57 replies to this topic

[Miles Miservy]

Who misses Moneypenny & Q besides me?

[Jim]

The same people who have already answered this old chestnut in numerous previous threads?

[dinovelvet]

Who misses Moneypenny & Q besides me?

Possibly John Cleese.

[iBond]

Who misses Moneypenny & Q besides me?

I do! I'm curious who that guy was at the beginning of Casino Royale. I'm sure he was a Q-like figure, or someone that worked for Q-Branch anyway...

http://img148.images...3/gadget003.jpg

[jaguar007]

I do! I'm curious who that guy was at the beginning of Casino Royale. I'm sure he was a Q-like figure, or someone that worked for Q-Branch anyway...

I have heard he was a prop guy that they used for that scene. The reason he did not have any dialogue was probably because he was not a member of the SAG.

I have said it before and I will say it again, I won't be upset if MP or Q return, but I won't loose any sleep if they dont. Neither character were as big in the novels as they were in the films, and I thing the reason the public loves them is because of Maxwell and Llewellyn. Neither Bliss, Bond or Cleese really did anything to make me want to see the characters continue. I sort of think the characters should have died with the actors.

[elizabeth]

Right here.

[columbo]

I missed everything - the gunbarrel, the pretitle sequence, the famous james bond lines , Q, moneypenny....

[Zographos]

I missed everything - the pretitle sequence

You wouldn't miss so much if you got to the theatre on time!

[Guy Haines]

I have no problem about the return of Q and Moneypenny, but not as they were. Since the Craig era is a "reboot", "retcon" or whatever they call these things, why not "introduce" them? Along with Loelia Ponsonby, Bond's personal secretary?

Simply bringing back Q and his gadgets as if CR/QoS had never happened wouldn't fit the way things are now with the series. Similarly Moneypenny. Instead,it would be interesting to see how they fitted in to Bond's career from the outset. Hence, in this new era, lets see 007's "first encounters" with the Quartermaster, Major Boothroyd, and M's personal assistant.

[Bond_Assassin90]

Well Q-Branch was mentioned in the Bond game Bloodstone so given the amount of time that's passed since QOS, it'd make sense for Q-Branch to atleast have some sort of presence.

[univex]

Jeremy Clarkson as M, James May as Q, and Richard Hammond as Monney...dime?

Sorry, just had a very dull morning

[AMC Hornet]

I've been watching Alan Cummings host Mystery on PBS lately, and I wonder how he would be as 'Q' or Boothroyd? He's the right age now, and I like his own, northern accent.

Then again, who was the bloke in the brown jacket and spectacles who told M about the marked money in QoS? He must have come from Q branch.

EON seems to be making an effort to keep the support characters to a minimum, and minimizing their roles. Villiers in CR was forgettable, as was Tanner in QoS (what was he doing accompanying M to Bolivia? Who was running MI6 with them both absent? Robinson seems to have disappeared with Brosnan's timeline).

[David_M]

How about Sheriff JW Pepper? They could get Larry the Cable Guy for it.

[Guy Haines]

How about Sheriff JW Pepper? They could get Larry the Cable Guy for it.

Surely you jest! And supposing the next film isn't set in Louisiana? How about this suggestion for a scene? Pepper just happens to be on foreign holiday, where he just happens to be in a foreign car showroom, which just happens to sell cars he could easily try out back home, and he just happens to be sitting in said American car, and who just happens to rush in but a British agent who just happens to need a car to chase after a villain! As if they could get away with such a scene, even in a Bond film!

"Just happens" I suppose!

[DaveBond21]

First of all, I am a fan of Moneypenny and Q. And I feel there was no need to replace them with Villiers and nameless Q-like characters in CR and QOS. The guy in CR who puts the microchip into Bond’s hand could easily be Q, as could the geeky guy who briefs M on Le Chiffre’s money. To me, both or either of these could have been identified as Q. My point is that Q doesn’t need to be comic relief, or a gadgetmaster, he could simply be in the background with maybe a line or two.

I don’t see it as a big deal but at the same time, I don’t agree with replacing these characters with boring, faceless guys as we’ve had in the last 2 movies.

[Captain Tightpants]

First of all, I am a fan of Moneypenny and Q. And I feel there was no need to replace them with Villiers and nameless Q-like characters in CR and QOS.

There was every reason - the producers wanted to focus on the origin of Bond. They didn't want to get distracted by drawing attention to other characters.

[Captain Tightpants]

A thought occurred to me earlier today. We're all talking about bringing back the likes of Moneypenny and Q, but they're not the only beloved characters who could return - how about bringing back Marc-Ange Draco?

As much as I dislike OHMSS, Draco was one of my favourite aspects of the film. I just wish they'd done him a little more justice; he was the head of the Unione Corse, and had the knowledge crucial to locating Blofeld, but he kind of just ... appeared. For someone so powerful and so pivotal, he had no presence from DN to YOLT. If Saltzmann and Broccoli knew they were going to adapt OHMSS at some point, you'd think they'd have made passing references to Draco before then. But, nevermind. It doesn't diminish from his character in OHMSS. But since we're in a new timeline, perhaps he could be brought back in some form. And Tracy could eventually be written into a future film. Then, after she dies, I could see Draco shift from ally to enemy, trying to kill Bond because he blames Bond for tracy's death. I could even see a subplot coming up where Rene Mathis was given order to mislead Bond in Montenegro and sent to Talamone to keep an eye on Draco's activities (we need to explain Mathis' loyalties changing on demand somehow).

But mostly, I just think it would be nice to have a recurring character outside MI6, someone who can indirectly tie all the films together.

[00Kevin]

A thought occurred to me earlier today. We're all talking about bringing back the likes of Moneypenny and Q, but they're not the only beloved characters who could return - how about bringing back Marc-Ange Draco?

As much as I dislike OHMSS, Draco was one of my favourite aspects of the film. I just wish they'd done him a little more justice; he was the head of the Unione Corse, and had the knowledge crucial to locating Blofeld, but he kind of just ... appeared. For someone so powerful and so pivotal, he had no presence from DN to YOLT. If Saltzmann and Broccoli knew they were going to adapt OHMSS at some point, you'd think they'd have made passing references to Draco before then. But, nevermind. It doesn't diminish from his character in OHMSS. But since we're in a new timeline, perhaps he could be brought back in some form. And Tracy could eventually be written into a future film. Then, after she dies, I could see Draco shift from ally to enemy, trying to kill Bond because he blames Bond for tracy's death. I could even see a subplot coming up where Rene Mathis was given order to mislead Bond in Montenegro and sent to Talamone to keep an eye on Draco's activities (we need to explain Mathis' loyalties changing on demand somehow).

But mostly, I just think it would be nice to have a recurring character outside MI6, someone who can indirectly tie all the films together.

mmm, bringing draco back out be pretty cool i really like the idea of dropping hints about him, then have the film with tracy and ultimately he turns against bond (which reminds me somewhat of never dream of dying)

EoN would never go for it, but it would be awesome to have tracy in a new film, not a remake of ohmss, but a retelling of her subplot within a new story. while plots are never to be recycled, I think established franchises have key moments that should be revisited with every retelling of the characters history because it is a part of who they are (for example, batman universes always start with his parents being murdered, ultimately he must confront the joker and eventually he will become a father figure) In any incarnation of james bond, key moments that must be a part of the lore are (in my opinion) becoming a 00, vesper, felix losing his leg and tracy. i hope this paragraph wasn't too confusing.

EoN won't do it for 2 reasons: I doubt they will 'recycle' ANYTHING and they already had the 'bond falling in love but she dies and he goes out for revenge' plot for vesper.

as a total fan boy i love to see recurring characters. I was thrilled that casino royale brought felix back and even more thrilled that Rene Mathis finally got into the films after a waiting nearly a half century. I was however disappointed that he was killed off (and the nature in which he was killed off), early fleming novels and recent official novels (NDOD, DMC, carte blanche) portray Mathis as a long time friend and ally of bond (ala felix) and I was hoping the films would implement this as well

as far as explaining mathis' loyalties in the films, i was confused but in hindsight i think Le Chiffre was lying about Mathis being a double. the reason he did this is because just in case bond didn't die, or if he chose to let bond go in the end, there would be no risk of exposing vesper because his suspicions would be solely on mathis. this explanation makes the most sense and I've also got a pro-mathis bias because i'm a fan of him from the books

[Captain Tightpants]

This is how I'd re-write Draco:

In the 1970s and 1980s, organised crime in Europe was largely controlled by two families. One of these families was home to Marc-Ange Draco, a Kalderash Romani (a gypsy) whose family fled eastern Europe following Stalin's crackdown on the roma people. Draco rose to power in his organisation, with the two families largely respecting one another's territory. But when the Cold War ended, Europe was swamped by criminals from the former USSR and as far away as China and South America, and it became a fight for survival between the two families. They have largely subsided from the public eye, but their private war continues. In 2011, Marc-Ange Draco is one of the few survivors from his family, living in India where he controls a zhopadpatti, an organised slum. He has never met his daughter, choosing instead to keep her at arm's length for her own safety; she has no idea is is the heir to a decaying criminal empire.

Draco asks Bond to keep an eye on Tracy. He knows of Bond through Rene Mathis; during CASINO ROYALE, Mathis was under orders to make Bond believe he had betrayed him. Mathis would be taken into custody, disgraced, and cut loose. He would be relocated to Talamone, to try and locate Tracy, who MI6 want to find in order to bring down both Draco and his rivals. QUANTUM OF SOLACE also makes it pretty clear that Rene Mathis is a cover name, so there could be some mystery as to who he really is. Possibly with the villains using the name Rene Mathis to taunt Bond.

[AMC Hornet]

If Saltzmann and Broccoli knew they were going to adapt OHMSS at some point, you'd think they'd have made passing references to Draco before then.

But mostly, I just think it would be nice to have a recurring character outside MI6, someone who can indirectly tie all the films together.

What about Felix?

And if you think B&S should have set up Draco in earlier films, then the same can be said for any other subsequent character - Scaramanga, Mary Goodnight, Columbo...

This is the Bond universe we're talking about. In Doctor Who they can spend an entire series setting up characters for the next series, and I love the way they do that, but I don't expect it with Bond. Once Bond leaves MI6 HQ for his mission he meets new allies and enemies, and I like it that way.

I'm amazed that Cubby used Lois and Des for so long, and I'm not surprised that he replaced Lois when he did. John Cleese's reappearance as Q was a tribute to ol' Des, and if the series had continued with Pierce I would have enjoyed seeing him again, but that was not to be. As it is, just get 007 briefed and out of the building.

...And for God's sake, M, stop following him around - you have a service to run.

Edited by AMC Hornet, 02 September 2011 - 02:56 AM.

[Pussfeller]

What I'd really like is a lot less M. And less of MI6 in general. In particular, no more of the constant cutting back to mission control, as if Bond is some sort of robot being operated by remote control. I'd much rather have one MI6 scene (or contiguous collection of scenes) toward the beginning of the film, and then nothing but "Bond in the field" for the remainder of the mission. Ever since TWINE, M has been vastly overused. I guess they're afraid to cut back her role, so with each film they keep topping themselves, giving her more and more to do. It was already ridiculous in TWINE. Now it's just tiresome.

How about the most important (and beloved) Bond ingredient of all: a strong, memorable villain? All the Boothroyds and Ponsonbys in the world can't make up for the absence of a proper villain.

[Captain Tightpants]

What about Felix?

Felix, I think, hasn't quite been used properly. Especially in the later films, like TLD. And my concern is that he will be over-used in the future. He was the voice of reason in QUANTUM OF SOLACE, the one person who didn't fall for Greene's charms and openly questioned his value. But at the end of the film, he was promoted to section chief of South America. With BOND 23 going to India and Africa, there is no real reason for Leiter to appear (unless he either gets reassigned again, or finds a connection to South America).

I'm not saying they should stop using Leiter - I rather like Jeffrey Wright in the role - but there are other characters out there who could serve as allies to Bond. Bring back Marc-Ange Draco in some capacity, or Anatol Gogol, or even Milos Colombous.

[AMC Hornet]

With BOND 23 going to India and Africa, there is no real reason for Leiter to appear (unless he either gets reassigned again, or finds a connection to South America).

Bring back Marc-Ange Draco in some capacity, or Anatol Gogol, or even Milos Colombous.

Felix made his way from Jamaica to Miami to Nassau to L.A. to Las Vegas to New York to New Orleans to San Monique to Tangiers to Key West. I don't think it's a great stretch for him to get from Montenegro to Bolivia to South Africa (Wade: "You know the world is my office").

And if a character like Marc-Ange, Gogol or Colombo were to appear, it would not of course be so much a case of bringing them 'back' as introducing them again for the first time.

This does sound like Doctor Who....

Edited by AMC Hornet, 02 September 2011 - 03:52 AM.

[Captain Tightpants]

Well, kind of. But I think having more than the core set of characters - Bond, Leiter, M, Moneypenny, Q - return would be a good idea. They wouldn't have to return in every film; they could just pop up now and again to aid Bond when needed. Babs has already suggested Camille Montes could return to BOND 23 in a small role, so why not take some of the better-known characters?

[DaveBond21]

What I'd really like is a lot less M. And less of MI6 in general. In particular, no more of the constant cutting back to mission control, as if Bond is some sort of robot being operated by remote control. I'd much rather have one MI6 scene (or contiguous collection of scenes) toward the beginning of the film, and then nothing but "Bond in the field" for the remainder of the mission. Ever since TWINE, M has been vastly overused. I guess they're afraid to cut back her role, so with each film they keep topping themselves, giving her more and more to do. It was already ridiculous in TWINE. Now it's just tiresome.

How about the most important (and beloved) Bond ingredient of all: a strong, memorable villain? All the Boothroyds and Ponsonbys in the world can't make up for the absence of a proper villain.

I agree. But I think Michael G Wilson is quoted as saying "You don't have a great actress like Judi Dench and give her just a line or two", so while she is M, I think the role will remain expanded.


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[Miles Miservy]

A thought occurred to me earlier today. We're all talking about bringing back the likes of Moneypenny and Q, but they're not the only beloved characters who could return - how about bringing back Marc-Ange Draco?

As much as I dislike OHMSS, Draco was one of my favourite aspects of the film. I just wish they'd done him a little more justice; he was the head of the Unione Corse, and had the knowledge crucial to locating Blofeld, but he kind of just ... appeared. For someone so powerful and so pivotal, he had no presence from DN to YOLT. If Saltzmann and Broccoli knew they were going to adapt OHMSS at some point, you'd think they'd have made passing references to Draco before then. But, nevermind. It doesn't diminish from his character in OHMSS. But since we're in a new timeline, perhaps he could be brought back in some form. And Tracy could eventually be written into a future film. Then, after she dies, I could see Draco shift from ally to enemy, trying to kill Bond because he blames Bond for tracy's death. I could even see a subplot coming up where Rene Mathis was given order to mislead Bond in Montenegro and sent to Talamone to keep an eye on Draco's activities (we need to explain Mathis' loyalties changing on demand somehow).

But mostly, I just think it would be nice to have a recurring character outside MI6, someone who can indirectly tie all the films together.

One of Ray Benson's books (either FACTS OF DEATH or NEVER DREAM OF DYING) has Draco as the villain blaming 007 for his daughter's death and avenging her.

[Captain Tightpants]

Well, I haven't read anything by Benson.

[Guy Haines]

A thought occurred to me earlier today. We're all talking about bringing back the likes of Moneypenny and Q, but they're not the only beloved characters who could return - how about bringing back Marc-Ange Draco?

As much as I dislike OHMSS, Draco was one of my favourite aspects of the film. I just wish they'd done him a little more justice; he was the head of the Unione Corse, and had the knowledge crucial to locating Blofeld, but he kind of just ... appeared. For someone so powerful and so pivotal, he had no presence from DN to YOLT. If Saltzmann and Broccoli knew they were going to adapt OHMSS at some point, you'd think they'd have made passing references to Draco before then. But, nevermind. It doesn't diminish from his character in OHMSS. But since we're in a new timeline, perhaps he could be brought back in some form. And Tracy could eventually be written into a future film. Then, after she dies, I could see Draco shift from ally to enemy, trying to kill Bond because he blames Bond for tracy's death. I could even see a subplot coming up where Rene Mathis was given order to mislead Bond in Montenegro and sent to Talamone to keep an eye on Draco's activities (we need to explain Mathis' loyalties changing on demand somehow).

But mostly, I just think it would be nice to have a recurring character outside MI6, someone who can indirectly tie all the films together.

One of Ray Benson's books (either FACTS OF DEATH or NEVER DREAM OF DYING) has Draco as the villain blaming 007 for his daughter's death and avenging her.

It was "Never Dream Of Dying". Draco is revealed to be related to the villain "Le Gerant", and has turned against Bond not because of Tracy's death but because, at the start of this novel, his new young wife and second daughter are inadvertently killed by Bond during an undercover operation.

It is hinted, though, at the end of the previous novel "Doubleshoot", that Le Gerant is related to someone Corsican, so when Draco turned up in NDOD I wasn't completely surprised. His change of sides was a shame, though. I could never understand why Draco wasn't brought back by Fleming, either to avenge himself on Blofeld or to accuse Bond of failing to protect Tracy. Perhaps if he had lived longer and continued writing the books, Ian Fleming would have found a way to bring about Draco's return.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I thought Le Gerant was Draco's nephew, not Draco himself?

[AMC Hornet]

It was "Never Dream Of Dying". Draco is revealed to be related to the villain "Le Gerant".

It is hinted, though, at the end of the previous novel "Doubleshoot", that Le Gerant is related to someone Corsican.

What's unclear?