I got to interview you a few years ago in Covid about your latest Holmes book at the time and I couldn’t resist asking about your experience working on Bond. One of my all time favourite moments when you started to act out your pitch as Bond and the villain. What a moment for me
They should have listened to you. I love the James Bond films...up to a point. My patience with them wore thin with the ever-increasing fantastical plots. Something a bit more grounded would be welcomed. What I'd really like to see is a James Bond series set back in the Cold War, which was his original world.
Spottiswoode's Tomorrow Never Dies does feature a plot to manufacture a war between China and another power. But only in service of delivering dominance over the global media market to the villain, as opposed to anything as 'noble' as a desire to save the planet.
30 plus years later, I'd still pay to see that idea in book form. I can see the headline now - "he breathed new life into Sherlock Holmes, Star Trek, and now Nicholas Meyer breathes new life into the spy novel!"
Well, I'm sure you realize by now that's pretty much the plot of Avengers: Infinity War. Except the heroes never went along with Thanos' plan. No wonder the Daniel Craig Bond movies were so impactful. Speaking as a Bond fan, I always preferred the slightly more realistic vibe of the Connery movies than Roger Moore's cartoons or even Brosnan's movies, which I thought really didn't serve him well. He was such a great Bond stuck in some pretty awful stories.
I was watching an interview today with Michael Dorn and he was asked if I had to host his own show and pick a guest to interview that he would pick you due to your scholarly background.
Now that's a Bond movie I'd like to see. I first hated Bond movies, then came to love them when I understood the formula was the thing - all of the great stunts and clever maneuvering, etc. - not whether or not the plots made sense or the laws of physics were obeyed.
Hollywood has always had two kinds of writers: those who write great scripts, and those who write great stories about themselves. Thankfully, despite your best efforts, your meddling didn't influence the outstanding final script and movie that resulted from it.
And "Kingsman" runs on pretty much the same plot—it's basically James Bond without James Bond.
I got to interview you a few years ago in Covid about your latest Holmes book at the time and I couldn’t resist asking about your experience working on Bond. One of my all time favourite moments when you started to act out your pitch as Bond and the villain. What a moment for me
They should have listened to you. I love the James Bond films...up to a point. My patience with them wore thin with the ever-increasing fantastical plots. Something a bit more grounded would be welcomed. What I'd really like to see is a James Bond series set back in the Cold War, which was his original world.
Spottiswoode's Tomorrow Never Dies does feature a plot to manufacture a war between China and another power. But only in service of delivering dominance over the global media market to the villain, as opposed to anything as 'noble' as a desire to save the planet.
30 plus years later, I'd still pay to see that idea in book form. I can see the headline now - "he breathed new life into Sherlock Holmes, Star Trek, and now Nicholas Meyer breathes new life into the spy novel!"
File the serial numbers off!
Whoever's in it, it sounds like a good movie or book.
Well, I'm sure you realize by now that's pretty much the plot of Avengers: Infinity War. Except the heroes never went along with Thanos' plan. No wonder the Daniel Craig Bond movies were so impactful. Speaking as a Bond fan, I always preferred the slightly more realistic vibe of the Connery movies than Roger Moore's cartoons or even Brosnan's movies, which I thought really didn't serve him well. He was such a great Bond stuck in some pretty awful stories.
I was watching an interview today with Michael Dorn and he was asked if I had to host his own show and pick a guest to interview that he would pick you due to your scholarly background.
An interesting slice of contemporary context from 1996: https://variety.com/1996/scene/vpage/mgm-s-completion-bond-1117436166/
Summer re-runs?
Now that's a Bond movie I'd like to see. I first hated Bond movies, then came to love them when I understood the formula was the thing - all of the great stunts and clever maneuvering, etc. - not whether or not the plots made sense or the laws of physics were obeyed.
Very flattered, but the notion that I am any kind of "scholar" is giving me the benefit of much doubt. I just read a lotta books!
Ripped off again??!
Hollywood has always had two kinds of writers: those who write great scripts, and those who write great stories about themselves. Thankfully, despite your best efforts, your meddling didn't influence the outstanding final script and movie that resulted from it.