Once you let Google Translate work its magic, you’ll find an article largely focused on the recent London auction of SPECTRE props and vehicles, most notably an Aston Martin DB10 which sold for £2,434,500 (or $3,375,896.81). The article goes on to mention that they had the opportunity to chat with Gregg Wilson, son of EON producer Michael G. Wilson. Both Gregg and his brother David have done extensive work in the Bond films. David went on to become the executive producer of the Bond video games while Gregg has worked as both assistant and associate producer since Quantum of Solace (2008). Gregg goes on to briefly describe his earliest experiences in the Bond universe. He is quoted as saying:
“The first memory I have of the Bond films is from set of “Octopussy” (1983). I remember that I visited the huge circus set. It was a very magical moment for a little boy. Later, I also remember that I visited the sets of the Timothy Dalton films “The Living Daylights” (1987) and “Licence to Kill” (1989). There is something very special about walking into a Bond set, you feel right away that you are in a different universe.”
He recounts working with David Arnold on the soundtrack to The World is Not Enough (1999) and then working on every film since Die Another Day (2002). He also describes script development as a real passion of his, and it sounds like SPECTRE (2015) marks the first time that he had the opportunity to get involved in this process.
Gregg Wilson and Michael G. Wilson
The most fascinating part of the article comes at the very end, however, which is something I can’t imagine any reasonably competent British or American editor allowing in this day in age. The topic is none other than “The Future of Bond.” Here Gregg gives us the first glimpse into what the thought process is right now at EON during the earliest stages of planning for Bond 25:
“We’ve just begun to doodle with ideas for the next movie. Each script process begins when we ask ourselves the question: ‘What is the world afraid [of] now?.’ In the case of “SPECTRE” was the theme global monitoring and utilization of information. So now we are trying to find out what will be relevant in the coming years.”
He further elaborates:
Gregg Wilson
“We always want to do something new with the Bond character and see him in situations we have not seen him in the past. We must give the audience something new every time. After noon movies are not always easy. But often it helps to go back to Ian Fleming’s novels for inspiration, whether you’re talking about grades or mood, says Wilson who is pretty sure Daniel Craig reprising the role agent 007 in “Bond 25”.
Now of course this isn’t much to go on. I suppose we have all figured that EON has always thought along these lines in order to make each new film relevant, viable, and interesting to modern audiences, but to actually hear someone from the inner circle talk about the process even in the vaguest terms … well, that’s enough to send most hardcore Bond fans into a bit of a frenzy.
So, let’s take a moment to consider real world threats that might somehow potentially play a role in Bond 25. It’s safe to assume that if Craig returns, SPECTRE / Blofeld will be the main source behind the threat, but let’s set them aside for now and just look at what threats are out there assuming that SPECTRE is malleable enough that it can manipulate any number of disastrous occurrences within the Bond universe. The threat that probably springs to everyone’s mind immediately is that of terrorism. It’s a horrible reality of living in our times that the threat of terrorism has become something that we have to contend with and confront no matter where you live. In the Bond universe, we already know that SPECTRE were planning to blow up a stadium full of people in Mexico City before Bond intervened. In the real world, there is state sponsored terrorism, rogue non state-sponsored terror cells, and lone wolf attacks, any of which can result in enormous tragedy. There is also cyber terrorism, which Skyfall touched on to some extent before Silva’s motivations were revealed.
How could Bond 25’s theme explore a terrorism threat? Well, that’s easy. Bond would have to thwart a potential terrorist attack somewhere in the world hopefully outside of the UK. I have no doubt that a decent movie could be constructed from such a basic plot, but doesn’t that sound like the plot of a lot of other typical action movies? Surely, there would have to be more to it than that for it to work as Bond film. There would have to be global consequences at stake, exotic locations, and a beautiful woman or three to either help or impede Bond’s progress. Still, this is Bond and while I’m sure we all would want 007 on our side to protect the world from terrorists, I think it’s safe to say that EON might want to go with a more complicated threat.
Beyond terrorism, there has always been a threat of an attack from a rogue government. Recent rocket testing in North Korea as well as the treaty brokered with Iran have made governments and citizens around the world extremely nervous about the threat of either of these countries achieving nuclear capabilities. While I’m sure EON would like to avoid inserting real world global politics into Bond, the idea of Bond thwarting a potential rogue country’s nuclear strike is one that I think might have appealed greatly to Ian Fleming. Of course, in Thunderball we witnessed Bond thwarting SPECTRE’s plan to hold the world to ransom by stealing nuclear warheads. In that case, it wasn’t an actual government Bond was up against because it was SPECTRE behind the threat, but what if Bond had to go up against a government.
Ian Fleming, 1964
Was it not Fleming himself who said, “Spying has always been regarded as (a) very romantic one-man job, so-to-speak. A one man against a whole police force or an army.” It’s been a long while since we’ve seen Bond go up against the army of an enemy foreign government. Craig’s Bond has gone up against Le Chiffre, Quantum, Silva, and now SPECTRE but never has he really butted heads with the armed forces of a sovereign power. This could potentially also bring back the naval intrigue that has been missing from Craig’s Bond films. Wouldn’t we all love to see Craig put on a British naval uniform aboard a naval vessel or submarine
Imagine Daniel Craig in a scene like this.
heading into enemy waters? I know that’s something I’d like to see. Of course SPECTRE could figure into it in some way by somehow lending aid to the rogue government in question, but I’d like to see Craig’s Bond topple the forces of an enemy despot even if it’s a fictional one. This potential plot intrigues me a lot more than just having Bond thwart a terrorist threat alone.
One other plot that might hold some resonance for modern audiences has sprung to my mind very recently. It involves the recent terrorist lone wolf attack perpetrated in San Bernadino, California by a despicable married couple in December last year. The reason why this has resurfaced in the news lately has to do with Apple’s refusal to allow the FBI access to hack into the phone owned by the murderers. There’s a highly contentious debate being held both in the media and very soon in the court rooms about the liability of allowing the government a backdoor channel into privately owned encrypted technological devices. Both sides to this debate have very legitimate concerns. On one side, the government wants to have this access so it can potentially save lives while on the other side people are concerned with government surveillance of the private information and correspondence of its own citizens.
Ben Whishaw and Daniel Craig in SPECTRE
Getting back to the Bond universe, I believe that while SPECTRE touched on the issue of government surveillance it failed to really focus on it in any meaningful way. The film doesn’t really delve into the actual implications of Denbigh’s and SPECTRE’s plot to obtain control over the intelligence networks of nine governments. Bond 25 could potentially rectify this shortcoming by actually framing a fictional plot around a scenario similar to the one happening between Apple and the FBI. They could go the conspiracy route. If you think about it, do we actually believe that the government lacks the means to hack into one iPhone? Maybe the government (the fictional one in the film- that is) has already hacked into the phone, but now feels the need to use the situation as leverage to get legislation to have the means to do this on a broader basis. I could imagine a scene between Q , M., and the Prime Minister like this one:
M: Were you able to hack into the device?
Q: Of course, Sir. . . I didn’t even have to get out of my pajamas.
Prime Minister: Very well, then. Carry on . . . oh and let’s go ahead and send a writ to (Fictional Company’s Headquarters) ordering them to help us construct a back channel to all their devices.
Q: But sir, I have everything we need.
Prime Minister (to M.): You heard me. Do as I ordered.
Please forgive my quickly and inadequately constructed dialogue, but you must get the gist of where a plot like this must be going. In this case, it’s the Prime Minister and whoever he’s working with (DUN-DUN DUNNN!!-SPECTRE!!!) who is trying to subvert the political power of the government for their own potential gain or profit. Perhaps SPECTRE is trying to acquire the technology company in question or maybe they just want to continue with their original plan for global surveillance only instead of nebulous platitudes about democracy and drones we have an actual plot with real characters who have a personal stake in the conflict. There could even be a sympathetic Bond girl who is on the side of protecting the privacy of citizens or a femme fatale who might lure Bond into doing her bidding as a counter measure to what M. decides is the right thing to do.
There is so much they can potentially do and I’m sure there are many fascinating ideas I may not have included here. That’s where you come in. Please, use the comments section below to discuss what you believe should be the next real world related threat for Bond 25? More than just plot, what themes would you like Bond 25 to explore? What kind of scenarios would you like to see 007 thwart or infiltrate? After all, Fleming even had Bond work for the enemy temporarily in some stories such as in Moonraker and The Man with the Golden Gun and we haven’t seen that in the film franchise since Licence to Kill (1989). Feel free to use this space to bandy about ideas. I know you could come up with good ones.
Interesting. The biggest threat in today’s world – apart from Trump – is ISIS. “Spectre” has really ballsed things up in the respect of relating Bond to the real world because it was so unreal. There’s potentially a great story to be mined in refugees / people smuggling etc but if they persist in sticking with the crappy personal angle between Bond and Bloferhauser it’s going to be tough to make it in any way politically relevant.
Not to pull this into to politics but since you have, ISIS exist because of the actions of the last 2 Presidents [Including the former Sectary of State running for the Dems] and not this Trump fella you seem to be spooked about.
Anyways since EON used the torture scene out of Colonel Sun in SPECTRE, it would be cool to use the book as the basis of the next movie. In the pre-titles, Ernst Stavro Blofeld is broken out of jail by Mr. Hinxs and crew. At that same moment kidnappers violently take the MI6 chief Gareth Mallory from his house. Cut to Bond who is in London dropping off May Maxwell his loyal and elderly Scottish housekeeper back to her flat, they say their Goodbye’s, see you next week and then Bond drives off. His Phone rings and Chief of Staff Bill Tanner alerts him what is going down. “Madeline!” Bond rushes back to his flat fearing the worst and discovers Madeline is still alive. “What is it James?” “Blofeld’s Escape!, we have to go!” He opens the front door of his flat and sees/hears SPECTRE agents scurry up the steps like rats. Crash! through his window swings an armed SPECTRE Goon. He and Bond have it out and Bond kills him. Using the swing rope Bond and Madeline escape to the street get in his car and drive off. A car chase ensues and Bond uses the Q Branch optional extras to dispose of all but one of the vehicles. The last pursuer has a armed female in the passenger seat, it’s Irma Bunt. It is a real fast and frantic pace à la QOS opening. At the climax of the chase Bond looks like he has lost Bunt’s car but suddenly a spray of bullets stream his Austin Martin. Bunt’s car races off leaving Bonds Aston Martin at the side of the road. Bond talks to Madeline and then stops as he sees one of the bullets has found it’s mark at the centre of her head.
Fade to Titles : Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions presents Daniel Craig as Ian Flemings James Bond 007 in Colonel Sun. Where is Blofeld? Who was the woman that killed Madeline? Where is M? Bond follows the clues to Vrakonisi, one of the Aegean Islands off the coast of Greece. In the process, Bond discovers a complex military-political plans of SPECTRE’s No.2. Colonel Sun of the Korean People’s Army [KPA].
Blofeld is not the main villain but is on the run from M16 and Bond. He and Bunt escape in the end and disappear until the 3rd and final movie of the Blofeld Trilogy which centres in Japan…Bond 26 Dr. Shatterhand.
Haha, not spooked by Forrest Trump, just amazed that as a bullying conman he has got so far (also the last two Presidents didn’t cause 1500 years of sectarian Muslim hatred, they just exacerbated it). And I think it was Gregg W who introduced politics into the equation by talking about real world threat. My point was, I think it will be difficult for Bond to do a relevant political thriller given that they took a burning issue – surveillance – and trivialised it beyond belief with a crappy family story as they did in Spectre. That’s all.
My dream Bond 25 plot (or Bond 26 because I think there’s more to be told in the Spectre storyline) would see a Putin-esque figure quietly revive SMERSH and allow EON to tap into the novels for inspiration ranging from Mr. Big and Dr. No to Rosa Klebb and G. The underlying theme would be government corruption reviving a sort of Cold War and seeing Bond globe-trotting as he puts out fires in one proxy war after another. It has a lot of potential because 1) many of the stories were so heavily altered when they were adapted in the Connery era that the original material would still seem new if EON made a faithful, albeit updated adaption and 2) some great Bond films were episodes of Cold War intrigue (Dr. No, From Russia With Love, For Your Eyes Only).
Great idea, Sean, I think they could come up with a fictional version of the situation in Syria and somehow involve Bond on a mission to quell a specific threat in the region.
Great article Jack lugo. I feel a new bond film should center around climate change and the storyline about a sinister organisation plotting a threat by using scientists to control the weather. warning leading countries to pay billions of dollars or face destruction. which leads to the British and American Navy’s to be involved.
Looking at Russia’s resurgence and Cold War posturing I think it would be a good fit for Bond to be dealing with some nasty Russians again. Putin is a horrible human being and could easily be a Spectre associate, so maybe they could implicate Putin (ok, call him something else) to causing deliberate instability in the Middle East causing the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the immigration problems in Europe right now. God I missed the Cold War! 😜
Bond 25 should bring a different theme after the murder of Bond wife to be . It should be a revenge kill of Blofield. Then or during this–if revenge were a theme
You could think of Bond protecting a world leader and succeeding against a
Plot by Blofeld. A sort of two revenge killings for the price of one. Whoever
Plays Bond would establish Bond as very human yet strong I think we have
Missed that in Spectre where I believe Bond acted as more an icon. However,
One goes about it I think of a strong Bond in Casino Royale. By revenging
His significant other from Spectre it would remind us that Bond would close a
Chapter of vesper Lynds death. If you add in a protective kill of a terrorist
Type person–you show Bonds dominance once again. Just a thought
11 Responses
Interesting. The biggest threat in today’s world – apart from Trump – is ISIS. “Spectre” has really ballsed things up in the respect of relating Bond to the real world because it was so unreal. There’s potentially a great story to be mined in refugees / people smuggling etc but if they persist in sticking with the crappy personal angle between Bond and Bloferhauser it’s going to be tough to make it in any way politically relevant.
Not to pull this into to politics but since you have, ISIS exist because of the actions of the last 2 Presidents [Including the former Sectary of State running for the Dems] and not this Trump fella you seem to be spooked about.
Anyways since EON used the torture scene out of Colonel Sun in SPECTRE, it would be cool to use the book as the basis of the next movie. In the pre-titles, Ernst Stavro Blofeld is broken out of jail by Mr. Hinxs and crew. At that same moment kidnappers violently take the MI6 chief Gareth Mallory from his house. Cut to Bond who is in London dropping off May Maxwell his loyal and elderly Scottish housekeeper back to her flat, they say their Goodbye’s, see you next week and then Bond drives off. His Phone rings and Chief of Staff Bill Tanner alerts him what is going down. “Madeline!” Bond rushes back to his flat fearing the worst and discovers Madeline is still alive. “What is it James?” “Blofeld’s Escape!, we have to go!” He opens the front door of his flat and sees/hears SPECTRE agents scurry up the steps like rats. Crash! through his window swings an armed SPECTRE Goon. He and Bond have it out and Bond kills him. Using the swing rope Bond and Madeline escape to the street get in his car and drive off. A car chase ensues and Bond uses the Q Branch optional extras to dispose of all but one of the vehicles. The last pursuer has a armed female in the passenger seat, it’s Irma Bunt. It is a real fast and frantic pace à la QOS opening. At the climax of the chase Bond looks like he has lost Bunt’s car but suddenly a spray of bullets stream his Austin Martin. Bunt’s car races off leaving Bonds Aston Martin at the side of the road. Bond talks to Madeline and then stops as he sees one of the bullets has found it’s mark at the centre of her head.
Fade to Titles : Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions presents Daniel Craig as Ian Flemings James Bond 007 in Colonel Sun. Where is Blofeld? Who was the woman that killed Madeline? Where is M? Bond follows the clues to Vrakonisi, one of the Aegean Islands off the coast of Greece. In the process, Bond discovers a complex military-political plans of SPECTRE’s No.2. Colonel Sun of the Korean People’s Army [KPA].
Blofeld is not the main villain but is on the run from M16 and Bond. He and Bunt escape in the end and disappear until the 3rd and final movie of the Blofeld Trilogy which centres in Japan…Bond 26 Dr. Shatterhand.
Haha, not spooked by Forrest Trump, just amazed that as a bullying conman he has got so far (also the last two Presidents didn’t cause 1500 years of sectarian Muslim hatred, they just exacerbated it). And I think it was Gregg W who introduced politics into the equation by talking about real world threat. My point was, I think it will be difficult for Bond to do a relevant political thriller given that they took a burning issue – surveillance – and trivialised it beyond belief with a crappy family story as they did in Spectre. That’s all.
My dream Bond 25 plot (or Bond 26 because I think there’s more to be told in the Spectre storyline) would see a Putin-esque figure quietly revive SMERSH and allow EON to tap into the novels for inspiration ranging from Mr. Big and Dr. No to Rosa Klebb and G. The underlying theme would be government corruption reviving a sort of Cold War and seeing Bond globe-trotting as he puts out fires in one proxy war after another. It has a lot of potential because 1) many of the stories were so heavily altered when they were adapted in the Connery era that the original material would still seem new if EON made a faithful, albeit updated adaption and 2) some great Bond films were episodes of Cold War intrigue (Dr. No, From Russia With Love, For Your Eyes Only).
Great idea, Sean, I think they could come up with a fictional version of the situation in Syria and somehow involve Bond on a mission to quell a specific threat in the region.
Great article Jack lugo. I feel a new bond film should center around climate change and the storyline about a sinister organisation plotting a threat by using scientists to control the weather. warning leading countries to pay billions of dollars or face destruction. which leads to the British and American Navy’s to be involved.
Looking at Russia’s resurgence and Cold War posturing I think it would be a good fit for Bond to be dealing with some nasty Russians again. Putin is a horrible human being and could easily be a Spectre associate, so maybe they could implicate Putin (ok, call him something else) to causing deliberate instability in the Middle East causing the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the immigration problems in Europe right now. God I missed the Cold War! 😜
Bond 25 should bring a different theme after the murder of Bond wife to be . It should be a revenge kill of Blofield. Then or during this–if revenge were a theme
You could think of Bond protecting a world leader and succeeding against a
Plot by Blofeld. A sort of two revenge killings for the price of one. Whoever
Plays Bond would establish Bond as very human yet strong I think we have
Missed that in Spectre where I believe Bond acted as more an icon. However,
One goes about it I think of a strong Bond in Casino Royale. By revenging
His significant other from Spectre it would remind us that Bond would close a
Chapter of vesper Lynds death. If you add in a protective kill of a terrorist
Type person–you show Bonds dominance once again. Just a thought