No Time To Die: Production Diary

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  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,306
    @AlexanderWaverly I heard from a friend that there was a clash between Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum, the former of whom called the latter a "has been". Is that true?

    I've never heard that myself.

    Me neither.

    I always understood that there was a writer's strike or something that precluded Maibaum working much on LTK hence MGW pretty much wrote it himself.

    And then of course by the time 1995 rolled round he was a literal has been having died in 91.
    //I hate how Brosnan is one of the few brightspots in DAD and he got used as a scapegoat for them to distance themselves, while the people who wrote the film got to keep their jobs.//

    Something similar happened after Licence to Kill. Michael G. Wilson was the primary writer (the teaser trailer said "screenplay by Michael G. Wilson") while Richard Maibaum only worked on the plot. But when it was decided it was time for fresh blood, Maibaum was gone and Wilson stayed. Of course. Albert R. Broccoli wasn't going to say goodbye to his stepson and successor.

    What's your source for this?

    Given that Maibaum died in 91, a year when they were more worried about if they would ever make another film rather than who they should be getting to do the first draft, and I've literally never heard any mention of this ever before it all sounds highly speculative.

    What's my source for what? Wilson initially getting solo writing credit?

    A trailer I saw (and recorded on VHS) that was shown on the U.S. cable channel E! At the time, the channel had a half-hour show of movie trailers. It was introduced by actor Jim Varney who said the word was Licence to Kill was "the best James Bond movie in years."


    Also, in those days, the weekly edition of Variety published a digest of movies in production. It listed key cast and key crew members. While Licence to Kill was in production, it only listed Michael G. Wilson as the writer. I looked it up at the time at a local newsstand that got Variety.

    Later trailers (including the two on the 1999 or 2000 release of LTK) changed it to "Written by Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibam." That's, of course, how it ended up in the final film.

    And, yes, there was a 1988 Writer's Guild strike. Maibaum didn't cross the picket line. He had participated in the plotting prior to that.

    Meanwhile, Michael G. Wilson and Alphose Ruggeiro turned in a 17-page treatment dated May 8,1990 (a year before Maibaum died) for a Bond 17 story that was never made. That included a fembot. I have a copy. (Page 15: "Nan is a lethal security robot!")

    This was before everything got bogged down in lawsuits. But it shows Eon was moving forward without Maibaum.

    Not necessarily. Maibaum was involved in so many Bond films but not others (YOLT, LALD, MR). He may or may not have been later involved.
  • edited November 2017 Posts: 2,115
    echo wrote: »
    @AlexanderWaverly I heard from a friend that there was a clash between Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum, the former of whom called the latter a "has been". Is that true?

    I've never heard that myself.

    Me neither.

    I always understood that there was a writer's strike or something that precluded Maibaum working much on LTK hence MGW pretty much wrote it himself.

    And then of course by the time 1995 rolled round he was a literal has been having died in 91.
    //I hate how Brosnan is one of the few brightspots in DAD and he got used as a scapegoat for them to distance themselves, while the people who wrote the film got to keep their jobs.//

    Something similar happened after Licence to Kill. Michael G. Wilson was the primary writer (the teaser trailer said "screenplay by Michael G. Wilson") while Richard Maibaum only worked on the plot. But when it was decided it was time for fresh blood, Maibaum was gone and Wilson stayed. Of course. Albert R. Broccoli wasn't going to say goodbye to his stepson and successor.

    What's your source for this?

    Given that Maibaum died in 91, a year when they were more worried about if they would ever make another film rather than who they should be getting to do the first draft, and I've literally never heard any mention of this ever before it all sounds highly speculative.

    What's my source for what? Wilson initially getting solo writing credit?

    A trailer I saw (and recorded on VHS) that was shown on the U.S. cable channel E! At the time, the channel had a half-hour show of movie trailers. It was introduced by actor Jim Varney who said the word was Licence to Kill was "the best James Bond movie in years."


    Also, in those days, the weekly edition of Variety published a digest of movies in production. It listed key cast and key crew members. While Licence to Kill was in production, it only listed Michael G. Wilson as the writer. I looked it up at the time at a local newsstand that got Variety.

    Later trailers (including the two on the 1999 or 2000 release of LTK) changed it to "Written by Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibam." That's, of course, how it ended up in the final film.

    And, yes, there was a 1988 Writer's Guild strike. Maibaum didn't cross the picket line. He had participated in the plotting prior to that.

    Meanwhile, Michael G. Wilson and Alphose Ruggeiro turned in a 17-page treatment dated May 8,1990 (a year before Maibaum died) for a Bond 17 story that was never made. That included a fembot. I have a copy. (Page 15: "Nan is a lethal security robot!")

    This was before everything got bogged down in lawsuits. But it shows Eon was moving forward without Maibaum.

    Not necessarily. Maibaum was involved in so many Bond films but not others (YOLT, LALD, MR). He may or may not have been later involved.

    Maibaum did interviews at the time saying he was not being retained. Variety dubbed the exits of Maibaum and John Glen as a "bloodless coup" in 1990. Maibaum was quoted by Cinefantastique in an issue with a February 1991 date, "Neither Mr. Glen or myself had any commitment beyond Licence to Kill so the company was free to do whatsoever they wanted."
  • SatoriousSatorious Brushing up on a little Danish
    edited November 2017 Posts: 233
    Didn't Maibaum take a pop at Fleming's writing in his later years? I'm sure I read this somewhere. Even so he is still by far the most solid scriptwriter the Bond series has had (for me his contributions are as missed as John Barry's music is - but then I'm old school).
  • TuxedoTuxedo Europe
    Posts: 260
    Thanks for sharing all this with us @AlexanderWaverly. Very interesting to read.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    He also did admit he believes he can write the best of all the Bond stories. Then again, I wouldn’t blame him.
  • Red_SnowRed_Snow Australia
    Posts: 2,540
    Screen test: Melbourne model Ajak Deng auditioned for Bond girl role
    http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/fiona-byrne/screen-test-melbourne-model-ajak-deng-auditioned-for-bond-girl-role/news-story/c3710751cacbe164818a7be5b48e4bec

    MELBOURNE model Ajak Deng has had a Bond girl moment, revealing she went for a role in the yet-to-be-released new James Bond film.

    The statuesque beauty, who made a whistlestop visit back to Australia from her New York base last week, revealed she tested for a role in the yet to be released new James Bond film.

    “I am studying acting and have gone to castings for some amazing roles,” she said.

    “I tested for one of the Bond girls for the new James Bond movie, but ... they told me I was too pretty for the role. It was so good just to have that experience.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,403
    Finally some news. Don't know much about this woman, but hopefully she'll do better than Madders.
  • Red_SnowRed_Snow Australia
    Posts: 2,540
    Finally some news. Don't know much about this woman, but hopefully she'll do better than Madders.

    I think she's only been in one film, but she's in the Myer catalogue all the time.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited November 2017 Posts: 9,117
    Red_Snow wrote: »
    Screen test: Melbourne model Ajak Deng auditioned for Bond girl role
    http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/fiona-byrne/screen-test-melbourne-model-ajak-deng-auditioned-for-bond-girl-role/news-story/c3710751cacbe164818a7be5b48e4bec

    MELBOURNE model Ajak Deng has had a Bond girl moment, revealing she went for a role in the yet-to-be-released new James Bond film.

    The statuesque beauty, who made a whistlestop visit back to Australia from her New York base last week, revealed she tested for a role in the yet to be released new James Bond film.

    “I am studying acting and have gone to castings for some amazing roles,” she said.

    “I tested for one of the Bond girls for the new James Bond movie, but ... they told me I was too pretty for the role. It was so good just to have that experience.

    Good to know you have shitty rags peddling this garbage down under too!

    Presume this nobody who is 'studying acting' and has even 'gone to castings' had to shag the journalist to try and get her 'too pretty' face in the paper and boost her non existent acting career?

    I know EON aren't up to much these days but even they would probably think you need a script or director before you start casting.

    But while there's gullible fools out there ready to lap this crap up can you blame them:
    Finally some news. Don't know much about this woman, but hopefully she'll do better than Madders.
  • Posts: 4,619
    Well said, @TheWizardOfIce !
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    This was good for a laugh. She's had her 15 minutes. Let's move on.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,818
    Because who wants a beautiful woman in the next Bond film.
    Not the producers. Not this message board.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Because who wants a beautiful woman in the next Bond film.
    Not the producers. Not this message board.

    Yeah who cares about any sort of acting CV as long as she has a 'wazzo pair of jugs'?*

    *Copyright Richard Richard and Eddie Hitler.


  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,818
    I believe virtually everything I read, and I think that is what makes me
    more of a selective human than someone who doesn't believe anything.
    David St. Hubbins.
  • Posts: 12,474
    Red_Snow wrote: »
    Screen test: Melbourne model Ajak Deng auditioned for Bond girl role
    http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/fiona-byrne/screen-test-melbourne-model-ajak-deng-auditioned-for-bond-girl-role/news-story/c3710751cacbe164818a7be5b48e4bec

    MELBOURNE model Ajak Deng has had a Bond girl moment, revealing she went for a role in the yet-to-be-released new James Bond film.

    The statuesque beauty, who made a whistlestop visit back to Australia from her New York base last week, revealed she tested for a role in the yet to be released new James Bond film.

    “I am studying acting and have gone to castings for some amazing roles,” she said.

    “I tested for one of the Bond girls for the new James Bond movie, but ... they told me I was too pretty for the role. It was so good just to have that experience.

    If true, interesting news. Madeleine will not be the only Bond girl this time, if she is even in it at all.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    If she is too pretty, they are looking for a villainous girl, a May Day type perhaps.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,591
    This news seems nothing more than a desperate "actress" attempting to get her name in the spotlight.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    jake24 wrote: »
    This news seems nothing more than a desperate "actress" attempting to get her name in the spotlight.

    I take it you won't be updating the front page of the thread with this drivel then?
  • Because who wants a beautiful woman in the next Bond film.
    Not the producers. Not this message board.

    Yeah who cares about any sort of acting CV as long as she has a 'wazzo pair of jugs'?*

    Know what? I really like your attitude!
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,403
    If she is too pretty, they are looking for a villainous girl, a May Day type perhaps.

    Good deduction. Maybe they are reusing the Bunt type villainess that was dropped from SPECTRE.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,591
    jake24 wrote: »
    This news seems nothing more than a desperate "actress" attempting to get her name in the spotlight.

    I take it you won't be updating the front page of the thread with this drivel then?
    I don't think so. I also don't think it makes any remote sense that they'd be screentesting actresses before hiring a director.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,217
    Playing deviil’s advocate, do you absolutely know that a director has not been hired?
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,591
    talos7 wrote: »
    Playing deviil’s advocate, do you absolutely know that a director has not been hired?
    Technically not, just going by Broccoli's word.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,403
    jake24 wrote: »
    talos7 wrote: »
    Playing deviil’s advocate, do you absolutely know that a director has not been hired?
    Technically not, just going by Broccoli's word.

    Never a good idea.
  • Posts: 5,767
    jake24 wrote: »
    jake24 wrote: »
    This news seems nothing more than a desperate "actress" attempting to get her name in the spotlight.

    I take it you won't be updating the front page of the thread with this drivel then?
    I don't think so. I also don't think it makes any remote sense that they'd be screentesting actresses before hiring a director.
    Well, technically it could be possible that they´ve come to their senses and decided to run the show after all.

  • Posts: 12,474
    On a side note, if Bond 25 is named Spectre: Part 2, I will throw up. And I like SP.
  • edited November 2017 Posts: 12,837
    Dennison wrote: »
    shamanimal wrote: »
    Do you remember when Jinx and Bond meet, and she says "wow, there's a mouthful", as she looks down at Bond's tackle?
    Then later, she says "you're a big boy", and looks at his groin again?
    Why didn't someone involved with the movie say "hey, we've already done the Carry On style big cock joke once!"
    I know some people were disappointed in Spectre, but come on, Spectre is a universe away from that schoolboy stuff.

    By the way, is it true that Die Another Day is the only Purvis & Wade script that hadn't been polished by someone else?

    Officially I think that's true but they've tried to shift a lot of the blame onto Tamahori since then. To be fair a lot of the bad ideas were his but still, he didn't write it or come up with the story. They have to take a lot of the blame. As do Babs and MGW for signing off on all that stuff.

    I hate how Brosnan is one of the few brightspots in DAD and he got used as a scapegoat for them to distance themselves, while the people who wrote the film got to keep their jobs.

    Their Jinx script, which they wrote after DAD, is supposed to be awesome. Apparently they took some stuff from that into the CR script.

    Yeah I've heard that as well to be fair. I would really like to read it. But even so I think the point still stands. The sole credited writers got to stay on, as did most of the behind the scenes crew. The producers who signed off on the CGI tusnami surfing and invisible car and all that stuff came out unscathed. But the popular successful actor holding that trainwreck together, who you could make a case for having saved the series, doesn't even get one more film as a half decent send off. Pretty crap imo.
    FoxRox wrote: »
    On a side note, if Bond 25 is named Spectre: Part 2, I will throw up. And I like SP.

    I loved SP but I think the title is one of the worst things about it. So lazy. And if any Bond film ever is called xxx: Part 2 then I'll be the first on here bitching and moaning (still going to see it though obviously).
  • dominicgreenedominicgreene The Eternal QOS Defender
    edited November 2017 Posts: 1,756
    ajak-deng-for-wonderland-magazine-900x1200.jpg



    “I tested for one of the Bond girls for the new James Bond movie, but ... they told me I was too pretty for the role. "






  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,818
    She's too tall.
  • Posts: 5,745
    For the public record, I've flagged @dominicgreene 's recent post.

    There are more appropriate and respectful ways to voice an opinion.
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