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I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but perhaps not here. For me one of the biggest missed opportunities was not casting Gemma Arterton as MP in QoS, and then keeping her on for future entries. She would have been perfect in my opinion.
When SP was first announced, I had this idea of a "SPECTRE Begins" -type film where we would see Blofeld baiting Bond into destroying Quantum in order to take out his criminal competition. I still believe this would've been better than what we got - especially since Quantum would be properly addressed without the retcons.
Yeah, she'd be a fantastic MP.
A 3rd Dalton movie
A 5th Brosnan movie
The gun barrel not at the start of QoS and Skyfall
Steven Spielberg not directing a Bond
John Williams not scoring a Bond
DAD not being Agent Under Fire
I really like that idea.
SP suffered by not having one.
Before Spectre opened—even with Waltz's casting—I held out hope the filmmakers might surprise us and reveal Mr. White to have been Blofeld all along. Apart from White already being an exceptionally sinister antagonist, how cool would that have been for us to have seen Blofeld prominently used in two films already and had no idea it was him all along? Bond standing over Blofeld at the conclusion of Casino Royale, driving with Blofeld in his trunk through the opening of QoS and interrogating him with M, Blofeld leading a secret meeting at the opera in QoS. Mr. White is so obviously a code name (and goes along with the white cat thing anyway). Rather than hamfistedly retconning everything with Spectre, revealing the established leader of Quantum to be Blofeld once they procured the rights would have been a completely natural move—almost as if they had planned it that way all along. Waltz could have been the leader of Spectre—Oberwhoever—and White/Blofeld could rise up and wrangle control over Spectre, killing Waltz himself or after Waltz has been eliminated over the course of Bond's mission. This way White/Blofeld really is responsible for Vesper's death and we would have actually seen that over the course of two films, rather than getting Waltz sneering, "It was me, who you never even knew existed...because I didn't exist. Just four words of dialogue, James, and it was all me." Blech. White should have been Blofeld. That would have been beyond epic, and would have made Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace both even more amazing than they are.
Yes, the biggest argument against the idea is that Jesper Christensen isn't a "name." Waltz is. We probably need look no further than that for why the idea was never considered, or dustbinned if it ever was.
Still, that for me will go down as one of the series' biggest missed opportunities.
White wouldn't have worked as Blofeld.
Yep. It was only in Spectre that they introduced the (unconvincing) idea that Mr. White was some kind of "family man" who objected to the deaths of women and children. What, did he think only men died due to Quantum's activities?
I'm also surprised that more Bond fans don't seem to have an issue with Bond riding off into the sunset with Mr. White's daughter. Ridiculous writing.
The producers not securing Steven Spielberg for Moonraker.
Keeping Jaws a villain
Dalton not getting a 3rd Bond film in early 90's.
Brosnan not getting a 5th film.
Daniel Craigs entire tenure after Casino Royale
Shite idea.
In fact, to me she's one of the better Bond villains.
Glad you're with me on this one, @RC7. Very much agreed.
Yes, the movie feels like it has no stakes without a SL. Usually the sacrificial lamb is what gives Bond (Saunders) or the story (Aki) some depth.
I realize the previous three movies had a lot of people close to Bond die, but that's not to say we couldn't at least have a Saunders die in SP.
Making the idea of their situation being a partnership gone sour was such an opportunity, White should have been equal to ESB at one point but all his getting caught and exposing Quantum caused ESB to start to distance himself.
He would start to wind Quantum up and establish SPECTRE behind White's back, White would find out and then try to take out ESB but it would be too late as ESB had infiltrated all of White's areas of influence.
White would go on the run and the PTS would be Bond tracking Sciarra who is in Mexico on a tip off of White being sighted there and Bond would unbeknownst to him foil an assasination attempt of White, who in the PTS we would see in profile but it wouldn't be revealed till when Bond realises who the Pale King is.
No big CGI explosion just a fast paced chase once Sciarra realises Bond has foiled his attempt by trying to shoot him while he's aiming at White, Bond will have monitored the conversation with Sciarra with a bug that was planted on him when they spot him in the parade before heading for the hotel in the sequence just after the gun barrel. This would lead to the Helicopter moment in the film.
Setting up a scene like the film where Bond tracks White down to Austria and White knowing he's done for because Bond found him. He will tease Bond about what has gone on, the covering up of Quantum by Haines and also reveal about Madeline. White won't be on the run because he suddenly grew a concience, he'll be on the run because he got on the wrong side of his former business partner, totally selfish reasons, that women and childeren line does not ring true with a one time high up in a criminal organisation.
This part of my idea for my rewrite of SPECTRE I'm still working on.
Fair enough might sound not up to some peoples idea but if you are going to string things together and show the emergence of Blofeld and have a reason believable enough to have White go against ESB then this is far more substantial and credible than scanning rings and having Ernst boil down to a childhood spat.
The thing is this is mostly all P&W ideas used I've not rewritten things much. I've just utilised established moments of this era differently to come up with something which I think is more credible.
50% redressed