Novelisation of Skyfall?
Number24
NorwayPosts: 22,334MI6 Agent
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?
Comments
Apart from Goldeneye which was written by John Gardner....which isn't a bad read actually.
NSNA tie-in
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Otherwise, someone like Ben McIntyre who is a Flemingist and jobbing journo would be an interesting choice.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
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.
Totally agree with that. Christopher Wood would be perfect. I like the idea of Higson doing it though.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Benson -{
http://www.thebookbond.com/2012/03/official-no-skyfall-novelization-dang.html
Roger Moore 1927-2017
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.