Ian McEwan

JLord

How about getting Ian McEwan on board to write the next Bond book? He is the master of suspense and has a rich, dark sense of humour which, for once, does what the billing on the back of books so often promises but fails to deliver -- have you laughing out loud. Have just finished "Solar", which is superb. He manages to tick all the boxes that Faulks fails to do in "A Week in December".
Have also heard that Rowan Atkinson is busy and unable even to consider the part of Hadley (Nick Macfie's "Bond" book). Would have been a nice fit.

Hardyboy

"Master of suspense?" Well, McEwan does like spinning Kafkaesque tales--The Kindness of Strangers comes to mind--and one of his signature elements is to show two radically different characters facing off against each other; but he doesn't seem to be a "genre" writer at all. His books are all "literary" and tend to challenge genres--which is true of Faulks's writing as well. I think McEwan is an outstanding writer, but I'd be leery of the kind of Bond novel he could produce.

JLord

I think a challenge to the novel genre would provide exactly the sort of shakeup it needs, but agree it might not be to everyone's taste. (Think what he could do with the Bond-Blofeld relationship.) Casino Royale challenged the movie genre and was a success, despite the unforgivable dropping of the theme music until the final sequence.