Any More Fleming To Plunder?

BIG TAM · August 2012

More than once I've noted the passion for Fleming on these boards. Quite understandable. Apologies for this but I must admit to not being a Fleming aficionado, having only read four of his Bond novels. I was mortified that THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN had little to do with my beloved film of the same name (I was relatively young at the time) but surprised at how much better LIVE & LET DIE was next to its cinematic counterpart.
All this preamble is leading me to ask are there any tasty characters, situations or set-pieces within Fleming's works which haven't yet made it into the films? I note some think elements of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE & THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN may be present in SKYFALL, but is there really anything left of Fleming to pinch?
And what do people think of adaptations of COLONEL SUN & the John Gardner/Raymond Benson series? I read the first four Gardners back in the mid-'80s & thought then they seemed tailor made for film scripts.

The Domino Effect · August 2012

I think Colonel Sun would make an excellent film, but it wouldn't happen. It's well known that major film studios refuse to criticise China in their productions because China will make life difficult for them - not least by refusing to allow the movie to be shown in the country. The soon-to-be-released re-make of 'Red Dawn' was originally made with China as the invaders but when the studio realised that it's not wise to upset China, they re-shot and edited it to be North Korea. Colonel Sun would already be a challenge if moved to the current day because it is very much a Cold War story. When you add in the likelihood that they'd also have to make Colonel Sun either North Korean (Colonel Sun-Un?) or perhaps Iranian, there's not much of Amis's story left except the most bare of shells.

Any More Fleming To Plunder?

Comments