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Bond 24: Moonraker?

Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy
edited November 2012 in SPECTRE Posts: 30
Moonraker is easily one of Fleming's best Bond novels imo and is such a shame that the 79' version didn't live up to the book. It was far too comical (The Venice scene and Jaws falling in love) most of the novel was overlooked which is a shame because it's one of the strongest Bond storys out there atm.

A faithful adaption for Craig's next Bond film and it would also be a perfect excuse to get a new M (Who should be male) and the Blade's sequence would be a great place to show the chemistry between Bond and M (just like in the book)

Things could be added that wasn't in the book, like Felix Leiter, who wasn't in the book for obvious reasons. And could feature Quantum who could be funding Hugo Drax's missile project.

All in all i think it would make a great Bond film and would be great for Craig's 4th Bond film. It would be nice to hear some opinions on this :)
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Comments

  • fjdinardofjdinardo
    Posts: 1,970
    Na Moonraker to me was a great movie. Leave it as it is. They should try and make some of John Gardners or Raymond Bensons Bond books a film. Icebreaker or High time to kill would be great movies
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,526
    I do not want see any remakes to be honest. I do not mind using parts of a book, or charactors from a book yet unused. But a remake for me is a no no.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    Using the things that haven't made it to the screen yet is a must. You could also add the action at Dover and Gala Brand to the film as well. It would make for a great, thrill ride, that much is certain.
  • Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy
    Posts: 30
    The majority of the book was unused apart from the name of the villain, Hugo Drax. It would be an adaption of the novel not of the film. The only thing the movie would share with the 79' version would be the name of the villain and the title.
  • Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy
    Posts: 30
    Samuel001 wrote:
    Using the things that haven't made it to the screen yet is a must. You could also add the action at Dover and Gala Brand to the film as well. It would make for a great, thrill ride, that much is certain.
    Couldn't agree more.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited May 2012 Posts: 13,355
    Sir_Miles_Messervy wrote:
    The majority of the book was unused apart from the name of the villain, Hugo Drax. It would be an adaption of the novel not of the film. The only thing the movie would share with the 79' version would be the name of the villain and the title.

    My only concern is Joe public may not like two films back-to-back with a lot of the UK in. At least, this one is not bound to London as much as Skyfall will be, within the UK.
  • Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy
    Posts: 30
    But it would be great advertisement for the UK, ha. and it would also keep the budget down staying in one country for a change.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    Indeed and what better way to follow up the hit Skyfall looks to be, by again staying in the UK.

    One day this novel will make it to the screen, I just don't know when. It doesn't seem on EON's rader at the moment. Maybe Craig and Mendes should have a word, if they think that much of Fleming's work.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    If I can ever stump up the cash I intend to turn this novel into a period Bond film. Not for profit obviously, just as a labour of love.
  • Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy
    Posts: 30
    I'm sure as long as the film is a good one the public won't mind if it's mostly shot in england. That's my opinion anyway :)
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    Sir_Miles_Messervy wrote:
    I'm sure as long as the film is a good one the public won't mind if it's mostly shot in england. That's my opinion anyway :)

    If many have this view for Skyfall, you'll be proven right and as you said, this shouldn't be a problem in the future. Perhaps, it's just a pre-release concern on my part.
  • EmilioEmilio Palmyra, Nassau
    edited May 2012 Posts: 175
    Sir_Miles_Messervy wrote:
    The majority of the book was unused apart from the name of the villain, Hugo Drax. It would be an adaption of the novel not of the film. The only thing the movie would share with the 79' version would be the name of the villain and the title.

    Couldn't agree more, Moonraker is definitely the best Fleming. I'd love to see it on screen... again ;) http://iansadler.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/moonraker-the-forgotten-1956-james-bond-film/
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Would love to see the scene where Gala dumps Bond on screen.

    'The man who is a silouhette' walking off with his hands in his pockets in the rain is one of Flemings best endings but DC has already had 2 downer endings and its about time we see him end up with the girl I guess.
  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    Posts: 4,012
    I never read Moonraker, and everytime I read about it I get more and more curious. Have to buy it ASAP. There is so much material in Fleming's books that was never used! People always talk about unused titles but I think the true treasures are in the plots.
  • Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy
    Posts: 30
    TheWizardOfIce wrote:
    Would love to see the scene where Gala dumps Bond on screen.

    'The man who is a silouhette' walking off with his hands in his pockets in the rain is one of Flemings best endings but DC has already had 2 downer endings and its about time we see him end up with the girl I guess.

    The Ending of the book fits Craig's Bond to a T. But i agree it is time Craig's Bond got some happiness at the end of a film.
  • Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy
    Posts: 30
    Sandy wrote:
    I never read Moonraker, and everytime I read about it I get more and more curious. Have to buy it ASAP. There is so much material in Fleming's books that was never used! People always talk about unused titles but I think the true treasures are in the plots.

    It's a brilliant read and easily my favourite Fleming novel. It's nothing like the movie.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited May 2012 Posts: 6,297
    Drax and Brand are great characters, and I'd love to see them use Dover as a location. Drax's speeches, while they would need to be updated, are wonderful. (Drax's "spend the money quickly" has already made the screen in OP.)

    The villain's plot has already been largely mined by MR, GE, and DAD. Reprogramming a missile to hit the sub was done in TSWLM. The Bond girl who gets away was used in QoS.

    Also, there are unadaptable elements in the MR novel.

    One is the bridge game. It works beautifully on the page but Bond's "stacking the deck" trick won't play the same onscreen (too underhanded), nor will his benzedrine use (dated). Plus, they dumped baccarat in the film version of CR, and since bridge is seen as an "old person's game," I really don't think we're going to see high-stakes bridge.

    Another is the blowtorch/lighter escape. It comes across as improbable in the novel and would probably be even moreso on screen. The later scene when Drax's men try to flush them out with fire could work, but since fire was a huge element of the QoS ending, I kind of doubt it will be used again anytime soon. And as others have stated,
    if Skyfall is largely set in England, I doubt they'd do the same with Bond 24.

    The more I think about it, the last third of QoS owes a huge debt to MR.

    In a sense, MR has been adapted for the screen over and over, just piecemeal and in disguised form.
  • Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy
    Posts: 30
    Something's would have to be updated, just like in CR but the basis of the plot should stay the same.

    The Whole 'Nazi' thing would also have to be changed too, to keep up with modern times. Bridge would also be changed to Poker or something similar.
  • Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy
    Posts: 30
    echo wrote:
    Drax and Brand are great characters, and I'd love to see them use Dover as a location. Drax's speeches, while they would need to be updated, are wonderful. (Drax's "spend the money quickly" has already made the screen in OP.)

    The villain's plot has already been largely mined by MR, GE, and DAD. Reprogramming a missile to hit the sub was done in TSWLM. The Bond girl who gets away was used in QoS.

    Also, there are unadaptable elements in the MR novel.

    One is the bridge game. It works beautifully on the page but Bond's "stacking the deck" trick won't play the same onscreen, nor will his benzedrine use. Plus, they dumped baccarat in the film version of CR, and since bridge is seen as an "old person's game," I really don't think we're going to see high-stakes bridge.

    Another is the blowtorch/lighter escape. It comes across as improbable in the novel and would probably be even moreso on screen. The later scene when Drax's men try to flush them out with fire could work, but since fire was a huge element of the QoS ending, I kind of doubt it will be used again anytime soon. And as others have stated,
    if Skyfall is largely set in England, I doubt they'd do the same with Bond 24.

    In a sense, MR has been adapted for the screen over and over, just piecemeal and in disguised form.

    The Craig era is mostly a reboot of the franchise so reusing little bits of plot from previous films shouldn't be a problem IMO. As long has it's not a direct remake of a previous film then i'm fine with it.
  • Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy
    Posts: 30
    GE did reuse the plot of Moonraker at the end of the film "Target is London" but the Craig era is a reboot so i'm not against reusing plots as long as it's productive.

  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited May 2012 Posts: 6,297
    GE and DAD also used Drax's "villain pretending to be British but actually an enemy" and the scarring/reconstruction of the villain's face.

    Agreed about the reboot but I wonder if Eon wants to repeat storylines from the pre-reboot era or bring something fresh to the screen.

    I'd be much more interested in seeing the parts of YOLT and TMWTTG that they haven't used, although I question those too and can see why Eon hasn't gone there yet.

    As examples:

    The Garden of Death (unfilmable for violence?)

    The balloon escape (too over the top for Craig?)

    The amnesia (too Bourne?) and

    Bond's child (too much of a loose/unsatisfying plot end?).

    The assassination attempt on M, on the other hand, would be fantastic on screen, so the amnesia setup just might work, ideally as the end of Bond 24 and the beginning of Bond 25.
  • Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy
    Posts: 30
    echo wrote:
    The assassination attempt on M, on the other hand, would be fantastic on screen, so the amnesia setup just might work, ideally as the end of Bond 24 and the beginning of Bond 25.
    The Craig era is full of trust issues with his superiors and Bond trying to kill his Boss would be overkill and over the top even if he was brainwashed.
    I would like to see that storyline but with a future Bond. It would of made a great storyline for Dalton's third Bond film.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    I think you that they could begin remaking some of the films (or at the very least using un-utilised Fleming plots) for new films with different names. Why not make authentic versions of the novels, but just use a different name?
  • Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy
    Posts: 30
    I could easily see the producers doing something like that. When they run out of ideas look to the source, Fleming. They shouldn't direct remake the older films but take away certain plot elements and re use them. I mean it's just what they did with the Fleming books back in the 60's anyway.
  • BondWillReturnBondWillReturn
    Posts: 816
    Emilio wrote:
    Sir_Miles_Messervy wrote:
    The majority of the book was unused apart from the name of the villain, Hugo Drax. It would be an adaption of the novel not of the film. The only thing the movie would share with the 79' version would be the name of the villain and the title.

    Couldn't agree more, Moonraker is definitely the best Fleming. I'd love to see it on screen... again ;) http://iansadler.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/moonraker-the-forgotten-1956-james-bond-film/

    How cool would it be if EON allowed that movie to see the light of day in keeping with the 50th anniversary! Maybe even a screening at Cannes or something. We can hope, right?

  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,297
    Sir_Miles_Messervy wrote:
    echo wrote:
    The assassination attempt on M, on the other hand, would be fantastic on screen, so the amnesia setup just might work, ideally as the end of Bond 24 and the beginning of Bond 25.
    The Craig era is full of trust issues with his superiors and Bond trying to kill his Boss would be overkill and over the top even if he was brainwashed.
    I would like to see that storyline but with a future Bond. It would of made a great storyline for Dalton's third Bond film.

    Somebody a while ago pointed out that you could do the cliffhanger with Craig and the assassination attempt with a new Bond, which could be interesting, to say the least. (Of all the Bonds, I could see Craig being the one going out on a downer/loner ending.)

    Of course, then we'd be starting out with a new Bond and M with trust issues. ;)
  • Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy
    Posts: 30
    echo wrote:
    Somebody a while ago pointed out that you could do the cliffhanger with Craig and the assassination attempt with a new Bond, which could be interesting, to say the least. (Of all the Bonds, I could see Craig being the one going out on a downer/loner ending.)

    Of course, then we'd be starting out with a new Bond and M with trust issues. ;)
    Yeah i think we need to get away from trust issues and back to the days when Bond and M trusted one another on equal level. If any Bond had to do that storyline then i'd rather it be Craig than some new guy. At least Craig's exit won't be a downer like Lazenby's! ha. but hopefully we've got Craig for a few more years :)


  • commandbond007commandbond007
    Posts: 660
    For one thing......the location London is currently being used in Skyfall...... Eve seems to be something like Gala perhaps Still hoping that the Blade club scene will be used in the future somehow
  • VirageVirage
    Posts: 1,856
    I know they can't use "Moonraker" and Hugo Drax but I'd still love to see Gala and the Moonraker plot on the big screen.
  • DB5DB5
    Posts: 408
    For the life of me I can't understand what people on this site find so appealing about the novel "Moonraker." It's not all that great. I can think of at least five Fleming novels I would rather read again ahead of "Moonraker." Nor do I think they should remake any of the movies they have already done. There are plenty of titles available, "Colonel Sun," "Carte Blanche," "Devil May Care," and all of the Gardner and Benson titles. Not to mention "Risico," "The Hildebrand Rarity," and "Property of a Lady." So let's forget about MR, not that great a book, and terrible movie.
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