If I were writing the next movie, and I see no reason why I shouldn't,
I'd be keen to incorporate a couple of dramatic ideas suggested in the recent flicks.Most importantly, M has kicked off an important question about the way Bond's sexual partners tend to end up dead.
Spoiler
Now, it's standard Bond movie style to rescue the damsel in the final act. It has, in fact, become so bog-standard as to be dull and predictable. But in the newly-awakened franchise, the writers have layered in an opportunity to make this old trope new again.
Bond knows he's a curse to the women he uses and discards. But he can't want to be. What an interesting thing, psychologically, for him to be aware of it going out on a job. Reluctant to use another woman for the mission, doing it for duty (and pleasure, sure)...but now he knows he's marked her card. She's fated.
Doesn't it get very interesting when he has a chance to save her? Even - especially - when she may not matter to the mission.
If she survives, if he saves her, he's broken the curse. It allows him to move forward again. It creates a determination in the character to save the girl that is beyond simple 'doing the right thing'. (The reason heroes tend to save damsels...and not necessarily a reason that would matter to the new 007.) You save her because it matters to your own sense of self.
On a base level, Bond needs to mean something other than death to these women, otherwise how could he carry on seducing them in all good conscience? Without ending up hating himself? Obviously you don't do acres of chatter on the subject. But as with the dramatic layers in the last two movies, it seems an interesting subtext to explore.
Secondly, elsewhere on CBn I read a post suggesting that a member would like to see Bond back with a small army behind him - a group he could lead into a huge old-school battle.
While initially uncertain of the idea, thanks to its 'over the top' potential, I'm now quite interested in it. Because 007 is meant to be ex-forces. He's 'one of the lads' turned into a more establishment figure; in the modern age, that carries a lot of interesting meaning. Meaning that's changed considerably since the novels.
Give him an old military friend in charge of that squad, or a new guy with a chip on his shoulder who needs to be taught to respect Bond, and you can have some very interesting, subtle character-friction fireworks. Differing tactics, conflict of ideology and priority, etc., but with an attitude that speaks to Bond's past life without openly discussing it.
I think they're both interesting ideas. What do you think? What would you find interesting to maintain the nature of Craig's Bond movies?
