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Film adaptations of 007 novels


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#1 Miles Miservy

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Posted 26 May 2011 - 06:11 PM

As the works of Ian Fleming are nearly all but mined, why are none of the rights to the books by John Gardner or Ray Benson being bought?

#2 Righty007

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Posted 26 May 2011 - 07:32 PM

Danjaq/EON owns the right to film every James Bond novel ever produced by IFP (formerly Glidrose). If they chose to adapt a Gardner book, for instance, the Gardner estate would get some money but EON wouldn't have to buy the film rights from the estate. IFP controls those rights and they have a deal with EON dating back to the early-1960s.

#3 jaguar007

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Posted 26 May 2011 - 07:47 PM

Danjaq/EON owns the right to film every James Bond novel ever produced by IFP (formerly Glidrose). If they chose to adapt a Gardner book, for instance, the Gardner estate would get some money but EON wouldn't have to buy the film rights from the estate. IFP controls those rights and they have a deal with EON dating back to the early-1960s.


Yes, I believe it basically comes down to additional royalties they would have to pay to Gardner Estate etc that they don't have to pay for original stories.

#4 Donovan Mayne-Nicholls

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Posted 27 May 2011 - 03:26 AM

Regardless of the fact that not all EON films have been up to scratch, they did negotiate directly with Fleming before there were any continuation novels and I feel that if they don't want to use the novels by subsequent writers, they're entitled too.
I like Gardner, I grew up reading his books while they were being published but I find that being more political than Fleming's, they'd be harder to adapt as most are directly linked to the cold war. I'd have loved Icebreaker as part of the film series but now they'd just change the whole thing. Benson's books are terrible and they try so desperately to ape EON's scripts, it'd daft to pay extra for those film rights.
I feel sad for Colonel Sun. It is not a perfect novel but it's the only one that doesn't feel like a commercial continuation. It's a good versus evil story in much the same way Fleming novels were and it could be updated.

#5 Donovan Mayne-Nicholls

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Posted 27 May 2011 - 03:35 AM

Danjaq/EON owns the right to film every James Bond novel ever produced by IFP (formerly Glidrose). If they chose to adapt a Gardner book, for instance, the Gardner estate would get some money but EON wouldn't have to buy the film rights from the estate. IFP controls those rights and they have a deal with EON dating back to the early-1960s.


Not true, EON would have to buy the rights fronm the writer (or his estate) EON has an unwritten agreement with IFP that they cannot offer them to anybody else. It'd be in the property's detriment to have a parallel series of films. IFP gets royalties from each film anyway for the use of the concept. IFP themselves probably wouldn't make more money from Gardner's novels but EON would spend more.
EON had an option on Colonel Sun but chose not to buy it.

#6 Binyamin

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Posted 27 May 2011 - 04:32 AM

[It'd be in the property's detriment to have a parallel series of films.


I don't think anybody here is talking about a parallel series of films, are they? Just using continuation novels as future stories for the existing series.

#7 marktmurphy

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Posted 27 May 2011 - 09:13 AM

I don't really see any point in adapting any of them; none of them have stories unique enough that Eon can't come up with something comparable or better.

#8 Donovan Mayne-Nicholls

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Posted 27 May 2011 - 01:00 PM


[It'd be in the property's detriment to have a parallel series of films.


I don't think anybody here is talking about a parallel series of films, are they? Just using continuation novels as future stories for the existing series.


Talk about being rude. You'd rather kill off a conversation than have it going in a new direction. That was the only point of your contribution.
I'm saying EON won't and IFP can't sell them elsewhere. This topic about EON not adapting other novels always arises. You'd think fans would've figured out by now they don't want to and nobody can force them. Hadn't EON continued making them during the 70's, IFP would've never thought of resurrecting the literary franchise. They need EON more than EON needs them. The films have a much higher profile than the novels. Fleming novels truly were a mass success during the 60's. They were read by people who didn't like the movies. You won't find anybody reading Gardner, Benson, etc who's not a fan. They're not important.

I don't really see any point in adapting any of them; none of them have stories unique enough that Eon can't come up with something comparable or better.


Same thing I said.

#9 Donovan Mayne-Nicholls

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Posted 27 May 2011 - 02:53 PM



Talk about being rude. You'd rather kill off a conversation than have it going in a new direction. That was the only point of your contribution.


In defense of Binyamin's comment...I didn't take it as rudeness at all. I think he/she thought people might be confused and wondering if the IFP could sell the continuation novel rights to someone other than EON. I thought he/she was only trying to clarify the matter. I've seen plenty of rudeness on this board, but I don't think this was meant to be condescending or rude.

I'm saying EON won't and IFP can't sell them elsewhere. This topic about EON not adapting other novels always arises. You'd think fans would've figured out by now they don't want to and nobody can force them. Hadn't EON continued making them during the 70's, IFP would've never thought of resurrecting the literary franchise. They need EON more than EON needs them.


I understand all that, and agree with it to a certain point, but I also think the comments from EON in the past explaining their position on the continuation novels have been disingenuous. Just say you don't want to spend the extra money instead of telling the fans that you can't be bothered to adapt the novels because they aren't good enough and don't meet your standards.

It's the 'artistic integrity' argument where EON loses me on the issue. I could respect their position more if they'd just admit they don't want to spend the extra money for books they don't consider to have any value.


You're asking too much from them. In a politically correct world no one will admit it's all about the money. MGW has hinted at it in other interviews ("it's difficult with the salaries people demand these days"). Maybe if they didn't overspend in hiring Hollywood talent (I'm sure Mr Haug was paid hansomely for delivering inferior digital special effects in QoS than Chris Corbould in CR just to please the artist Mr Forster) they could afford to buy Colonel Sun and secure a script with a plot.