Lost James Bond Film Would Have Resulted In Judi Dench’s M Being Killed By 007
‘Skyfall’ is not only the most financially successful James Bond film ever released, but it was also roundly acclaimed by critics too.
But things could have been so different. Because before ‘Skyfall’ was in place, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, the franchise regulars who have co-written ‘The World Is Not Enough’, ‘Die Another Day’, ‘Casino Royale’, ‘Quantum Of Solace’ and ‘Spectre’, partnered with the Oscar-nominated Peter Morgan to work on a Bond script.
The “central idea … the hook” that Morgan, Purvis, and Wade worked on was ultimately used for ‘Skyfall’, while the script’s “shocking story” that was teased for years, but never divulged, has now been finally revealed.
This revelation has come courtesy on a new book by Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury entitled ‘Some Kind Of Hero: The Remarkable Story Of The James Bond Films’, via Digital Spy.
Entitled ‘Once Upon A Spy’, the pre-‘Skyfall’ script would have seen 007 forced to kill M at the end. But how could events have possibly transpired to such a dramatic extent to reach such a conclusion?
Danny Dyer As James Bond?
Val Kilmer backtracks over weird Top Gun 2 claims
Well, the film would have started during the Cold War, where Judi Dench’s M is stationed in Berlin as an MI6 agent. While in Germany, M scandalously begins an illicit affair with a KGB agent. Fast forward 30 years and the Russian spy has died, but his son, who is a corrupt oligarch, is blackmailing M, which leaves her career in jeopardy.
This is where Bond steps in, as he tries to make a payoff. Unfortunately, due to a series of unfortunate events, Bond is then forced to kill M.
Morgan’s script never really sat well with Wade and Purvis, and they both were almost certainly relieved when director Sam Mendes and producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli rejected it.
Explaining their thoughts, Wade remarked, “Neal and I are pretty well steeped in (Ian) Fleming. I think Peter was more interested in (John) Le Carre. It just didn’t work.”
“We always found that really, really difficult to make credible or satisfying. It was very dark and frankly I don’t think it really worked.”
It wasn’t all bad though. Because some aspects of ‘Once Upon A Spy’ – M’s past coming back to haunt her as well as her death – were kept for ‘Skyfall.’
Unfortunately Wade and Purvis failed to reveal if it was them, Morgan or Mendes who originally dreamed up ‘Skyfall’s’ ‘Home Alone’ style montage.
Whoever it was deserves a big, hearty pat on the back though.
Because Bond + ‘Home Alone’ = all kinds of yes.
Gosling should be the next Rambo, says Sly
Frail Burt Reynolds arrives for interview in New York
[Image via MGM Productions]
