18 replies to this topic

[Austin]

Hello All

I'm currently working through the first draft of a short film screenplay which is, so far, called simply 'Rendezvous.'

The story is meant to resemble something of Ian Fleming's shorter 007 adventures and the tone and characterization of Bond himself is meant to be as close as possible to the literary character. There are some changes that had to be made to details of the story, for modern times, but I've tried not to alter the character himself at all.

You'll notice in the excerpt that I've not yet placed the Title Sequence into the screenplay. Initially, it took place after the MI6 prelude, but I think I want to begin the film with an opening gambit, to be more traditional. Nothing extravagant, but something resembling the scene that was cause for Bond's emotional exhaustion during the opening chapters of Goldfinger.

I'll stop previewing now and let you see for yourself. Drawing heavily from the influences of 'Moonraker' 'Casino Royale' and 'From Russia With Love' I present to you...RENDEZVOUS.

-----------------------------------------------------------
JAMES BOND OO7

RENDEZVOUS
(WORKING TITLE)

BY AUSTIN MADDING


DRAFT 1

08.25.08

GUNBARREL OPEN ON:

EXT. MI6 HEADQUARTERS – DAY

We see the modern, multistory building of MI6 overlooking the River Thames.

HYPERTEXT: MONDAY - 11:35 AM
LONDON

INT. DOUBLE-O OFFICE – NIGHT

JAMES BOND, AGENT OO7 of MI6, sits stoically at his desk in the modernly furnished office cleaning the barrel of a shining black Walther PPK with a narrow cleaning swab. He glances at his watch.

It’s obvious. James Bond is bored.

He opens a drawer from the desk and replaces the swab and then snaps the slide of the small handgun into place. He quickly aims at the portrait on the wall and works the action a few times. Each squeeze of the trigger clicks satisfyingly. He picks the full magazine up from the desktop, where it was sitting over a report he was reading, and slides it into the butt of the gun. He pulls back the slide and clicks the safety on before placing it securely in the holster underneath his left armpit.

He turns half-heartedly back to the report he was skimming over and begins reading again.

There is a small noise at the door and Bond looks up as the attractive figure of the Double-O secretary, LOELIA PONSONBY, enters the room, with a fresh stack of reports. She smirks at the look on his face.

BOND:
I’m dying, Loelia.

LOELIA:
Oh come now, James...

She sets the stack in front of him. His eyes look down helplessly at them.



LOELIA (CONT’D):
...shouldn’t you be pleased? No cold war, no bombs, no assassinations. We’re at peace!

BOND:
Yes well peace is killing me.

She smiles sweetly, humorously.

LOELIA:
James...

He looks up.

LOELIA (CONT’D):
Chief of Staff is on line 1.

Bond looks at his phone, before looking back up into her eyes.
BOND:
Loelia, you’re my good luck charm. One of these days I’m taking you to a casino and getting rich.

She just grins wryly and leaves the room as Bond picks up the phone.

CUT TO:

INT. OFFICE HALLWAY – DAY

Bond walks quickly down the hall, veering off at his destination to intercept BILL TANNER, MI6 Chief of Staff.

TANNER:
Morning James.

BOND:
Tanner.

TANNER:
(grins)
You look a bit bored, old boy.


BOND:
Hopefully not for long. Now what’s all this to do about.

TANNER:
Not much to tell from...but M’s declared it a national priority.

Bond rolls his eyes slightly.

BOND:
Someone probably got caught cheating at Blades...

Tanner grins and Bond steps through the door to…

INT. OUTER OFFICE – DAY

Bond enters the outer office, smiling into the eyes of M’s secretary, MISS MONEYPENNY.

BOND:
Morning, Penny.

She smiles and her eyes watch him as he enters M’s office before she continues with her work.

INT. INNER OFFICE – DAY

M, Bond’s chief in the Secret Service, doesn’t look up as he enters. He is holding his pipe and looking through a file on his desk.

BOND:
Morning, sir.

M is polite but straightforward.

M:
Morning Double-O Seven, have a seat.

Bond does so. He sits quietly, watching M get his pipe going.

Finally, taking a long draw on the pipe, M pushes the rather thin file marked ‘TOP SECRET’ across the desk.

M:
Russia.

Bond’s eyebrows rise slightly.

BOND:
Russia, sir?

M:
Not particularly a problem since the Cold War, wouldn’t you say?

Bond is clearly quite puzzled.

BOND:
...Why yes sir. Almost an ally in certain terms of negotiation...

M:
Exactly, and I would like it to stay that way, Double-O Seven.

Bond watches him take a long puff from the pipe, clearly wondering where this is going. He glances at the file in his hands.

After a moment, M speaks again.

M:
As you are aware, Double-O Seven, we have several double agents working in several intelligence firms all over the globe. Last month, we inserted a double into Russian Intel. It’s nothing against the Russians themselves. We were tracking a possible terrorist in the area and an undercover standpoint was our best option at the time.

BOND:
What’s his name?



M:
Her name, Double-O Seven, is Solange.

As M says this, Bond finds a photograph of Solange in the file he’s holding. She is very beautiful. He smiles slightly before looking seriously back up as M continues.

M (CONT’D):
The case is closed now and she’s got one more bit of intel to get to us before she gets cut loose and can disappear forever.

BOND:
So what’s the problem, sir?

M:
None so far, but that’s just it. We think the Russians are conducting their own investigations into leaks within their ranks. We can’t afford problems on this one. If the Russians find out that double belongs to us, you can bet they’ll assume the worst. We could have another cold war on our hands.

Bond’s head slightly nods. He sets the file back on M’s desk.

M:
This has to be handled delicately, Double-O Seven. I’m leaving it to you to make sure that intel gets out of Russia cleanly. No fingers pointing at us.

BOND:
Yes sir.

M:
You won’t meet the woman until your rendezvous at a small market just a few blocks from the hotel where we’ve booked you. You’ll make your way to the airport from there. I’ll leave it to you to organize codes and security phrases.

Bond nods.

M:
Any questions?

BOND:
No sir. From my point of view, it should be a piece of cake.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. DOUBLE-O OFFICE – DAY

Loelia Ponsonby looks up from her desk hopefully as Bond reenters the office, beaming.

LOELIA:
My James, you look positively cheerful.

Bond smiles, walks over, and kisses her on the top of the head.

BOND:
Loelia, as soon as I get back, I’m taking you to dinner.

Smiling, he leaves her in a state of shock. She watches him leave the office, a smile slowly etching onto her face.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE HEADQUARTERS, CENTRAL HALL – NIGHT

HYPERTEXT: TUESDAY – 12:45 AM
VOLGOGRAD

The single, slender figure of a woman slips down the hallway of a quiet building. She ducks into a doorway as a dozing guard passes by, and then heads for a doorway at the end of the hall.

INT. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE HQ, OPERATIONS ROOM - NIGHT

The woman shuts the door quietly behind her as she enters the deserted office. The beautiful SOLANGE sits hurriedly at one of the high-tech computers and inserts a portable drive into one of the slots in the computer. She looks at the clock on the wall—12:56 AM.

CUT TO:
INT. CASINO – NIGHT

Through the curling cigarette smoke and the high-class cacophony of talking, laughing bodies, we can clearly discern the late-night drama of an expensive casino.

We pan over the action of the casino, settling on a popular card table where JAMES BOND, in an impeccable tuxedo, is playing BACCARAT with a snooty looking banker.

Bond takes a sip of his cocktail and places a large stack of hundred mille plaques on the center of the table, next to an equally large stack.

BOND:
Banco.

CROUPIER:
(to the crowd)
Banco of 20,000 Euros…

The banker deals out the cards. He looks at his own and looks up at Bond, who looks glances down only briefly.

BOND:
Card.

The banker deals out a fifth card-a 9. The crowd murmurs. Bond makes no expression, merely looking up at the banker.

The banker throws down his cards first—an 8 and a 10.

CROUPIER:
Eight at the bank.

The banker looks up at Bond, confident that he has beaten him. Bond looks down briefly and, with a disdainful gesture, throws down two queens.

CROUPIER:
Nine—Table wins.

Grinning subtly despite the surprised murmuring of the crowd, Bond gathers in his winnings—a hefty stack of hundred mille plaques—and stands up from his seat, handing them to a clerk standing nearby.

BOND:
Have those changed, will you?

CUT TO:

EXT. CASINO ENTRANCE – NIGHT

Bond strolls out the double doors of the casino entrance, tipping the doorman and standing momentarily at the front of the grand carport as a shining, battleship-gray ASTON MARTIN DBS, lithe as a panther, pulls up underneath the canopy. Bond trades a tip for his keys and slides in the gleaming machine, quickly speeding off and onto the main road.

CUT TO:

INT. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE HQ, OPERATIONS ROOM - NIGHT

Solange continues working through hack after hack on the computer. She checks the clock again—1:00 AM. She reaches for her cell phone.

CUT TO:



INT. ASTON MARTIN – NIGHT

Bond takes his eyes off the road for a split second to answer a jingle in his pocket. He takes out his cell phone and reads the text message he’s just received:

PACKAGE UNDER DELIVERY
ETA: 20 MINUTES

Satisfied, he puts the cell phone away before reaching down and race-changing the car to another gear.

EXT. ROADWAY – NIGHT

Gathering speed, the Aston hurtles past us, scattering a bunch of fallen leaves in its wake.

CUT TO:

EXT. HOTEL ROAD – NIGHT

The Aston rounds a corner in front of us and slows down as it moves past us, pulling into the parking lot of a large, expensive-looking hotel.

EXT. HOTEL PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Bond gets out and strolls up to the front entrance.

INT. HOTEL LOBBY – NIGHT

Bond walks right past the front desk, nodding to the pretty clerk behind the desk, and heads straight for the stairs.

CUT TO:

INT. HOTEL, 6TH FLOOR HALLWAY – NIGHT

Bond enters the hallway and quickly scans the area. Just as he comes upon his door, he reaches into his jacket.

INT. HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT

We see the door of the room swing open quickly, with Bond standing statuesque on the threshold, gun in hand.

He closes the door and sets his gun on the nightstand as he begins a quick but thorough check of the room.

He examines the handles on his closet and drawers, and picks up his briefcase from beside the dresser and inspects it under the light.

Satisfied, he takes a bottle of vodka from the mini bar and, sniffing it first, pours himself a generous portion. He sets it aside a moment before reaching for the phone and dialing room service.

BOND:
Room Service...Dinner for one...yes...a single serving of caviar, a small tournedos, underdone, with sauce Bearnaise, and a Coeur d’artichaut. And half an avocado pear, with French dressing...Champagne, please...the Tattinger 45...thank you.

He takes off his jacket and tosses it on the bed as he goes out on the settee and sits with his drink.

CUT TO:

INT. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE HQ, OPERATIONS ROOM - NIGHT

Solange stares at her computer.

We see the screen:

TRANSFER COMPLETE

She removes the portable drive from the computer and quickly gets up and heads for the door.

CUT TO:

INT. SECURITY ROOM – NIGHT

The image of the computer transfer is replicated on the screen of a computer analyst who turns and speaks Russian to an authoritative figure, the senior officer.

The man turns and walks through a door into the adjacent room, where a Russian General sits at a table with his hands folded.

OFFICER:
(In Russian)
We’ve found the leak.

CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT

James Bond sets down his drink to answer his ringing phone. His takes a look at the text message:

PACKAGE DELIVERED
RENDEZVOUS FOR DEPARTURE

----------------------------------------------------------------------

That's all for now. If nothing else, I would like this to be a completed fan fiction for everyone here to enjoy. At the very best, I'll be able to make the film, once I have some time off from college.

I'm also not 100% confident on the title. Any thoughts on that would be appreciated.

Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions at all, do not hesitate to give them. Thanks!

[coco1997]

Very nice!

It's hard to tell exactly where the plot will be going, but the writing style is just fine. I also can't wait to see what you've cooked up for the PTS.

You said that you might even plan on filming this--I assume this means that the story on a whole is meant to realistic and low-key?

[Austin]

Oh very much so. Not as much for the sake of budget as for the sake of Fleming's quiet kind of style. But the finale has a lot of built up tension that I'm hoping is reflected at least a bit here in the excerpt.

I'm glad you think the plot path is vague at this point, as I don't want the major conflict to be clear until it actually arises.

I'm struggling to come up with a PTS that satisfies me. Right now my thoughts are straying toward one of the stories Bond told of his first two kills in the literary version of Casino Royale. That would be simple enough. And it would be a good tie in to the theme that will come across as the plot develops...to be a bit more specific than I would like, I'm working with the following two themes in this story: "Peace comes at a cost" and "In war, no one is innocent." In a very rough draft of the PTS, I have Bond's victim saying, "You are cold, ruthless, and a killer when needed. No one can deny you that. But would you kill an innocent man to keep the peace?"

Thanks very much for your thoughts.

Any others?

[coco1997]

I remember one of the threads which asked, "What if Roger Moore did Casino Royale"?

Here was a PTS idea someone had for that very thought:

New York. A younger looking Moore is sneaking around the RCA building in New York. He is seen setting up his silenced rifle. We cut away to a group of Japanese businessmen talking. All leave but one. Bond knows what he has to do. He shoots his target in the head as ordered. He later finds his way to Stockholm where he interrogates an EX MI-6 businessman and has a few drinks with him, talking him up and pretending to be his friend. "Well Mr. Sterling, you are a very charming man. But you are obviously new to this business, so why would Universal Exports send you here to confront me?" Then BAM! He pulls out his Walther and shoots the guy in the head.
Bond: "Because nobody does it better."

Perhaps something similar to that could work?

[Austin]

Hmm! I like that!

Especially the first section. I think if I did the second part now, it would resemble CR's own PTS now, but if I simply changed around a few details, that could very well work!

Thank you very much!

Any other thoughts/questions? Anyone?

[coco1997]

Any more work done on this?

[Austin]

I'm working through the finale. I'll post the whole thing once I'm all finished.

I was sort of hoping to get some more feedback from lots of people, but if this is it, I may try to have it done within the week.

Thanks for the interest, coco1997!

[coco1997]

My pleasure, Austin. Like all of us here, I'm an aspiring writer, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

[Austin]

Thanks! I'll have it up as soon as I can.

[Austin]

More! I've done a bit of revising, but I'll post the changes when I put up the entire script. For now, enjoy the exciting development in Bond's latest mission to Russia...



INT. HOTEL ROOM – CONTINUOUS

Bond cocks back the slide of his pistol and slips it into his shoulder holster. He slides his jacket back on, checking in the mirror to make sure the gun doesn’t show beneath his suit.

Satisfied, he grabs his briefcase and exits the suite.

CUT TO:

EXT. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE HQ, OPERATIONS ROOM – NIGHT

SOLANGE exits the Russian Headquarters, looking around suspiciously as she walks down the alleyway.

As she walks out of our view, we see a dark figure peek around a corner, watching her.

CUT TO:

EXT. PUBLIC MARKET – NIGHT

Bond’s Aston slows to a stop outside the intricate network of buildings that make up the Old Russian Market. He gets out and, lighting a cigarette, begins walking down the wide main street littered with empty vending carts and window stores.

CUT TO:

INT. DARK ROOM – NIGHT

Four men in civilian clothes prepare for a tactical strike.

A suppressor is screwed onto a pistol. The handles of a garrote are tightened and checked. A small machine pistol is stowed into a jacket’s deep pockets.

CUT TO:

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM – CONTINUOUS

The Russian Senior Officer appears at the door again, and speaks to the Russian General.

OFFICER:
(In Russian)
They’re ready.

GENERAL:
(In Russian)
Find who sent her here. Keep her alive. Without proof, we have nothing.

The officer nods and quickly leaves the room.

CUT TO:

INT. VOLGOGRAD ALLEYWAYS – NIGHT

Solange rounds a corner of the alleyway, checking her phone as she walks. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots a reflection in a nearby window.

Someone is watching her.

Swallowing, she keeps walking and rounds another corner, where she stands against the wall, hesitant to move.

CUT TO:
EXT. PUBLIC MARKET – NIGHT

A spent cigarette drops next to multiple others at James Bond’s feet. He looks around, checking his watch. He takes another cigarette from his case, then—-

RING.

He checks his phone. Another text message:

BEING FOLLOWED

Bond looks up.

Runs.

CUT TO:

INT. OFFICE – NIGHT

BILL TANNER looks up from his paperwork to answer his phone.

TANNER:
Chief of Staff.

CUT TO:

EXT. PUBLIC MARKET – NIGHT

Bond sprints down the alleyway, talking on his phone.

BOND:
Tanner! Get to M’s office right now and get someone listening in on the Russian security channels! I think our double is blown.

CUT TO:

INT. OFFICE – NIGHT

Tanner scrambles out of his chair and hurries out of the office.

TANNER:
Christ James, what’s happened?
CUT TO:

EXT. PUBLIC MARKET – NIGHT

BOND:
She’s got someone on her tail. Call me back when you have something.

He shuts his phone and sprints the rest of the way to the Aston Martin.

He leaps into the car, instantly starting the engine. The big engine roars to life and Bond rounds the curb and the car hurls itself back onto the street and off into the night.

CUT TO:

EXT. ALLEYSIDE STREET – NIGHT

An anonymous car pulls up at the mouth of an alleyway and the four Russian assassins quietly get out and close in on the alleyway.

A fifth man appears, the fifth assassin. The man who was following Solange. The assassins speak hurriedly in quiet Russian for a moment before spreading out and heading into the alley.

CUT TO:

EXT. ROAD – NIGHT

Bond’s Aston speeds past at 90 MPH.

INT. ASTON MARTIN – CONTINUOUS

Bond’s phone rings and he picks it up instantly.

BOND:
Tanner?

CUT TO:



INT. M’S OFFICE – NIGHT

Tanner, M, and the PRIME MINISTER of England are grouped around the speaker phone on M’s desk, all of them looking beleaguered.

TANNER:
James, we just picked up on the Russians’ communications. They have Solange cornered and they’ve sent a unit to the lower district to recover her.

BOND:
How much time?

TANNER:
Minutes. Maybe.

M:
Bond, you’ve got to get her out of there!

CUT TO:

INT. ASTON MARTIN – NIGHT

Bond shuts his phone, his face set. He punches the throttle. Race-changes to another gear.

EXT. ROAD – CONTINUOUS

The car roars past us one more time.

CUT TO:

INT. M’S OFFICE – NIGHT

The Prime Minister turns to M, looking severely forlorn.

PRIME MINISTER:
What the bloody hell does he plan to do?

M:
What I sent him to do.

Edited by Austin, 01 October 2008 - 05:49 AM.

[Austin]

Sorry to double post but I forgot to add something.

I've got an entire possible cast put together of people are definates for the roles if I can get everything else together. I'll put my picture up here, as I'll be playing the part of Bond...

[Austin]

The finished script is posted! Enjoy! And PLEASE give feedback!

[Qwerty]

Added a discussion link to the story for ya.

[Austin]

Thank you!

[coco1997]

Great work, Austin. It made for a nice, quick read. I was actually expecting this to be a full-length script, but I can't see it extending much further beyond what it is now. In fact, the entire plot could be condensed into a PTS-length introduction to a film. However, in prelude to all the action you added all the great 1960's Bond touches, including a smoky casino scene and a scene where Bond checks his hotel room for bugs. Nice work.

Do you plan on adding a PTS-type scene? I noticed you mentioned that the "title sequence" is not yet placed--do you intend on using an idea akin to what we discussed earlier on, which would be reminiscent of the "Casino Royale" PTS?

[Austin]

Thank you very much!

Yes, I actually wrote the PTS about an hour after I posted the finished script. It is very similar to the ideas we discussed, but I think I may keep it under wraps, for the sake of some sort of anticipation for the film if I ever get to make it. The way I wrote it led to a small rewrite of the ending that sort of ties the whole thing together. It actually works very well.

Thanks for the input, and yes I only meant for this to be a short, low-key Fleming-style short that reflected a lot of his work, so in that sense, I think it was a success.

[Austin]

Did a quick poster mock up last night, using a Craig image. See what you think.
I'm kind of a graffiti style fan...

Edited by Austin, 08 October 2008 - 01:30 AM.

[Qwerty]

Did a quick poster mock up last night, using a Craig image. See what you think.
I'm kind of a graffiti style fan...

Works quite well, in my opinion. Nice work.

[Austin]

Hey thanks!