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Not sure I would say a missed opportunity. Just a what if? Maybe if MR had been separated from TSWLM we might have seen Gala Brand and the story that was in the book? Imagine if FYEO had been outlandish and MR more grounded.
I imagine a Christopher Wood screenplay and Gilbert directing, so probably a very different film.
I still think the plot line of Gala and Bond and their romance or attempted romance is a storyline worth doing. You think about it in the books and you have him hurt after Vesper and then dealing with emotions he can't really follow up on with Gala. I think they touched a little on that with Camille in QOS but I would have liked to have seen more of the roimance and tension. Maybe a missed opportunity for the next actor?
I wonder if Gala Brand might have been reduced to a supporting character for Roger rather than the leading lady. Perhaps a Bibi Dahl type character Bond doesn't actually bed? I can't see a Roger film not ending with Bond and the leading lady together.
Yes. That's more likely.
Considering the novel takes place during a typical M-F work week, a secondary Bond girl could have been a Blades staff employee or office worker.
That would make sense. I'd really like to see a faithful adaptation of the novel. A low key Bond adventure. They could possibly use one of MR's chapter titles and switch up Drax's name slightly.
With regards to the version we already know, John Glen does state that there had been some discussion of bringing back the Jaws character for a third time, but eventually, the idea was rejected, as it was felt he did not fit with FYEO’s more serious tone.
Very interesting. I was always under the impression Roger was up for MR from the get-go. So it probably took a full year after SPY for him to decide.....just as Daniel took 2 years to decide for B25.
Had any prior work or scripting commenced on For Your Eyes Only before it was replaced by Moonraker?
CW: Tom Mankiewicz had drafted the outline of a story that I was given to read. If this had any influence on the final script I cannot remember.
So there you have it. Tom Mankiewicz had done some uncredited script writing for FYEO as he had done for TSWLM as well. There was clearly a drafted outline for the earlier version of FYEO until Maibum and Wilson gave it their own take in 1980.
universalexports.net/interviews/wood2.shtml
Just to reply to your recent post. No, that wasn’t the case at the time. There were plenty of showbiz tidbits after TSWLM about whether Moore would agree to make a fourth. Moore was clearly holding out for a bigger paycheck, but it could easily have blown up in his face.
Interesting.
So Broccoli would have stuck to the set schedule regardless and everyone would have had to up their game to get the production rolling by August: screenwriting, locations, sets, etc
If that were the case today and Michael and Barbara opted to completely change plans, do a different Bond film altogether, there would probably be a delay of another 2 years.
Ironically with MR every penny is still up on the screen in spite of changing films that late in the game.
Really puts things in perspective doesn't it? I would love to read the original outline for FYEO. Certainly makes you wonder if anything survived or if it was completely scrapped.
You are right @ToTheRight every penny is up on the screen. Though Drax's Space Station isn't has grandiose as the Liperus it's still an impressive set. The special effects cost a pretty penny too.
Plus all the globe trotting. What would be interesting is did the 77-78 FYEO use the same locations? (Brazil, Italy, USA) or were those all booked at the last minute. When you think of it they had 2 years to get the movie together with possibly a different treatment. Quite impressive.
What I found interesting was stumbling across an interview with Richard Maibaum and his feelings about what kind of an actor Bond should be played by. He says: "Bond should be played like someone, like Sean, who is convincingly physical. One of my reservations about Roger is that he is not physical; he is not the physical superman Sean made you believe Bond was. In a strange way some people like Roger better than Sean. I certainly don't. I think Roger does very well. He's suave, witty, and so forth, but as far as I'm concerned, he has a dimension of disbelief. He does what I consider unforgivable: he spoofs himself and he spoofs the part. When you start doing that, the audience stops laughing. Just play the part. Moore makes everything so arch and is so coy about everything. We knew Roger was not a rough, tough guy like Sean. So, we deliberately gave him things to do that would make him tougher. But you see, he hasn't got it. You believed Sean could be pure steel if he wanted to be."
I do agree with Maibaum’s sentiments here and have always felt that way. Even when I first saw Roger’s first two Bond movies at the cinema on their original releases I felt that way. He made another interesting point too. Maibaum, to put it mildly, wasn’t happy with the Moore one-liners either. He goes on to say: "My lines are 'Red wine with fish. That should have told me something' and 'She had her kicks' [both from From Russia with Love], Those are my lines, the ones I claim and enjoy writing. Some of the stuff I think is awful, like, 'Something big is coming between us.' Roger insists on making some script changes. He's very proud of them and tells everybody. And some of his 'improvements' are just awful.”
I know that the last few paragraphs aren’t really anything to do with the FYEO first draft, but as I stumbled upon Maibaum’s comments on what type of actor he wrote for and his views on 007, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share them with those that were unfamiliar with them. I also think it’s interesting as we approach the end of Craig’s tenure and the ushering in of a new actor. My own belief is Maibaum wouldn’t be too thrilled by Tom Hiddleston’s name being bandied about, as he’s too fay and lacks the physicality that Maibaum always sought.
So did Bill Weston, Richard Graydon, Bob Simmons and the entire stunt team.
Haha, this made me laugh. Which is a shame for them, I hear Grace Jones is a nice lady.
Fantastic, I still think that Roger deserved an Oscar for that single moment in AVTAK.
I also think Blondie doing FYEO would have been something special. Not that I can complain with Sheena.
Any thoughts on this guys and gals?