According to Gareth Owen, John Hodge was not writing an original story but was brought in to add his ideas to Purvis and Wade's script. So that's why there's no need to fear that Hodge is no longer working on Bond. They have their script. If they bring in another writer, it sounds like it will be to work from that script, not start a new script. Variety doesn't have all the details.
But wasn't Boyle's idea this modern Russian cold war story? That seems quite all encompassing to me. If Boyle is simply changing the villain from Purvis & Wade's villain (Blofeld?) to a Russian, what else was the P&W story? Bond films are Bond going after the world destroying villain. Change the villain, surely you're changing the entire story?
Unless a key part of the P&W script is that Bond is married?
According to Gareth Owen, John Hodge was not writing an original story but was brought in to add his ideas to Purvis and Wade's script. So that's why there's no need to fear that Hodge is no longer working on Bond. They have their script. If they bring in another writer, it sounds like it will be to work from that script, not start a new script. Variety doesn't have all the details.
But wasn't Boyle's idea this modern Russian cold war story? That seems quite all encompassing to me. If Boyle is simply changing the villain from Purvis & Wade's villain (Blofeld?) to a Russian, what else was the P&W story? Bond films are Bond going after the world destroying villain. Change the villain, surely you're changing the entire story?
Unless a key part of the P&W script is that Bond is married?
Have you seen the pre-Craig Bond films? Half the Bond villains are Blofeld clones. The Spy Who Loved Me was supposed to feature Blofeld, but he was changed to Stromberg. His goons are an awful lot like Blofeld's goons. Blofeld is the most generic villain. He comes up with all sorts of ridiculous plots, but there's nothing that truly defines him.
This Friday, August 24th, there will be an emergency meeting with the film crew in London.
At this meeting, it will be announced when the rehearsals will resume (scheduled for September the 3rd) or filming will resume (scheduled for December the 3rd).
A date or a postponement could be announced.
***
Russian television REN TV also echoes the news and adds an interesting detail: the actor and former MMA fighter (mixed martial arts), Oleg Taktarov, would have made a test a month ago for a villain role. 14:20
Why can't they just bloody make the film. They promised a 2019 release date, so they should just stick to it without overthinking it too much. Some of my favourite bond films seemed to have been churned out with no overthinking, and they're entertaining as hell. It's a bond film, it'll still make a profit, make the bloody film already before DC walks. Save the faffing about for the post-craig era. A 5-year gap between bond films with the same lead actor just seems silly. I really want Craig to do his 5th, but I'm afraid they've now screwed it up.
Let us not encourage them to just start filming as scheduled then make up the script later, thank you.
There's been too many films sine Cubby died where they seemed to make it up as they went along, endless action setpieces with no coherent plot to string them together.
One reason they could film the early (good) films so fast is because they already had a story, and they first started to fall behind when they decided to write an allnew story about a volcano they had found while location-scouting.
I do know where there's a half dozen* perfectly good story ideas they could use, that they already own the rights to. Finding a story should not be so hard.
And hiring a director should not be so difficult. The Bond films are more akin to a teevee show than they are to ordinary films, and in teevee shows the overarching creative vision is maintained by the showrunner. Usually a combination producer/head writer who makes sure whoever writes the script or directs the episode, that it always feels like its part off the same show and adds up to a greater whole. Barbara should be the Bond franchise equivalent of the showrunner (I suspect her stepbrother may be a little more hands-off at this point), and the director should saying "yes ma'am" when she speaks, not arguing over creative differences.
and the actor playing Bond is certainly the most valuable of all employees, but he should not be given executive producer status. That's just handing over responsibility that should be Barbara's. No wonder people are confused what the idea for the film is.
_______________________________________________________
* (villain has a V2 style rocket aimed at London; villains HQ is a wild west town complete with antique train; Bond rides a motorcycle in the woods near Paris; Bond goes to a dinner party; Bond checks into the wrong motel; something about a garden in Japan: that is an even half dozen story ideas right there, probably all better than either of these two scripts they're now arguing about)
Having spent six weeks watching Boyle work on his latest film I can say that he was a supreme professional. The production involved 6000 extras and a Helicopter. He engaged directly and seemed relaxed, highly capable and charming. He has a reputation for delivering films on time and on budget. He even became patron of our local Theatre. Make no mistake he is a major loss. He could have brought something fresh to what is feeling like a superannuated and tired team out of ideas, out of steam.
Of that of which we cannot speak we must pass over in silence- Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Deadline says that directors have already been contacted and it's not who you think.
It writes: "I’ve heard an approach was made to [Canadian director] Jean-Marc Vallee, who followed Dallas Buyers Club with the limited series Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects. I’ve heard his participation is unlikely due to scheduling."
The story also cites Edgar Wright. I wonder if we'll get a Simon Pegg cameo if Wright gets the gig?
Deadline says that directors have already been contacted and it's not who you think.
It writes: "I’ve heard an approach was made to [Canadian director] Jean-Marc Vallee, who followed Dallas Buyers Club with the limited series Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects. I’ve heard his participation is unlikely due to scheduling."
The story also cites Edgar Wright. I wonder if we'll get a Simon Pegg cameo if Wright gets the gig?
Russian television REN TV also echoes the news and adds an interesting detail: the actor and former MMA fighter (mixed martial arts), Oleg Taktarov, would have made a test a month ago for a villain role. 14:20
I think Boyle's decision to direct was based on the contractual condition Jon Hodge's screenplay was used. Hodge has written several Danny Boyle directed films - Trainspotting and the sequel, Trance, The Beach, Shallow Grave, A Life Less Ordinary. Boyle and Hodge's working relationship goes back to the 1990s.
If Eon wanted to change much of Hodge's screenplay, who knows, the contractual condition of Boyle's employment might have been rendered null and void. What I mean is, Hodge's screenplay is altered by Babs and MG, Boyle says "no, we agreed on the screenplay" and Babs say "I'm in charge, not you." Boyle says "fine, I quit!"
Boyle and Hodge were a team - no Hodge screenplay, no Bolye? I guess so.
“We’ve got an idea, John Hodge — the screenwriter — and I have got this idea, and John is writing it at the moment,” Boyle said. “And it all depends on how it turns out. It would be foolish of me to give any of it away.”
Boyle confirmed the report Thursday, saying, “We are working on a script which we hope they’ll like.”
I guess Eon didn't like it enough! So long, Danny!
Did a quick bit of research on Directors being changed for films and found a few examples …….
Gone With The Wind, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Spartacus. Obviously these all turned out
to be terrible, terrible movies !
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
I think Boyle's decision to direct was based on the contractual condition Jon Hodge's screenplay was used. Hodge has written several Danny Boyle directed films - Trainspotting and the sequel, Trance, The Beach, Shallow Grave, A Life Less Ordinary. Boyle and Hodge's working relationship goes back to the 1990s.
If Eon wanted to change much of Hodge's screenplay, who knows, the contractual condition of Boyle's employment might have been rendered null and void. What I mean is, Hodge's screenplay is altered by Babs and MG, Boyle says "no, we agreed on the screenplay" and Babs say "I'm in charge, not you." Boyle says "fine, I quit!"
Boyle and Hodge were a team - no Hodge screenplay, no Bolye? I guess so.
“We’ve got an idea, John Hodge — the screenwriter — and I have got this idea, and John is writing it at the moment,” Boyle said. “And it all depends on how it turns out. It would be foolish of me to give any of it away.”
Boyle confirmed the report Thursday, saying, “We are working on a script which we hope they’ll like.”
I guess Eon didn't like it enough! So long, Danny!
The latest news is that Hodge never wrote a complete script, he only altered the Purvis and Wade script.
Steve Mcqueen is one of the most talented emerging writer/directors in Britain. On IMDB he has nothing on his plate after his newest movie is released in mid-November.
Why can't they just bloody make the film. They promised a 2019 release date, so they should just stick to it without overthinking it too much.
Well they currently don’t have a director...that’s a pretty major obstacle stopping them from just bloody making the film.
I meant a scenario in which Boyle never quit
I was in a rush when I wrote this. Just to word it more clearly, I meant that they seem to have been faffing about for a long time, long before Danny Boyle ever came on board. So of course they will have problems now, without a director, but they were faffing about in the first place, the film could have already been out last year. That would have been a 2 year gap. Why can't they stick to 2-year gaps these days? They could in the 90's. Why not now? Because they're overthinking the whole thing, that's why. At least that's what it seems like.
I am a strong believer that gaps between films mean jack poo. There is absolutely no correlation with quality of the film and years passed between films in my personal opinion. I believe that SF is great. But I also believe that LALD, FYEO, OP, AVTAK, LTK are great. And CR is not my cup of tea. Whereas SP is a mid-ranker for me. GE is great, but as I said, so is LTK. And we all know how DAD turned out. So for me, absolutely no correlation here. Some highs and some lows, just like anything else.
I think we are all just getting impatient. But..... rightly so IMO. They don't owe us anything, but they did promise a 2019 release date, and bond is a franchise that has consistently been churning out films since 1962, so we have certain expectations when it comes to bond.
I think we have every right to be impatient but Babs and Michael have every right to make sure there’s no knee-jerk reaction to Bodge’s departure (or is that Hoyle? :v ). Much as I hate the waiting game, I’d prefer to get a good film. Our expectations as an audience get higher so I don’t think another John Glen-type churn out would hit the mark.
I don’t think another John Glen-type churn out would hit the mark.
I personally love the John Glen movies, and they are just entertaining (very entertaining) films, and to me that is the main thing that matters.
One day in the future I am hoping for an era where John Glen-type bond movies will resurface and the audience will be more accepting of films like these, instead of the "personal arc" stuff that they keep churning out.
I don’t think another John Glen-type churn out would hit the mark.
I personally love the John Glen movies, and they are just entertaining (very entertaining) films, and to me that is the main thing that matters.
One day in the future I am hoping for an era where John Glen-type bond movies will resurface and the audience will be more accepting of films like these, instead of the "personal arc" stuff that they keep churning out.
IMO, the MCU might be what you're looking for. An interesting cross between assembly line films with light character arc stuff that follows through. )
Did a quick bit of research on Directors being changed for films and found a few examples …….
Gone With The Wind, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Spartacus. Obviously these all turned out
to be terrible, terrible movies !
Fair point. Though those films were taken over by 3 of the most talented directors in American history So we'll see maybe they can get a master to direct Bond 25 and produce a similar result!
Did a quick bit of research on Directors being changed for films and found a few examples …….
Gone With The Wind, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Spartacus. Obviously these all turned out
to be terrible, terrible movies !
Fair point. Though those films were taken over by 3 of the most talented directors in American history So we'll see maybe they can get a master to direct Bond 25 and produce a similar result!
Were they pre shooting changes TP? Or once filming had begun?
I don’t think another John Glen-type churn out would hit the mark.
I personally love the John Glen movies, and they are just entertaining (very entertaining) films, and to me that is the main thing that matters.
One day in the future I am hoping for an era where John Glen-type bond movies will resurface and the audience will be more accepting of films like these, instead of the "personal arc" stuff that they keep churning out.
Yet SPECTRE is as entertaining as any of Glen's output, but look how critical people are of it. With or without the personal arc storylines, our expectations are higher than they were 30-odd years ago.
"An industry source tells me: ‘There was a meeting with Daniel and Barbara and Danny Boyle late last year at the Eon office in Piccadilly and everyone was rather excited about his plans to shake up Bond and take it in a different direction.
‘What he proposed was radical, but they were all on board including Daniel Craig. Daniel was actually excited to come back to a different kind of Bond, it was going to be revolutionary.
‘However the screenplay that emerged this spring was too radical. The Bond producers thought it lacked humour and thrills and without an agreed script they didn’t have a deal.’"
Issues over the screenplay? Sounds credible. Boyle wanted to make his version of Bond, the producers had second doubts, he wasn't prepared to compromise so he quit? Something like that seems possible.
"An industry source tells me: ‘There was a meeting with Daniel and Barbara and Danny Boyle late last year at the Eon office in Piccadilly and everyone was rather excited about his plans to shake up Bond and take it in a different direction.
‘What he proposed was radical, but they were all on board including Daniel Craig. Daniel was actually excited to come back to a different kind of Bond, it was going to be revolutionary.
‘However the screenplay that emerged this spring was too radical. The Bond producers thought it lacked humour and thrills and without an agreed script they didn’t have a deal.’"
Issues over the screenplay? Sounds credible. Boyle wanted to make his version of Bond, the producers had second doubts, he wasn't prepared to compromise so he quit? Something like that seems possible.
Katherine Bigelow has nothing listed on IMDB since she made the terrific "Detroit".
Generally I prefer British or Commonwealth directors for Bond, but they need someone now, they need someone good and (as mentioned on JBR) they need someone to take the limelight off the Boyle scandal. Bigelow seems perfect.
Comments
But wasn't Boyle's idea this modern Russian cold war story? That seems quite all encompassing to me. If Boyle is simply changing the villain from Purvis & Wade's villain (Blofeld?) to a Russian, what else was the P&W story? Bond films are Bond going after the world destroying villain. Change the villain, surely you're changing the entire story?
Unless a key part of the P&W script is that Bond is married?
Have you seen the pre-Craig Bond films? Half the Bond villains are Blofeld clones. The Spy Who Loved Me was supposed to feature Blofeld, but he was changed to Stromberg. His goons are an awful lot like Blofeld's goons. Blofeld is the most generic villain. He comes up with all sorts of ridiculous plots, but there's nothing that truly defines him.
I know of several viking ships nearby and naturally I can find oil. I'm counting on Asp9mm to supply incidiary ammo, ideally in 9mm
This Friday, August 24th, there will be an emergency meeting with the film crew in London.
At this meeting, it will be announced when the rehearsals will resume (scheduled for September the 3rd) or filming will resume (scheduled for December the 3rd).
A date or a postponement could be announced.
***
Russian television REN TV also echoes the news and adds an interesting detail: the actor and former MMA fighter (mixed martial arts), Oleg Taktarov, would have made a test a month ago for a villain role. 14:20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VprgYC4eBJQ
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
Well they currently don’t have a director...that’s a pretty major obstacle stopping them from just bloody making the film.
Northmen rule!!! Huginn and Muninn tell me all. We shall feast and drink in Valhalla!!!
There's been too many films sine Cubby died where they seemed to make it up as they went along, endless action setpieces with no coherent plot to string them together.
One reason they could film the early (good) films so fast is because they already had a story, and they first started to fall behind when they decided to write an allnew story about a volcano they had found while location-scouting.
I do know where there's a half dozen* perfectly good story ideas they could use, that they already own the rights to. Finding a story should not be so hard.
And hiring a director should not be so difficult. The Bond films are more akin to a teevee show than they are to ordinary films, and in teevee shows the overarching creative vision is maintained by the showrunner. Usually a combination producer/head writer who makes sure whoever writes the script or directs the episode, that it always feels like its part off the same show and adds up to a greater whole. Barbara should be the Bond franchise equivalent of the showrunner (I suspect her stepbrother may be a little more hands-off at this point), and the director should saying "yes ma'am" when she speaks, not arguing over creative differences.
and the actor playing Bond is certainly the most valuable of all employees, but he should not be given executive producer status. That's just handing over responsibility that should be Barbara's. No wonder people are confused what the idea for the film is.
_______________________________________________________
* (villain has a V2 style rocket aimed at London; villains HQ is a wild west town complete with antique train; Bond rides a motorcycle in the woods near Paris; Bond goes to a dinner party; Bond checks into the wrong motel; something about a garden in Japan: that is an even half dozen story ideas right there, probably all better than either of these two scripts they're now arguing about)
Having spent six weeks watching Boyle work on his latest film I can say that he was a supreme professional. The production involved 6000 extras and a Helicopter. He engaged directly and seemed relaxed, highly capable and charming. He has a reputation for delivering films on time and on budget. He even became patron of our local Theatre. Make no mistake he is a major loss. He could have brought something fresh to what is feeling like a superannuated and tired team out of ideas, out of steam.
It writes: "I’ve heard an approach was made to [Canadian director] Jean-Marc Vallee, who followed Dallas Buyers Club with the limited series Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects. I’ve heard his participation is unlikely due to scheduling."
The story also cites Edgar Wright. I wonder if we'll get a Simon Pegg cameo if Wright gets the gig?
https://deadline.com/2018/08/bond-25-2019-release-date-jean-marc-vallee-david-mackenzie-yann-demange-daniel-craig-1202451415/
If Boyle baulked at creative differences Edgar Wright certainly won't happen.
The Bond25 bit is at 11 minutes 15 seconds, to save others from having to watch Russian news...
Oleg Taktarov turns up at 14 min 20 seconds.
I meant a scenario in which Boyle never quit
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
If Eon wanted to change much of Hodge's screenplay, who knows, the contractual condition of Boyle's employment might have been rendered null and void. What I mean is, Hodge's screenplay is altered by Babs and MG, Boyle says "no, we agreed on the screenplay" and Babs say "I'm in charge, not you." Boyle says "fine, I quit!"
Boyle and Hodge were a team - no Hodge screenplay, no Bolye? I guess so.
I guess Eon didn't like it enough! So long, Danny!
Gone With The Wind, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Spartacus. Obviously these all turned out
to be terrible, terrible movies !
The latest news is that Hodge never wrote a complete script, he only altered the Purvis and Wade script.
I was in a rush when I wrote this. Just to word it more clearly, I meant that they seem to have been faffing about for a long time, long before Danny Boyle ever came on board. So of course they will have problems now, without a director, but they were faffing about in the first place, the film could have already been out last year. That would have been a 2 year gap. Why can't they stick to 2-year gaps these days? They could in the 90's. Why not now? Because they're overthinking the whole thing, that's why. At least that's what it seems like.
I am a strong believer that gaps between films mean jack poo. There is absolutely no correlation with quality of the film and years passed between films in my personal opinion. I believe that SF is great. But I also believe that LALD, FYEO, OP, AVTAK, LTK are great. And CR is not my cup of tea. Whereas SP is a mid-ranker for me. GE is great, but as I said, so is LTK. And we all know how DAD turned out. So for me, absolutely no correlation here. Some highs and some lows, just like anything else.
I think we are all just getting impatient. But..... rightly so IMO. They don't owe us anything, but they did promise a 2019 release date, and bond is a franchise that has consistently been churning out films since 1962, so we have certain expectations when it comes to bond.
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
I personally love the John Glen movies, and they are just entertaining (very entertaining) films, and to me that is the main thing that matters.
One day in the future I am hoping for an era where John Glen-type bond movies will resurface and the audience will be more accepting of films like these, instead of the "personal arc" stuff that they keep churning out.
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
IMO, the MCU might be what you're looking for. An interesting cross between assembly line films with light character arc stuff that follows through.
Fair point. Though those films were taken over by 3 of the most talented directors in American history
Yet SPECTRE is as entertaining as any of Glen's output, but look how critical people are of it. With or without the personal arc storylines, our expectations are higher than they were 30-odd years ago.
Issues over the screenplay? Sounds credible. Boyle wanted to make his version of Bond, the producers had second doubts, he wasn't prepared to compromise so he quit? Something like that seems possible.
Generally I prefer British or Commonwealth directors for Bond, but they need someone now, they need someone good and (as mentioned on JBR) they need someone to take the limelight off the Boyle scandal. Bigelow seems perfect.