Why not make Bond 22+ a film from a book?
sampile2005
Posts: 56MI6 Agent
Obviously, as you all know, there are no more Flemings' left to be written ?:) .. But, why is it that they don't make one of Gardner's, Benson's or even what's his face - the geeza who did Colonel Sun? I think it would be a lot better than making a new name and a new plot when they have got so many more plots to do??
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Actually, I think Kingsley Amis, who was already a famous author, wrote it using the pen name Robert Markham.
Unfortunately that idea was quickly rejected when Colonel Sun was ravaged by the critics (and Fleming's wife), therefore stalling the release of the next novel for 13 years (with John Gardner's Licence Renewed) and by that time, everyone had forgotten about the pseudonym.
As for the storyline of Colonel Sun being used in the films, parts of that novel (ie: M's abduction) was used in 1999's The World Is Not Enough.
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Markham is the psuedonym. Kinsley Amis was a then famous and highly acclaimed novelist who had a keen interest in James Bond. Nowadays, he tends to be remembered for being the father of Martin Amis, who is also a novelist.
Additionally,Eon always gets a first look at every one of the James Bond continuation novels.However,there are plenty of elements,locales and action sequences that are similar to many of those appearing in the continuation Bonds that have(by sheer "coincidence", of course),found their ways into many of the Eon films already.
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I have read this comment about there being a lot of Flemings writings left to be used a few times now but for the life of me I can't think of any. What is left?
I have recently been reading through the novels in order and I still have the last book OP&TLD left to read. Perhaps there is something in there that can still be used.
The novel TSWLM (rename a few characters, events, and places and there shouldn't be too much worrying about the reasons that made the film entirely different from the novel)
of course, it would end up being even less traditional than CR
Just a few brief examples:
You Only Live Twice movie,aside from it's locale and a few character names, bears almost no resemblance to the novel,and the same is true for Diamonds Are Forever.One of the subplots of Live and Let Die deals with a search for pirate treasure.As Dawuss notes,Fleming's The Spy Who Loved Me novel is absolutely unlike the motion picture that used that title.Moonraker has been filmed twice--once as Moonraker, and later as Die Another Day-- but in each instance, these were extremely loose adaptations, and there are still plenty of things in the Fleming books that have yet to come to the screen.
You are right about YOLT and DAF, I dont know why I didn't think of that. Right after I logged off I thought of TSWLM but that would be difficult to turn into a whole film. The same goes for The Hildebrand Rarity and Quantum of Solace. The idea of a closer adaptation of DAF is a great one that I hope they will use.
Considering John Gardner and Raymond Benson have all written screenplays. There are several books that could and should have been made into film. Zero minus Ten, missed out on a great film there.
But maybe bring in a new enemy organisation such as the Union in the latest of Bensons books. High Time to Kill maybe a bit awkward but hey with modern filming techniques you never know. At least then we would see into the early life of Bond with his rival from Eton.
Scorpius is another possibilty with the use of a religious cult to create terrorism.
What do you guys think?
I think the Union, would make a fantastic new series of Bond films, in the ilk of something like SPECTRE
I was thinking that the other day.
Casino Royale: pretty much everything has been put onscreen (it's a very short novel). One exception is the famous red box, blue box bombers - two Soviet agents who are meant to throw a bomb at 007, and then escape in a cloud of smoke from the second box; in reality, they have been double crossed, and both boxes are explosive, so they end up killing themselves. I don’t think this will ever make it onscreen, because (a) it’s told third hand by Mathis, which is uncinematic and (b) if you tell the audience in advance all about the two boxes, then that’s a lot of screen time to devote to a failed attempt on Bond’s life.
The other thing that’s still to be filmed is the discussion about the nature of good and evil between Bond and Mathis; I’d say there’s still a chance this will show up.
Live and Let Die: one of the most adapted novels – not only is there the film, but also FYEO and LTK extracted large sections. Yet there’s still stuff left. The hand grenade gift, with the sinister note about a “ticking clock”; the machine gun attack on the train; and my personal favourite, Bond’s swim to the Isle of Surprise. Here, Bond swims across a shark infested channel to place a limpet mine on the villain’s boat. He discovers they are feeding offal to the sharks to excite them, and is attacked by a barracuda, before he is finally able to attach the mine. However, he is then captured, and taken aboard the same boat – while the mine ticks away beneath him!
The idea of a horde of lost treasure being used to fund enemy agents could also be very easily adapted. I also like Solitaire’s real name (Simone Latrelle) for a future girl.
Moonraker: what wasn’t touched in 1979 was swept up by DAD twenty years later. Still remaining is the character of Gala Brand, and the cliff fall. The plot line of a villain planning to drop a nuclear missile on London could be used, but it’s a bit “seen it all before” now (besides, the part about the villain giving his weapon to the nation was already done in MR). Loeila Ponsonby and May appear here as well, and they have yet to turn up in the films.
Diamonds Are Forever: lots remains unfilmed here, but with good cause – it’s not a very good book. The murder of Tingaling Bell at the Acme Sulphur Baths could be used, but the abandoned Wild West town of Spectreville seems too B-movie and clichéd for a Bond film now. Same goes for Bond and Tiffany’s escape on a handcart. I can imagine Daniel Craig being on the receiving end of a “Brooklyn Stomping”, however.
From Russia, With Love: adapted almost verbatim; nothing left.
Dr No: as above. Perhaps a future villain could be buried under a heap of bird droppings, but don’t hold your breath!
Goldfinger: again, all the best bits were in the film. The only unfilmed part was Oddjob smashing up Goldfinger’s banisters to demonstrate his skill at karate – no longer a novelty, fifty years on – and then being given a cat to eat. Can’t see that making it onscreen!
For Your Eyes Only: the titular short story, and Risico, were both put in the film. LTK lifted Milton Krest, his whip and the Wavekrest from The Hildebrand Rarity. So what’s left? A few character names (Fidele Barbey for example, though his character was basically used for Sharkey in LTK). The hidden base in a rose bush seems extremely dated now, and the idea that a Bond girl would shoot and save 007 was first used back in FRWL. Quantum of Solace is a no-hoper (though Bond has yet to visit Bermuda). I would say the title Risico is still a pretty good bet, and perhaps The Hildebrand Rarity’s hunt for a rare fish could be a cover for something else (as happened when it was adapted as a comic strip).
Thunderball: the odds on anything from this book turning up may have increased now Kevin McClory has passed away, but don’t hold your breath. The finale, where Bond travels on board a nuclear submarine and then attacks the villains with home made weapons, has a certain appeal. Otherwise, it was pretty well adapted for the screen.
The Spy Who Loved Me: nothing here to really grab your attention. Possibly the “bedtime story”, where Bond takes the place of a man due for assassination, but that’s about it (and the villain here is called Horst Uhlmann, which I like). Vivienne Michel could be a Bond Girl, too.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: as you’d expect, almost everything in the book is onscreen. Can I once again mention my fondness for the chapter title “All Cats Are Grey”? Thank you.
You Only Live Twice: barely touched which, if you’ve read it, is unsurprising. There’s Doctor Guntram Shatterhand, of course, and the Garden of Death is a fascinating concept. Strapping Bond naked onto a geyser to torture him suddenly seems more likely after the knotted rope in CR, and the Magic 44 decoder is a classic MacGuffin. There’s also a geisha girl called Trembling Leaf, which knocks Peaceful Fountains of Desire into a cocked hat if you ask me. Finally, Bond loses his memory, is presumed dead by London, and goes off to find out about himself at the end – a great cliffhanger that sets up the next book…
The Man With The Golden Gun: A brainwashed 007 trying to murder M inside the Secret Service’s HQ with a cyanide gun; M hits a button and a sheet of bullet proof glass drops from the ceiling to stop him. It’s screaming out to be filmed, especially since Judi Dench’s M is so important in the series. It’d have to be set up by the previous film, but still: wouldn’t you want to see it? Tiffy (and the story of her name) could be an idea for a Bond Girl, but otherwise the novel reheats ideas we’ve seen before. Possibly the wounded Bond and the wounded villain, bleeding to death, battling out in the swamp could be adapted, but it’s not very original.
Octopussy: the title story was recounted in the film, and The Property of a Lady was put onscreen at the same time. The Living Daylights is all there in the movie, and 007 in New York gave us Solange, which is frankly all you’d want from it. I’d still say that Property of a Lady could be a future title, but has its prominence in OP rendered it invalid? (It didn’t stop The World Is Not Enough, after all).
@merseytart
From LALD: Bond getting his pinky finger broken. This is Craig-Bond all the way. Old treasure being used to finance terror is good too---I'd tie it into a tale of modern piracy on the high seas, which is becoming a huge thing... B-) Perhaps work in the essence of The Hildebrand Rarity, and you've got a crackerjack film!
From MR: The bit where Bond convinces Drax---via insult---to beat the s**t out of him, and then storm out of the room in a state of distraction...leaving the blowtorch, with which Bond engineers escape for Gala and himself. The steam-hose bit should be adapted somehow, as well.
DAF: I rather like the idea of Bond moving from deck to deck on an oceanliner, hanging off the side...crashing through the porthole, etc. It's workable. Love the Brooklyn Stomping, as well...
TSWLM is a PTS waiting, begging, to happen.
YOLT's Garden of Death, and its natural progression into the opening events of TMWTGG, are potential classics.
There's more here than meets the casual eye, IMRO.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
As for YOLT, I always hated the garden of death, I found it preposterous. It would need some serious updating for current times.
I'm with you on TSWLM as a PTS Barry. I think it would be a very effective and atmospheric opening to a film. It would suit Daniel Craig's Bond perfectly. The heroine even mistakes him for one of the bad guy's when she first sees him. Craig has that air of menace that could carry that off. Or how about this. They film the entire short story, say as a 45-minute special and premiere it online. Then they can release it on DVD with a load of extras. It wouldn't cost that much to make and would make an interesting alternative to the big-screen globe-trotting style Bond film. Instead you would have a lean, mean, almost noirish film, that owed everything to Fleming's original story.
It wouldn't cut it as the villain's Main Project, of course...but as a bit of atmosphere---and a gauntlet for Bond to run en route to his final face off with the Bad Guy---I think it merits consideration.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
As for DAF, I for one enjoyed the nighttime escape through the desert on the handcar with the locomotive in pursuit. I also enjoyed Bond's 'mountaineering' on the side of the cruise liner to save Tiffany Case.
Just to explain why no adaptations so far. In fiction, a property such as a book, is purchased and the purchaser owns that story featuring those characters. However, it does not prevent the creator of the character using said character in other, creative works not based on the story already purchased.
It is my understanding that Danjaq (et al - NB Eon does not hold any copyrights) purchased the (film) rights to the Bond character (and others created by Ian Fleming). I understand this was done in the late 1970's. Note, "Q" was created by the films (I know he is Boothroyd but in the novels he never just "Q". I know people erroneously quote a chapter in Casino Royale referring to Q but it is obvious in context that Q Branch is referred to).
It is for this reason that Danjaq do not need to option continuation novels and can create their own Bond stories. They could option the non-Fleming books but those titles would have to have an added dimension, a pre-sellability factor in the public eye (remember, the Fleming novels were Grisham/Crichton/Clancy books of their day). The continuation novels are not in this league of popularity.
BTW, Benson did not work on the film version of AVTAK but on the computer game.
Now, to unused Fleming.
I agree with some of the previous posts. However, there are a few things left out.
LALD - the encounter with the Robber resulting in the death of a pelican.
MR - the car chase with the articulated lorry. The Drax backstory.
DAF - the ending with Bond manning a Bofors gun shooting down the helicopter on the Veld. Forgive me, but I have imagineered film here http://www.ajb007.co.uk/index.php?topic=28785
FRWL - the entire Grant backstory. Great set up for a villain.
DN - centipede?
GF - Bills-On-The-Beach scene
AVTAK - motorbike chase (sort of done in the film of Clear And Present Danger)
FYEO - Canadian setting and assault in a quiet mountain lake
RISICO - footchase across minefield. Forgive me but I imagineered a PTS like this here http://www.ajb007.co.uk/index.php?topic=28449
and a movie here
http://www.ajb007.co.uk/index.php?topic=28785
QOS - the story could be told like the Octopussy story in said film. Background to the Bond woman, perhaps. Forgive me, but I imagineered a movie of this here http://www.ajb007.co.uk/index.php?topic=28535
THR - the entire plot would could be fitted into a movie. Forgive me, but I imagineered a movie of this here http://www.ajb007.co.uk/index.php?topic=28535
TB - the car chase grenade attack on Bond in busy city (London) streets, the undersea treasure hunt, the Blofeld backstory
OHMSS - death by bobsleigh (or should that be "slay"?)
YOLT - the Garden of Death, the meal with live lobster, the geyser trap, the poison plant plot notion, scissors-cut-paper. Forgive me but I imagineered a movie of this here http://www.ajb007.co.uk/index.php?topic=28516&cpage=1
and, ahem, here
http://www.ajb007.co.uk/index.php?topic=28449
MWGG - Tiffy, death of kling klings, shoot out in sugar cane fields, train chase and dummy on the lines
OP - the mountain climb. Proper, snow-capped mountaineering would be great in a Bond movie.
Of course, characters like May, Sir James Molony, Troop, Head of S would be great.
I have the oddest feeling we may be seeing some of these moments in future Bonds.
I agree; in fact, I was an advocate of May's inclusion in the "Bond's Scottish Treasure" thread.
Sir James Molony is also an excellent idea...but only after Bond has suffered a real physical/psychological blow...Molony would appear in the film's first scene with M, delivering a monologue something along the lines of that which appears in the DN novel.*
Which reminds me...wouldn't it be great if Craig's Bond films each had something of a 'cliffhanger' ending, as a couple of the best Bond novels** did? Arguably, CR---while not exactly a 'cliffhanger'---did leave us all hanging a bit...
* If you haven't read it...shame on you :v
** FRWL, YOLT
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
A curious notion---that doing something brand-new with the films (i.e., unprecedented) would not constitute forward movement ?:)
In my opinion, one 'looks to the past' when rigidly adhering to a 40 year-old formula, film after film after film after film.
Moving forward with Bond is what CR was all about, from what I gleaned
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
{[] Couldn't have put it better myself.
Of course it goes without reason, you can't have YOLT without have OHMSS, and as mentioned before this is nothing left to film, aside from CR OHMSS is one of the more accurate films via the book. The only thing I could see them doing is subbing Vesper Lynd, as Tracy, and having Bond kill Blofeld at the end of YOLT, leading up to the events of TMWTGG. Of course then you have the problem of SPECTRE not having a proper introduction unless it is an incredibly long film.
There are so many classic Bond moments that I would love to see from the Flemming novels that they would just be impossible to do, but working them into parts of films might just have to do.