Bond 25 questions: The Rhythm Section/Super Bowl edition

Daniel Craig/James Bond character poster

Separate events over the weekend — the debut of a non-Bond Eon film and a Super Bowl spot for No Time to Die — have generated some questions at the blog.

Are these events related?

Yes, in one respect.

The Rhythm Section and No Time to Die will have music from the same group.

The music credit for The Rhythm Section says the score was “produced by” Hans Zimmer while the music was by Steve Mazzaro, a composer affiliated with Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions.

After the No Time to Die commercial aired on the Super Bowl, Zimmer put out a tweet that said, the spot “doesn’t have my music (still working on it with my friend Steve Mazzaro!) but you’ll hear what we come up with soon.”

So, Zimmer is working with Mazzaro on No Time to Die. Meanwhile, Mazzaro’s score for The Rhythm Section sounds very much like the Zimmer-credited scores for Christopher Nolan’s Batman films. BROOOOOOMMMMM!

Are you saying No Time to Die’s score will sound like that?

Not necessarily. But the Mazzaro (channeling Zimmer) score for The Rhythm Section didn’t break new ground. We’ll have to see what the duo come up with for No Time to Die.

What was new in the Super Bowl spot?

Actually, quite a lot. There were a few shots that appeared in the trailer released in December. But there was new material, including Daniel Craig’s James Bond and Lashana Lynch in an unusual aircraft.

That plane looked similar (but larger) compared with the mini jet seen in the pre-titles sequence in 1983’s Octopussy. The idea originally was in the first draft script of Moonraker where Bond and Holly Goodhead flew his and her mini jets.

What happened with The Rhythm Section’s box office?

The Paramount-released movie was not just a flop. It was a historic flop. It had the lowest box office (not adjusted for inflation) of any movie opening with more than 3,000 screens. The Rhythm Section broke a 14-year record in that regard.

Deadline: Hollywood published a story over the weekend about various things that went wrong, including test screenings that went over badly, financing issues and behind-the-scenes disagreements.

Movies with more problems have been hits. If Deadline is to be believed, there was a lot of bad luck involved for The Rhythm Section. Regardless, the numbers are the numbers. Numbers can be very unforgiving.

No Time to Die spot airs during Super Bowl

A 30-second commercial for No Time to Die aired late during the second quarter of the Super Bowl.

Much of the footage in the spot was different than the first trailer for the movie that debuted in early December. One scene involved Daniel Craig’s James Bond and Lashana Lynch’s Nomi in some kind of unusual aircraft.

The commercial promised, “THIS APRIL…THE 25TH FILM…WILL CHANGE…EVERYTHING.” In between there were scenes from the movie.

Super Bowl commercials aired on the broadcast by the Fox television network cost more than $5 million each for 30 seconds.

Shortly after the spot aired, the official James Bond account on Twitter put out a post that embedded the commercial.

The 25th Bond film will change everything… #NoTimeToDie releasing April 2020 #JamesBond #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/gkxQsuxSLk

— James Bond (@007) February 3, 2020

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UPDATE (8:20 p.m., New York time): The spot has now been posted to YouTube.

UPDATE II (8:45 p.m., New York time): Hans Zimmer puts out a tweet saying the commercial doesn’t have any of his music for the movie. He also says he’s working on the score with Steve Mazzaro. The latter is affiliated with Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions and scored Eon’s The Rhythm Section.

One of my wildest dreams has come true – I am composing a Bond movie!! 🤯 Here’s the new spot for #NoTimeToDie from the #SuperBowl. It doesn’t have my music (still working on it with my friend Steve Mazzaro!) but you’ll hear what we come up with soon. @007 arrives April 2020. pic.twitter.com/vDAJWxmhWX

— Hans Zimmer (@HansZimmer) February 3, 2020

 

First Mission: Impossible – Fallout poster revealed

The official Tom Cruise account on Twitter unveiled the first Mission: Impossible – Fallout poster today.

Also today, the Cruise Twitter account had a short video teasing the movie’s trailer.

The producer-star and Paramount are ramping up publicity for the movie, the sixth installment of the M:I film series that began in 1996. The first trailer is scheduled to be shown on Sunday during the Super Bowl.

The poster’s image isn’t detailed. It shows a man (presumably Cruise’s Ethan Hunt) dangling from a helicopter.

The movie is scheduled for a July 27 release date. Cruise broke an ankle during filming last year, an event that scrambled the film’s production schedule.

Here is the Tweet that came out today:

Check out the first poster for #MissionImpossible Fallout pic.twitter.com/6dxtZ6vayl

— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) February 1, 2018

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Here is the tweet teasing the trailer.

3 Days. #MissionImpossible pic.twitter.com/CLBvQBcQ6L

— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) February 1, 2018

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40th anniversay of the definitive Super Bowl film

Black Sunday poster

Today is Super Bowl Sunday in the United States and this year marks the 40th anniversary of the definitive Super Bowl-related film, Black Sunday.

The John Frankenheimer-directed film was based on a Thomas Harris novel. The 1975 book was a hot property and Paramount snagged the film rights. It was Harris’ first novel and didn’t include Hannibal Lecter as a character.

The studio didn’t scrimp on the production. Besides hiring Frankheimer, the creative team, led by producer Robert Evans, included Ernest Lehman as one of three screenwriters and John Williams as composer. This would be Williams’ final score prior to the original Star Wars movie.

For the lead character, Evans & Co. cast Robert Shaw as an Israeli operative, Bruce Dern as a blimp pilot who becomes part of the terrorist plot and Marthe Keller as one of the terrorists.

The plot concerned Isrealis, working with American law enforcement officials clashing with Middle Eastern terrorists, who have targeted the Super Bowl, the championship game for the National Football League.

Harris’ novel used New Orleans’ Tulane Stadium (site of the 1975 Super Bowl) as a location. Frankheimer’s film utilized Miami’s Orange Bowl, site of the 1976 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys.

The film crew worked as the game was 1976 played, with real life CBS announcers Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier making an appearance.

The movie came out in the spring of 1977. It generated a modest $15.8 million box office in the United States, according to Box Office Mojo.

Here’s the trailer of the movie:

Jason Bourne ad debuts during Super Bowl

The new Bourne movie now has a title, simply Jason Bourne, and a 30-second ad aired during CBS’ telecast of the Super Bowl.

The ad didn’t reveal much, mostly showing Matt Damon in action as Bourne. Tommy Lee Jones wonders “why would he come back now?”

The movie, due out July 29, is the fifth Bourne film released by Universal and the fourth with Damon. The most recent entry in the series, 2012’s The Bourne Legacy, featured Jeremy Renner as another character, Aaron Cross.

Damon’s three previous movies were made from 2002 through 2007. Jason Bourne was directed by Paul Greengrass, who helmed Damon’s last two Bourne films, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum.

Scott Mendelson, a writer at Forbes.com, has A COMMENTARY, where he speculates whether Jason Bourne will acknowledge the events of The Bourne Legacy. Meanwhile, you can watch the ad below.