007 questions about Bond 24

Among the unanswered questions….

Now that Bond 24 screenwriter John Logan says the movie’s first draft script is almost done, it’s time once again to pose some questions about the next 007 film adventure.

001. First draft? Only the first draft? Well, that’s what Logan TOLD EMPIRE IN AN INTERVIEW.

002. But isn’t that mean Bond 24 is behind, relatively speaking, where Skyfall was three years ago? Yes. A first draft was in place in early 2011 when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announced the then-untitled movie was a go and it’d be out for the fall of 2012.

Based on later statements Logan made, he came aboard around that time. He said in early 2012 he’d been attached to the Bond film for about a year. Logan revamped earlier work by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and all three got a “written by” credit for Skyfall. In any case, that means there was a draft for Logan to rewrite.

003. Is that cause for concern? Not necessarily.

MGM announced in November 2012 that Logan would be writing Bond 24 and 25. It’s possible — though nobody outside of a close circle of people at Eon Productions, MGM or Sony Pictures knows — Logan may have a detailed treatment done some time ago.

If (a big if, admittedly) that’s the case, major storytelling problems may have been already addressed. Then again, oversight intensifies when there’s an actual script to evaluate.

004. Any chance a rebooted Blofeld might appear now that Eon has secured the rights to the character once and for all? Logan was coy about this possibility, or whether Quantum (the villainous organization of Casino Royale and Quantum Solace) may return.

The deal with the Kevin McClory estate was made in the fall of 2013, long after Logan was signed to write Bond 24 and Bond 25, but months before the first draft was nearing completion. So, sure, it’s possible.

005. What car company will land the Bond 24 product placement deal? Despite the presence of the 1960s Aston Martin DB5, Skyfall’s real auto deal was with Tata Motors Ltd., owner of the Land Rover and Jaguar brands. Land Rover hired Daniel Craig to appear at the New York International Auto Show in 2013.

Bentley, owned by Volkswagen AG, has made noises about getting into the mix for Bond 24. (CLICK HERE to view a story on the MI6 site.) File this under “remains to be seen.”

006. Will the gunbarrel finally be at the start of the movie again for Bond 24? As a certain Bond woman once said, “I wouldn’t go banco on that.” Nobody at Eon, certainly, has promised it’ll be at the start. The gunbarrel logo hasn’t been at the start of a 007 movie since 2002’s Die Another Day. By now, standard operating procedure is no.

007. What do you think *will* happen? There’s a 99 percent probability Barbara Broccoli will say, “the money’s up on the screen,” during the news conference for the start of production.

How British are Jaguar and Land Rover?

A publication called Car magazine has a story about how the Land Rover Defender will appear in Skyfall. Here’s a passage:

Land Rover Defender

(Skyfall co-producer Andrew) Noakes says the production company, EON, is delighted with the support of Jaguar-Land Rover. ‘The films may be made with American money and producers, but James Bond is British and we try to make associations with British companies. Land Rover is one of the oldest and most well-known. We’ve had offers from other companies but we’d prefer not to take James Bond out of a British environment.’

It’d probably be more accurate to call Jaguar-Land Rover a British subsidiary of an Indian company. The brands are owned by Mumbai, India-based Tata Motors Ltd., which acquired them in 2008. Jaguar hasn’t been British *owned* since 1989, when it was acquired by Ford Motor Co. Land Rover hasn’t been British owned since it was bought by Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, better known as BMW, in 1994. BMW sold Land Rover to Ford in 2000. Ford sold both brands to Tata four years ago.

While they still emphasize their British heritage, Jaguar and Land Rover aren’t really part of a British company. Models are still made in the U.K. (though Motor Trend wrote last month the Defender may be built in India.)

Then again, the literary Bond preferred Bentley, a brand that has been owned by Volkswagen AG since 1998.

A decade ago, Ford had a product placement deal with Eon Productions where Die Another Day would feature the European luxury brands the U.S. company then owned, including Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin. Die Another Day also included a Ford Thunderbird (since discontinued) which was driven briefly by Jinx (Halle Berry). Prior to that, BMW had provided cars for Bond in Pierce Brosnan’s first three 007 films.

In 2006’s Casino Royale, a Ford Mondeo, a model sold in Europe and not the U.S., appeared as did an Aston Martin model, both driven by Daniel Craig. Ford sold off Aston the following year. Ford models appeared in 2008’s Quantum of Solace. Skyfall is emphasizing Tata’s U.K. models and the nearly half-century-old Aston Martin DB5, which originally appeared in Goldfinger. The DB5 has been making appearances periodically in the series since 1995’s GoldenEye (including Casino Royale, as a car Bond wins in a poker game).

Bond 23 to begin filming Nov. 7, The Sun says

Bond 23 is start production on Nov. 7, according to a report in U.K. newspaper, The Sun. The story is brief but contains this passage:

When shooting starts on November 7, the actor will have to switch from a Range Rover to a Jaguar – with both motors on the move.

Jaguar and Land Rover were part of product placement in 2002’s Die Another Day in a deal meant to show off Ford Motor Co.’s European luxury offerings. Gustav Graves was driven to receive his knighthood (after making a showy parachute jump) in a Land Rover while Graves henchman Zao drove a tricked-out Jaguar in a car chase with an Aston Martin driven by Bond (Pierce Brosnan).

Ford sold off Aston Martin in 2007 and Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008. Jaguar and Land Rover are now owned by India’s Tata Motors Ltd.

To read the entire story in The Sun, JUST CLICK HERE.