Exactly....as long as it concerns Bond and doesn't stray too far away from the topic.
  • 007Blofeld007Blofeld In the freedom of the West.
    Posts: 3,126
    GadgetMan wrote: »
    GadgetMan wrote: »
    Not saying it's the Spectre thread, but who can blame us?....Eon chose to connect all of Craig Bond films. That's why we hardly discuss NTTD without mentioning his previous films....as they're all connected. And SP being the latest film, makes it only natural to discuss it....when talking about it's direct Sequel NTTD.

    And there continues to be not a lot in the way of new NTTD topics to discuss. Not really one for these "stay on topic" requests; let people discuss what they want to discuss.

    Exactly....as long as it concerns Bond and doesn't stray too far away from the topic.

    all true
  • Posts: 3,161
    Having read the leaked SP script my initial action was that it was going to be fantastic. It wasn't. It felt off. Too staged. Like the empty streets in the car chase, an almost empty train in Morroco and the biggest explosion yet to be recorded on film.

    That tracking shot, though.... loved it. NTTD will hopefully be better paced and more gritty.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,000
    peter wrote: »
    @MakeshiftPython , I need to get my hands on this latest edition of SKOH. From my recollection (and someone please let me know if I’m mistaken), the Sony leaks made no mention of MGW (or Craig, for that matter); on EoN’s side there was a lot of mention of Mendes, Logan and Brothergate. BB was also mentioned on conference calls... and from what I remember, Brothergate was soon born after African warlord-Blofeld, in subsequent early drafts. The leaks (if I’m remembering), made it sound like a Mendes idea that was carried through into the hiring of PnW.
    There were a few junior Sony executives who had issues with BG but they were ignored; concern at the time was the atrocious third act, the notes that PnW got the most notes on...
    If this is what SKOH is now stating, I wonder if this is a directive from EoN to change the narrative; to protect a good soldier for them, Mendes?
    I only say this since I don’t remember MGW involved in any discussion during the leaks— although BG was a topic of conversation (and it seemed to come from the mind of Mendes (not Logan, not PnW, and certainly not MGW; interesting that this may be the first anyone has heard of this angle)).

    Here's the excerpt from Some Kind of Hero, page 647, a quote from Mendes himself:
    Sam Mendes wrote:
    Bond's parents died and he had been brought up by his aunt and he was sent for a period to stay with this man in the Alps. It was actually Michael Wilson's idea: what if this guy had a real son and Bond came in, a cuckoo in the nest and ousted this less glamorous, less handsome, less heroic figure. We should have used that piece of information better in the movie but it's very difficult to drop exposition about Bond's childhood into the middle of a tense action narrative.

    Per the book, it seems this was an idea that only came up after Purvis & Wade were brought in on May 2014, when John Logan left to focus on his commitment to Penny Dreadful.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    edited February 2020 Posts: 4,548
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    You like the script?

    I did not!

    Neither did Mendes. And I think they needed more time but didn't get it. I agree with @cwl007 in that SP is a frustrating film. It had a lot going for it. I'm not sure I have to rehash my objections, because we all mostly agree. This film had some truly talented peoiple omn board, and it's frustratijng that they couldn't see (or fix) the film's flaws. Had Mendes hired me to work on this script in fall of 2014, I would have made significant changes.
    • Revise the Mexico City chase scene. No helicopters--use that fight scene at the end. Instead: a foot chase and shootout (similar to Bond-Mitchell) in which Bond kills Sciarra. Then, while hovering over his dead body, he sees the ring and pries it from his finger, leading into the TS.
    • C's office at MI6 is still located: same place as at the end of SF.
    • Eliminate the family connection between Bond and Blofeld. When Moneypenny delivers the box of belongings, the adoption papers and childhood photo are enough.
    • The issue that C is overseeing is not Nine Eyes, but the demolition of the old MI6 headquarters. M and many others are leading a last minute campaign to save the building and have it renovated, because plans for the new building do not include access to riverways. But C eventually wins this fight and the demolition is remains scheduled. It will be a large public event in London.
    • At the Spectre meeting, Bond overhears that the next "attack" will be in London. During the chase Bond contacts Moneypenny about the attack and about "The Pale King."
    • It is in meeting with White that Bond learns that the organization is Spectre and that they dived into endeavors that Quantum left "long ago."
    • It is Madeliene who reveals Blofeld's name.
    • After escaping Blofeld's lair, we actually see Bond arrive in London with Madeleine and meet with M and discuss the potential London attack. Moneypenny escorts Madeleine to the Safe House.
    • Back at Q's lab, as Bond discusses potential attacks with Q, Bond raises concern about football stadiums as prime targets. Q remarks that that doesn't help. "This is London, Bond. Stadiums are everywhere." Bond holds on that word a moment (remembers White: he's everywhere) and realizes that Madeleine is in danger at the safe house. He rushes out and heads to the safe house. The guards are dead. She is gone.
    • Bond contacts Moneypenny at HQ and informs her of the circumstances. Moneypenny is dismayed and goes to C, who is watching the demolition countdown on BBC. C asks of Bond's location and then gets on the phone and requests a transport for him. As Moneypenny returns to her office, C appears in her doorway. A struggle ensues as he attempts to kill her; Moneypenny fends him off and shoots him dead.
    • The car pulls up for Bond. Moneypenny calls. "Do not get in the car," she says. Too late. Hinx emerges with a gun. In the car is Blofeld and on the ride, Blofeld's plan is revealed: the demolition is the terrorist attack. The building has been rigged with extra explosives, meant to fire thousands of projectiles out to the many Londoners and dignitaries attending the event. That is where Madeleine will meet her demise. It is Blofeld's plan to watch from above. Cut back and forth with...
    • Moneypenny finding clues in Cs office that the demolition is indeed the terroroist attack and that C is set up to be the willing fall guy for this. She contacts M and says that the demolition is rigged and that the crowds need to be evacuated. M contacts authorities and announcements are made that the demolition has been cancelled. Police work feverishly to get people to safe distances, as...
    • Blofeld takes Bond to a helicopter. It is here, as they take off that the fight ensues. Bond and Hinx are in back. Blofeld and the pilot in front. Bond and Hinx fight and Bond goes after the pilot, too, the helicopter veers and falls, over London. Bond kicks Hinx out as the helicopter rotates and Hinx meets his demise in the blades of the helicopter. Then it's Blofeld's turn. As the pilot struggles to control the helicopter, Bond knocks Blofeld out the door and he falls to the Thames, perhaps dead. After killing the pilot, Bond wrestles control of the helicopter before it smashes into Tower Bridge.
    • Bond contacts M at the ceremony. M says work is underway to get people safe.
    • Bond lands and heads into the building, finds Madeliene, unties her. As the crowds flee, Bond gets Madeliene out of the building and to safety (as was original) just in time, as the building goes down and projectiles fire in all directions, pelting buildings hundreds of feet away. By then, Bond and Madeleine are down river and safe.
        Something like that.
  • Posts: 1,314
    Some nice ideas there. I always get the impression from P&W having read interviews etc that they find writing a chore rather than a privilege. In the Craig tenure The franchise now attracts some of the top global talent on both sides of the lens. Would like to see that level of talent in the writing department.
  • TripAces wrote: »
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    You like the script?

    I did not!

    Neither did Mendes. And I think they needed more time but didn't get it. I agree with @cwl007 in that SP is a frustrating film. It had a lot going for it. I'm not sure I have to rehash my objections, because we all mostly agree. This film had some truly talented peoiple omn board, and it's frustratijng that they couldn't see (or fix) the film's flaws. Had Mendes hired me to work on this script in fall of 2014, I would have made significant changes.
    • Revise the Mexico City chase scene. No helicopters--use that fight scene at the end. Instead: a foot chase and shootout (similar to Bond-Mitchell) in which Bond kills Sciarra. Then, while hovering over his dead body, he sees the ring and pries it from his finger, leading into the TS.
    • C's office at MI6 is still located: same place as at the end of SF.
    • Eliminate the family connection between Bond and Blofeld. When Moneypenny delivers the box of belongings, the adoption papers and childhood photo are enough.
    • The issue that C is overseeing is not Nine Eyes, but the demolition of the old MI6 headquarters. M and many others are leading a last minute campaign to save the building and have it renovated, because plans for the new building do not include access to riverways. But C eventually wins this fight and the demolition is remains scheduled. It will be a large public event in London.
    • At the Spectre meeting, Bond overhears that the next "attack" will be in London. During the chase Bond contacts Moneypenny about the attack and about "The Pale King."
    • It is in meeting with White that Bond learns that the organization is Spectre and that they dived into endeavors that Quantum left "long ago."
    • It is Madeliene who reveals Blofeld's name.
    • After escaping Blofeld's lair, we actually see Bond arrive in London with Madeleine and meet with M and discuss the potential London attack. Moneypenny escorts Madeleine to the Safe House.
    • Back at Q's lab, as Bond discusses potential attacks with Q, Bond raises concern about football stadiums as prime targets. Q remarks that that doesn't help. "This is London, Bond. Stadiums are everywhere." Bond holds on that word a moment (remembers White: he's everywhere) and realizes that Madeleine is in danger at the safe house. He rushes out and heads to the safe house. The guards are dead. She is gone.
    • Bond contacts Moneypenny at HQ and informs her of the circumstances. Moneypenny is dismayed and goes to C, who is watching the demolition countdown on BBC. C asks of Bond's location and then gets on the phone and requests a transport for him. As Moneypenny returns to her office, C appears in her doorway. A struggle ensues as he attempts to kill her; Moneypenny fends him off and shoots him dead.
    • The car pulls up for Bond. Moneypenny calls. "Do not get in the car," she says. Too late. Hinx emerges with a gun. In the car is Blofeld and on the ride, Blofeld's plan is revealed: the demolition is the terrorist attack. The building has been rigged with extra explosives, meant to fire thousands of projectiles out to the many Londoners and dignitaries attending the event. That is where Madeleine will meet her demise. It is Blofeld's plan to watch from above. Cut back and forth with...
    • Moneypenny finding clues in Cs office that the demolition is indeed the terroroist attack and that C is set up to be the willing fall guy for this. She contacts M and says that the demolition is rigged and that the crowds need to be evacuated. M contacts authorities and announcements are made that the demolition has been cancelled. Police work feverishly to get people to safe distances, as...
    • Blofeld takes Bond to a helicopter. It is here, as they take off that the fight ensues. Bond and Hinx are in back. Blofeld and the pilot in front. Bond and Hinx fight and Bond goes after the pilot, too, the helicopter veers and falls, over London. Bond kicks Hinx out as the helicopter rotates and Hinx meets his demise in the blades of the helicopter. Then it's Blofeld's turn. As the pilot struggles to control the helicopter, Bond knocks Blofeld out the door and he falls to the Thames, perhaps dead. After killing the pilot, Bond wrestles control of the helicopter before it smashes into Tower Bridge.
    • Bond contacts M at the ceremony. M says work is underway to get people safe.
    • Bond lands and heads into the building, finds Madeliene, unties her. As the crowds flee, Bond gets Madeliene out of the building and to safety (as was original) just in time, as the building goes down and projectiles fire in all directions, pelting buildings hundreds of feet away. By then, Bond and Madeleine are down river and safe.
        Something like that.

    Some really good ideas there, improving on what we have. Not sure about yet another foot chase near the start of the film though - well-trodden ground with CR and QoS.
  • Posts: 12,243
    @TripAces those are lots of good ideas! I really like a lot of elements from older SP drafts that we missed out on like the masked ball and ski chase + the femme fatale character that got replaced by Hinx.
  • ContrabandContraband Sweden
    Posts: 3,018
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Seems ridiculously obvious.

    @Birdleson In what thread can I drop new photos of Rami Malek? It's a magazine photoshoot
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited February 2020 Posts: 14,861
    peter wrote: »
    @MakeshiftPython , I need to get my hands on this latest edition of SKOH. From my recollection (and someone please let me know if I’m mistaken), the Sony leaks made no mention of MGW (or Craig, for that matter); on EoN’s side there was a lot of mention of Mendes, Logan and Brothergate. BB was also mentioned on conference calls... and from what I remember, Brothergate was soon born after African warlord-Blofeld, in subsequent early drafts. The leaks (if I’m remembering), made it sound like a Mendes idea that was carried through into the hiring of PnW.
    There were a few junior Sony executives who had issues with BG but they were ignored; concern at the time was the atrocious third act, the notes that PnW got the most notes on...
    If this is what SKOH is now stating, I wonder if this is a directive from EoN to change the narrative; to protect a good soldier for them, Mendes?
    I only say this since I don’t remember MGW involved in any discussion during the leaks— although BG was a topic of conversation (and it seemed to come from the mind of Mendes (not Logan, not PnW, and certainly not MGW; interesting that this may be the first anyone has heard of this angle)).

    Here's the excerpt from Some Kind of Hero, page 647, a quote from Mendes himself:
    Sam Mendes wrote:
    Bond's parents died and he had been brought up by his aunt and he was sent for a period to stay with this man in the Alps. It was actually Michael Wilson's idea: what if this guy had a real son and Bond came in, a cuckoo in the nest and ousted this less glamorous, less handsome, less heroic figure. We should have used that piece of information better in the movie but it's very difficult to drop exposition about Bond's childhood into the middle of a tense action narrative.

    Per the book, it seems this was an idea that only came up after Purvis & Wade were brought in on May 2014, when John Logan left to focus on his commitment to Penny Dreadful.

    In that form it’s not a horrible idea. I guess just adding that aspect to the character of Blofeld was the issue.
    Perhaps if the Oberhauser brother (or sister maybe) had been a secondary underling (Number Two!) that Blofeld indulged. I guess even then it’s unlikely that they’d grow up to enter the same business. Maybe Blofeld finds Oberhauser and grooms him/her because he wants to get to an MI6 officer.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited February 2020 Posts: 14,861
    TripAces wrote: »
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    You like the script?

    I did not!

    Neither did Mendes. And I think they needed more time but didn't get it. I agree with @cwl007 in that SP is a frustrating film. It had a lot going for it. I'm not sure I have to rehash my objections, because we all mostly agree. This film had some truly talented peoiple omn board, and it's frustratijng that they couldn't see (or fix) the film's flaws. Had Mendes hired me to work on this script in fall of 2014, I would have made significant changes.
    • Revise the Mexico City chase scene. No helicopters--use that fight scene at the end. Instead: a foot chase and shootout (similar to Bond-Mitchell) in which Bond kills Sciarra. Then, while hovering over his dead body, he sees the ring and pries it from his finger, leading into the TS.
    • C's office at MI6 is still located: same place as at the end of SF.
    • Eliminate the family connection between Bond and Blofeld. When Moneypenny delivers the box of belongings, the adoption papers and childhood photo are enough.
    • The issue that C is overseeing is not Nine Eyes, but the demolition of the old MI6 headquarters. M and many others are leading a last minute campaign to save the building and have it renovated, because plans for the new building do not include access to riverways. But C eventually wins this fight and the demolition is remains scheduled. It will be a large public event in London.
    • At the Spectre meeting, Bond overhears that the next "attack" will be in London. During the chase Bond contacts Moneypenny about the attack and about "The Pale King."
    • It is in meeting with White that Bond learns that the organization is Spectre and that they dived into endeavors that Quantum left "long ago."
    • It is Madeliene who reveals Blofeld's name.
    • After escaping Blofeld's lair, we actually see Bond arrive in London with Madeleine and meet with M and discuss the potential London attack. Moneypenny escorts Madeleine to the Safe House.
    • Back at Q's lab, as Bond discusses potential attacks with Q, Bond raises concern about football stadiums as prime targets. Q remarks that that doesn't help. "This is London, Bond. Stadiums are everywhere." Bond holds on that word a moment (remembers White: he's everywhere) and realizes that Madeleine is in danger at the safe house. He rushes out and heads to the safe house. The guards are dead. She is gone.
    • Bond contacts Moneypenny at HQ and informs her of the circumstances. Moneypenny is dismayed and goes to C, who is watching the demolition countdown on BBC. C asks of Bond's location and then gets on the phone and requests a transport for him. As Moneypenny returns to her office, C appears in her doorway. A struggle ensues as he attempts to kill her; Moneypenny fends him off and shoots him dead.
    • The car pulls up for Bond. Moneypenny calls. "Do not get in the car," she says. Too late. Hinx emerges with a gun. In the car is Blofeld and on the ride, Blofeld's plan is revealed: the demolition is the terrorist attack. The building has been rigged with extra explosives, meant to fire thousands of projectiles out to the many Londoners and dignitaries attending the event. That is where Madeleine will meet her demise. It is Blofeld's plan to watch from above. Cut back and forth with...
    • Moneypenny finding clues in Cs office that the demolition is indeed the terroroist attack and that C is set up to be the willing fall guy for this. She contacts M and says that the demolition is rigged and that the crowds need to be evacuated. M contacts authorities and announcements are made that the demolition has been cancelled. Police work feverishly to get people to safe distances, as...
    • Blofeld takes Bond to a helicopter. It is here, as they take off that the fight ensues. Bond and Hinx are in back. Blofeld and the pilot in front. Bond and Hinx fight and Bond goes after the pilot, too, the helicopter veers and falls, over London. Bond kicks Hinx out as the helicopter rotates and Hinx meets his demise in the blades of the helicopter. Then it's Blofeld's turn. As the pilot struggles to control the helicopter, Bond knocks Blofeld out the door and he falls to the Thames, perhaps dead. After killing the pilot, Bond wrestles control of the helicopter before it smashes into Tower Bridge.
    • Bond contacts M at the ceremony. M says work is underway to get people safe.
    • Bond lands and heads into the building, finds Madeliene, unties her. As the crowds flee, Bond gets Madeliene out of the building and to safety (as was original) just in time, as the building goes down and projectiles fire in all directions, pelting buildings hundreds of feet away. By then, Bond and Madeleine are down river and safe.
        Something like that.

    It’s fun but I don’t think making it smaller scale helps really. Stuff like removing the helicopter from the opening seems a bit of a strange choice to me: that’s the element that makes it exciting. I’m not sure why you’d remove Nine Eyes either: that’s a pretty solid bit of the plot and has global consequences. It’s also a very solid bit of plot for M.
  • Posts: 12,243
    Malek in response to if he’s playing Dr. No:

    “I heard that,” he says, perfectly pleasantly. “Am I? I mean, isn’t that an exciting thing to consider all the way up to the release?” He does, however, acknowledge that “there is a resurgence of an Ian Fleming influence on this film”.

    https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/film/a30875686/rami-malek-interview-no-time-to-die/
  • Bad Guy: Bond Villain Rami Malek On 'No Time To Die', 'Mr Robot' And Those Dr No Rumours
    https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/film/a30875686/rami-malek-interview-no-time-to-die/

    24125-7-v2-rgb-1581511876.jpg?resize=980:*

    Very exciting feature in Esquire about Rami....terrific actor I didn't care for his Freddie, but his work in Mr Robot (especially the exceptional final season) is quite something to behold. Anyone who has seen that episode in his psychologist's apartment can attest to this guy's acting talent.....
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