Novelisation of Skyfall?

Number24

Will there be a novelisation of the movie Skyfall? CR and QoS were both based on works by Ian Flemming, but I seem to remember the Brosnan Bonds were turned into novels. If Skyfall is turned into a book, do we have any idea or hopes on who will write it?

darenhat

That's a very interesting question...Did Raymond Benson write the Brosnan adaptions? I wonder if they would pull him out for one more go-around. Or perhaps they'll find some "B" writer who's just talented enough to do a decent job, but not famous to demand too much money (or think it beneath them).

scaramanga1

Definitely a tie-in novel would be welcomed by many 007 fans -considering how in the 007 world most marketing opportunities are taken -I'd be surprised if there isn't one. Fingers crossed this won't be a missed opportunity -and of course I'd gladly offer my services. :007)

Sir Miles

darenhat wrote:

Did Raymond Benson write the Brosnan adaptions?

Apart from Goldeneye which was written by John Gardner....which isn't a bad read actually.

Napoleon Plural

Talking of which, there's a rare Never Say Never Again tie on eBay:

NSNA tie-in

chrisno1

Be interesting to see what our dear friend Jeffrey 'It was Just A One Off' Deaver would make of it....

Napoleon Plural

Oh to get Christopher Wood back again for a final shot.

Otherwise, someone like Ben McIntyre who is a Flemingist and jobbing journo would be an interesting choice.

Strangeways

What about Charlie Higson?

chrisno1

Strangeways wrote:

What about Charlie Higson?

Having written my earlier post, I was lying awake last night and that thought came to me as well. While I'm no great fan of his Young Bond series, his general understanding of 007 mythology was very good. IFP could do a lot worse.

Sir Miles

I think Charlie Higson would be a great choice....but Christoper Wood would be an ideal pick -{

scaramanga1

Sir Miles wrote:

I think Charlie Higson would be a great choice....but Christoper Wood would be an ideal pick -{

Totally agree with that. Christopher Wood would be perfect. I like the idea of Higson doing it though.

Golrush007

Christopher Wood's name comes up so frequently in discussions here, but I wonder if the people at IFP even think of him! And if they were to consider him, I wonder if he would do it.

Napoleon Plural

To be fair... has he done much since? It's 30 years since his last novelisation, no evidence he can still knock em out. Of course I'd like to see it happen... I wish he'd been script doctor on FYEO, just a few tweeks would have smoothed things a bit, no need to throw him out with the bathwater.

clinkeroo

Golrush007 wrote:

Christopher Wood's name comes up so frequently in discussions here, but I wonder if the people at IFP even think of him! And if they were to consider him, I wonder if he would do it.

I remember an interview where he said he would only be interested in another Bond adaption if it were based on a screenplay he'd had a hand in writing. He didn't appear to be very optimistic.

CdrBond7777

Number24 wrote:

CR and QoS were both based on works by Ian Flemming

QoS took its name from a Flemming short but is an original story. As there hasn't been any word on a QoS novelisation I can't imagine Skyfall would have one.

Number24

CdrBond7777 wrote:

Number24 wrote:

CR and QoS were both based on works by Ian Flemming

QoS took its name from a Flemming short but is an original story. As there hasn't been any word on a QoS novelisation I can't imagine Skyfall would have one.

Correct. QoS only took its name from Fleming. This was more or less the case for some of the films of the past, too. Movies like TSWLM still were still novelised, I think. This was not he case for QoS, they just published a collection of Fleming`s short stories. Making a novelisation of a movie with only the title taken from a pre-existing novel or short story won`t work today. But Skyfall isn`t based on any book by Fleming, even if it might take some elments from Fleming. So there is no reason not to novelise Skyfall.

CdrBond7777

Why don't you think a novelisation of QoS would work today? As I understood, the early novelisations were to acknowledge that the plot of the film was different to the plot of the initial novel and the later novelisations were because there was no novel available. QoS ticks both boxes.
I agree that there is no reason not to novelise Skyfall, in fact I would rather they did, I just can't imagine they would.

Number24

There are two ways they could have noveliised the QoS movie. They could have novelised the move and given it the tiltle Quantum of Solace. But today that wouldn`t have worked since there is allready a Fleming short story by that name. That worked in the Moore era, when there was litle pretence of staying true to Fleming in most of the Bonds. But Craigs movies try to be closer to Flemings style, so this would be wrong.
Or they could have novelised the movie and given it another tiltle. But that would have defeated much of the purpose of the whole exercise because neither the movie nor the book would benefit from a synergy effect.

CdrBond7777

Number24 wrote:

There are two ways they could have noveliised the QoS movie. They could have novelised the move and given it the tiltle Quantum of Solace. But today that wouldn`t have worked since there is allready a Fleming short story by that name. That worked in the Moore era, when there was litle pretence of staying true to Fleming in most of the Bonds. But Craigs movies try to be closer to Flemings style, so this would be wrong.
Or they could have novelised the movie and given it another tiltle. But that would have defeated much of the purpose of the whole exercise because neither the movie nor the book would benefit from a synergy effect.

But the only novelisations of films named after Fleming stories DID change the names, albeit subtly. They became "James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me" and "James Bond and Moonraker"

I agree that "James Bond and the Quantum of Solace" isn't a very good name. It sounds like it was written by Hergé. But nobody is selling the title. The mistake was rereleasing the shorts und the QoS name, if that hadn't been done there would be no issue with using that as a book title.

chrisno1

I could be wrong, but I wonder if Wood's involvement in the '70s screenplays came with a pre-condition he wrote a novelisation (all his 'Confessions...' movies had one).
I agree with CdrBond777, the decision to offer a bastard compilation of all Fleming's short stories to accompany QOS was bare faced marketing strategy. The QOS movie shows little reference to Fleming's 007, except the vague possibilities of Craig's one-note performance, and probably would have benefitted from a novelisation ("James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace" or something) but the problem faced by IFP then and now is that their recent authors probably wouldn't want to adapt/novelise a screenplay.
Too proud? Probably. Too bored? Faulks - definately. Too busy? Deaver - I expect so. Higson? He'd only do it out of deference I reckon. Let's face it, why can't that chummy two-some Purvis and Wade write the thing - they've botched every screenplay they've touched so far, so the novelisation will at least resemble the narrative mess on screen.

Number24

The conversaton between Bond and Mathis about heroes and villans in QoS is lifted right of Fleming, so you were wrong there. And Casino Royale can hardly be called a botched screenplay, so I guess you were wrong threre too ..

oscar rubio

Maybe,if the Skyfall film y good,go away whit novelisation,but if de movie it´s bad,I don´t thing that novelisation will be very nice

CdrBond7777

oscar rubio wrote:

Maybe,if the Skyfall film y good,go away whit novelisation,but if de movie it´s bad,I don´t thing that novelisation will be very nice

That's probably the most important point. But I'm a die had Bond lit fan so if there are original films made, I'd buy the novelisations.

chrisno1

Number24 wrote:

The conversaton between Bond and Mathis about heroes and villans in QoS is lifted right of Fleming, so you were wrong there. And Casino Royale can hardly be called a botched screenplay, so I guess you were wrong threre too ..

I think you'll see I wrote "little referenece" to Fleming's 007. I think the odd dab of dialogue is sufficiently little. Of course whether the CR screenplay was botched or not is a matter of opinion. Perhaps if they had included the conversation you mention in its proper context and in the right movie, it might have been even better.

Napoleon Plural

My feeling is that novelisations came about when there was no resemblance to Fleming's work at all, that's why FYEO didn't have one, nor OP or TLD. Brozzer's had no Fleming elements, not even borrowed titles, so got novelisations if I recall. CR wouldn't, and QoS is sort of tied into that, plus they were making up the script as they went along, weren't they? Plus, the novelisations are a marketing thing that in the age of the internet is not that important.

cdsdss

If there is, please don't let Deaver do it.

oscar rubio

cdsdss wrote:

If there is, please don't let Deaver do it.

Benson -{

zencat

I have your answer here:

http://www.thebookbond.com/2012/03/official-no-skyfall-novelization-dang.html

Napoleon Plural

Hmm, you'd think they could snap someone up. Why not if they have no reigning continuation author? Or maybe they're thinking Deaver will return for a sequel, following up his reboot, and that Skyfall will exist in a parallel universe that just won't fit? Still, could be years before that happens.

chrisno1

I think it is a lost opportunity. While the '70s and '80s Bond movies bore precious little resemblance to Fleming there was enough to warrant a few half-hearted reissues of original novels (or in the case of TSWLM and MR authorised novelisations). I wasn't really surprised AVTAK and TLD didn't get one, but from LTK onwards every Bond movie has had some sort of novel issued or re-issued, although the QOS collection had nothing to do with the film at all bar the title, but then, hey, the film had nothing to dow ith QOS the shorts tory either, so who's being picky?
While I don't think Skyfall would necessarily benefit from a tie in, I often found the character building by Gardner and Benson of some interest and frequently better than in the movie. Certainly the plot was often explained in clear detail. This was very prevelant too in Chistopher Wood's work.
I'd have thought the few easy $$$ the Fleming estate could make from a well packaged tie in would be worth the effort or perhaps, after Benson's risible DAD, they simply don't want to tamper with the Fleming legacy any more.

Sir Miles

I think it's a terrible shame and a lost opportunity too...I guess they just don't have the time to knock it out before the film opens...