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Re-introducing the name of that character would be as lame as bringing back the DB5 was. Such things weaken the series by showing massive lack of confidence in James Bond himself. Bond was more iconic for 25 years without the DB5 than he was in the last 20 years with it.
And the same goes for the name Blofeld. Blofeld got his reputation by being the ruthless and ingenious head of a secret organisation. If he was brought back, he would be remembered because he was once a big name in Bond films, made even bigger by the Austin Powers films.
Growth has to come from within. Anything else is just a shell.
But there IS no danger anymore for another future rival Bond film. Michael Wilson himself said in October 2012 that they own the rights for SPECTRE and Blofeld now. On top of that, the news comes out that MGM worked out a settlement with the heirs of Kevin McGlory.
That last bit of news is actually VERY important. Why? It could very well be possible that, as we speak, the Bond 24 screenplay from John Logan already incorporates SPECTRE and Blofeld. And both MGM and EON don't want to have a new situation again during production of Bond 24 the Kevin McGlory heirs suddenly start suing again. I think THAT is the main risk. Hence the extra reassurance from the McGlory heirs that they will not hurt Bond 24 (or 25) production.
http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/opinion_kevin_mcclory_damaged_the_james_bond_series.php3?t=&s=&id=03599
I really feel vindicated. McClory and his films got the place it deserves. He won't be remembered as the guy who tried to make Bond better or more faithful to Fleming, he was the man who resentfully tried to match the EON franchise but he couldn't, going after Bond actors with the same story over and over, trying to make a film with a character he didn't create. In my opinion, it's nothing but pathetic.
Hear, hear. Its very nice to finally be able to draw a thick black line under the name Kevin Mcclory and his 'rights'.
Make Blofeld head of Quantum and you have your animosity right there. No need to dwell on further and no need to remake OHMSS.
If in October 2012 Wilson said that (link please?), then there has to be a reason to publish right now this note. Logan´s screenplay? Just a way "to test the waters" in the fandom?
Here's the link @ggl007: http://www.the007dossier.com/007dossier/Magazines/sfx-2012-11-nov/sfx-2012-11-nov-050-050.jpg . Especially read the last sentences of this article.
I know. But why making the recent news article of MGM/Danjaq taking over all the McGlory rights.....when Michael G. Wilson already announced this back in 2012?
I think youre right. It would breathe life into the currently flat-lining QUANTUM organisation and you are just replacing Vesper with Tracy and you can go and film a fairly faithful version of YOLT.
Then again do we really want Daniel Craigs Bond making it personal again? OK have Bond 24 as a normal mission setting up Blofeld/Shatterhand but to have 25 as him going out for revenge in the garden of evil is too soon after the revenge stuff of QOS. Unless Craig stays for Bond 26 and its a Blofeld trilogy but at the current production rate that will be 2021 and Craig will be knocking on by then.
Bond does not have to be motivated by revenge. Revenge may be an afterthought. Actually, bringing a dispassionate retaliation for many crimes including the death of Vesper could be an interesting approach.
And I think Blofeld should be used sparingly: have him for two or three movies, no more.
Indeed, this would be the best way to satisfy both camps in this discussion. I am totally against the idea of remakes so I feel it's best to leave Tracy and SPECTRE in the past where it belongs. I'd have no problem with Shatterhand becoming Blofeld but we need to stay away from the heartbreaking love stories and brainwashings and tales of personal revenge and get on with more normal adventures with Bond fighting the bad guys. Brutality mixed with style, proper gun barrels, and a babe in the end. Not so much to ask for?
I always said Blofeld should be introduced carefully ánd slowly.
Why not let Blofeld be uncredited in Bond 24? So Michael and Barbara can worry first about the 'main villain', being the Nr. 2 behind Blofeld. Some kind of 'Largo'. Mr. White is still alive and kicking. So why not return Danish actor Jesper Christensen for the job. Reveal his real name in Bond 24. But also reveal that Jesper Christensen is working for a still unknown Nr. 1 of 'THE QUANTUM OF SPECTRE'? Blofeld will be played by a more unknown actor and will be uncredited like in FRWL and TB.
In the meanwhile we all know pre-production on Bond 25 has started as well (Screenplay writer John Logan is writing both Bond 24 & Bond 25). So for Bond 25, due to premiere somewhere in November 2017 or November 2018, Barbara and Michael can cast an Oscar-winning actor for the role of Ernst Stavro Blofeld...being Christoph Waltz, Philip Seymour-Hoffman, Daniel Day-Lewis or Michael Shannon. And on top of that....Blofeld wil be unvealed after or during the end credits....a trick that has been done with certain other spy/action franchises (Remember the highly succesful MARVEL trailers/scenes at the end of the end credits?)...but has never been done in the Bond franchise! I think that could work very well for Bond 25....and it will build up tension for both Bond 25 and Bond 26.
And when Blofeld's face is revelealed during or after the end credits of Bond 25....we will see him killing Nr. 2, played by Christensen.....in a Blofeld-esque way off course. Roger Deakins camera zooms in on Blofeld's SPECTRE-ring....and the rest of the end credits, including the locations and the famous 'James Bond will return', will start.
Then, we can see Blofeld at work full throttle in Bond 26, due to premiere somewhere in 2021....probably Craig's last Bond film.
Very much agreed on this, Sir Henry. It's been too long since we've had a Bond film like that. 1987 or so, I'd guess.
Yes, I would be fine with that. Man From Uncle made Thrush the villain organization of practically every episode for 4 TV seasons, even if there was no no defined Head of Thrush. The organization was a permanent nemesis of the Uncle agents.
I would be happy with a nice long stretch where Bond battles the forces of Spectre for several films or in perpetuity.
Blofeld's role could be emphasized and de-emphasized from film to film, much as it was in the early films, but he's always at least in the background as in FRWL and TB, even when he's not the lead villain.
Any Bond-Blofeld face-to-faces could be drawn as new epic moments in the series.
And when Blofeld appears, do change up the actor, as we saw in the early films.
With this format, even newer villains like Silva from Skyfall, could have been re-worked to have a Spectre connection. This would have required a re-jigging of the SF story but still the villainous Silva character could have remained largely the same.
Eon IMO was on the right track with Quantum, but I say, why go with second rate Spectre. Just re-boot the real deal and the iconic chief.
It's also more "realistic" than constantly creating new Blofeld like supervillains (Stromberg, movie-Drax, Zorin, Trevalyan, Carver, Gustav Graves etc). Really, how many of these megalomaniacal cliches, can believably co-exist, even in the the fantasticalBond Universe. Rather all arch villainy would exist within a broader Spectre context, either subordinate or working subversively within the Spectre umbrella.
Blofeld like any criminal boss, would always behaving to deal with disloyalty and insurrection etc.
Even DN was a Spectre adjunct in the original film continuity.
I do like where you are going with these ideas.
Thanks, although not a direct statement...
Anyway, our question remains... Why now?
;;) Thanks m8.
Do you (or anyone else in here) have similar or perhaps different ideas on how to revitalize the character of Blofeld?
It's a basic concept of buying in business, publicly devalue the thing you're about to pay for to lower the asking price.
I'd like to say, that if there's one arch nemesis that belongs to Bond in a similar way that certain allies belong to Bond (like M, Q and Moneypenny), then it most certainly is Blofeld no :-)?
I think it's a process no? First EON Productions secured the rights back in the fall of 2012. Secondly, American sister company Danjaq and movie company MGM re-confirm this at the end of last week. This time in a bigger way, with a press release.
I call that fantastic marketing really. Why? Because in essence it's not really necessary no :-). The Guardian already wrote a piece about it: http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/18/blofled-spectre-james-bond-kevin-mcclory?CMP=fb_gu
But why all this trouble? Why all this media-attention from MGM? I'd say that John Logan already has written a masterpiece screenplay that slowly re-introduces Blofeld and SPECTRE and that encompasses both Bond 24 and 25 and perhaps even Bond 26.
And EON, Sony, Danjaq and MGM want to be 200% certain that bringing back Blofeld and SPECTRE will not result in any lawsuits from the McGlory heirs. You know Michael G. Wilson. He's a law expert himself.
And I have to confess, while I was at first against the idea of Blofeld being the head of Quantum, I find it more appealing now. After all, in the novels Blofeld was the head of RAHIR and TARTAR before he created SPECTRE, and SPECTRE itself is the result of the merge of various remnants of SMERSH (the previous recurring adversary of Bond), the Gestapo and some elements of the mafia.
There is no danger now because they just completed the buyout of McClory's estate's rights (and any claims to rights to SPECTRE/Blofeld). Lawyers and studios don't pay money for nothing, especially given the bad blood between the Broccolis and the McClory over the decades.
You seem to be forgetting that it was Fleming that asked McClory to adapt Bond. Why would he make it more faithful to Fleming? That would defeat the purpose. Fleming's Bond was not being picked up in any meaningful way by the studios. As for the place McClory's films deserve...,Until Skyfall, Tball was the most successful Bond ever. This anti-McClory nonsense is juvenile. Tball created the template for the character you all seem to love so much. It's time to put aside this hatefulness towards McClory and celebrate the fact that your favourite film franchise just got a ton of new material.