It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
1962 :: Moonraker
1963 :: From Russia With Love
1964 :: Dr No
1965 :: Goldfinger
1967 :: From A View To A Kill
George Lazenby
1970 :: For Your Eyes Only
1972 :: Live And Let Die
1974 :: Diamonds Are Forever
David Warbeck
1976 :: Thunderball
1978 :: On Her Majesty's Secret Service
1979 :: You Only Live Twice
1981 :: The Man With The Golden Gun
1983 :: The Spy Who Loved Me
1985 :: Colonel Sun
Timothy Dalton
1987 :: The Living Daylights
1989 :: Licence To Kill
1992 :: The Property Of A Lady
1994 :: Casino Royale
1996 :: Tomorrow Never Dies
1998 :: Zero Minus Ten
James Purefoy
2000 :: The Hilderbrand Rarity
2002 :: For Special Services
2004 :: Licence Renewed
2006 :: Risico
2008 :: The Man With The Red Tattoo
Richard Armitage
2010 :: High Time To Kill
2012 :: Doubleshot
2014 :: Never Dream Of Dying
2016 :: A Whisper Of Love
Dominic Cooper
2018 :: The Facts Of Death
Zero Minus Ten would be would share only the title with the book. I am working creating a cast list of 10 for each film, I have drawn up 9 so far.
1962: Casino Royale
1963: Moonraker
1964: Goldfinger
1965: Live and Let Die (with Diana Ross as Solitaire)
1967: From Russia With Love
George Lazenby:
1969: Dr. No
1971: Diamonds Are Forever
Roger Moore:
1973: For Your Eyes Only
1974: From A View To A Kill
1977: The Spy Who Loved Me
1979: Octopussy
Timothy Dalton:
1983: Thunderball
1985: On Her Majesty's Secret Service
1987: You Only Live Twice
1989: The Man With The Golden Gun
Clive Owen:
1995: The Living Daylights
1997: The Property of A Lady
1999: Quantum of Solace
2002: The Hildebrand Rarity
Daniel Craig:
2006: Risico
2008: 007 in New York
2012: The Diamond Smugglers
2015: Thrilling Cities
2019: Colonel Sun
Dr. No (1962)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
Thunderball (1965)
Christopher Plummer:
Diamonds Are Forever (1967)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
You Only Live Twice (1971)
Colonel Sun (1973)
Roger Moore:
The Man With The Golden Gun (1975)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Moonraker (1979)
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Timothy Dalton:
Live and Let Die (1983)
From A View To A Kill (1985)
The Living Daylights (1987)
The Hand You Dealt (1989)
Lewis Collins:
The Hildebrand Rarity (1991)
Risico (1993)
The Property of A Lady (1995)
Pierce Brosnan:
GoldenEye (1997)
Tomorrow Never Dies (1999)
The World Is Not Enough (2002) (different and more Bond-centric as well as his family's past, anniversary movie)
Nightfire (2005)
Everything or Nothing (2007)
Clive Owen:
Casino Royale (2010)
Beneath The Blood Stone (2012) (with the 'Blood Stone' plot and elements of QoS)
The Eyes That Never Sleep (2015)
Cards With A Stranger (2017)
Icebreaker (2020)
Henry Cavill:
Once Upon A Spy (2022) (anniversary movie)
DoubleShot (2025)
Never Dream of Dying (2027)
And so on, as he'd be the current Bond
63. From Russia With Love
64. Goldfinger
65. Thunderball
67. OHMSS
69. Diamonds Are Forever
71. You Only Live Twice
Wouldn't this make a better timeline for the original run of films?
Personally, I think Connery did his best work in the first four movies, and from there Lazenby should've taken over with his own "Blofeld Trilogy". I've always felt Diamonds Are Forever makes more sense as a follow up to OHMSS, as diamonds are often associated with wedding rings.
SEAN CONNERY 1962-1967
.Dr. No 1962
.From Russia with Love 1963
.Goldfinger 1964
.Thunderball 1965
.You Only Live Twice 1967
-Tighter second half. No turning Japanese or marriage BS. Ends up being the shortest film in the series. Also keep Aki alive, even though Kissy is cuter.
GEORGE LAZENBY 1969-1971
.On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969
.Diamonds are Forever 1971
-I love the film as is so I'd just bring back Savalas and keep the original finale at the salt mine. The first half would still be pretty lighthearted but would get much darker once Blofeld is revealed to be alive.
ROGER MOORE 1973-1985
.Live and Let Die 1973
.The Man with the Golden Gun 1975
-More serious tone, no Solex, and recast Goodnight.
.The Spy Who Loved Me 1977
.Moonraker 1979
.For Your Eyes Only 1981
.Octopussy 1983
.A View to a Kill 1985
TIMOTHY DALTON 1987-1993
.The Living Daylights 1987
.Licence to Kill 1989
-Higher budget and better promotion, resulting in better BO revenue.
.The Property of a Lady 1991
-The Bond 17 treatment but toned down in places.
.Death to Spies 1993
-Down to earth espionage thriller. Lots of unused Fleming material. Modern classic. Involves Bond being pursued by a deadly assassin.
PIERCE BROSNAN 1995-2004
.GoldenEye 1995
.Tomorrow Never Dies 1997
.The World Is Not Enough 1999
.Die Another Day 2002
-No ice dragster/surfing bit. Use the extra cash to improve the other special effects, especially the finale. Replace Kil with Krebs and make his fight with Bond a highlight.
.Everything or Nothing 2004
-The look and scale of DAD but with the tone of CR. Brosnan is proud of it.
DANIEL CRAIG 2006-2012
.Casino Royale 2006
.Quantum of Solace 2008
-Expand the Haines subplot and kill Mr. White at the end.
.Risico 2010
-Craig's epic. Adaption of Blood Stone but with a different ending. Directed by Matthew Vaughn.
.Skyfall 2012
BOND #7 2015-2022
.More lighthearted action films with more traditional Bond elements. Martin Campbell would start it. The rest of the directors would be more workmanlike.
Casino Royale
Dr No
From Russia with Love
Goldfinger (please do something about the ranch scenes though)
Thunderball
George Lazenby
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
You Only Live Twice (stick to the book)
The Man with the Golden Gun (get the silly stuff out)
Moonraker (stick to the book)
Roger Moore
The Spy Who Loved Me
Diamonds Are Forever
For Your Eyes Only
Octopussy (get Tarzan, ape costume and other pleasentries out)
Timothy Dalton
Live and Let Die (closer to the book)
A View to a Kill (Leiter is in this one too)
The Living Daylights
Licence to Kill
The Property of a Lady
Pierce Brosnan
GoldenEye
Tomorrow Never Dies
The World Is Not Enough
Nightfire
Ironically, I was just reminiscing on this. I still have the saved draft. One day.
Scenario 1:
Sean Connery
1962 - Dr. No
1963 - From Russia, with Love
1964 - Goldfinger (remove or change the totally consensual ranch scenes)
1965 - Thunderball (Kevin McClory and co get proper credit on the novel, preventing legal difficulties. Trim down the underwater footage so the audience doesn't fall asleep.)
1967 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (the same film, just with Sean and a slightly shorter 1st half)
1969 - You Only Live Twice (Revenge story, based on the novel, but with more action. Savalas and Steppat return as Blofeld and Irma Bunt, respectively. Ken Adam's brilliant volcano set is used here for the climax, which remains more or less the same from our 1967 film. Nancy Sinatra still does her theme song. Blofeld and Irma Bunt die here, on-screen, by 007's hand.)
Roger Moore
1971 - Diamonds Are Forever (keep Jill St. John and Wint & Kidd, but otherwise completely different
and based on the novel. Shirley Bassey still does the theme song.)
1973 - Live and Let Die (cut down JW Pepper)
1974 - The Man with the Golden Gun (Christopher Lee as Scaramanga. A mix of the novel and film.)
1977 - The Spy Who Loved Me
1979 - Moonraker (I don't mind this movie as much as some people do and think it's a necessary high for the series, but it still should get some changes. Get rid of Bondola, double taking pigeon, dial down the crazyness of the boat battle, get rid of the snake fight, "Well, here's to us", incorporate a bit more from the novel such as Gala Brand.)
1981 - For Your Eyes Only (Blofeld's arc met an end in 1969, so the PTS must be the sinking of the ship and/or the Havelocks' murder.)
1983 - Octopussy (keep the film more in tone with the Cold War 2nd half. get rid of Tarzan, ssssssit, 'Get off my bed' etc)
Timothy Dalton
1985 - From a View to a Kill
1987 - The Living Daylights
1989 - Licence to Kill (The deaths are less gory, resulting in a lower rating and more BO revenue.)
1991 - Never Say Die (The Bond 17 treatment, with the robots toned down a bit. Released before the fall of the Soviet Union.)
Pierce Brosnan
1995 - GoldenEye
1997 - Tomorrow Never Dies (make it a bit more serious, remove Carver's cringeworthy dialogue. "Delicious." haunts me.)
1999 - The World Is Not Enough (flesh out Elektra and Renard's characters, especially Renard. Have mercy on the audience and get rid of the Christmas jokes.)
2002 - Die Another Day (remove the cringe)
Daniel Craig
2006 - Casino Royale
2009 - Quantum of Solace (delaying the film dodges the Writer's Strike and the end result is a vastly better film. No revenge subplot and better editing.)
2012 - Skyfall
2015 - SPECTRE (I want a rewrite of the whole thing. Make Madeleine a more interesting Bond Girl. No Austin Powers twist. Silva is not tied to SPECTRE.)
I'll leave it at that.
Scenario 2:
The films themselves are as they are in Scenario 1 unless specified not.
Sean Connery
1962 - Dr. No
1963 - From Russia, with Love
1964 - Goldfinger
1965 - Thunderball
1967 - You Only Live Twice (Connery is given a pay raise and extra security, and therefore is more enthusiastic and gives a better performance. There's no "Turning Japanese" (I really think so) ridiculousness. Otherwise, this is YOLT '67 as we have it.)
Roger Moore
1969 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (I might get a lot of flak for this, but I feel a young Roger Moore could have pulled this off really well. Diana Rigg, Ilse Steppat, Gabrielle Ferzetti and Telly Savalas return.)
1971 - Diamonds are Forever (A proper completely different revenge plot. I feel like Moore's acting abilities are judged unfairly off the quality of the scripts he was given and I think he could do the drunk, depressed and then full of anger Bond the story calls for - see The Man Who Haunted Himself. Jill St. John returns and Telly Savalas is back for one final go-around. Ilse Steppat, in reality, would be dead in 1971 [RIP], but in this scenario she can either be alive to reprise her role or replaced by another actress.)
1973 - Live and Let Die
1974 - The Man with the Golden Gun
1977 - The Spy Who Loved Me
1979 - Moonraker
1981 - For Your Eyes Only (Again, the current PTS would have to go entirely, to be replaced with the Havelocks' assassination and/or the sinking ship.)
George Lazenby (Kevin McClory recruits the services of an Australian model who narrowly
lost the official role in 1969 for his Thunderball remake.)
1983 - Never Say Never Again (The film still loses against Octopussy at the box office, but is a country mile better than our version.)
Timothy Dalton
1983 - Octopussy
1985 - From a View to a Kill
1987 - The Living Daylights
1989 - Licence to Kill
1995 - GoldenEye
Pierce Brosnan:
1997 - Tomorrow Never Dies
1999 - The World Is Not Enough
2002 - Die Another Day
2004 - NightFire (Based on the videogame, maybe with a different finale to avoid being a
Moonraker retread.)
Daniel Craig
2006 - Casino Royale
2009 - Quantum of Solace
2012 - Skyfall
2015 - SPECTRE
How's that?
Edit: Ok, that's enough editing to perfection..
Hear me out- there are some inconsistencies. I figure "Q" goes on Vacation in TWINE and DAD, since he'll come back in The Living Daylights as Desmond Llewyn based on Timeline 2. Also, not sure how to reconcile Diamonds are Forever, so I created Timeline 3 to address Spectre, and the odd Blofeld in DAF.
What I do like is it keeps much of the same release order of the films, but helps create a story around it (my own way to fill in the gaps), so that they make sense.
Enjoy!
The ultimate order looks like this- without all my commentary.
The following are based primarily around James Bond’s appearance/age and the actor who plays “M” in the films.
Timeline 1:
(Judi Dench as Olivia)
Casino Royale
Quantum of Solace
Skyfall
(Bernard Lee)
Doctor No
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
OHMSS
You Only Live Twice
Live and Let Die
The Man with the Golden Gun
The Spy who Loved Me
Moonraker
For Your Eyes Only
(read commentary for reasoning)
Timeline 2:
(Judi Dench as Barbara)
Goldeneye
Tomorrow Never Dies
TWINE
Die Another Day
(Robert Brown)
The Living Daylights
License to Kill
Octopussy
A View to a Kill
Timeline 3:
(Ralph Fiennes)
Spectre
Bond 25
Any other Bonds that come out
(Bernard Lee - an aged Ralph conceivably)
Diamonds are Forever (final film of this timeline however it plays out)
The following are based primarily around James Bond’s appearance/age and the actor who plays “M” in the films.
Timeline 1 - Judi Dench is Olivia Mansfield “M”
(Daniel Craig becomes Sean Connery becomes Roger Moore)
(Judi Dench becomes Bernard Lee)
Casino Royale
Quantum of Solace
Skyfall
Bond earns his Double-O status. Olivia “M” is more motherly towards Craig’s Bond. Some time passes between Quantum of Solace and Skyfall, and their professional relationship has grown. Her death in Skyfall hits Bond hard.
Following the Death of “M”, a new “M” is brought up to replace her- a male.
Bond continues missions and driven somewhat by the loss of Olivia “M” puts all of his effort into becoming a supreme Double O agent.
The new “M” - Miles (Bernard Lee)- a bit grumpier than Olivia, but ultimately accepts 007 as reliable.
Agents of S.P.E.C.T.R.E
Craig has aged into Connery, Bernard Lee is still the “M” who replaced Olivia after Skyfall
Doctor No
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Bond has run ins with S.P.E.C.T.R.E. agents, all individualized, but all tied to the same threat. Leading into his interactions more directly with Blofeld as a threat.
Blofeld Trilogy
Thunderball
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
You Only Live Twice
Blofeld has murdered his wife, and then escaped during the scene in the hollowed out volcano. He’s on the lose, Bond wants revenge, but it takes some time to get it.
Time passes, Blofeld is nowhere to be found. Other missions present themselves, and more individual villains are dealt with. Connery has Aged a bit into Moore in Live and Let Die, and ultimately gained a sense of humor as a result of Blofeld now being on the loose for some time.
Post Blofeld Villains
Live and Let Die
The Man with the Golden Gun
The Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker
Following Bond’s return to earth in Moonraker, Blofeld decides it’s time to reveal himself. He sets a trap to catch 007 in a location he knows he will find him at least once a year. Tracy’s grave.
For Your Eyes Only
Blofeld is finally defeated in the pre-titles sequence, and Roger Moore- A Bond who had ultimately let humor help heal the scars of his Blofeld interactions- decided it’s time to retire after nearly falling off of the rock face while climbing to Kristatos' hideout.
“M” retires off screen (Bernard died in real life), and the timeline is closed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Timeline 2- Judi Dench is Barbara Mawdsley “M”
**Separate from the first timeline**
Bond = Pierce Brosnan becomes Timothy Dalton becomes Roger Moore
M= Judi Dench becomes Robert Brown
Barbara “M” is not impressed with 007s grandiose nature, and tells him of it. They maintain a more strict working relationship, even when he rescues her from Renard. She shows a caring side with Electra, but is ultimately hardened once she finds out she’s been betrayed. By time Bond is tortured in N. Korea, she is ready to disavow him and leave him on his own. Her trust isn’t really ever fully renewed, and their working relationship remains cold despite Bond proving himself with the events of DAD.
Goldeneye
Tomorrow Never Dies
The World is Not Enough
Die Another Day
Following the events of Die Another Day, Barbara steps down as head of Double-O section, and a male “M” (Played by Robert Brown) steps in to replace her- though he isn’t seen until the following film.
Brosnan is hardened by the events of his torture, and “M” not backing him even when he proved correct, and becomes a bit more gruff- Timothy Dalton
The new “M” doesn’t trust 007 much, and sends all Double-Os back to a training exercise in Gibraulter, which begins the events of The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights
License to Kill
“M” is still not convinced about 007, especially when a personal vendetta causes 007 to go rogue. He revokes his license to kill, but still reluctantly lets 007 escape to pursue Santos.
Time passes, Bond has other missions, and the new “M” and he begin to wrap to one another.
Dalton wears out a bit, and develops more of a sense of humor, his events from Die Another Day and torture so far behind him now.
Bond has become a bit more light hearted, but has sharpened his skills.
Octopussy
A View to A Kill
Following the events of A View to a Kill, 007 realizes he’s getting too old, and retires- ending Timeline 2. Bond in Timeline 2 never faces a villain like Blofeld with an overarching hand in other events.
Timeline 3- The Alternate Blofeld
Ralph Fiennes is “M”
Daniel Craig becomes Sean Connery (eventually)
Spectre
Bond 25
Diamonds are Forever
The Events in Spectre are an entirely new timeline, and set of characters. Bond 25 picks up where Spectre events left off.
Events occur, and missions happen, culminating in the events of Diamonds are Forever where Bond, with a bit more humor towards him, meets up with Blofeld again. Though Blofeld appears to escape, he has lost initiative, and plans to quietly live off somewhere. Bond allows it, knowing they have the history as foster brothers. At least at this moment, there is no personal reason for Bond to hate Blofeld, as Tracy did not exist in this timeline. Though Blofeld has tortured him, perhaps events in Bond 25 and others will lead to the culmination of this timeline in Diamonds are Forever.
Now, as far as technology, I figure after Skyfall the world gradually enjoys the bigger is better mindset again, which would explain the larger computers and machines in the Sean Connery/Moore eras. Sort of technology folding back on itself. Laser battles aren't possible in the present, but by time Roger Moore goes to space, we've advanced enough.
Same idea on Timeline 2, though it stays pretty 80s/90s throughout.
What do you think? Am I crazy?
Connery:
1962: Casino Royale
1963: Live and Let Die
1964: Moonraker
1965: Diamonds Are Forever
1967: From Russia with Love
Lazenby:
1969: Dr. No
Connery:
1971: Goldfinger
Moore:
1973: From A View to a Kill
1974: For Your Eyes Only
1977: Quantum of Solace
1979: Risico
1981: The Hildebrand Rarity
1983: Thunderball
1985: The Spy Who Loved Me
Dalton
1987: On Her Majesty's Secret Service
1989: You Only Live Twice
Brosnan:
1995: The Man with the Golden Gun
1997: Octopussy
1999: The Living Daylights
2002: The Property of A Lady
Craig:
2006: 007 in New York
2008: Colonel Sun
2012: Licence Renewed
2015: For Special Services
2020: Icebreaker
Sean Connery: “Cold War/Classic Fleming” era
1960 Casino Royale
1961 Live and Let Die
1962 Dr No
1963 Moonraker
1964 From Russia With Love
Roger Moore: “Fantastical Fleming” era
1966 Goldfinger
1967 Thunderball
1968 You Only Live Twice
1969 On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
1971 Diamonds Are Forever
George Lazenby: his films would be more akin to the hardboiled thrillers of the era...
1973 The Man With The Golden Gun
1975 The Spy Who Loved Me
1977 For Your Eyes Only
1979 From A View to A Kill
1981 Octopussy
Timothy Dalton: “Fleming short stories” era
1983 The Living Daylights
1985 Property of a Lady
1987 Risico
1989 Quantum of Solace
1991 The Hildebrand Rarity
Pierce Brosnan: “Post Cold War”/Gardner era
1993 License Renewed
1995 GoldenEye
1997 Tomorrow Never Lies
1999 Colonel Sun
2002 Nobody Lives Forever
Daniel Craig - “Post 9/11 World” Bond
2004 For Special Services
2006 Win, Lose, Or Die
2008 Scorpius
2010 Never Send Flowers
2012 Skyfall
2014 The Man from Barbarossa
...
•Dr. No (1962)
•From Russia with Love (1963)
•Goldfinger (1964)
•Thunderball (1965)
•You Only Live Twice (1967)
GEORGE LAZENBY
•On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
•Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
ROGER MOORE
•Live and Let Die (1973)
•The Man with the Golden Gun (1975)
•The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
•Moonraker (1979)
•For Your Eyes Only (1981)
•Octopussy (1983)
•From a View to a Kill (1985)
TIMOTHY DALTON
•The Living Daylights (1987)
•Licence Revoked (1989)
•The Property of a Lady (1991)
•Death to Spies (1993)
PIERCE BROSNAN
•GoldenEye (1995)
•Tomorrow Never Lies (1997)
•The World Is Not Enough (1999)
•Die Another Day (2002)
DANIEL CRAIG
•Casino Royale (2006)
•Quantum of Solace (2008)
•Risico (2010)
•Skyfall (2012)
BOND #7
•The Eye That Never Sleeps (2015)
•The Death Collector (2017)
•A Reason to Die (2020)
•Sparrow's Tears (2022)
Sean Connery: 1962 - 1965
Dr. No (1962)
From Russia With Love (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
Thunderball (1965) - The underwater scenes are trimmed down to avoid unnecessary filler, and the lawsuit between Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory, and Jack Whittingham is settled with the profits being split evenly. This means Never Say Never Again does not happen.
(Despite Thunderball’s box office success, Connery shocks the world by resigning shortly after, stating that he enjoyed his time as Bond, and that someone new should take over. George Lazenby takes up the role.)
George Lazenby: 1967 to 1973
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1967) - Same as before - no changes.
You Only Live Twice (1968) - The garden of death in Japan plot is the main storyline, but Blofeld escapes Bond again. Telly Savalas and Ilse Steppat return as Blofeld and Irma Bunt.
Diamonds Are Forever (1970) - Telly Savalas returns as Blofeld, Raquel Welch replaces Jill St John as Tiffany Case, the Spang Brothers work for SPECTRE, replacing Mr Kidd and Mr Wint, and Bond finally kills Blofeld for good. SPECTRE is later dismantled.
The Man With The Golden Gun (1973) - Alice Cooper performs the theme instead of Lulu, Christopher Lee is still Scaramanga, there’s no Nick Nack, Bond isn’t brainwashed, there’s no car chase with slide whistle, and Brigette Bardot replaces Britt Ekland as Goodnight.
YOLT, DAF, and TMWTGG are more in line with the novels, with more grit and less campiness.
(Lazenby decides to opt out of his 8 movie contract early, much to Albert Broccoli’s surprise. Roger Moore is the next to take the role)
Roger Moore: 1975 - 1979
Live and Let Die (1975) - Same movie as before, but no racial epithets, no JW Pepper, the speedboat chase is trimmed down, Solitaire isn’t a virgin, and Kananga dies via barracuda and sharks.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - Same as before. Jaws survives, but doesn’t come back and there’s no Lawrence of Arabia theme when Bond and Amasova break down in the desert either.
Octopussy (1979) - Similar movie, but more closer to the original short story with no jokes (Tarzan yell/crowd doing a 'Wimbledon' during the chase scene, Moore dressing as a clown, etc) and the main villains are Michael Gambon and Steve Berkoff as Major Dexter Smythe and General Orlov, respectively.
(Despite Octopussy’s mixed reviews, Moore departs from the series on a high and retires, citing his age.)
Timothy Dalton: 1981 - 1991
(After having completed filming of Flash Gordon, Timothy Dalton is approached for the role and accepts, stating his intention to do a Bond much like the Fleming novels. Caroline Bliss also replaces Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny.)
Moonraker (1981) - Dalton’s debut is faithful to the Fleming novel with NO Star Wars silliness, no Bondola, no fake snake fight, Krebs replacing Chang as Drax’s main henchman, Gala Brand replacing Holly Goodhead, a motorcycle chase along the canals of Venice, Drax’s Nazi leanings, Kate Bush performing the theme, Venice and Rio de Janiero serving as the exotic locations, and a finale that takes place at Drax’s hideout off the coast of Norway. Bernard Lee’s final scenes as M (Lee and Dalton at Blades!) are filmed early before his death.
For Your Eyes Only (1983) - Similar movie, but Blondie perform the theme, Rutger Hauer replaces Julian Glover as Kristatos, there’s no camp, there’s no Bibi Dahl, and no parrot and Thatcher scene either.
A View To A Kill (1985) - No May Day, no Beach Boys theme during opening PTS, a more complex Max Zorin, Michelle Pfeiffer as Mary Ann Russell, and a bigger role for Patrick McNamee means a different film. Expands on the original short story as well, with Bond sent to investigate the murder of a motorcycle dispatch rider and the theft of top secret documents that Zorin is behind. Robert Brown debuts as M as well.
The Living Daylights (1987) - No change. Except David Hedison returns as Felix Leiter (which helps set up LTK), and a less comical Koskov.
Licence to Kill (1989) - Same movie, but with a few gory deaths toned down, better marketing, and a release date in the autumn.
Risico (1991) - The unmade 17th Bond and Dalton’s final outing features Anthony Hopkins as the main villain, Catherine Zeta Jones as a Bond girl, and the robot schtick of the original script toned down with plot elements of Licence Renewed instead. Lisa Stansfield performs the theme titled "The Property of a Lady"
(With 6 movies under his belt, Dalton leaves behind a solid legacy. Robert Brown’s tenure as M comes to an end, as does Caroline Bliss’s role as Moneypenny. A three year break occurs until Pierce Brosnan is selected to be the next 007.)
Pierce Brosnan: 1995 - 2002
GoldenEye (1995) - Same as before. Judi Dench debuts as M.
Tomorrow Never Lies (1997) - Different title, but same movie. Monica Bellucci replaces Teri Hatcher as Paris Carver.
Colonel Sun (1999) - Instead of TWINE, Brosnan’s 3rd outing is based off the Kingsley Amis novel. This is also Desomnd Llewelyn’s last outing as Q with John Cleese taking over.
Everything or Nothing (2002) - Lessen the sci-fi elements of the game, keep Willem Dafoe and Heidi Klum, no Jaws, and the plot has elements of Nobody Lives Forever with a bounty put on Bond’s head by Defoe’s character in revenge for the death of Max Zorin.
(With Brosnan’s tenure now respectfully altered, the entire series is slightly rebooted and Daniel Craig is next up)
Daniel Craig: 2006 - 2015
Casino Royale (2006) - Same as before. Nothing changes.
Quantum of Solace (2008) - The script isn’t rushed. Mr White is revealed to be working for Quantum, Dominic Greene is his co-conspirator and Amy Winehouse performs the theme.
High Time to Kill (2010) - Slightly linked to the novel, but no mention of the Union and Quantum are dismantled at the end.
Skyfall (2012) - Same as before, but Silva is not linked to SPECTRE and is acting purely for revenge on M.
Devil May Care (2015) - Daniel Craig’s swansong, with Christopher Waltz as a bad guy who ISN’T Blofeld.
(Craig’s tenure ends. But, as always, James Bond will return.)
2020 - 2030 and beyond
- Soft reboot, with Tom Hardy cast as Bond, and Christopher Nolan as director for the first two outings.
- The old standalone Bond tropes of the past return.
- Less CGI and more well-written scripts.
- Realistic and grounded villains.
If No Time to Die proves to be a good outing for Craig, I might come back and redo this. But for now, what do you think?
Thanks 🙂 - I got some inspiration from this discussion and my previous Bond binge on my week off work.
Plus, Sir Roger’s humour and puns are still intact in my timeline 😁
Sean Connery: 1962 - 1967
Dr. No (1962)
From Russia With Love (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
Thunderball (1965) - The underwater scenes are trimmed down, and the lawsuit between Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory, and Jack Whittingham is settled with the profits being split evenly. This means Never Say Never Again does not happen.
Moonraker (1967) - Connery’s final outing is faithful to the Fleming novel and a hit with the critics. It also touches on Drax’s Nazi roots, with James Mason cast as Drax.
(Despite MR’s success, Connery shocks the world by resigning shortly after, stating that he enjoyed his time as Bond, and that someone new should take over. George Lazenby takes up the role.)
George Lazenby: 1969 - 1971
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) - Same movie as before, but with We Have All the Time In the World playing over the end credits.
You Only Live Twice (1971) - The garden of death in Japan plot is the main storyline, and Bond kills Irma Bunt in the PTS. With help from Tiger Tanaka’s ninja forces, Bond hunts down Blofeld, destroys his castle, and kills him for good.
(Lazenby decides to opt out of his 7 movie contract early, much to Albert Broccoli’s surprise. Roger Moore is the next to take the role)
Roger Moore: 1973 - 1981
Live and Let Die (1973) - Same movie as before, but no racial epithets, Solitaire isn’t a virgin, the speedboat chase is trimmed down, and Kananga dies via sharks and barracuda.
Diamonds Are Forever (1974) - DAF suits Moore a lot better than Connery. Raquel Welch is Tiffany Case, and the Spang Brothers are the main villains.
The Man With The Golden Gun (1977 - Christopher Lee is still Scaramanga, but Alice Cooper performs the theme and Brigette Bardot is Miss Goodnight.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1979) - Same movie, but Jaws does not come back.
For Your Eyes Only (1981) - Same movie, but with Rutger Hauer as Kristatos
Octopussy (1983) - Sir Roger bows out in the same movie as before.
(Having fulfilled his contract. Moore retires from the role.)
Timothy Dalton: 1985 - 1993
A View To A Kill (1985) - Dalton’s debut, but an entirely different movie loosely based on the Fleming short story. Duran Duran’s theme stays, and so does Christopher Walken as Max Zorin.
The Living Daylights (1987) - Same movie, but Dave Hedison shows up as Felix Leiter.
Licence to Kill (1989) - Same movie, but a few gory deaths toned down, better marketing and a release date in the autumn.
The Property of a Lady (1991) - Dalton’s unmade third film with Anthony Hopkins as the main villain, Catherine Zeta Jones as the main Bond girl, and the robot schtick toned down. Lisa Stansfield performs the theme.
Risico (1993) - Dalton’s swansong. The main plot sees Bond face off with a madman threatening a chemical meltdown across Europe.
With five movies under his belt, Dalton leaves behind a solid legacy. Pierce Brosnan is next to take the role.
Pierce Brosnan: 1995 to 2002
GoldenEye (1995) - Same as before. No need to change.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) - Same movie, but with Monica Bellucci as Paris Carver.
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Nightfire (2002) - Or how to make Die Another Day better. Brosnan’s final outing and loosely based off the video game, which receives a lot of praise.
With Brosnan’s tenure respectfully altered, Daniel Craig is next up.
Daniel Craig: 2006 to 2015
Casino Royale (2006) - Same as before.
Quantum of Solace (2008) - The script isn’t rushed, Mr White is the main villain, Dominic Greene as his co-conspirator, and Amy Winehouse performs the theme.
High Time to Kill[ (2010) - Loosely based off the novel, but with Quantum disbanded at the climax.
Skyfall (2012) - Same movie, but Silva is not linked to Spectre and is solely looking for revenge on his own.
Devil May Care (2015) - Craig’s swansong, with the main villain played by Michael Fassbender and whom IS NOT Blofeld.
Once again, might redo it once NTTD is released 🤞🏻
Thanks. Didn’t like my first scenario, so I went back and edited it. Was very hard picking a Dalton quartet, because a few of the Gardner novels would suit him.
Thanks :D I’ve always been wondering what life would be like if Dalton had done more than two and left behind a decent legacy as Bond.
Dr. No (1962)
From Russia With Love (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
Thunderball (1965)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Live and Let Die (1973)
The Man With the Golden Gun (1974)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Moonraker (1979)
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Octopussy (1983)
A View to a Kill (1985)
The Living Daylights (1987)
Licence to Kill (1989)
GoldenEye (1995)
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
A 23 year-old George Lazenby somehow bags the coveted role in 1962’s Dr. No and is James Bond until the unprecedented—well obviously, he’s the only Bond there’s ever been—age of 59 when The World Is Not Enough is produced. The property of a Lazenby ends forever when the Aussie superstar retires of his own accord, multiple Time magazine “Sexiest Man Alive” honoree and owner of several Aston Martins, because who could possibly replace the one and only George Lazenby as James Bond?
Meanwhile, Sean Connery snarls his way through a number of televised Shakespeare plays, but mostly makes ends meet playing bushy-browed good ol’ boys in endless luck-o’-the-Irish family flicks.
Roger Moore achieves the most fame apart from the Laz in one spy-themed show after another.
Relegated primarily to TV productions of British period pieces, Dalton more or less abandons the screen for the stage.
Somebody named Pierce Brosnan rides Remington Steele as long as he can, then smarms his way through endless rom-coms and the occasional musical.
Daniel Craig does fine in the indie circuit and marries Suki Mitchell.
James Purefoy still does whatever James Purefoy does, but nevertheless feels an existential prickling that he missed out on something, somewhere, somehow.
2025-Forever and a Day-Take the time to plan it right. Have Gregg Wilson team up with Barbara Broccoli, with Michael G. Wilson in Cubby's place on GE. Update the story to present day. Have Anthony Horowitz cowrite the screenplay with someone(s) new. No Purvis and Wade! New James Bond, new screenwriters! Get a director who will be true both to the novel and the character of James Bond. Cast an unknown as James Bond, akin to Sean Connery or George Lazenby. Cast a big name actress as Madame Sixtine, I was thinking Gal Gadot. Take Diana Rigg in OHMSS as an example. No Scarlett Johansson or Jennifer Lawrence! Keep Ralph Fiennes as M, recast Moneypenny and Tanner. Hold of on Q, as he isn't in Horowitz's text. Take CR as an example. I think it would be time to bring in May (Bond's housekeeper) for the series, I was thinking Felicity Jones. As for the 007 that is killed in the beginning, I'd have it be Alec Trevelyan. His abandonment and stealing of his 00 number would help setup future stories. The casting can be using for long term planning. Keep it fresh, with ensemble casts of reoccurring characters is my goal (due to my acting background and James Bond fanboyness).
As for the story itself, I would cast Vincent D'Onofrio as Jean-Paul Scipio. His bigger frame would work well. As for Irwin Wolfe, I was thinking Andrew Garfield, as I feel he's underrated. I'll be doing more of these hopefully for awhile, please let me know what you think.