164 replies to this topic

[terminus]

Pre-Title Sequence Stunt:

Bond is in NYC to exchange a data chip from a contact

[ACE]

Brilliant thread idea, terminus. Well done.

Kinda lost on where we are but noted 12 was done.

13 - Location 1: Stockholm

ACE

[terminus]

1 Bond: ALEX O'LACHLAN

2 Bond Girl 1: Scarlett Johanssen as Simone Latrelle



3 Bond Girl 2: Rachel McAdams as Lena Martin



4 Henchman: Richard Kiel returning as "Jaws"

5 Villain: Gary Oldman as Giorgi



6 M: Michael Caine



7 Q: Jennifer Love Hewitt (Q'ute)



8 Monneypenny: Famke Jansen

9 Tanner:

10 Ally: Owen Wilson as Felix Leiter



LOCATIONS

11 Pre-Titles Location: New York City
12 Location 1: Stockholm, Sweden
13 Location 2:
14 Location 3:

KEY PLOT POINTS

15 Villains Plot:

16 Pre-Title Sequence Stunt:

Bond is in NYC to exchange a data chip from a contact

[terminus]

So we need 9, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20 - 26b

And once that's all filled in, we put it together into a treatment and we can each suggest a title - then we'll vote on the titles.

Also, on my pre-titles sequence, don't you think it would be cool if we didn't give the agents name until right before the credits - the intimation would be there like it was in the pretitles of The Living Daylights, but only when the champagne bottle is cracked and poured and we hear him say 'The name's Bond, James Bond' would we know for sure that, yup, that's Bond - and then we kick in with an amazing themetune.

Edited by terminus, 26 August 2005 - 08:19 AM.

[ACE]

So we need 9, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20 - 26b

And once that's all filled in, we put it together into a treatment and we can each suggest a title - then we'll vote on the titles.

Also, on my pre-titles sequence, don't you think it would be cool if we didn't give the agents name until right before the credits - the intimation would be there like it was in the pretitles of The Living Daylights, but only when the champagne bottle is cracked and poured and we hear him say 'The name's Bond, James Bond' would we know for sure that, yup, that's Bond - and then we kick in with an amazing themetune.

Nice idea just the way you've set it up leaves little room for doubt.

Why not have Bond be the car thief (disguised in balaclava and combat black)? The tuxedo'd Romeo (let's call him Barlow) about town be the enemy agent with the data chip, accompanied by a beautiful, sexy partner, SOLANGE. Bond trails couple malevolently as BARLOW romances SOLANGE. We follow the couple from Bond's POV, stalker style, never quite seeing BARLOW's face, setting him up as the new Bond in the audiences mind. That way we get to see a glimpse of NYC and establish a mood as well as set up the reversal later. The sleek sports car is hers - she drives it - important this.

We have Car Thief Bond rob BARLOW - he uses SOLANGE to frisk BARLOW, barking harsh orders and her to hurry up and frisk BARLOW intimately. The data chip is hidden in a PalmPilot gadget. We see a close-up of female hands caress the tuxedo, the bow-tie establishing Bond iconography in an erotic way without forcing to reveal the face. The hands come across a secret pocket. The velcro opens (in typical Bond breakaway clothing style) to reveal the typical Bond gadget. This further lures the audience to thinking this Bond.

Bond kidnaps SOLANGE and then, using her car, Bond (yet to be revealed) takes off. BARLOW, still shrouded but with Bond-like good looks radios for help and sets off in pursuit. The car chase through the streets as you suggested. Then at some point, SOLANGE leans over to driver, pulls off balaclava and introduce herself.

BOND: I know who your are. And what you are.
SOLANGE: And what is that, exactly?
BOND: Very good. At what you do, Ms Solange.
SOLANGE: Well, I'm good at what excites me, Mr...?
Just then some explosion/traffic/hair-raising moment prevents Bond from giving his name.

SHE is the double, who has got the data chip from BARLOW. Bond was her escape route so as not to look suspicious. She is British Secret Service and the PTS Bond girl. The car is from Q Branch.

Now we can reveal BARLOW too. He can be quickly dealt with in the body of the film. Once again, throughout the PTS, Bond can't give his name due to the business of evading BARLOW's private security persuers. The big stunt, when it comes, causes the car to appear destroyed causing BARLOW to think SOLANGE and kidnapper have died. An unfortunate, violent NY mugging/carjacking episode. Don't quite like the submarine car thing again but as a throwaway, it might be a good establishing moment for a new Bond, a la the DB5 in Goldeneye.

Then the reveal of Bond's name and Robert, as they say, is your mother's brother.

The character name's are from 007 in New York since we are there again.

Sorry to rewrite you, terminus, but I was trying to meld your ideas.

ACE

Edited by ACE, 26 August 2005 - 09:27 AM.

[terminus]

That is actually pretty cool - and would work amazingly well. Am assuming that we could tie the pre-titles into the rest of the movie by saying that Barlow (to use your name) was aquiring the datachip for Giorgi, who I'm envisaging as a multi-billionaire with affiliations with the Russian mafia, fortunes in oil and media - a mix of Richard Branson and the guy who bought Chelsea football club a few years ago.

Then we can have Barlow be offed by Giorgi post-titles when Giorgi learns that Bond isn't dead.

I'm loving your proposal, Ace, this is turning into one helluva Bond movie.

[spynovelfan]

Very nice, ACE, but I think the way you've rewritten it also leaves too little room for doubt. As soon as she took off his balaclava we'd know he was Bond, and saying 'I'm good at what excites me, Mr...' gives it away, too. And the brilliant thing about this would be for us to be convinced that the actor playing Barlow is Bond right until the very last second. Someone like Visjnic as Barlow would be perfect. How about this: you keep the robber's balaclava on for the entire chase, and we cut to Barlow/Visjnic/Who we think is Bond looking triumphant that he's been killed, and getting to a phone box, and giving a quick code identification, and then saying, tersely 'Mission accomplished - yes, he's dead', and he's English and upper class and wearing a tuxedo, but we're slightly worried that this guy will be Bond and that the mission's apparently already over, so we have a tiny seed of doubt, and then we cut to the underwater sequence, and then to the robber in the balaclava with the girl and champagne, and you have your lines of dialogue and then she leans over and says 'Nice driving, Mr...?' and rips off the balaclava and it's Clive Owen ('The Driver') and he smiles and says. 'Bond. James Bond' and leans down to kiss her and she leans back to lie down and we fade to the gunbarrel and 'Clive Owen is James Bond in Ian Fleming's CASINO ROYALE'...

Yes, I know it's meant to be O'Lachlan in this thread, but still.

[terminus]

Am sure, spy, that when the project is fully finished and we put the items on our list together to form the actual movie, we could use both ideas - maybe even get the staff round here to put it on the front page.

And, btw, Owen would've been my second choice, but was trying to use one of the supposed final four.

[ACE]

Very nice, ACE, but I think the way you've rewritten it also leaves too little room for doubt. As soon as she took off his balaclava we'd know he was Bond, and saying 'I'm good at what excites me, Mr...' gives it away, too.

Well, that was the idea. I think you need to know Bond is Bond during midway through the PTS. Esp. a new Bond. But the reveal is the name - the confirmation. We knew Dalton was Bond before we knew he was Bond. But we set up an introduction.

The balaclava reveal would come midpoint in the PTS. After we have given the audience a bum steer.

ACE

[spynovelfan]

Well, that was the idea. I think you need to know Bond is Bond during midway through the PTS. Esp. a new Bond. But the reveal is the name - the confirmation. We knew Dalton was Bond before we knew he was Bond. But we set up an introduction.

The balaclava reveal would come midpoint in the PTS. After we have given the audience a bum steer.

ACE

Understand what you're saying, but I think it would be cooler not to know, as it would be just that bit braver. We'd be following 'the baddie' for the whole thing, and then it would set up the basic tenet that, as Jim recently wrote, Bond is a hero or villain depending on your perspective. I can see both working, but I quite like the idea of us following a mysterious henchman in a balaclava for an entire pre-titles sequence, think the new Bond has driven him into the water, and then seeing that the villain was Bond and Bond is the villain. I agree you have to have some kind of foreshadowing/brain-feel that Balaclavaboy is Bond, but you could do that simply by making him very assured and authoritative and drive the car with great skill and style, just as Bond would, so he's doing very well against 'Bond' right until the end, and then you subconsciously think 'Okay, Bond did well to force him into the Hudson, I suppose, but actually that villain was a pretty cool driver, and wouldn't it have been cool if *he* had been Bo...' and just as the thought is catching up to you the twist is revealed and you think 'Yes, of course. He is Bond.' Can't explain it better than that, but yes, both would work, and my suggestion's probably the less commercial one.

[ACE]

Take your point but I thought we were writing a $150mil (that's just negative cost - thank God we don't have to give Pierce gross points!) Eon/Sony picture to establish Goran Fishin' Trip as the new Bond. Brave don't come into it. I certainly wouldn't have a car chase and certainly wouldn't use NY again but if that is what we have, let's make the best fist of it.

I actually wrote it with the reveal at the end of the PTS - so easy to do with the way it is set up - but realized we need the audience to know who newBond is and get with him by the end of the PTS.

If this picture takes anything less than $400 mil worldwide and another $600 in ancillaries, our share price will plummet until Spidey 3, licensing revenue will decline, we will lose negotiating positions with exhibitors. Besides, Pierce will laugh at us as his Saint movie takes $500 mil worldwide.

Ian who?

ACE

Edited by ACE, 26 August 2005 - 09:46 AM.

[spynovelfan]

And I take your point. But I wonder if we wouldn't get behind newBond more if it came at the end (I nearly wrote 'my way'! Jesus), simply because it would be wittier and cooler to have the twist, and we'd be all, like, 'Man, it was Bond all along, man! That's so frickin cool, he's such a playa, man, I betcha thought it was that Fishneck guy, but I saw it coming, he just moved like Bond, it was so *obvious*, dang that Owen guy is cool, Bond is back, baby, money!' during the title sequence.

I'm perhaps not entirely down with the kids, but you get the idea. If 'the reveal' is halfway through the sequence, the audience is doing all the above as the car chase happens, meaning they either won't fully concentrate on the car chase because they'll be trying to digest the fact that Ewan Stewart is Bond or they won't fully digest it because they'll be watching the thrilling car chase - either way, the hit would be slightly lost.

It would actually be a commercially sound way to start the film if you managed to get Clive Owen in the Barlow role and had him in a tux and got him basically playing Bond, and had lots of Bond-ish music cues, cutting to Brosnan at the end taking off the balaclava and saying 'Templar. Simon Templar.' Could they be sued for that, I wonder? I'd be looking through Charteris' novels to see if Templar ever introduced himself like that prior to 1953.

[ACE]

These are the irrelevant minutae producers spend more time than they should discussing!

"Man, it's for the good of the prarject!"

Yeah, right!

"Templar, Simon Templar" - you cannot sue over the order of words - OK, launch your Saint film this way. With Pierce and Owen - unfair to the guy that plays El Santos, dontchatink?/

BTW, SNF, if you persist with your Ewan Stewart-ness (your silly signature!), I am going to call the Bond police. No, seriously.



ACE

Edited by ACE, 26 August 2005 - 09:52 AM.

[terminus]

I would see a mix of the two - go with the figure watching Barlow and Solange (we're from the figures POV), hijacking the car and escaping, we know Solange is working with this shadowy figure when he compliments her on the fine job, she pulls the balaclava off and they kiss, 'likewise, mr -' and someone fires something at the car, conversation breaks off and we enter the car chase proper, barlow has pursued them on a stolen motorbike and is joined by some others. There is mutual damage and Barlow (perhaps use the moniker of John Barlow - but just initials, maybe have Solange call him J B to more push the fact we want the audience to think Barlow is Bond) is then able to force the car into the Hudson, he pulls out his cellphone, makes the call, "yes, we terminated him - he's gone for a long swim" and then we cut to the car sinking in the water, whoomph, suddenly the wheels curl in and we get - car turning into a submarine, then cut to the button on the dashboard, Solange presses it and reveal the champagne and crystal flutes, chilled, the figure grins "i'm going to have to get Q to get me one of these -", Solange grins and she liplocks with Bond, "Oh, James -"

CUT TO OPENING CREDITS

[ACE]

Love that terminus! So shadowy figure and girl are in league setting up danger to who we think is Bond. How to do that? Have her gesture to POV camera? Signal? Hmmm, good. Increases the tension.

Love the John Barlow = JB redux (the name was Bond's cover in the short story but his first name was David - let's Mankiewicz it!). Echoes Thunderball but in a good, reversal geared way. Again, establishes new Bond like the submarine car.

SOLANGE's car will of course be a Lotus Esprit.

Yeah, if we have tuxedo'd JB chase car on motorbike, even when balaclava comes off there is still room for doubt as JB is doing all kinds of stuff on that bike, it could just be him.

(Yeah, Michael's on line one - he wants a Sherrif Pepper type in there with lots of NYPD cop cars crashing).



ACE

Edited by ACE, 26 August 2005 - 10:07 AM.

[spynovelfan]

OK, launch your Saint film this way. With Pierce and Owen - unfair to the guy that plays El Santos, dontchatink?

You're right - Adrian Paul would do it.

Changed the signature in support of another Stewart. He has the voice, and Bond in Iraq would be perfect. And is it just me or does he not look exactly like a bald Timothy Dalton?

[ACE]

You're gonna get flamed by Adrian Paul fans...

Yup. Stewart IS Older Dalton, brought back from the future via a warp in the Nexus. I think a lot of those regional RSC types have the same sort of voice but Stewart and Dalton are a fit. Ever see that film they made together, The Doctor and The Devils http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089034/. Not so good but proof they are two separate people. Elliott Carver's in it too.

Bond police have an eye on you, matey. You're gonna get harassed.



ACE

Edited by ACE, 31 August 2005 - 02:02 AM.

[terminus]

And now we find ourselves with Solange and John Barlow to cast, shall we go with Clive Owen as Barlow and someone exotic, African/Jamaican, like Tyra Banks, Thandie Newton or Naomie Harris to play Solange ?

Clive Owen as John 'JB' Barlow


from L to R : Tyra Banks, Thandie Newton, Naomie Harris

[spynovelfan]

Thandie Newton's gorgeous, and a very good actress, but has already played too similar a part in M:I2. And, of course, in the real world neither she or Owen will ever appear in a Bond film. I thought Nia Long leapt off the screen as Lonette in the very erratic ALFIE remake, and would be great for this sort of part. In THE SAINT pre-titles, you could try to get Halle Berry.

ACE, how exactly are they going to harrass me? Question me on the details of Fleming short stories, or something? I'm quivering.

You have to have watched telly last night to get my signature, but if it bothers you I have a few Ewan ones up my sleeve for a rainy day.

[ACE]

Done. Either of the girls would be lovely but from those pictures, let's give Tyra her day in court

Clive Owen. The stoodio wannus to lauch a noo Barnd. If you give 'em Clive Owen and then say he aint Barnd, poor Goran Fishin' Trip's gonna come off looking like a schmuck. Get a lesser known (and cheaper) Barnd type - remember this guy caint overshadda our main bad guy. Say Hugh d'Arcy or Jack Davenport.

ACE

[spynovelfan]

ACE, your attempt at Americanese is about as good as Fleming's.

You need someone as Barlow who has been associated with Bond enough that the audience would buy he could be the new Bond, but who would agree to take the part. That ain't gonna be a D'Arcy or a Davenport. If Adrian Paul's not available, Clive Robertson might do. But I really think Paul would be perfect.

[terminus]

Hmmm, I'm good with Owen - maybe he'd do it, maybe he wouldn't, but I think for the purposes of this 'fantasy' he can do it.

And I'm with spynovelfan here, ace, nia long might just be our girl

[ACE]

ACE, how exactly are they going to harrass me? Question me on the details of Fleming short stories, or something? I'm quivering.

You have to have watched telly last night to get my signature, but if it bothers you I have a few Ewan ones up my sleeve for a rainy day.

Well back in '73 when the furtive yet effective HMJBPC (Her Majesty's James Bond Preservation Constabulary) was set up, people thinking undoctrinaire thoughts were re-educated. Alexander Walker, the late film critic, was thought to be their first collar when a an unfavourable review of LALD was leaked. They "visited" him and Roger became a school prefect.

HMJBPC or the Bond Police as they are known, got to the producers of Remmington Steele in '86 to force Eon's hand thus allowing us the best Bond ever.

Rocco Forte was a big fan of The Man With The Golden Gun and planned to develop Scaramanga's Island into a hotel complex in the early 80's. He too was "got to" and his favourite film is now the correct answer, From Russia With Love. And have you seen the refitted Forte hotel in Istanbul? Surprised he didn't tell you this himself.

They allegedly got to Jack Schwartzman prior to NSNA. How else do you think Irwin Kershner and Lorenzo Semple were hired. The production was a mess and poor Schwartzman died prematurely of a heart attack. BP's involvement with the wretched film and the aftermath was never proven but is considered their finest coup.

And how else do you explain the popularity of "Thunderball" as a film amongst the Bondescenti now?

Various fan organizations have been infiltrated. See how few people on various sites have read or even care for the Ian Fleming novels?

How will you be hassled? Subtly. That loud guy in the Brioni suit in Het Keizerhaart cafe going on about the virtues of Kingsley Amis the other night? You wanted to say something but it was late, you were tired and there was still so much to do? BP are onto you.

The journey around the ring road may take a little longer than expected. You may get no head on your Fruli. You may be sent to cover a Highlander convention (the organizers having been armed with your disparaging Adrian Paul posts) at exactly the same time as the Casino Royale press junket hits Brussels. Oh, yeah, BP can put a fly in your vla, iron filings in your hagel.

You have been warned.

ACE

Edited by ACE, 26 August 2005 - 11:00 AM.

[ACE]

Hmmm, I'm good with Owen - maybe he'd do it, maybe he wouldn't, but I think for the purposes of this 'fantasy' he can do it.

And I'm with spynovelfan here, ace, nia long might just be our girl

Hmmm, mmm. I'd buy that for a dollar!

OK, Owen it is then.

ACE

[spynovelfan]

Spynovelfan spends the rest of the day editing all his previous posts in a panic.

Didn't know the Rocster was a Bond fan. Though (prepare yourself) I did meet him just an hour or two before before I was due to meet Rog, and of course mentioned this (how not) and he said he knew Rog and please pass on his greetings and I did that, and Rog laughed slightly snidely (for Rog) and said 'Oh, yes, Rocco, I know him' as though he were some fearful foreign nouveau riche upstart who went around namesdropping and was a slight embarrassment but tolerated in the Gstaad/Geneva/Cayman Islands set because, well, he does have money and he does try, bless him. Actually probably the most like Fleming's Bond I've ever seen Rog.

I'm running out of names to drop, because I suspect I've already posted this story several times.

ACE, I really don't have a problem with Brioni at all. They make very good off-the-peg suits*. I actually think Bond should dress down on Fridays, as per a few of John Gardner's novels. Did the BP ever get to Gardner, do you know? What was his punishment?

*Said in best Rog putting down Rocco style.

[ACE]

Spynovelfan spends the rest of the day editing all his previous posts in a panic.

Didn't know the Rocster was a Bond fan.

ACE, I really don't have a problem with Brioni at all. They make very good off-the-peg suits*. I actually think Bond should dress down on Fridays, as per a few of John Gardner's novels. Did the BP ever get to Gardner, do you know? What was his punishment?

*Said in best Rog putting down Rocco style.

Rocster is a Bond fan as much as BP exist!

No, BP got to Glidrose. To hire Gardner. The punishment was ours, esp. if you liked the literary Bond.



See, the literary pedants are irritating to the established order. They are like the Marsh Kurds to the BP.

But if you read Bond (urghh!) BP prescribe that the best novels are FRWL & OHMSS and SWLM and QoS have no merit whatsoever. DAF and MWGG are the weakest books.

BP will bounce you if you disagree.

ACE

[spynovelfan]

Ah, I'm a bit slow off the mark. Getting the idea now.

I'm definitely in BP's bad books. I think COLONEL SUN is very good in many ways, but over-rated, fearfully dull in parts and is not especially like Fleming; Timothy Dalton's performance is the furthest from Fleming's character so far; ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is the best of the films but still full of holes and problems; Bond's not a ruthless assassin in Fleming's works (I suspect BP simply like the sound of it); Fleming was an immensely talented but highly erratic writer; and NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN has some of the best writing of any of the films, especially the dialogue.

Must be careful not to create a new BP, though. The way to do that is to admit the possibility of being wrong.

[ACE]

Your predelictions and pecadillos are well known to BP and noted in their fat zapiska on you, Spy-Noffel-Van!

I'm sure it suits their purpose to observe but one day you might be like Elliott Gould's NASA friend in Capricorn One.

I think COLONEL SUN is very good in many ways, but over-rated, fearfully dull in parts and is not especially like Fleming;

Agree but I love it.

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is the best of the films but still full of holes and problems;

Sort of agree. I think Goldfinger is the "best" film in terms of writing and structure but OHMSS is second, qualitatively (if you can say such a thing about art).

Bond's not a ruthless assassin in Fleming's works (I suspect BP simply like the sound of it)

Agree. The desire for ruthlessness came from the long, soft days of Roger Moore. The hard element of the film character was missing. When Dalton took over, we got ruthless but lost humour in film Bond.

Fleming was an immensely talented but highly erratic writer;

Agree. Indioysncratic. If you liked his stuff, you generally liked his stuff.

and NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN has some of the best writing of any of the films, especially the dialogue.

Agree. After DAF, wittiest Bond film.

Timothy Dalton's performance is the furthest from Fleming's character so far;

Really?! I'm flabbergasted. BP might swoop you for this.

Perhaps we should debate this on another thread. I'm conscious of clogging terminus' excellent thread.

ACE

Edited by ACE, 26 August 2005 - 11:39 AM.

[spynovelfan]

Timothy Dalton's performance is the furthest from Fleming's character so far;

Really?! I'm flabbergasted. BP might swoop you for this.

http://debrief.comma...topic=22729&hl=

Possibly so anti-BP it's BP. And it is, of course, more complicated.

Depending on what you love about CS, you may well like Peter O'Donnell's MODESTY BLAISE, which is similar in some ways (and which Amis loved), albeit it a lot more like Fleming. Unless you've already read it and hate it, obviously.

Back on topic (phew!), Stockholm would be a great location, I reckon. Might I suggest a specific area of the city to use? Djurg

[WC]

I haven't a clue what some of these later posts have to do with this topic. Posts about Patrick Stewart, Thandie Newton, whether Timothy Dalton is close to Fleming's incarnation of Bond. What on earth is going on here?