625 replies to this topic

[Quantumofsolace007]

Oh, Mark Strong is going to be a Bond villain? WOW. He's excellent.

he wants to be a villain we'll see if he gets his wish

[tdalton]

Oh, Mark Strong is going to be a Bond villain? WOW. He's excellent.

he wants to be a villain we'll see if he gets his wish

Doubtful. If he's been rumored this early on in the process, judging from similar rumors in the past, he won't get the job.

[Quantumofsolace007]

Oh, Mark Strong is going to be a Bond villain? WOW. He's excellent.

he wants to be a villain we'll see if he gets his wish

Doubtful. If he's been rumored this early on in the process, judging from similar rumors in the past, he won't get the job.

Your probably right.


It bothers me we may not get a substantial bond 23 info till 2012

[Ace Roberts]

I hate to be lazy, not going through all the posts, but I'm strapped for time. I read an interview today that Peter Morgan gave on Coming Soon (for his new movie Hereafter )that he clearly indicated that he only was in the process of completing an outline for Bond 23 when the plug was pulled. So there is not even a first draft or beginning of a draft that he completed- and he is now off doing a film on Freddie Mercury and will not do Bond. Is this news - or has this been shared elsewhere in nauseating detail? If so - I apologize.

[Quantumofsolace007]

I hate to be lazy, not going through all the posts, but I'm strapped for time. I read an interview today that Peter Morgan gave on Coming Soon (for his new movie Hereafter )that he clearly indicated that he only was in the process of completing an outline for Bond 23 when the plug was pulled. So there is not even a first draft or beginning of a draft that he completed- and he is now off doing a film on Freddie Mercury and will not do Bond. Is this news - or has this been shared elsewhere in nauseating detail? If so - I apologize.

is it possible that purvis and wade will take morgan's outline and devlop it is this where the patrick marber story came from?


I mean the way Craig Wilson etc are talking it sounds like a first draft is done perhaps morgan was only asked to do an outline?

[Captain Tightpants]

is it possible that purvis and wade will take morgan's outline and devlop it is this where the patrick marber story came from?

No - no writer would write off someone else's half-finished plot outline.

[Quantumofsolace007]

is it possible that purvis and wade will take morgan's outline and devlop it is this where the patrick marber story came from?

No - no writer would write off someone else's half-finished plot outline.

are you being serious or sarcastic?

[Captain Tightpants]

are you being serious or sarcastic?

Serious. When a writer writes a plot outline, he (or she) has a certain direction he (or she) wants to go in. An incomplete story has no direction. For another write to pick that up and take it means that the story wil not fulfil its original vision. And that's a bad thing, because the original writer will not get a credit for his (or her) work, but their ideas will be put onto the screen. If Morgan has not finished his outline, it is unlikely that he will have submitted anything to EON. Outlines go for pages at a time, but there's no sense in submitting anything in any format but a complete one. Morgan will likely have spoken with EON about the general plot, but they won't have any of his work.

I know what you're angling for, by the way. You're hoping that Morgan submitted work to EON and that Purvis and Wade will be able to take that incomplete treatment and work off it because it means BOND 23 will happen sooner. Well, don't hold your breath - no writer in his (or her) right mind would submit incomplete work, especially so early in the script development process.

[Zorin Industries]

Not sure about some of that, Tightpants...

Writers come in and take the seeds of earlier drafts/treatments/outlines all the time - especially on a bigger scale project like a Bond. There are lot of fingerprints on the script by the time the cameras stop rolling.

I would suggest that work done on something like a Bond script is also moulded and shaped by the producers too so there is some clear line of intent regardless of which writers come on-board along the way.

The script will be beyond a "first draft". And remember - there are often quite a few "first drafts" on a project. One writers first stab will not always be the same as the project's first draft. Phrases like "first" and "second" draft are about contractual punctuation points. And a writer will go off and tinker on three or four drafts before he/she presents it as their official one.

I will not even say how many drafts I have done on a feature script before it becomes the official first draft.

[Lachesis]

I will not even say how many drafts I have done on a feature script before it becomes the official first draft.

Would you submit, or expect others to submit, a draft that wasn't a complete narrative, i.e. didnt have a beginning, middle and/or end? (which is kinda how I read Tighpant's comment)

[Loomis]

I will not even say how many drafts I have done on a feature script before it becomes the official first draft.

As you've so rightly said in the past, Zorin, it ain't about writing so much as re-writing. Which is something that was very much brought home to me over the past few months as I've laboured on my own first screenplay (a spec effort - no one's commissioned me, unfortunately). I initially assumed it was pretty much perfect in its first incarnation, but, still, one lives and learns.

I do wonder, though, just how honest a spec screenwriter needs to be in declaring the number of drafts his work has gone through. If one submits a script to a professional reader that's marked as a third draft, the reader may immediately think "Oh, well, it's only draft number three - it must still be pretty raw and can't be ready yet." OTOH, if one submits a script that one calls, say, "draft seventeen", the reader may think "God, sixteen attempts and he still can't get it right - this writer is obviously a dolt or some kind of tiresome and troublesome perfectionist whom we should avoid getting involved with because he'll spend all his time agonising over minute details."

I wonder whether there's a "magic" draft number, as it were, for slapping on a spec script before one sends it out.

[Zorin Industries]

The script needs to be as good as it can be on the first read. What draft number is on it has no bearing on the response the work garners. Yes - Draft #49 is not going to look great. But don't slap on "Draft #49". Readers and their ilk will want the work to jump off the page and read like a film unfurling before their eyes.

As ever, what is being reported is not as up to date / wholly realistic as what may be happening behind the Eon quotes and closed doors.

[Royal Dalton]

Whatever stage that script was at, I doubt it'll be used now. Not for the next film, anyway.

[MattofSteel]

We have no way of knowing. I don't see why they drastically change a story/approach if significant work has been done on it.

[jaguar007]

Doesn't this new information contradict what we heard prior to Bond 23 being put on hold? I thought I remember reading that Morgan was finished with his portion of the project and Mendes had brought on another writer (can't remember the name)?

[The Shark]

The film may be on hold, but the screenplay is always being re-written.

[Matt_13]

MI6 has a nice front page article on the script up now. Guess Morgan is out and didn't even finish a preliminary outline. While quiet tinkerings with the script no doubt take place, I think they are farther behind in the process than we thought. I really hope they don't rush a script together and give us what we had with Quantum. I think they really need to hammer out a coherent story this time, something with a bit more content than Quantum's (which was, as I've said before, just fine for a film with nothing but an outline).

[Quantumofsolace007]

who knows perhaps bond 23 will be written by Neal Purvis Robert Wade and Patrick Marber based on an orignal idea by Peter Morgan based on characters and event from various Ian Fleming stories.....

[Ace Roberts]

Nobody ever answered my question - was this news that Morgan didn't finish an outline - much less a first draft of a script - and was now officially off Bond 23?
Mendes using another writer to polish was expected- but did we know that Morgan's version was out?

[Quantumofsolace007]

Nobody ever answered my question - was this news that Morgan didn't finish an outline - much less a first draft of a script - and was now officially off Bond 23?
Mendes using another writer to polish was expected- but did we know that Morgan's version was out?

oh it's news however it's bad news lol

[Napoleon Solo]

Nobody ever answered my question - was this news that Morgan didn't finish an outline - much less a first draft of a script - and was now officially off Bond 23?
Mendes using another writer to polish was expected- but did we know that Morgan's version was out?

Morgan's disclosure was new.

Whether he submitted anything to Eon, we don't *know.* However, given that Eon paid Morgan for his time, you'd think they'd be entitled to whatever work he had done, incomplete or not.

[Col. Sun]

Nobody ever answered my question - was this news that Morgan didn't finish an outline - much less a first draft of a script - and was now officially off Bond 23?
Mendes using another writer to polish was expected- but did we know that Morgan's version was out?

Morgan's disclosure was new.

Whether he submitted anything to Eon, we don't *know.* However, given that Eon paid Morgan for his time, you'd think they'd be entitled to whatever work he had done, incomplete or not.

He would have submitted materials. The process normally runs like this- ideas are discussed re: the story - once a story (broad as it may be) is settled on, then the writer can do a broad out-line, normally just 3-5 pages. If all parties- i.e. producers etc. like the general direction, the writer can then move to writing a full treatment, which usually runs for 25-30 pages (but can be longer). The treatment can often go through several drafts (and even be aborted and re-started from scratch) before everyone is satisfied, and based on the final, approved treatment, the writer can start the actual screenplay.

It sounds like Morgan was at out-line stage, or perhaps just getting into the full treatment, when the brakes were put on.

So Eon probably have a broad story-line already worked out; but it appears like there's a lot of work ahead.

[SecretAgentFan]

I read Morgan´s info as very bad news. I thought he at least had finished one draft of a screenplay (or doctored the screenplay Purvis & Wade had already handed in). Now it seems as if EON wanted Morgan to start from scratch and he could barely finish the outline before going to work. Judging from all this it seems as if BOND 23 really has a LOOOOOONG way to go before any start date can be set.

My take:

Purvis & Wade have written an outline.

Mendes wanted to sign on as a director. Morgan was brought in as a writer (and Haggis replacement).

Morgan was supposed to start fresh but had to stop due to the MGM mess.

Patrick Marber was considered by Mendes and EON as a possible replacement down the line.

Mendes remains to be the top candidate for direction BOND 23.

There is no script yet, only two outlines (P&W, Morgan).

[Napoleon Solo]

I'm reminded of a few things:

1) Morgan in December 2009 said Bond 23 would have a "shocking" story. At the time, we know now from Morgan himself, he'd been off the project for two months.

2) The Los Angeles Times, on one of its entertainment blogs, did report in August that the script for Bond 23 wasn't far along and that, along with the MGM financial situation, would affect the timing of Bond 23.

3) This gem from Moviehole in July: "Peter Morgan’s script was supposed to be top-notch." Apparently not, given there wasn't an actual Peter Morgan script, just an outline.

[jaguar007]

The fact that Morgan did not get much done does not mean there is still no possibility of Bond 23 in theaters by end of 2012. P&W could have something further along. Also(provided the MGM situation is taken care of by early 2011) think of how many bond films were done on a 2 year cycle (previous being released in cinema, ideas, script, locations, casting, filming, post production and release in a 2 year period).

Also, correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the news came that Morgan was off the project BEFORE the news came that EON had put Bond 23 on hold.

[DamnCoffee]

You do all realise that Purvis and Wade are probably working on the script right now to keep themselves busy? Officially or not. There's no doubt Bond 23 is still functioning, even behind closed doors.

They probably would've been through a good few drafts by now. A film like this never stops production.

[Royal Dalton]

A film like this never stops production.

Tell that to Will Davies and Will Osborne.

[Loomis]

Who?

[Royal Dalton]

The writers of the aborted 1991 film.

[Quantumofsolace007]

whose elements wound up in Goldeneye Tomorrow Never Dies The World is Not Enough and die another day so it eventually got used.


I do believe Purvis and Wade have moved on in bond 23 and either have a draft or 2 under there belt.