Jan 20, 2011

Tradecraft: New Bond Screenwriter is a Fleming Fan

According to The Hollywood Reporter (the print version, anyway; I can't find this story online), newly announced James Bond screenwriter John Logan is a fan of the original 007 novels.  Reporters Borys Kit and Kim Masters reveal how he came to be involved with Bond 23.  "The Los Angeles-based writer bumped into director Sam Mendes, a longtime friend, after a theater show in New York.  When Mendes mentioned that he will direct the next Bond film, Logan revealed he had read every single one of Ian Fleming's 007 novels.  Mendes immediately asked whether he'd be interested in trying his hand at a Bond script, leading to a meeting during the holidays with Bond rights-holders the Broccoli family.  Logan impressed and got the gig, paving the way to be included in the big announcement."  As for how his collaboration with longtime Bond scribes Purvis and Wade will work, the trade reports that the regulars have already written their draft and that Logan is now "taking over for Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who wrote the four previous Bond films and a draft of 23 but will hand the reins to Logan." (Sounds similar to their collaboration with Paul Haggis on the last two movies.) It's easy for Bond fans to scoff at the trade's apparent amazement that someone read every single one of Fleming's novels(!), but we have to assume that the great import attributed to that simple, common and highly enjoyable accomplishment is their own and not Logan's. Despite the laughable wording, I think it's a good thing that this writer is a fan of the novels. And I dare say not every writer to work on a Bond movie over the years has even managed to read all the books.  Didn't Haggis admit as much?  I seem to recall his saying he'd read almost all of them, but that caveat fails to impress die-hard fans who know almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades! (Yes, that's a really obscure Bond reference. I'll send a prize to the first person who can identify it!)

2 comments:

docvoltage said...

In my mind's eye I hear Q saying this to Bond (Pierce Brosnan, I think), but that's as close as I can get by memory (and I may be entirely wrong). Maybe someone else can build on this ?

Tanner said...

I could see that, but I hate to say, you're on the wrong track. It's REALLY obscure...