NPR asks whether James Bond is dead

NPR (the former National Public Radio) aired a story asking whether James Bond is dead. It’s NPR’s take on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s financial crisis which has helped (but isn’t the sole reason) delay in Bond 23.

A lot of details are familiar to Bond fans but NPR’s Robert Smith does an entertaining version by making the story sound like a gathering of 007 villains talking about Bond’s plight, utilizing audio clips from Dr. No and .You Only Live Twice among other films There are also serious comments as well, including one by author Edward J. Epstein. Epstein says there will likely be a Bond 23 but the future of the series will depend whether Bond catches on with younger movie patrons.

“If it doesn’t click with the youth audience, the franchise is dead,” Epstein tells NPR. “MGM is dead. And so is James Bond. They live or die together.” Check out the link below. The story doesn’t mention how Eon Productions hired Peter Morgan, the writer of Very Important Films, who was unable to come up with a finished script draft despite months of work.

http://www.npr.org/v2/?i=131426010&m=131437232&t=audio