The character Elliott in Never Say Never Again?

Silhouette Man

I was watching a bit of Never Say Never Again for the first time in ages and I noticed the character of Elliott played by Ronald Pickup.

Is he meant to be the Chief of Staff - a sort of Bill Tanner stand-in? It would have been a nice nod to the original Bond novels to call him Bill Tanner but perhaps this would have reminded audiences of Tanner in the recent For Your Eyes Only?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this... -{

Elliott as played by Ronald Pickup:

Thunderpussy

Only a guess from me, but perhaps as Tanner was not
in TB. The character could not be used in NSNA. As I
think only the movie screenplay could be remade.
Although I agree he is a Bill Tanner type character.

Barbel

I'd just put it down to lack of concern by the makers. Tanner is in the TB novel, though not in the film as TP says, so McClory would have the rights to use him. He's referred to as "Chief of Staff" rather than Bill or Tanner, just as James Villiers was in FYEO (though Villiers is credited as "Tanner" which would confuse anyone who hadn't read the books).