19 replies to this topic

[DamnCoffee]

Peter Morgan is a great writer, and I have faith that he will deliver a truly fantastic Bond 23.

Just a question though, would you like future Bond movies to hire British talent to write the script, or International writers, just give the movie a foreign flavour?

If we had another british writer, I wouldn't mind STEVEN MOFFAT to have a go. His work on DOCTOR WHO, is among the best in the new series, Imo. Now, I know Bond isn't science fiction, but I do think that Moffat has a great imagination, and we all know that imagination is the key to a great Bond movie.


Thoughts?

[Loomis]

Peter Morgan is a great writer, and I have faith that he will deliver a truly fantastic Bond 23.

I don't. Because the final "script" (if such a thing will ever exist in physical form) is likely be a mishmash of Morgan, Purvis, Wade and "dialogue polisher" like Joshua Zetumer. The director will also stick his oar in and create heaven knows how many changes to Morgan's baby, and no doubt Broccoli and Wilson will also be all over the thing like a rash.

Morgan may well be a great writer (I haven't seen enough of his work to comment, really), but on BOND 23 he's just a cog in the wheel who's doing some expensive hackwork.

If what Zorin says is true (and I'm sure it is), it's perfectly normal for a Bond film to be subjected to multiple major rewrites even during the shooting process. Which must be incredibly frustrating to novice screenwriters, who are endlessly told how their spec scripts must be perfect and flawless and mindblowing, dotting every "i" and crossing every "t", while on the other hand it seems that those at the top of the profession can get away with murder! ("No ending? Never mind, we'll start filming and think of something later. The dialogue doesn't work? Hell, we're hire someone to polish it." It sometimes appears as though the likes of Paul Haggis just make it up as they go along - for multimillion-dollar fees - and are bailed out by other writers if they fail to deliver.)

(But I do, of course, realise the massive differences between a guy on his own trying to get a foothold in "the industry" and a major Hollywood project like Bond.)

Just a question though, would you like future Bond movies to hire British talent to write the script, or International writers, just give the movie a foreign flavour?

Don't care. If he were to write a good enough script, I'd be quite happy for a writer in the Philippines without any English to write it in Tagalog and have it translated.

[The Shark]

Just a question though, would you like future Bond movies to hire British talent to write the script, or International writers, just give the movie a foreign flavour?

British or Anglo-American (whatever that means). Whether you like it or not, Fleming's Bond is a British imperialist, and the books are entirely Anglo-Centric, and revolve around the lead English antagonist. Fleming got his foreign flavour from visiting and reviewing countries for papers and journals, but kept it entirely from his point of view.

[Loomis]

Just a question though, would you like future Bond movies to hire British talent to write the script, or International writers, just give the movie a foreign flavour?

British or Anglo-American (whatever that means). Whether you like it or not, Fleming's Bond is a British imperialist, and the books are entirely Anglo-Centric, and revolve around the lead English antagonist.

Why would that rule out a writer who wasn't British or "Anglo-American", though? Besides, we're talking about the films, not the books.

[The Shark]

Just a question though, would you like future Bond movies to hire British talent to write the script, or International writers, just give the movie a foreign flavour?

British or Anglo-American (whatever that means). Whether you like it or not, Fleming's Bond is a British imperialist, and the books are entirely Anglo-Centric, and revolve around the lead English antagonist.

Why would that rule out a writer who wasn't British or "Anglo-American", though? Besides, we're talking about the films, not the books.

In my opinion, they sure stay as similar as possible, with a few differences here and there.

Edited by The Shark, 24 August 2009 - 07:31 PM.

[dinovelvet]

Martin McDonagh, acclaimed British playwright and writer/director of IN BRUGES, which earned him an original screenplay Oscar nomination for his troubles.

[Captain Tightpants]

I'll stick my hand up. I might be Australian as opposed to British, but we put the Queen on our coins, so it should be good enough.

I don't think my job application is without precedent. I did screenwriting last semester, and I have this lecturer who is notoriously difficult to please to thepoint where it's almost ridiculous; he always demands more, more and more. He's been in the business for years, pitched dozens of scripts both here and in England before taking up teaching.

Last semester I scored the first high distinction he has ever given. No-one else was within ten marks of me - no-one got a distinction; the closest was a credit - and the only points I lost were on technical details (like page numbering because Microsoft Word makes you jump through fiery hoops to make the second page of a document numbered as page one), and during the pitch phase, he didn't think my idea was all that workable. So yeah, I was more than happy with that.

[Loomis]

I did screenwriting last semester, and I have this lecturer who is notoriously difficult to please to thepoint where it's almost ridiculous; he always demands more, more and more. He's been in the business for years, pitched dozens of scripts both here and in England before taking up teaching.

Has he not actually sold any scripts? I suspect a case of: those who can, do - those who can't, teach.

Also, I don't understand why page numbering should be of any importance whatsoever until one's script is 100% (or as near to 100% as it's ever gonna get) ready for the marketplace. Your teacher sounds like the kind of guy who rambles on about the importance of novice screenwriters using Final Draft without telling them that by far the most important things are passion and imagination.

Congrats on your high marks, though.

[Captain Tightpants]

I did screenwriting last semester, and I have this lecturer who is notoriously difficult to please to thepoint where it's almost ridiculous; he always demands more, more and more. He's been in the business for years, pitched dozens of scripts both here and in England before taking up teaching.

Has he not actually sold any scripts? I suspect a case of: those who can, do - those who can't, teach.

He's sold several, but as is the case with most screenwriters, the number that go unsold far outweigh the number that do. He moved to teaching when a guy with the same surname - and it's an uncommon one - produced a film called Under the Lighthouse Dancing that was so very poor that my lecturer couldn't sell another because of the stigma associated with it.

Also, I don't understand why page numbering should be of any importance whatsoever until one's script is 100% (or as near to 100% as it's ever gonna get) ready for the marketplace. Your teacher sounds like the kind of guy who rambles on about the importance of novice screenwriters using Final Draft without telling them that by far the most important things are passion and imagination.

The objective was to produce a script that was ready for the marketplace. One that we could walk into a studio and pitch tomorrow. I got 95/100 for the actual script; the technical marks I lost were for page numbers, a missing (CONTINUED) marker and the odd spelling mistake (like the difference between wont and won't). Yes, he's pendantic, but we got a marking sheet and 90 of the 100 marks on offer stemmed from imagination. He made it pretty clear at the beginning that if you didn't have passion and imagination - among other things like the ability to write - there was very little that could be taught.

[Captain Tightpants]

I'm bumping this thread because I just found someone who I think would be a really great fit for the franchise - especially for people who want a taught and gritty thriller rather than actionpalooza. His name is Will Beall, and he's currently writing for the TV series "Castle" with Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic (Corinne in QUANTUM OF SOLACE). He's got to be one of the senior writers, because he's handling the series' major plot thread, and it's one of the best mysteries on any television show at the moment: the identity of the person who killed Stana Katic's mother. Check out the episodes "Sucker Punch" (season 2), "Knockdown" and "Knockout" (season 3). A hell of a lot happens (watch an episode of "Castle" and an episode of "The Mentalist"; they're the same length, but twice as much happens in the average episode of "Castle").

[tdalton]

I'd be all for bringing Beall on board. He'd probably do quite a bit towards giving us some truly great original characters in the Bond films again, as he's crafted two of the best characters on TV in Rick Castle and Kate Beckett.

Hopefully he'd be able to convince EON to bring back Stana Katic for a bigger role in a future film as well.

[Captain Tightpants]

I don't think Katic should come back. Not as Corinne Veneau. It might lend some continuity to the series, but she served a purpose in QUANTUM OF SOLACE. She doesn't need an expanded role.

And I don't think Beall really crafted both Castle and Beckett. The series was created by Andrew W. Marlowe, so he's the driving force behind it. But Beall is the one trusted with the major plot lines, which is why I'd suggest him.

[MkB]

I'd really like it if Bond became a public domain character, like Sherlock Holmes, so that the Bond novel would become a genre in its own, with variations of its own, to which any interested writer could give a go. There would probably be terrible things, but I trust we would be graced with some gems of a novel.

[Captain Tightpants]

That's more a discussion for the writers subforum, don't you think? We're talking more about writers for films.

[tdalton]

I don't think Katic should come back. Not as Corinne Veneau. It might lend some continuity to the series, but she served a purpose in QUANTUM OF SOLACE. She doesn't need an expanded role.

She absolutely should be brought back to the series, either as Corinne or as a new character. I'm not suggesting she be brought back for the sake of continuity but for the fact that she's a talented actress that the series would benefit from having in a larger role.

And I don't think Beall really crafted both Castle and Beckett. The series was created by Andrew W. Marlowe, so he's the driving force behind it. But Beall is the one trusted with the major plot lines, which is why I'd suggest him.

If he's the writer that's been entrusted with the storyline of Beckett's mother's murder, then he's done quite a bit towards crafting both of those two characters, as that is the storyline that has led to the majority of the character development for both Castle and Beckett. He might not have created the two characters, but if he's the one that's written this particular storyline, he's done the majority of the character development for both of them, as the majority of their relationship as it stands today has been built through the episodes that have dealt directly with the investigation into that particular case.

[Captain Tightpants]

Well, "Sucker Punch" and "Knockdown" were mid-season episodes. "Knockout" was the season three finale. While it's evident that this has been planned for some time - rewatching some episodes shed new light on the actions and reactions of certain characters - I don't think Beall really crafted the characters because those episodes are so recent; "Knockdown" and "Knockout" are really one episode, and while it develops Castle and Beckett somewhat, the other major characters - Ryan, Esposito and Montgomery - are pushed forward by leaps and bounds. Beall simply took what had been established about the Castle-Beckett relationship in previous espiodes, and used it to drive the plot forward. And yes, there will be consequences for the fourth season. But Beall didn't really create them from zero. In fact, he didn't really play a major role in any episodes until he wrote "Sucker Punch". His only contribution before then was "Home is Where the Heart Stops", a stand-alone episode in the first season.

The point I'm rying to make is not about Beall's ability to develop characters, but rather his ability to craft a neat little thriller. If "Sucker Punch", "Knockdown", "Knockout" and whatever resolution they are working towards had been written as a Bond film (with the necessary changes made where appropriate; ie changing corrupt cops to rogue agents), it would no doubt be one of the strongest and best-received in the series.

[tdalton]

[edit]

Edited by tdalton, 09 July 2011 - 09:49 PM.

[brunoman]

Steve Zaillian (American Gangster) or Stephen Gaghan (Syriana) are good choices to write a Bond film in my opinion.

[Captain Tightpants]

Zallian is pretty good, but I find he does tend to produce bloated films. Like in AMERICAN GANGSTER - there was a lot you could cut out without really affecting too much of the story. It also went to a little bit too much trouble to be grounded and gritty and realistic and serious, which I find is the antithesis of going to the cinema.

[mister-white]

The name at the top of my list would have to be Jonathan Nolan. Either partner him up with Purvis & Wade or on his own. Even if we can't get his brother to direct, why should be deprived of a film at least co-written by a Nolan.