60 replies to this topic

[templer1972]

Pierce Brosnan is The November Man
Source: Variety December 14, 2005


Variety reports that Pierce Brosnan will star in The November Man, a thriller based on the Bill Granger novel "There Are No Spies" in his "November Man" series.

Coldly effective but suspicious American spy-runner Hanley inadvertently fouls up a deeply embedded Russian mole's scenario when he warns "sleeping" agent Devereaux ("November") that something has gone amiss in R Section. Rudely forced out of retirement in Lausanne by two hit men, the calm, collected, and utterly cynical Devereaux enlists the aid of former contacts in determining the truth of Hanley's allegation.

A script is in progress and shooting is planned in 2006.

THIS WILL RIVAL CASINO ROYALE.WAY TO GO BROSNAN!

[Loomis]

Where's spynovelfan? Isn't this exactly the kind of thing he's been advocating for Brosnan?

[spynovelfan]

Well. Didn't see that one coming!

There are 20 books in the November Man series. I have the following:

Schism
The Shattered Eye
The British Cross
The Infant Of Prague
The Last Good German
Burning The Apostle

The latter two were my favourites of that lot. I couldn't finish a couple of them, but perhaps I'll go back to them at some point. Some people really rave about this series, but they didn't really do it for me. Perhaps I should read the first one. People tend to go on about how world-weary and cynical Deveraux is, and he certainly has his moments - but sometimes he just seems a bit flat. It's all well-written, with plenty of good spyish stuff - but a lot of it seems very run-of-the-mill and some of the travel stuff a little thin. Not overly dissimilar in feel to Gardner's stuff like GOLGOTHA and CODENAME WEREWOLF. Interesting that it's a series: could someone be trying to set up another franchise? This is indeed what I've been suggesting Brosnan do - but it seems odd to pick a series about an American agent when there are so many British ones from the same era that they could have taken and played to Brosnan's strengths in the marketplace. Or even Irish agents, like John Braine's Roman-Catholic Xavier Flynn. Odd choice, but then Ludlum's Bourne books are pretty dire, and look what happened there.

And what happened to THOMAS CROWN 2? I was rather looking forward to that.

[Alessandra]

Pierce Brosnan is The November Man
Source: Variety December 14, 2005


Variety reports that Pierce Brosnan will star in The November Man, a thriller based on the Bill Granger novel "There Are No Spies" in his "November Man" series.

Coldly effective but suspicious American spy-runner Hanley inadvertently fouls up a deeply embedded Russian mole's scenario when he warns "sleeping" agent Devereaux ("November") that something has gone amiss in R Section. Rudely forced out of retirement in Lausanne by two hit men, the calm, collected, and utterly cynical Devereaux enlists the aid of former contacts in determining the truth of Hanley's allegation.

A script is in progress and shooting is planned in 2006.

THIS WILL RIVAL CASINO ROYALE.WAY TO GO BROSNAN!

this would be awesome! I LOVE Devereaux!
Wow, I didn't imagine my expectations for a spy movie with Pierce outside of Bond would be fulfilled so soon
It does sound great.
and yes.. way to go!

Edited by Alessandra, 14 December 2005 - 11:30 AM.

[Niwram]

NOOOO!! I don't want anything to rival Casino royale!! Zencat said that if CR fails, there may be no Bond 22, and I believe (almost) everything he says!

[Flavius]

This is good news for Brosnan. It will be intriguing to see how his post-007 career goes. We could also see a realistic, gritty brosnan espionage franchise competing with a realistic, gritty craig franchise, whilst competing with a realistic, gritty matt damon franchise!

[Moore Not Less]

And what happened to THOMAS CROWN 2? I was rather looking forward to that.

According to the imdb, The Topkapi Affair (Thomas Crown 2) is scheduled to be released next year. Pierce Brosnan is currently shooting Seraphim Falls. There are also three other films that have been announced in which he is due to appear, Instant Karma, Mexicali, and Butterfly On A Wheel. So, it looks like Brosnan is going to be very busy in the next year or so.

Edited by Moore Not Less, 14 December 2005 - 02:05 PM.

[spynovelfan]

So, it looks like Brosnan is going to be very busy in the next year or so.

WHAT? Does that mean he's going to be Bond?

Sorry - obscure Clive Owen joke there, folks.

[Kingdom Come]

As far as some are concerned, he's yesterday's man.

[David Schofield]

Suppose this "November Man" stuff will enable Brozza to play an older, wiser craggier spy? Presume there's not much action, OTT stunts, bedding young birds, fast cars, exotic locations, one liners, that sort of thing?

Just thought I'd conclude that before somebody suggested this might be Brozza "rivalling/attempting to take on" EON and screw up CR at the box office.

Or is this "November Man" basically just - well - a Bond rip-off?

[spynovelfan]

I suspect they could take the books either way. The Bourne films are nothing like the books, really. I found the November Man books I read fairly standard spy fare - not a lot of explosions and violence and exotic stuff, but there's beautiful women and guns and betrayal. But it's not Graham Greene, either. Still, I'd imagine Brozzers will want it to be bleak and serious and all that.

I'm amazed Alessandra has read this stuff. What's your view of the series, Alessandra? (No need to mention Hugh Jackman in your reply! )

[spynovelfan]

Here's a Publisher's Weekly blurb for one of the books. This is the kind of thing I remember - as I said earlier, it's quite similar to Gardner's non-series work in the 70s and 80s, only a little better written. There always seemed to be Nazis around, too! His research on Brussels in this one was really ladled in - a lot of very obvious stuff about the Flemings and Walloons and a hush-hush meeting in a restaurant on the Grand'Place, which is about the least likely place for it. But then, I live in Brussels.


'The eighth "November Man" novel (There Are No Spies et al.) has colorful characters, a wonderfully complex plot, great pace and some nice throwaway humor. Devereaux, semi-retired from the super-secret "Section," is called back to help deliver a Czech defector in Brussels. On the same day the delivery goes horribly awry, Anna Jelinak, a teenage Czech movie star touring the U.S., sees a TV film of a weeping Infant of Prague statue and she defects on a live Chicago newscast. Devereaux is held by his old, sadistic enemy Col. Ready, who plans to sell the defector, a Prague movie entrepreneur who knows "everything" about everybody, to the Czechs and Devereaux to the Russians. A thuggish, Mob-connected Hollywood producer, obeying the orders of his boss, a vile TV network chairman, has Anna kidnapped, and Devereaux is forced into a deal to rescue her in exchange for his own and his lover Rita's lives. Movie-making in Prague (as a way to launder Mob money and to deal arms to Afghan rebels), CIA corruption, TV network sleaze and secret family ties are all involved and readers will delight in Granger's deft unraveling of the skeins in this terrific page-turner.'

Brosnan does an 80s Dalton Bond movie!

[David Schofield]

Still, I'd imagine Brozzers will want it to be bleak and serious and all that.

Chance to stretch those acting chops, then...

[Alessandra]

[quote name='spynovelfan' date='14 December 2005 - 15:39']I suspect they could take the books either way. The Bourne films are nothing like the books, really. I found the November Man books I read fairly

Edited by Alessandra, 14 December 2005 - 03:46 PM.

[marktmurphy]

Another spy/assassin? Pierce, man; move on! Why does it seem that all of his movies are reactions against his Bond persona? Just do some films- stop trying to hit back at the Bond image, man!

[spynovelfan]

Not too gritty, not too light, not too over the line, but not without surprise effects.

Yeah, that's how I remember them, too: straight down the middle spy stuff. I've no idea why Deveraux is continually referred to as some kind of gritmeister-in-chief - he wasn't anything other than standard for the genre in the ones I read. A bit like saying a detective is melancholic just because he's divorced and drinks Scotch while he listens to jazz at home!

Oh, Hugh Jackman - isn't he gorgeous? They should have picked him to play Deveraux, he'd be perfect!

[Tarl_Cabot]

There ya see Broz, who needs to play Bond after 50?

Good luck with that...I'll check it out for sure.

[David Schofield]

There ya see Broz, who needs to play Bond after 50?

Somebody who would prefer the guaranteed success of an established part at the box office rather than "Who Devereux?"

[Alessandra]

Not too gritty, not too light, not too over the line, but not without surprise effects.

Yeah, that's how I remember them, too: straight down the middle spy stuff. I've no idea why Deveraux is continually referred to as some kind of gritmeister-in-chief - he wasn't anything other than standard for the genre in the ones I read. A bit like saying a detective is melancholic just because he's divorced and drinks Scotch while he listens to jazz at home!

Oh, Hugh Jackman - isn't he gorgeous? They should have picked him to play Deveraux, he'd be perfect!

ROFL
Hugh is gorgeous... yes!
But Brosnan will do! I like him too. (A bit too old for me, but Pierce always gotta be Pierce! )
A very good point on the melancholic detective . and yes we see the books in the same way: it's good spy stuff without over complications or over gritty elements which bother me.
It's a role that Pierce can make his own quite well I think. I'm very curious to see it, especially since he'll be the man starting it, so he won't have to deal with enraged Bond fans accusing him of being the anti-Christ because he's not enough like his predecessor Sean Connery who set the standards for the role! lol
Kidding aside, the book the film is based on is very good in my opinion, so the film looks very promising

[MarcAngeDraco]

I'm not fmailiar with the November Man books.

Should I just pick up "There Are No Spies", or is there a more logical starting point?...

[Genrewriter]

Sounds interesting. Looks like November 2006 will probably leave me with less money than usual.

[Alessandra]

I'm not fmailiar with the November Man books. 

Should I just pick up "There Are No Spies", or is there a more logical starting point?...

well, "There Are No Spies" isn't the first book, the first one is "the November man" and was published back in 1979... but I would say that "There Are No Spies" is one of the best reads, and a good start for a Bond fan, since it does have quite a few Bondian elements to it.
I would pick it up.. and that way you'll be ready for the movie!

[SeanValen00V]

All these projects of Mr Brosnan have me pretty excited about, to a point where I'm forgetting about Bond and seeing him as the actor that he is, something the bond producers never did, but he's out and he's free and he's showing us!!Go Pierce GO

[Qwerty]

Sounds like it could be pretty good; I love thrillers.

It looks like Brosnan is going to be very busy soon.

[MarcAngeDraco]

well, "There Are No Spies" isn't the first book, the first one is "the November man" and was published back in 1979... but I would say that "There Are No Spies" is one of the best reads, and a good start for a Bond fan, since it does have quite a few Bondian elements to it.
I would pick it up.. and that way you'll be ready for the movie!

Thanks for the advice Alessandra!

[TheSaint]

So much for Pierce's post-Bond career sucking wind.

[ChandlerBing]

I love the sound of what Pierce is doing. Not crazy about the villain stuff, but hey, he's an actor, he's gotta do what he has to do.

[Alex Zamudio]

As far as some are concerned, he's yesterday's man.

Yesterday's Bond you must mean, but today a cool and interesting actor!

Way to go Pierce, I hope these are not just rumors...

[templer1972]

Im looking forward to it.This could be a new franchise for Brosnan is they get it right.Cant wait to see the teaser poster that read PIERCE BROSNAN is THE NOVEMBER MAN. this gonna rock!!!!

[SecretAgentFan]

Way to go, Pierce! Looks like "The Matador" opened many doors for Brosnan - and so did being fired from Bond. Well, he deserves getting a break. And maybe being ousted by EON was a blessing in disguise for him.