Instead of Bond evading pursuers at the mardi gras in the Bahamas, he instead encouters a public performance of the commedia dell'arte in some form. This could possibly be worked into the death of Aella Morderczy (if it's not already taken). Most importantly, one of the assassins would be dressed as the pulcinella. In fact, there may be a entire band of SPECTRE assassins/operations team (or whoever is taking the place of SPECTRE) disguised as various characters from the commedia dell'arte.
Another possible idea that could be played with would be SPECTRE (or whoever) acquiring the world's only unaccounted-for nuclear device. This was played with in THE SUM OF ALL FEARS with an Israeli bomber being shot down the its nuclear payload acquired by a group of Syrians. Perhaps it could be a third nuclear device intended for Japan that for some reason never made it to its target, or a Nazi U-boat carrying a prototype nuclear device in secret to Crimea for use against the Russians, but it ran aground in the Black Sea before it could reach its destination. Or a Russian submarine that ran aground in Franz Josef Land during training exercises and was eventually frozen into the islands.
Also, a sequence where Bond has to seduce a man. I know this is controversial and was little more than tabloid fodder a few years ago, but it could be an interesting sequence if done right. MI6 need Bond to target an openly-gay man (sexuality was one of the easiest ways to turn an agent during the Cold War) and get vital information out of him. In order to do this, Bond has to seduce the man. They don't have to kiss or sleep together, but Bond needs to get the information as quickly as possible, and he believes seduction is the easiest way forward. In fact, M may even be the one to suggest the tactic as a starting point.
Glad to see you're sticking around - albeit temporarily.
1) The commedia dell'arte idea could work, if it works with the chosen location.
2) I think we could definitely consider one of these options.
3) Bond seducing a gay man? Definitely not - this isn't the direction I'd want to take. It would either be played incredibly comedically or it would be plain uncomfortable - and I can't see it getting the thumbs up if the film were made.
The background I promised for Domino (I tried to incorporate bits of Fleming's character, namely the fact that she was an actress, :
Dominique "Domino" Derval (portrayed by Delphine Chanéac): Born into a wealthy French family, Domino lost both of her parents in an accident early in her teenage years. Eventually, she went on to make it big French cinema in her early 20s, as well as doing some work as a model. Shipping magnate Edvard Largo (Stellan Skarsgard) got his hooks into her, getting her to fall for him before he began controlling her career, which he eventually runs into the ground because studio executives refuse to deal with him any longer. He also physically and mentally abuses her on top of helping her develop a drug habit, but instead of leaving him, she eventually develops Stockholm Syndrome, which is not helped by the fact that Largo makes an effort to keep her around by providing her with whatever drugs she desires. Bond sees her as both a means to an end to get to Largo as well as someone who needs to be saved from the situation that she's in.
I think this could work perfectly with her father being a UN Arms Inspector
So, as I said, there are some great moments from Fleming's "Thunderball" that have as yet been untouched in the film universe. Here are a few I'd like to see incorporated into our version:
1. "Thunderball" has a great ending scene which surprisingly has yet to be adapted in any Bond film to my recollection. Bond is holed up in a hospital to recover after the underwater climax. He has become emotionally attached to Domino and jolts awake, his first thought being that Domino is not safe. He frantically shouts for a doctor, demanding to know where Domino is. The doctor calmly assures him that she's recovering in another bed a few rooms down. Bond tears out of bed and runs to her room where he finds her and she tells him, "You are to stay here. Do you understand? You are not to go away." Upon finding Domino alive, relief floods through Bond and he immediately falls asleep on the rug next to her bed. She pulls her pillow over to the edge of the mattress so she can see his face any time she wants to, and they both drift off asleep. I think the scene nicely shows Bond's resolve in taking responsibility for a girl, as well as said girl's gratefulness for being 'saved' over the course of the movie by Bond.
2. Bond is exploring the wreckage of the Vulcan when he shines his torch on the interior of the plane's compartment, only to find that the entire compartment crawling "evilly, horribly" with red-eyed comets (octopi). The creepiest part of the scene is one of the crew members floating there, suspended in water, with octopi hanging from him like bats, who let go of their hold and shoot, "jet-propelled, to and fro inside the plane--dreadful, glinting, red-eyed comets that slapped themselves into dark corners and stealthily squeezed themselves into cracks and under seats."
1. Definitely a good idea - I'd also suggest that there should be a minimum of romantic activity between Bond and Domino.
2. Given we're not necessarily using the theft of the Vulcan as a plot point, we might need to use an alternative method of getting this in if we do want to use it. And I could see it being a creepy sequence if done right.
Perhaps we could combine J. Derval and the Kutze figure to make him an older nuclear expert reluctantly in league with SPECTRE? He might only be doing it so Domino (Dominique?) is safe; if he tries to warn her at any time, Largo's flirting love affair can turn into an arrange "suicide" like that.
I think the idea that Derval is being blackmailed into working for SPECTRE, using the fate of his daughter as the ammo behind the blackmail could work perfectly.
Great idea with the commedia dell'arte killers, CT. I wouldn't want to use it for Fiona's (or Aella's) death, though, as such a troupe is rarely seen outside of Europe (outside of Italy, even), and I'd want her to last to Indonesia.
Seducing a gay man - could work, as long as it isn't played for laughs (maybe Bond's discomfort with it is, but the character he's seducing and the idea of two men together isn't) and the seducee doesn't die.
Re: Aella, if she is the Fiona/Fatima equivalent, she is basically the chief henchman so she should last until the equivalent of the Bahamas/Nice, in this case, presumably Indonesia.
I have a hard time seeing how it could be done in a way that isn't played for laughs. Bond has been built up over the last 40-50 years as being primarily known as a serial womanizer, that such a scene would come across, whether intended or not, as being done for the comedy of it. If one of the core aspects of the Bond character wasn't that he was a womanizer and misogynist, then it would easily be a scene that could be played seriously.
As I said, Bond's discomfort can be played for laughs, but the character he's seducing should not be a mincing stereotype, and we should in no way cater to the "eww, gross, guys kissing" teenage boy sensibility.
I don't think that any of it should be played for laughs, to be honest.
I mentioned my thoughts on this above - and it's definitely not something I want to see happening in the movie. I could see a tip of the hat to the concept when Bond and Felix arrive at a function hosted by Largo (equivalent to the scene in NSNA where Bond plays the computer game against Largo) and they're on the guest list as 'Mr Fisher - and husband ...' Bond mutters as they enter, 'I'm going to kill Bill when I get back to London -'
Keep up the good work, guys!
