60 replies to this topic

[The Richmond Spy]

After typing in "timothy dalton" on Wikipedia and reading his biography on there I stumbled upon something I found interesting. It stated that he "officially" dropped the Bond role in 1994. My question is, were Bond fans expecting a third Dalton film in late 1993/early 1994 or was there a general consensus that a new actor would be named before the next film? I know Dalton had nothing to do with the six year delay between Licence To Kill and GoldenEye, but how realistic was it that he would star in a mid 90's Bond film at around the age of 50? Thanks.

[SeanValen00V]

After typing in "timothy dalton" on Wikipedia and reading his biography on there I stumbled upon something I found interesting. It stated that he "officially" dropped the Bond role in 1994. My question is, were Bond fans expecting a third Dalton film in late 1993/early 1994 or was there a general consensus that a new actor would be named before the next film? I know Dalton had nothing to do with the six year delay between Licence To Kill and GoldenEye, but how realistic was it that he would star in a mid 90's Bond film at around the age of 50? Thanks.

Dalton aged quite gracefully in the 90s, Roger did his first Bond at the age of 45.

Dalton was capable.

[jaguar007]

After typing in "timothy dalton" on Wikipedia and reading his biography on there I stumbled upon something I found interesting. It stated that he "officially" dropped the Bond role in 1994. My question is, were Bond fans expecting a third Dalton film in late 1993/early 1994 or was there a general consensus that a new actor would be named before the next film? I know Dalton had nothing to do with the six year delay between Licence To Kill and GoldenEye, but how realistic was it that he would star in a mid 90's Bond film at around the age of 50? Thanks.

Dalton was given the initial GoldenEye script. Apparently MGM wanted a new Bond but EON was firm that Dalton was still Bond. Dalton took the high road and bowed out gracefully.

[Solex]

I read the plot for the 3rd film and was disppointed it never came to fruition as it sounds like a very exciting movie.

Bond 17 - Synopsis, Gadgets, Vehicles & Locations
24th July 2006

MI6 takes a retrospective look at what could have been the 17th James Bond film and Timothy Dalton's third outing as 007, a very different concept to what fans of today are familiar with. The world now knows "GoldenEye" starring Pierce Brosnan as Bond 17, however at the time of original planning, 007's seventeenth outing would have looked very different.
Bond 17 - History

Unofficial Synopsis
MI6 receives a letter threatening the destruction of a secret government lab in Scotland. A week later, with no further contact or ransom demands, the lab is mysteriously destroyed. James Bond is dispatched by MI6 under the guidance of Nigel Yupland to assess the threat. Following his only lead, Bond tracks down master thief Connie Webb and discovers her sinister dealings with Kohoni Industries.

Bond journeys to Japan to offer Connie the chance to broker a deal and sell a high-tech computer chip to her contacts. Escaping from certain death at the hands of twin assassins - the Kohoni brothers - Bond pursues Connie to Hong Kong to meet with her buyers.

Aided by veteran agent Denholm Crisp and Q, Bond must learn the true nature of Sir Henry Lee Ching's scheme, escape a Yakuzi assassin and deal with the Chinese Secret Service.

After witnessing the aftermath of a nuclear meltdown in China caused by Sir Henry, Bond must stop him at all costs before he launches many more attacks - causing global pandemonium and sparking World War Three.

Above: It was planned for Timothy Dalton to make a third James Bond film, but fate intervened.

Characters

James Bond (Timothy Dalton) - Returning to play James Bond for a third time, Timothy Dalton will lend his hard dark edginess to Ian Fleming's iconic spy.

Q (Desmond Llewelyn) - MI6's top gadget master will once again head out into the field to support Bond on assignment - this time in Japan.

M (Robert Brown) - The head of the 00 section is under pressure to produce positive results after coming under an internal review from Yupland.

Nigel Yupland - A career focused man, Yupland has quickly ascended in rank to Minister of Defence at MI5. He has the confidence of the British Prime Minster, and no love for the 00-section and would like to see nothing more than it shutdown.

Connie Webb - A retired Olympic skier in her early 30s, she is the daughter of a world famous thief. This American adventuress also takes after her father's line of work and is occasionally used by the CIA to steal unobtainable items.

Twin Kohoni Brothers - Both brothers are large well-built men in charge of a vast Japanese industrial empire, and have no intention to sell their company. The twins have connections to the Japanese underworld and Yakuzi.

Denholm Crisp - A veteran agent who is verging on retirement. Resides in Japan and is old friends with Q.

Otto Winkhart - Swiss Lawyer who acts as Connie's middleman for fencing highly priced commodities.

Sir Henry Lee Ching - In his mid 30's, this half Chinese-British computer genies entrepreneur has built his own large high tech computer chip empire, supplying the World with industrially grade chips which are used in everything form factory robots through to missiles. Currently based in Hong Kong, his motivations are a mystery.

Dr. Ronberdy - Ching Lee's research assistant who advises him on the computer chip Bond is selling.

Mi Wai - A beautiful field Chinese Intelligence Services operative.

Quen Low - Mi Wai's immediate superior who is section chief of Chinese Intelligence Service. Suspects the British may be planning to renege on a promise to hand back Hong Kong.

Rodin - A Yakuzi assassin who is on Sir Henry's payroll and out to stop Bond and Connie at any cost. He is equipped with an array of high tech weapons and gadgets that would make even Q envious.

Locations
Bond 17 would have ventured to the Far East the final two acts of the film being set in Japan and Hong Kong. The climatic battle would have taken place deep beneath Hong Kong city.

United Kingdom
Scotland (secret government weapons testing laboratory)
London (Houses of Parliament, MI5 and MI6 Headquarters)
Japan
Tokyo
Hong Kong
Central China
Vehicles

Aston Martin DB5
- Twin ejector seats
- Rear bulletproof shield
- Mines
- Flares
Lamborghini
Stealth Car
- Heat seeking missiles
- Machine guns
- Infrared tracking system
Motorcycle with front mounted missile launcher

Above: Bond's classic Aston Martin DB5 would have returned for "one final outing".

Gadgets

A high-tech helmet with a Heads Up Display (HUD) that has several views: heat sensing, night vision, and more
'Nan' - a female robot assassin

www.mi6.co.uk/sections/articles/bond_17_elements.php3?t=&s=

[Jericho_One]

I read the plot for the 3rd film and was disppointed it never came to fruition as it sounds like a very exciting movie.

Bond 17 - Synopsis, Gadgets, Vehicles & Locations
24th July 2006

MI6 takes a retrospective look at what could have been the 17th James Bond film and Timothy Dalton's third outing as 007, a very different concept to what fans of today are familiar with. The world now knows "GoldenEye" starring Pierce Brosnan as Bond 17, however at the time of original planning, 007's seventeenth outing would have looked very different.
Bond 17 - History

Unofficial Synopsis
MI6 receives a letter threatening the destruction of a secret government lab in Scotland. A week later, with no further contact or ransom demands, the lab is mysteriously destroyed. James Bond is dispatched by MI6 under the guidance of Nigel Yupland to assess the threat. Following his only lead, Bond tracks down master thief Connie Webb and discovers her sinister dealings with Kohoni Industries.

Bond journeys to Japan to offer Connie the chance to broker a deal and sell a high-tech computer chip to her contacts. Escaping from certain death at the hands of twin assassins - the Kohoni brothers - Bond pursues Connie to Hong Kong to meet with her buyers.

Aided by veteran agent Denholm Crisp and Q, Bond must learn the true nature of Sir Henry Lee Ching's scheme, escape a Yakuzi assassin and deal with the Chinese Secret Service.

After witnessing the aftermath of a nuclear meltdown in China caused by Sir Henry, Bond must stop him at all costs before he launches many more attacks - causing global pandemonium and sparking World War Three.

Above: It was planned for Timothy Dalton to make a third James Bond film, but fate intervened.

Characters

James Bond (Timothy Dalton) - Returning to play James Bond for a third time, Timothy Dalton will lend his hard dark edginess to Ian Fleming's iconic spy.

Q (Desmond Llewelyn) - MI6's top gadget master will once again head out into the field to support Bond on assignment - this time in Japan.

M (Robert Brown) - The head of the 00 section is under pressure to produce positive results after coming under an internal review from Yupland.

Nigel Yupland - A career focused man, Yupland has quickly ascended in rank to Minister of Defence at MI5. He has the confidence of the British Prime Minster, and no love for the 00-section and would like to see nothing more than it shutdown.

Connie Webb - A retired Olympic skier in her early 30s, she is the daughter of a world famous thief. This American adventuress also takes after her father's line of work and is occasionally used by the CIA to steal unobtainable items.

Twin Kohoni Brothers - Both brothers are large well-built men in charge of a vast Japanese industrial empire, and have no intention to sell their company. The twins have connections to the Japanese underworld and Yakuzi.

Denholm Crisp - A veteran agent who is verging on retirement. Resides in Japan and is old friends with Q.

Otto Winkhart - Swiss Lawyer who acts as Connie's middleman for fencing highly priced commodities.

Sir Henry Lee Ching - In his mid 30's, this half Chinese-British computer genies entrepreneur has built his own large high tech computer chip empire, supplying the World with industrially grade chips which are used in everything form factory robots through to missiles. Currently based in Hong Kong, his motivations are a mystery.

Dr. Ronberdy - Ching Lee's research assistant who advises him on the computer chip Bond is selling.

Mi Wai - A beautiful field Chinese Intelligence Services operative.

Quen Low - Mi Wai's immediate superior who is section chief of Chinese Intelligence Service. Suspects the British may be planning to renege on a promise to hand back Hong Kong.

Rodin - A Yakuzi assassin who is on Sir Henry's payroll and out to stop Bond and Connie at any cost. He is equipped with an array of high tech weapons and gadgets that would make even Q envious.

Locations
Bond 17 would have ventured to the Far East the final two acts of the film being set in Japan and Hong Kong. The climatic battle would have taken place deep beneath Hong Kong city.

United Kingdom
Scotland (secret government weapons testing laboratory)
London (Houses of Parliament, MI5 and MI6 Headquarters)
Japan
Tokyo
Hong Kong
Central China
Vehicles

Aston Martin DB5
- Twin ejector seats
- Rear bulletproof shield
- Mines
- Flares
Lamborghini
Stealth Car
- Heat seeking missiles
- Machine guns
- Infrared tracking system
Motorcycle with front mounted missile launcher

Above: Bond's classic Aston Martin DB5 would have returned for "one final outing".

Gadgets

A high-tech helmet with a Heads Up Display (HUD) that has several views: heat sensing, night vision, and more
'Nan' - a female robot assassin

www.mi6.co.uk/sections/articles/bond_17_elements.php3?t=&s=url]

Yep, sounds really good.

[Binyamin]

A female robot assassin?

Anybody want to explain how that would have worked?

[Tarl_Cabot]

I heard rumours as early as 1990 on the E channel that Brosnan was gonna replace Dalton in the third Bond film since AVTAK...so I had zero expectations that he would return.

[JimmyBond]

Before they announced that there'd be a new film at all, I always figured LTK was the last James Bond movie ever. It never entered my mind they'd make more.

[DLibrasnow]

Before they announced that there'd be a new film at all, I always figured LTK was the last James Bond movie ever. It never entered my mind they'd make more.

That's precisely what Dalton said in a 1989 interview with BONDAGE magazine (that LTK would be the end of the series).

[tigerheart]

An intriguing article, as was the first in this series. The more I rewatch TLD and TLK, the more nostalgic I get for Dalton's Bond, so to me this sounds like it could've been a cracking film. Would've been good to have Q out in the field again too, one of the things I continue to enjoy about TLK.

[SecretAgent007]

I remember the BONDAGE article. I though he bowed out earlier than 94'. His statement was in one of the last BONDAGE QUARTERLY's. I thought it was before 94 though. Guess I'll have to dig through some filing cabinets.

[K1Bond007]

I remember the BONDAGE article. I though he bowed out earlier than 94'. His statement was in one of the last BONDAGE QUARTERLY's. I thought it was before 94 though. Guess I'll have to dig through some filing cabinets.

He couldn't. I believe it wasn't until 1994 that his contract actually allowed him to drop out. Had the ball started rolling in '93, it would have been Dalton, I'm sure.

[Double-Oh Agent]

I'm pretty sure Timothy Dalton quit as Bond around March/April in 1994 and Pierce Brosnan was signed a couple of months later in June and soon set to work on GoldenEye.

[Vanish]

It truly is a shame Dalton never got a third shot, but the more I think about it, he made such a remarkable impression with TLD and especially with LTK - He completely made the role his own with only two films, and I have zero qualms with either one.

The situation could have been worse, as I feel that Brosnan was never allowed to make his "definitive" Bond flick - At least Dalton got that much, as brief as his tenure was.

Edited by Vanish, 02 August 2006 - 09:40 AM.

[WhiteKnight2000]

Clicky. What could have been...

[DamnCoffee]

I for one would have loved to see a 3rd Dalton movie and maybe a 4th, Dalton IMO was a brilliant bond and the reason he was disliked by many fans is because he didn't have a chance to prove himself.

[Jericho_One]

Clicky. What could have been...

LOL. Interesting posters.

But Dalton and Brosnan are so different I can't even start to imagine how it would be like...

Edited by Jericho_One, 03 August 2006 - 02:47 AM.

[JimmyBond]

I hope they would have downplayed the action, and given Dalton more to do. Goldeneye (as it is) was a decent film for a new 007, but it would have been a horrible 3rd film for Dalton.

[WhiteKnight2000]

I'm sure he would have changed the script a bit though, Daltonised it as it were.

[Donovan]

Clicky. What could have been...

Hey, his hair looks wet...as if he just climbed out of a tank connected to an underwater hatch on a giant boat owned by an adversary located in the Florida Keys....

[Templar07]

I don,t think they would have needed to change alot in the Script. It was written with Dalton in mind anyway. Dalton would have fit very nicely in Goldeneye.

I'm sure he would have changed the script a bit though, Daltonised it as it were.

[The Richmond Spy]

I don,t think they would have needed to change alot in the Script. It was written with Dalton in mind anyway. Dalton would have fit very nicely in Goldeneye.

I'm sure he would have changed the script a bit though, Daltonised it as it were.

I agree for the most part with Templar07, but some things would HAVE to change. I can't imagine Dalton's Bond saying "Its what keeps me alive." or the whole "No more foreplay." scene.

[WhiteKnight2000]

He would have needed to say 'bloody' a couple of times as well.

[JimmyBond]

or the whole "No more foreplay." scene.

That scene would most certainly have been dropped (or not even added in the first place. Dalton's Bond would never be involved in a playful scene like that.

[Templar07]

I agree with the No More Foreplay or Keeps me Alive part. But I,m sure they would have came up with something that fit Dalton and not changed the story all that much. The It Depends of your definition of Safe Sex Line I could see Dalton saying. The Keeps Me Alive part i,m sure they added in for Bronson. The one part i could never see any of the Bonds saying least of all Dalton was the Frequent Flyer Mileage Line.


[/quote]
[/quote]
I agree for the most part with Templar07, but some things would HAVE to change. I can't imagine Dalton's Bond saying "Its what keeps me alive." or the whole "No more foreplay." scene.
[/quote]

[WhiteKnight2000]

or the whole "No more foreplay." scene.

That scene would most certainly have been dropped (or not even added in the first place. Dalton's Bond would never be involved in a playful scene like that.

Would have been interesting to see Dalton in that scene. He only did two films so it's hard to picture him doing scenes that weren't in the style of those two films. However it certainly would have been interesting to see Dalton a bit more playful and expand his Bond a bit.

[The Richmond Spy]

Thats true WhiteKnight2000, if only he had more opportunities to see Dalton's interpretation of Bond. Maybe he could've managed to nail some of those GoldenEye lines.

[Harmsway]

or the whole "No more foreplay." scene.

That scene would most certainly have been dropped (or not even added in the first place. Dalton's Bond would never be involved in a playful scene like that.

The first draft of GOLDENEYE was 100% Dalton, and I believe it was actually intentionally written with him in mind (there are even connections to the Dalton era - General Pushkin appears, for one thing).

On a side note, if I had my way, GOLDENEYE would have been made with either Dalton, and if not him, Sean Bean would have played 007 (he definitely would have brought an interesting edge to the part).

Dalton's third film was always somewhat up in the air. There was a treatment written around 1990/91 that was rather interesting if remarkably more fantastic than the previous two Dalton films (it even featured a cybernetic person of sorts), but if the film ultimately had resembled that treatment, I'm sure it would have been the final nail in Bond's coffin. It just wasn't very good.

[DanMan]

Is there anyway to read the first draft of GE or a treatment online?

[DamnCoffee]

the movie goldeneye seemed quite dark so i'm guessing thats the first draft but instead of satarring dear old tim they replaced him the the Brozzanator but kept the same script