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Although I shouldn’t have to, I reiterate, I love everything to do about the craft of screenwriting. It is my profession, and any chance I get to write about it, I do so out of an authentic passion. So thanks again, sandbagger for the nice words!
You should tell us about it someday.
What would you like to know?
Of course this shouldn't be used all at once: getting M too involved all the time is how people get tired of the character (like criticism to the "Scooby Gang"). But each thing can be sprinkled through for spice in the relationship between the two.
@Reflsin2bourbons , these are nice and bring in a great dynamic. You did bring in natural (organic) conflict, especially with M bringing in new training methods for his double-Os. This could obviously rub Bond the wrong way (but he can show his dissatisfaction with having a drink with Tanner and complaining about this new training regiment the old man’s brought in). Conflict doesn’t need to be a shouting match.
Good post, tip of the hat to you.
@peter Your passion for screenwriting is a delight. I wouldn't mind you hosting a thread on the subject. I love discussing it but I'm not trained in it. 😔
That’s a strange thing to say @CrabKey ! I mean, I didn’t start the discussion about conflict. I joined it.
And now you’re reminding me this thread is about where Bond goes after Craig? Well the scripts, and what kinds of potential conflicts may come out of a new dynamic is a part of that discussion.
I appreciate though, that you’re not being facetious. I do believe you, and I’m not being facetious either. But you must see that it’s strange that I joined a conversation but you’re kinda telling me to go elsewhere, 😂.
I’d love to start a thread on screenwriting, but I’m not sure how interesting that would be for anyone as a general discussion. In a case such as today, it seemed appropriate. … I do speak regularly to the other writers we have on this site, namely @ColonelSun and we’ve developed a wonderful relationship, sharing our scripts and providing notes for each other. He’s been an amazing influence. But I’m not sure how interesting this would be outside of James Bond?
I dunno. As I’ve offered, if anyone is interested in chatting about this side, please PM me. I do love going into it all, and I won’t t clutter up the threads ( @CrabKey , if you think my first post was long winded, I can assure you, you ain’t seen nothing yet, 😂)
That's good point mate, the more time has passed, the more ahead of its time the plot TND seems to be
Spectre definitely needs to be put to bed for a good while, that’s for sure.
After 60 years of writing some of the most colourful and baddest of baddies, I don’t envy EoN. However, generally speaking, they’ve done a good job (to varying degrees of success) at looking at the headlines to create their big villains. And I think @mtm and @Jordo007 are correct: a media tycoon manipulating the headlines to create chaos may’ve come too soon…
The pitch meetings, if they are happening/when they happen, must be an absolute rollercoaster.
I know I’d like to see a woman villain. Not one who has intimate relations with Bond, but a woman with a dark history, who overcame the evils of man (in some far off part of the world where lawlessness and anarchy existed; where young women were enslaved and brutalized; and she ended up surviving this, only for evil and tyranny to now be a part of her own nature). I don’t know what her plan would be, but this is certainly the sex and background i’d love to see explored….
It’s almost frustrating to think of an original villain, but one who fits into the Bond universe … Ots a tough little gig…
@007HallY , I do agree with you, absolutely (plus you have some amazing story ideas yourself— got a good grasp of character and incorporating stakes!)
THIS!
In the script to Thunderball Bond's reply to "Every double oh has been brought in" was "Probably the Dalek's have invaded". Of course it was changed because they thought, at the time, nobody knew what a Dalek was.
As another fan who grew up during the Connery era, though I instantly loved OHMSS and George, I feel this view to my very bones. In a way I'm glad I am not too worried about the appearance of another Bond film anytime soon because I've already had my kicks. I agree that where ever Bond goes next will be for another generation. When a new one appears I'll be first in line, as usual, but I'll leave my expectations at the door.
Mod edit: 3 posts merged.
Please avoid multiple posts. Use the edit function instead (move your cursor to the right corner of the window; a wheel appears.) Thank you.
To be honest if you follow all of this, you end up with Rosa Klebb version 2 or something of that sort. For a woman to not have any relations with Bond and also a lust for power and wealth you sort of cross into that "horrible, old toad" type of character.
Or the filmmakers can break that those stereotypes and expectations.
One stereotype that a lot of James Bond makers can break with female villains is the usual plot twist. That one of them was evil all along. Rosa Klebb and Adrian Malprave are the two exceptions to this stereotype. All sides can do better with twisting some things around.
One last thing about my Bond and M comments. While I do want to see some changes in their relationship, it comes down to writing. I apologize for sounding snarky there's just some of that Bond and Judi Dench M type of arguing going on at work for me right now. With some favoritism that a blind person could see. Don't worry I won't be starting my own evil organization to make me the author of all their pain.
Ah thanks, appreciate the kind words.
I think a female villain would be good. And there’s so much they could do. I do agree that a female villain should have distinctly female experiences (men having screwed her over in some way in the past is a pretty solid way of doing that). There are of course quite a few female serial killers/psychopaths they could use to model such a character off of.
It’s only because I read Tori Telfer’s book Lady Killers in January (it’s a book about female serial killers, interesting stuff) but there are many examples of female killers, sometimes even from privileged backgrounds. The likes of Elizabeth Bathory who were aristocrats and exposed at a young age to their family beating servants or committing acts of cruelty (some speculate she was effectively trained in cruelty by her family). Several seemed to have poisoned their husbands or loved ones to gain power or wealth. The one I found most interesting was Oum-El-Hassen, a Morrocan brothel owner who hid a bunch of French army officers from Morrocan rebels (so her fellow countrymen) during an uprising. From what I remember she got rewarded for this by the French, and after proceeded to murder people in her brothel. The French authorities I guess looked the other way to a lot of suspicions about her because she would inform them about any future rebellions and she’d shown loyalty to them. Her serial killer name was even The Nightingale, which is the sort of nickname I can imagine a female Bond villain having.
I dunno what exactly could be done, but I like the idea of a similar female villain - a rogue figure who helped Britain in the past in a similar way, so the British Government look the other way to certain things she’s doing until Bond crosses her path. But there’s so many routes they could take as I said.
In one way or the other, I like these ideas. Something different, a touch of the macabre and bizarre (that’s not too many steps away from Fleming(?))….
I don’t know if any are film ideas yet, but, more importantly, these are stories. Oh, nice work @007HallY !
Thanks again for the kind words. None of those ideas are developed film ideas, agreed (they’re barely ideas! Just stuff I’ve read and find interesting). But I suppose it’s the sort of thing that could help form a broader story and in turn a film.
I can see why EON say working out the villain is something they prioritise. It potentially opens up a lot at an early stage. And I guess a big part of it is about where they get their inspiration from for this villain.
I think Barbara Broccoli is a shrewd producer hanging back with Bond 26 at the moment. Even a thrifty Bond film nowadays would still cost north of 150 million. How many movies with that level of budget have turned a profit at the movies since the beginning of 2023? Only a handful I think. It would be madness to launch the next era of Bond in this environment.
A few of my mates saw the new Mad Max film on Friday and they all said it was good, but probably 20 minutes too long. I'm taking my girlfriend and her little sister to see the film tomorrow night, they're fans of the series, and both were checking the runtime before anything else. It feels like under 2 hour films just don't exist anymore
The industry hasn't adapted to the new reality in a post covid, post strikes world. They're still working on the model of a known IP + 2hrs 20 minute runtime + 150 million budget = success. Pretty much all the success stories of the past 2 years (besides barbenhiemer, mario and avatar) have been films with a maximum 120/40 million budget. What is getting people to theatres nowadays is unique, fresh experiences on a lower budget and tighter runtime. Otherwise people don't feel like making the trip for, Fast and Furious 10, Aquaman 2 or the Marvels. Its just more of what we've seen before. Even Furiosa seems to sell itself as more Fury Road again.
Part of the fun of spit-balling is taking a pitch at a raw idea and see what breadcrumbs fall from it. And what you've done is unique and different and pushes the question: could a Bond adventure be spun from it? It's great. You're thinking outside of the box, and that's pretty damn exciting!!
And you're bang on, @007HallY : Antagonists are the main source of conflict (obviously), and once you solve who this person is, and what they want, you have a reason for a story to exist.