Paul Haggis Talks Bond 22
highhopes
Posts: 1,358MI6 Agent
Bond22 picks up two minutes after the end of CR, just as I've always thought it would.
Paul Haggis Talks Bond 22
Source: Steven Chupnick
August 25, 2007
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=36631
Oscar winner Paul Haggis is returning to the Bond series to write the 22nd adventure of Agent 007, starring Daniel Craig with Marc Forster taking the reigns as director. For the time being, the movie is being referred to merely as Bond 22.
During press for his latest film In the Valley of Elah, Haggis mentioned that writing Bond is very rewarding. "Bond is just pure imagination; you just get to have fun. It's escapism and it's fun, but I try to ground him as a human being."
But he does say that his version of James Bond is different than the others. "My Bond is an actual assassin; when he kills someone, he kills them with a knife, they're bloody and he pays a price. He denies that he pays a price, but he does. When he sees a woman who witnesses something horrific, and he sees her taking a shower, he doesn't just go in there and f*ck her, like the old Bond would have done. He sits there with her, and she says, 'I can't get this blood from my fingernails.' So he helps her get the blood from her fingernails; that's what he does, that's my Bond. So it's a different guy; it's a guy who's much more like these guys, these heroes (in 'Valley of Elah')."
As for the storyline, Mr. Haggis wasn't giving anything up including any possible shooting or setting locations, however he would say, "It picks up 2 minutes after the last one, and it's going to be fun."
He is sticking with the creation of Bond closer to the vision of author Ian Fleming, he said. "Yeah, I hope so because I really loved his books and his movies. That stuff was really close to his books, and most of them aren't."
He disproved the rumor about Carice van Houten, star of Paul Verhoeven's Black Book, being in Bond 22 as one of the vixens. "She's great, isn't she – but she's not going to be in this one."
He also added, "Everyone says they know what the ending is, and they're wrong. Everyone thinks they know about the Bond Girls, and they're wrong."
"Well, maybe not everyone," Mr. Haggis continued. "There is this guy who posts on Absolutely James Bond, a fan site. He's always right. It's uncanny. A kind of 007 idiot savant. Goes by the name 'Highhopes.' I don't understand why people don't just ask him these questions instead of me. In fact, even I never write a word without first asking myself: "Would Highhopes approve?'
"And he's really very handsome, I'm told," he added, without any prompting whatsoever.
Bond 22 is scheduled to hit theatres on November 7, 2008. In the Valley of Elah, which Haggis wrote and directed, opens in select cities September 14. Based on the true story of the investigation of a soldier's murder following his duty fighting in Iraq, it stars Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon.
Paul Haggis Talks Bond 22
Source: Steven Chupnick
August 25, 2007
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=36631
Oscar winner Paul Haggis is returning to the Bond series to write the 22nd adventure of Agent 007, starring Daniel Craig with Marc Forster taking the reigns as director. For the time being, the movie is being referred to merely as Bond 22.
During press for his latest film In the Valley of Elah, Haggis mentioned that writing Bond is very rewarding. "Bond is just pure imagination; you just get to have fun. It's escapism and it's fun, but I try to ground him as a human being."
But he does say that his version of James Bond is different than the others. "My Bond is an actual assassin; when he kills someone, he kills them with a knife, they're bloody and he pays a price. He denies that he pays a price, but he does. When he sees a woman who witnesses something horrific, and he sees her taking a shower, he doesn't just go in there and f*ck her, like the old Bond would have done. He sits there with her, and she says, 'I can't get this blood from my fingernails.' So he helps her get the blood from her fingernails; that's what he does, that's my Bond. So it's a different guy; it's a guy who's much more like these guys, these heroes (in 'Valley of Elah')."
As for the storyline, Mr. Haggis wasn't giving anything up including any possible shooting or setting locations, however he would say, "It picks up 2 minutes after the last one, and it's going to be fun."
He is sticking with the creation of Bond closer to the vision of author Ian Fleming, he said. "Yeah, I hope so because I really loved his books and his movies. That stuff was really close to his books, and most of them aren't."
He disproved the rumor about Carice van Houten, star of Paul Verhoeven's Black Book, being in Bond 22 as one of the vixens. "She's great, isn't she – but she's not going to be in this one."
He also added, "Everyone says they know what the ending is, and they're wrong. Everyone thinks they know about the Bond Girls, and they're wrong."
"Well, maybe not everyone," Mr. Haggis continued. "There is this guy who posts on Absolutely James Bond, a fan site. He's always right. It's uncanny. A kind of 007 idiot savant. Goes by the name 'Highhopes.' I don't understand why people don't just ask him these questions instead of me. In fact, even I never write a word without first asking myself: "Would Highhopes approve?'
"And he's really very handsome, I'm told," he added, without any prompting whatsoever.
Bond 22 is scheduled to hit theatres on November 7, 2008. In the Valley of Elah, which Haggis wrote and directed, opens in select cities September 14. Based on the true story of the investigation of a soldier's murder following his duty fighting in Iraq, it stars Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon.
Comments
Then, of course, we have the other chestnut of this monumental post:
Bravo, my liege B-)
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
They'll print anything these days. . .
That bit of spoofery aside, an interesting article, HH. I'm glad Haggis is as keen on Bond 22 as he was on CR.
So am I. And I'm especially glad that the story really is going to build on CR's (while no doubt standing on its own as well, too). As often as I've defended the ambiguous aspects of CR's finale -- the two metal briefcases, the other guy with the bad eye, how Vesper fit into the plot, etc ... -- as part of an EON master plan, I'd be bummed if they just jumped into a new adventure with only a token nod to the earlier one. I'm really curious what they've come up with. Haggis sounds like a guy with something up his sleeve, and that's a good sign.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Nice article as always Double H.
http://www.mi6.co.uk/news/index.php?itemid=5313
"...it's an original and it's not based on any book or short story or anything that Ian Fleming had done. Although it is based on Ian Fleming ideas."
Hmm :v
Perhaps they're cherry-picking previously unused elements from the entire canon...
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
You can't go wrong when you have a Canadian at the reigns....
'[...] closer to the vision of author Ian Fleming, he said. "Yeah, I hope so because I really loved his books and his movies. That stuff was really close to his books, and most of them aren't."'
What does he mean by his (Fleming's) movies? If not Fleming's, whose?
I took that as an awkward way of referencing the first three or four Bond films, from DN to TB, say. Those were fairly close to the source. He may also be referring to films produced while Fleming was alive, although, of course he died in '64.
But back to Haggis. This is good news. I say let live Bond's new golden age, and move it forward. This is what made all these years of hanging on doggedly worth it. Finally some good cinema again!
Regarding the PTS, I think that Loeff's idea regarding repeating the final scene of CR is not so bad at all, considering that the the scene wasn't particularly long. Alternatively I also like the idea of having a DAF-type PTS where Bond pursues several villains/ with ferocity and only informing them that he 'acquired' information from Mr White. No matter what happens, I very much hope that the gun barrel returns.
http://commanderbond.net/article/4498
When Stax raised the question about Vesper's French-Algerian boyfriend..."'Ohhhh, that'd be cool, wouldn't it?' When questioned if it was a denial, Haggis said, 'It's not a denial and it's not a statement...I'm not going to tell you anything!'"
I think we're close to some beans being spilled...
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Of course, I would imagine that CR could be argued as very 'Le Carre' if compared to the 'Dinner Theatre Bond' of eras gone by; it's all about frame of reference, naturally.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Haggis sure seems to be geeking on it, reading his comments. What I saw of "his Bond" in CR does make me curious for more, wherever he's channeling it from. Beats the heck out of what we've been getting, so party on dude. {[]
Can somebody give a small explanation of what a Le Carre spy novel is like and how it differs from a Fleming?
I'm about 2/3 of the way through Flemings books and I may want to look into them.
Le Carre (his real name is David Cornwell) writes extremely realistic, often intricately plotted--at times, I think, incoherent--spy novels. His main characters tend to be ordinary and often unattractive people whose jobs are downright scummy and nasty, as opposed to the glamor and excitement of Bond's job. Also, in Le Carre's world, the West is usually as bad as the East--the government that controls the "heroic" spies is as likely to betray them and let them twist in the wind as it is to save them: it all depends on what is politically expedient. And speaking of politics, Cornwell/Le Carre is extremely liberal and suspicious of corporate capitalism, so his villains are likely to be Western corporations, such as "Big Pharma" in The Constant Gardener. Basically, Le Carre distrusts the idea of good governments sending heroic men out to do battle with evil governments, so his books are about as far from Fleming's as you can get.
Other films/franchises have the 'evil governments are everywhere, but none are more evil than our own' schtick down pat...
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I would only add that if you're interested in a LeCarre primer, read The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, or watch the movie with Richard Burton. It's his first novel. It's short, and pretty much encapsulates his feelings about espionage. And I have no doubt the Cold War world of spying he portrays in that book is about as close to the real thing as it gets. But be prepared to be depressed. There are absolutely no tuxedos or hot babes, just plots and counterplots.
That would be consistant with LeChiffre telling Bond that even after killing Bond and Lynd, the British goverment would welcome him for the information he carried. You know, "The Big Picture"!
As for Haggis' other comments, I would sure like to see more of Jeffrey Wright as Leiter and would not be disappointed to see Mr. White and Mr. Mendel (this time with chocolates) make re-appearances.
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
http://commanderbond.net/article/4591
He also talks about this one being "tougher than Casino Royale, which wasn't a small amount of work."
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Interesting. I wonder what it might have been.I kind of liked the idea of it being a bit more LeCarre-esque, which I would understand to mean more ambiguous and cynical. Not to bring up an old concern, but I hope they didn't throw that out to make it "funnier."
http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/node/1194
http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,2223256,00.html