Neal Purvis And Robert Wade Discuss 'Bond 22' Details
***Plot Spoilers***
With Casino Royale approaching the end of its astonishing run at the worldwide box office, more and more details and rumours are being revealed about the upcoming Bond 22, due for release in November 2008.
In an interview on The Trades, screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (who worked on Casino Royale, Die Another Day and The World Is Not Enough) discussed the reception to Daniel Craig’s first James Bond film and revealed some details on Bond 22.
While discussing the many BAFTA nominations for Casino Royale, Purvis said: ‘We were very surprised by the nominations because it takes something for people to think of Casino Royale as just a good film and not a Bond film.’
‘Being nominated is a huge leap forward for a Bond movie,’ added Wade.
Comparing Bond to Craig’s reception with the press, Wade said: ‘Bond’s sort of struggling against the odds. What’s heroic and affecting about him is that he keeps going, even when everything is against him. So, in a way, it’s kind of like that’s what Daniel did in real life.’
The absense of Q and Miss Moneypenny from Casino Royale sparked much discussion amongst 007 fans. Wade commented on this, saying: ‘Some people think they should be there and some people know that they shouldn’t be there. With the way Casino Royale ends, you know there’s still unfinished business for Bond. He may say, “The name’s Bond, James Bond,” but there’s still a lot of stuff churning up inside him. So, if you’re going to explore that, and we’ve got this great actor to do that with, what you don’t want to do is suddenly clamp it down with all these familiar elements that keep your focus off him. He’s the great asset.’
According to Purvis, Moneypenny would be the easier of the two to incorporate. ‘Q presents more problems. People have all got gadgets now. Other films have lots of gadgets as well… The idea of Q coming back, for the moment, it’s just not a high priority.’
In mid-December, The Sun started a rumour that Ian Fleming’s short story Risico would provide the title and plot basis for Bond 22. ‘That’s not the case,’ said Wade. However, when asked about whether or not Vesper Lynd’s Algerian boyfriend would appear as one of the film’s villains, he simply said ‘I can’t comment.’
Finally, speaking on the timetable for Bond 22, Wade said: ‘The idea is for the movie to start shooting at the beginning of next year. It would be nice to have the draft next week (laughing). The sooner the better. It’s not an easy thing to do, because the bar was raised with the last picture, so we have to raise our game again.’
Stay tuned to CBn for all the latest news on Bond 22.