25 replies to this topic

[taxman2001]

I post this after starting to re-read (once again) all of Fleming's books in release order (it was either that or at the behest of the girlfriend the Harry Potter books - no offence to any Rowling fans out there but I just can't seem to get into them).

My question is: "Does anyone else here wish that EON (or whoever holds the rights to the Fleming novels) would go back to the original source material and make made-for-tv-movies?"

If you look at the success of the Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot adaptations by the BBC and ITV respectively then it could will be done.

Personally I'd love to see a 2 hour film (set on the period of the original novel) every month, or so, based on the books that gave us the greatest literary (and cinematic) hero of the last (and this) century.

[Righty007]

I think thats a good idea but I don't think it would work out well.

[Coop]

I think the books would be very hard to adapt. A lot of the charm is in the prose and Fleming's eye for detail.

[kevrichardson]

I think that is not possible since EON owns the rights to all the availble Fleming novels . Any way as some else wrote , it would be hard to do .

[Righty007]

Originally posted by kevrichardson
I think that is not possible since EON owns the rights to all the availble Fleming  novels . Any way as some slse wrote , it would be hard to do .

Did you even read the question before posting? The question is "Does anyone else here wish that EON (or whoever holds the rights to the Fleming novels) would go back to the original source material and make made-for-tv-movies?".

[JackChase007]

Originally posted by kevrichardson
I think that is not possible since EON owns the rights to all the availble Fleming  novels .  Any way as some slse wrote , it would be hard to do .

It's a hypothetical situation - like A LOT of the things posed on this board. The purpose is just to bring up an idea and discuss it - not really put it into consideration and see how far we can get with it.

[jwheels]

I think it would be cool, but they would have to put it on a cable show, like HBO or Showtime. Most of the material in the books wouldn't fit into two hours, so maybe a mini-series, that would be cool

[JackChase007]

Originally posted by Righty007
Did you even read the question before posting? The question is "Does anyone else here wish that EON (or whoever holds the rights to the Fleming novels) would go back to the original source material and make made-for-tv-movies?".

From past experience, I've noticed that Kev-o over there likes to dive head-first into a thread and try to put many people in their respective places.

But anway, back to the topic...

I think it would be a great idea - and as previously mentioned, cable would be a much better idea than national networks. Considering the content of Fleming's novels, it would be impossible to air such "movies".

[taxman2001]

Cable in the States maybe but one of the 5 terrestrial channels over here in dear old Blighty ...

[JackChase007]

Ah yes - it's hard to decide upon this stuff - I admittedly know nothing about what TV is like on the other side of the ocean...

[kevrichardson]

Originally posted by JackChase007


From past experience, I've noticed that Kev-o over there likes to dive head-first into a thread and try to put many people in their respective places.

No i do not like to do that . Just that you Jack know as well as i do that EON would not do anything like that .

[TheSaint]

Sounds like a great idea-I'd rather see EON do that than a Jinx movie. I also think that 2 hours would be enough time for each book. You don't have to film every occurence in a book when making the movie version of it.

[JackChase007]

Originally posted by kevrichardson
No i do not like to do that .  Just that you Jack know as well as i do that EON would not do anything like that .

Kev, pay attention! This is HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION! We are asking if people "WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS", not "WOULD IT HAPPEN?" And yes, you do do that! Sometimes people will offer ideas (the majority of which are not meant to be for real, just IDEAS), and you respond negatively to them, almost always with the same response of "EON will not do this". HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION - EON does not have the rights to the Bond novels. They're on the market. Would this be a good idea? That is the point of this thread.

[kevrichardson]

Jack i understand this . Okay your right Hypothetical situation . EON does not own the rights to Bond novels . yhe perhaps we could get Casino Royale made the right way .

[Dr.Carl Mortner]

If they do that, I'd hope they wouldn't make your typically-crappy ABC/NBC/CBS-style TV movie. Put them on a cable channel where you have no boundaries and could reproduce Fleming's R-rated material without worrying about box office returns.

[JackChase007]

Exactly. Network channels would have too many restrictions.

[taxman2001]

It would also be good to see the shorter stories finally make it on their own instead of being used as one note ideas in the feature films i.e. the titles etc.

[Cesari]

I would like to see that. but I think tv screeners wouldn't understand. People is used to see James Bond movies with a lot of action, car chases and gadgets.
Nobody excepted literrary fans would understand that different James Bond

[taxman2001]

Personally I cannot understand why it hasn't been done yet.

If there was a James Bond series then simply by broadcasting it would get people enthusiastic about the films (especially at release time). This would especially be the case if the tv stations know a 007 film is due out "here" then they could broadcast the show and get larger audiences.

As for people expecting lots of cinematic action, I feel that if the show was a period piece and set in the 50/60's then there shouldn't be a large expectation from the audience of a series whose main reason for watching are gadgets and explosions.

The Fleming stories themselves are fascinating both as a comment on the era and their conceptions of action.

If a series is ever made then I'd rather see it use the source material than try and be a Small Screen Cinematic Bond.

People are willing to watch a 2 hour movie/4 hour mini series as long as the story interests them. And I don't think you could say that Flemings stories aren't interesting one way or another.

[marktmurphy]

I don't think the stories are good enough to stand on their own without the garnish of expensive action the films have put onto them, to be honest. Especially now that the basic structures of his stories have been exposed for so long by the films, plus a lot of the material has been used by the films so there would be little new stuff to entertain the punters. There's also a tone problem with such ridiculous material which asks for a po-faced delivery.
I feel the films, whilst not adhereing to the letter of Fleming, capture the spirit of the novels very well and show possibly the only way of putting this stuff on the screen. They tried doing it the way Fleming wrote it (and toned it down) for Dr No and everyone laughed. Its silly stuff and couldn't be done 'straight' as it would end up looking like 'Airplane'.

[taxman2001]

That's a bit like saying that you cannot make any further films/series based on the books of Agatha Chrsitie because everyone knows whodunnit.

The success or the failure of any story is whether the audience believes in it.

[marktmurphy]

Do you see any more Agathas being made? Plus Christie's stuff is all about plot- Fleming's is more about style and prose: the plots are pretty much all the same.
Keeping an audience believing in a story will be harder when you switch from a tense and unpleasant torture scene to an attack by a giant squid. It might work. It might not. But its not worth doing now the films have almost exhausted the Bond canon.

[Coop]

>>Do you see any more Agathas being made?<<

A new series of Miss Marple, starring Prunella Scales is currently in production to be broadcast on ITV next year.

[taxman2001]

The films haven't exhausted the Bond canon - that's why there will be a Bond 22 etc.

But I just think it would be good to see Bond on screen in the adventures that started the whole Bond phenomenom.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

i am not sure i would like it to much, but i just might, i would be afraid it would not be done right and somehow it would bring a backlash to the bond moive name

[taxman2001]

There is that possibility BONDFINESSE 007 but of EON could get involved then at least there would be a fighting chance.