43 replies to this topic

[Jim]

How about Bardem's character's father went down on the Belgrano, sunk by false information fed through by M, and now he wants RE-WEN-GE and the castle in Scotland isn't in Scotalns it's actually in the Falklands (which looks a bit like Scotland) - the Skyfalklands- and all sorts of crazy stuff happens? A little bit of politics for you there.

Needlessly political, with a decidedly un-Bondian anti-Thatcher bent.

Probably; but the idea of Scotland playing the Falklands isn't a bad one.

[Guy Haines]

How about Bardem's character's father went down on the Belgrano, sunk by false information fed through by M, and now he wants RE-WEN-GE and the castle in Scotland isn't in Scotalns it's actually in the Falklands (which looks a bit like Scotland) - the Skyfalklands- and all sorts of crazy stuff happens? A little bit of politics for you there.

Needlessly political, with a decidedly un-Bondian anti-Thatcher bent.

Probably; but the idea of Scotland playing the Falklands isn't a bad one.

The idea is no more political than 006's motivation for revenge on England - the handing over to the Russians of the Lienz Cossacks, which reputedly involved a future UK Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan. By the time of Skyfall, the Belgrano decision will be thirty years old.

And why is the idea "un-Bondian"? The idea mentioned here is merely a plot idea, not the basis for an anti-Thatcher polemic, any more than the GoldenEye plot was anti-Churchill or Attlee. Also, I can't help but notice that the overwhelming majority of Bond's arch-adversaries over the years have been very wealthy capitalists. Hardly the motivation of a Thatcherite - Bond works for HM Government, of whatever persuasion. No wonder General Gogol gave him the Order Of Lenin!

[Pussfeller]

I think Argentina would be a very cool setting in its own right, so I'd rather they save it for later. It would be a good one to pair with Australia, New Guinea, etc. An antipodean adventure. Bond has never been to any of those places, and they're ripe with Bondian possibilities. But I guess Argentina is unlikely, given that he visited Bolivia quite recently.

[Skudor]

I actually reckon Fiennes could be Miles Messervy. Sure, the tabloids have talked him up as Blofeld, but they also thought Naomie Harris would be Moneypenny. If they can be wrong about Harris, they can be wrong about Fiennes. And when you think about it, the role of M is "darkly complex" the way the reports talked the role up - he's a man who has to order the deaths of other people, be perfectly willing to send others to their deaths, and (if I'm right about certain other elements of the plot:

Spoiler

He's going to have to rebuild an MI6 devastated by the controversy that ousts Judi Dench's M, and he's going to have to do it while facing intense public and political pressure and scrutiny.

Tell me that's not "darkly complex".

Played with the idea of Fiennes being Messervy myself ever since they didn't want to reveal the character names for Fiennes, Whishaw and Finney, because they'd be to revealing for Bond fans.
Three familiar names. Let's say at least one of them has to be a good guy.
Three options:
1st: One of them is a new M. Whishaw too young, Finney too old - it's Fiennes.
Which means that we've seen the last of Dench's M. And they won't dismiss her in some kind of witch hunt, too important character - she's going to die.
2nd: One of them is the new Q. Finney too old, Fiennes just not the type - it's Whishaw. Could play the nerdy/geeky type, young enough to be a believable gee-whizz kid handling modern technology.
3rd: Whishaw is the new Fiennes M's secretary Sheldon J. Monneypenny. Not very likely, but it's an option.

No real good guy option for Finney, that leaves him as baddie. With Bardem playing the Largo type, he could be Blofeld. Or -dare I say it - Shatterhand...

I wonder how many villain names have been left unused form the Fleming canon. Can't be many. The oh-so secret name could very well be something completely different from the obvious Blofeld/Boothroyd/Messervy.

[Pussfeller]

If it's Ronnie Vallance, it'll be one hell of a let-down.

[WC]

If Blofeld does return and SPECTRE follows suit, should SPECTRE stand for the same things or should it be a different acronym this time?

[Shrublands]

If it's Ronnie Vallance, it'll be one hell of a let-down.

But what if it was very well written?

It’s just the sort of thing they might do at this stage. They’ve made use of René Mathis (and Fidele Barbey was in an early draft of CR too.)

Has anyone considered Sir James Maloney?

Particularly with more of the story going on in Whitehall/London, I could see them using Ronnie Vallance and Maloney. After all, apparently, Bill Tanner is getting a lot more screen time because of this. Why not a few other faces from Fleming’s London?

It could turn out to be rather good with the right script and actors.

[Vauxhall]

They’ve made use of René Mathis (and Fidele Barbey was in an early draft of CR too.)

Never knew that. Very interesting.

I'm starting to come around to the idea of Sir James Moloney in some form, perhaps not as we have previously seen him, but maybe probing the ghosts in M's closet.

[Shrublands]

They’ve made use of René Mathis (and Fidele Barbey was in an early draft of CR too.)

Never knew that. Very interesting.

I'm starting to come around to the idea of Sir James Moloney in some form, perhaps not as we have previously seen him, but maybe probing the ghosts in M's closet.

What about a sort of Cracker for the secret service?

The way the police used Robbie Coltrane’s psychologist for interrogation and profiling in the TV series.

[Miles Miservy]

I actually reckon Fiennes could be Miles Messervy. Sure, the tabloids have talked him up as Blofeld, but they also thought Naomie Harris would be Moneypenny. If they can be wrong about Harris, they can be wrong about Fiennes. And when you think about it, the role of M is "darkly complex" the way the reports talked the role up - he's a man who has to order the deaths of other people, be perfectly willing to send others to their deaths, and (if I'm right about certain other elements of the plot:

Spoiler

He's going to have to rebuild an MI6 devastated by the controversy that ousts Judi Dench's M, and he's going to have to do it while facing intense public and political pressure and scrutiny.

Tell me that's not "darkly complex".

...not complex but, I dare say, bureaucratically boring.

If Blofeld does return and SPECTRE follows suit, should SPECTRE stand for the same things or should it be a different acronym this time?

Kevin McClory still holds the rights to SPECTRE & Blofeld so I don't see them making a reappearance anytime soon.

[tdalton]

I actually reckon Fiennes could be Miles Messervy. Sure, the tabloids have talked him up as Blofeld, but they also thought Naomie Harris would be Moneypenny. If they can be wrong about Harris, they can be wrong about Fiennes. And when you think about it, the role of M is "darkly complex" the way the reports talked the role up - he's a man who has to order the deaths of other people, be perfectly willing to send others to their deaths, and (if I'm right about certain other elements of the plot:

Spoiler

He's going to have to rebuild an MI6 devastated by the controversy that ousts Judi Dench's M, and he's going to have to do it while facing intense public and political pressure and scrutiny.

Tell me that's not "darkly complex".

...not complex but, I dare say, bureaucratically boring.

Agreed.

I can't see Fiennes as Messervey. I don't see how Messervey can fit with the "darkly complex" description we've gotten regarding his character. Like you said, I only see that move as being something that would be a fairly predictable way of setting the series up with a male M should Judi Dench decide not to reprise her role in Bond 24.

Hopefully Fiennes is playing some kind of original character (please, EON, don't have him play Blofeld) that will be a departure from anything we've ever seen in the franchise, and hopefully it will be a character that truly lives up to the description of "darkly complex".

[Vauxhall]

Kevin McClory still holds the rights to SPECTRE & Blofeld so I don't see them making a reappearance anytime soon.

It seems we have this discussion every movie. Does the McClory family actually still hold them? Obviously Kevin McClory doesn't hold them himself, by virtue of being deceased, but I can never remember if the family sold off the rights a few years ago.

[Single-O-Seven]

Kevin McClory still holds the rights to SPECTRE & Blofeld so I don't see them making a reappearance anytime soon.

It seems we have this discussion every movie. Does the McClory family actually still hold them? Obviously Kevin McClory doesn't hold them himself, by virtue of being deceased, but I can never remember if the family sold off the rights a few years ago.

I suspect there are more detailed threads/articles elsehwere on the forum, but I believe everything Bond-related is now accessible to EON, including the distribution of CR 67 and NSNA. Please correct me if I'm wrong; and if you're less lazy, please direct us on where to go to learn more.

[WC]

Kevin McClory still holds the rights to SPECTRE & Blofeld so I don't see them making a reappearance anytime soon.

It seems we have this discussion every movie. Does the McClory family actually still hold them? Obviously Kevin McClory doesn't hold them himself, by virtue of being deceased, but I can never remember if the family sold off the rights a few years ago.

I suspect there are more detailed threads/articles elsehwere on the forum, but I believe everything Bond-related is now accessible to EON, including the distribution of CR 67 and NSNA. Please correct me if I'm wrong; and if you're less lazy, please direct us on where to go to learn more.

That's what I thought, otherwise people wouldn't even be entertaining the idea that Fiennes might be Blofeld if it weren't a legitimate possibility that he could play that character this time round. It certainly would've been shot down more quickly by EON, Fiennes or Wilson/ Brocolli if that had been the case.