The Death Collectors: Bond Films that Never Were

Hm, I’m going to take a stab in the dark and predict this is actually the predecessor to ITTL’s Tomorrow Never Lies.

It was the original title for License to Kill, so possibly the version of the film that featured China and the Golden Triangle rather than the fictiona Isthmus.

Also a 1994 Goldeneye preceded Tomorrow Never Lies in that Installment.
 
It was the original title for License to Kill, so possibly the version of the film that featured China and the Golden Triangle rather than the fictiona Isthmus.

Also a 1994 Goldeneye preceded Tomorrow Never Lies in that Installment.

Did it? Referring back to the James Purejoy Bond movie, it notes the predecessor was 1989's License Revoked.

TOMORROW NEVER LIES (1996)
James Purefoy IS James Bond



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Whatever you say, Mr. Bond. Just remember: ‘Tomorrow’ never lies.
(Sir Elliot Harmsway, 1996)


As 1994 dawned to a close, the Broccoli family and EON Productions were facing a number of contradictory dilemmas. On one hand, the future of the Bond franchise – once seemingly so grim – offered clear signs of hope after a much needed comeback. On the other, that very same future appeared to be lacking – perhaps excessively so – a clear direction to follow. Back in 1990, the antics of Italian financier Giancarlo Parretti and his takeover of MGM/UA had placed the franchise on hold shortly after the release of the unsuccessful Licence Revoked (1989), forcing EON into an unexpected hiatus as the company sued Parretti to protect its creative assets. Thus, from a production standpoint, Michael G. Wilson and the Broccolis – Barbara and Albert, the latter of which was preparing his retirement – had faced the equivalent of a torturous purgatory, with little end in sight.
Unless my wires are getting crossed?
 
Just to check how many Bond movie universes are we dealing with here?

All the entries are superb, but cannot all be one continuity.

SDP winning in 84? Did not expect that!
 
TOMORROW NEVER LIES (1996)
James Purefoy IS James Bond


lKASR9L.png


Whatever you say, Mr. Bond. Just remember: ‘Tomorrow’ never lies.
(Sir Elliot Harmsway, 1996)​

Having eventually reached a compromise deal, Dalton had made his eventual return on John Woo’s GoldenEye (1994), a mostly well received return after a five-year hiatus which, despite not meeting EON’s high expectations,​

It does, several times.
 
Just to check how many Bond movie universes are we dealing with here?

All the entries are superb, but cannot all be one continuity.

SDP winning in 84? Did not expect that!

Thanks! Thus far all of them minus Per Fine Ounce/Octopussy (which share the same universe) are separate of each other, so that's 14 separate universes.

As a heads up, we're entering what should the final quarter of the TL, as I have sufficient material for at least three scenarios I'm interested in covering. Beyond that there's enough concepts to get at least 4-5 more, but the info that's currently available is so limited - or, in some cases, doesn't go beyond a single line - that it's not at all certain I'll be able to cover them all. Hoping to get to some 20 entries before we end this.
 
Thanks! Thus far all of them minus Per Fine Ounce/Octopussy (which share the same universe) are separate of each other, so that's 14 separate universes.

As a heads up, we're entering what should the final quarter of the TL, as I have sufficient material for at least three scenarios I'm interested in covering. Beyond that there's enough concepts to get at least 4-5 more, but the info that's currently available is so limited - or, in some cases, doesn't go beyond a single line - that it's not at all certain I'll be able to cover them all. Hoping to get to some 20 entries before we end this.
Really? I thought it was a main universe, with a few different spin-offs.
 
Really? I thought it was a main universe, with a few different spin-offs.

Indeed, several of the scenarios and casting are mutually exclusive. It's a bit long, but here's a list of the different universes and their films (anything not mentioned before is as in OTL)

The Burton Verse
Richard Burton (1959-1965) – “Original” Bond Trilogy
Longitude 78 West (1960)
Goldfinger (1962)
From Russia, with Love (1965)

Bond later revived in the late 2000’s.

The Young Brosnan Verse
James Brolin (1982-1985)
Octopussy (1983) – competing with Sean Connery’s Warhead (1983)
A View to a Kill (1985)
--------------------------------------

Pierce Brosnan (1986-2001)
The Living Daylights (1987)
Pressure Point (1989)
GoldenEye (1994)
Tomorrow Never Lies (1996)
Fire and Ice (1998)
Darker Than the Sun (2001)


The Warhead Connery Verse
Sean Connery (1977)
Warhead (1977) – Competing with Roger Moore’s The Spy Who Loved Me (1978)

The Purefoy Verse
Timothy Dalton (1986-1994)
The Living Daylights (1987)
Licence to Kill (1989)
Goldeneye (1994)

-----------------------------------
James Purefoy (1995-2006)
Tomorrow Never Lies (1996)
Fire and Ice (1998)
Parallel 38 (2001)
Risico (2003)
The World is Not Enough (2005)

The Gavin/Ogilvy Verse
James Gavin (1971-1974)
Diamonds are Forever (1971)
Per Fine Ounce (1973)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1974)
---------------------------------------

Michael Jayston (1977-1979)
Moonraker (1977) – Competing with Sean Connery’s James Bond of the Secret Service (1978)
---------------------------------------

Ian Ogilvy (1980-1991)
The Man With the Golden Gun (1981)
Octopussy (1984)
Live and Let Die (1986)
For Your Eyes Only (1989)
Quantum of Solace (1991)

The Gibson Verse
Sean Connery (1961-1972)
Dr. No (1962)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
Thunderball (1965)
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1970)
Moonraker (1972)

Oliver Reed (1973-1974)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
Julian Glover (1975-1979)
Diamonds are Forever (1977)
From a View to a Kill (1979)

David Warbeck (1980-1982)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1981)
Oliver Tobias (1983-1985)
Risico (1984)
Mel Gibson (1987-1995)
Live and Let Die (1988)
You Only Live Twice (1990)
Property of a Lady (1993)
Colonel Sun (1995)

The OHMSS Connery Verse
Sean Connery (1961-1970)
Dr. No (1962)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1965)
Moonraker (1967) – Competing with Terence Cooper’s Casino Royale (1966) and Laurence Harvey’s Thunderball (1967)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1969)

The Collins Verse
Lewis Collins (1982-1990)
Octopussy (1983)
A View to a Kill (1985)
Risico (1987)
The Living Daylights (1989)

The Dalton Goldeneye Verse
Timothy Dalton (1986-1996)
The Living Daylights (1987)
Licence to Kill (1989)
Goldeneye (1991)
Reunion with Death (1994)
Zero Windchill (1996)

The Dark Moore Verse
Roger Moore (1965-1966)
Casino Royale (1966), competing with Sean Connery's You Only Live Twice (1967)

The Billington Verse
Michael Billington (1972-1983)
Live and Let Die (1973)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
For Your Eyes Only (1979)
Moonraker (1982)

The Sony Neeson Verse
Liam Neeson (1998-2005)
Spectre (2000) – Competing with Pierce Brosnan’s The World is Not Enough (1999)
Casino Royale (2002) – Competing with Pierce Brosnan’s Double Cross (2002)
Blofeld (2005) - Competing with Pierce Brosnan’s A Whisper of Hate (2004)

The Lazenby Verse
George Lazenby (1968-1982)
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Diamonds are Forever (1971)
Moonraker (1973)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1975)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1978)
Live and Let Die (1980)
A View to a Kill (1982)

The Worthington Verse
Sam Worthington (2005-2012)
Casino Royale (2006)
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Skyfall (2011)
 

Garrison

Donor
Well Cavill was certainly too young for the alt Skyfall but I think he would make an interesting choice if there was going to be an entry with a movie closer to 2022.
 
16. Licence Revoked (1989)
LICENCE REVOKED (1989)
Antony Hamilton IS James Bond

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MRS. KNIGHT: Simply put, Mr. Speaker, it’s time to end this relentless assault on our traditional values.
Nothing is sacred anymore! Not even James Bond himself! (JEERING)

MR. SPEAKER: Order! Order! The Hon. Lady will be heard!”
(Hansard transcript, 1990)​

Having already gone through several rounds of negotiations with Roger Moore to reprise the Bond role in the past (particularly before For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy), Cubby Broccoli had had ample time and opportunity to seek out a replacement. So much time in fact, that when Moore finally retired with A View to a Kill several of the previous frontrunners and candidates were either too old or had a different profile than what EON was looking for. Thus, several once promising actors had been discarded, resulting in an exhaustive search and an endless parade of auditions which went into 1986. And after much searching and auditioning, Broccoli had his man: Irish actor and Remington Steele’s star Pierce Brosnan, by then in great demand in the ever elusive American market. Brosnan got as far as being publically announced as the next James Bond before NBC threw a wrench in the whole process, suddenly renewing Remington Steele at the last moment to force EON back to the negotiation table. Broccoli called the bluff and released Brosnan from the role. To add insult to injury for the dismayed actor, Remington Steele was re-cancelled soon thereafter.

It certainly wasn’t Broccoli’s first rodeo in terms of dismissing an already cast Bond as he had done it with John Gavin in 1971, but in that opportunity it had been done in order to bring Sean Connery back. Now, Broccoli had no Bond, and a movie well advanced into production as Michael Wilson and Richard Maibaum had crafted a more grounded espionage plot upon ditching a controversial Bond prequel concept. Broccoli and EON’s first instinct had been to return to the runner-ups, starting with Welsh actor Timothy Dalton, who had been previously both reluctant and unavailable. In spite of a more open schedule and after much soul searching, Dalton ruled himself out, not wanting to commit to the demands associated with the role. Broccoli then moved into Sam Neill, who had reportedly impressed almost the entire EON team during his screen test – minus, ironically, Broccoli himself -, only to be refused again. Though willing to be a part of the franchise as, perhaps, a Bond villain, Neill made it clear he did not felt he was right for the role. The loss of his three frontrunners left Broccoli in a serious conundrum, resulting in increasingly ludicrous suggestions ranging from inexperienced actors to unknown models.

For his part, English-Australian model and actor Antony “Tony” Hamilton – by then 34 years old – had pretty much lost hope of being cast as 007, having already auditioned in the aftermath of A View to a Kill. Hamilton had shown up in the Hollywood radar after the tragic death of Jon-Erik Hexum on the set of the TV series Cover Up, becoming a last minute choice for leading man who had made a positive impression on many executives. Cover Up had been cancelled, but Broccoli and Hamilton had held talks about the role, only for EON to back out from making a formal offer. As it turned out, Hamilton was gay – or so it was rumored in Hollywood -, and while he made a point to keep his private life private, the same executives who had hailed him started to back away. The same thing had happened with Broccoli, who, while impressed with Hamilton’s appearance and commitment to action roles, had feared the backlash if the press ever dug out the actor’s personal life. But there the producer was, devoid of his would-be stars. So Hamilton had been called back, had – by most accounts – aced the screen tests, and the cornered producer had relented.

The announcement, aside from some criticism and jokes regarding Hamilton’s blonde hair – which he would dye black for the role – went smoothly, with the conversational actor quickly establishing what appeared to be a rapport with the press. With the franchise moving in a more serious – if still adventurous – tone to contrast with the Moore years, Hamilton had thrown himself into the role and delivered a relatively well-received performance in The Living Daylights, a marked financial improvement over its predecessor which seemed to indicate the franchise was more than able to carry on. Work was immediately started on a sequel, which, as available Fleming material grew more and more scarce, took inspiration from unused material from Live and Let Die and the short story The Hildebrand Rarity, as well as newfound public awareness regarding drug smuggling, the rise of the Colombian cartels, and the Noriega regime in Panama. After toying with title options like Quantum of Solace or Risico, the Maibaum-Wilson script was eventually titled “Licence Revoked”, thus making Bond history by becoming the first 007 film without a Fleming-authored title.

John Glen was brought on board for a fifth-consecutive Bond project, the production facing the immediate challenge of finding new places to shoot the film due to a lower budget and rising costs associated with Pinewood Studios in Britain. The options came down to the Caribbean and China, with the latter being mostly ruled out due to EON’s unwillingness to allow the Chinese government to dictate terms and limitations in certain matters. With Bond and the MI6 cast returning, so did John Terry as Felix Leiter despite a failed attempt at recasting the role, which was to have an expanded importance in the sequel. Enlisting Robert Daví to play the fearsome drug lord Klaus Sanchez, the cast was rounded up with María Conchita Alonso, Denise Crosby, Vaughn Armstrong and Benicio del Toro in various supporting roles. Due to John Barry’s retirement as the Bond series composer, Michael Kamen wrote the film’s score and enlisted English musician Eric Clapton to handle the film’s title song “Revoked”. Filming took place across late 1988 in the United States, Mexico and Panama, a challenging experience to the weather, diseases affecting the cast and crew, and, of course, the relatively low budget compared to previous films in the franchise.

Licence Revoked’s title sequence takes place in an undisclosed location in Central America, in the main compound of the infamous German-Colombian drug lord Klaus Sanchez (Robert Daví), also known as “Colonel Crack”. MI6 agent James Bond (Antony Hamilton) and his friend CIA operative Felix Leiter (John Terry) storm the compound alongside a team of US commandos, and after a brief encounter with Sanchez’s disaffected lover Lupe Lamora (María Conchita Alonso), Sanchez is captured.

Extradited to Miami, Sanchez makes a daring escape with the assistance of his loyal henchmen Dario (Benicio del Toro) and a corrupt DEA officer, with Leiter bearing the full brunt of his revenge. Bond finds Leiter maimed by sharks as a result of Sanchez’s torture, and resolves to take action against the drug lord’s entire operation. Disappointed by MI6’s reluctance to chase after Sanchez, Bond requests a leave of absence from MI6 Chief M (Robert Brown), and officially loses his licence to kill for the duration of it. Eventually, 007 establishes contact with the sole surviving informant of Leiter, pilot and smuggler Pam Bouvier (Denise Crosby), and Bond promises to a comatose Leiter that he will bring Sanchez’s empire down. Thanks to Bouvier, Bond identifies American businessman Milton Krest (Vaughn Armstrong) as Sanchez’s key lieutenant, using his businesses as a cover for the drug lord. Posing as a marine biologist, Bond is able to accompany Krest on a trip to find a particularly rare stingray, all while seducing Krest’s mistreated wife Liz (Madeleine Stowe). When 007’s cover is blown and Liz is killed by her husband, Bond hijacks a floatplane filled with Sanchez’s case, leaving Krest empty-handed. Still comatose, Leiter is seen cracking a smile after overhearing news of Bond’s rampage against the drug lord.

Bond and Bouvier use the money to fly to the Republic of Isthmus, a Central America city-state which Sanchez – via a puppet ruler – governs with an iron fist. In the meantime, a worried Moneypenny (Maryam D’Abo) asks Q (Desmond Llewellyn) to fly there as well to assist 007 in the field, thus giving Bond access to a sufficiently large arsenal. Bouvier outlines Sanchez’s vast operations including drugs, arms and a wide variety of covers, allowing Bond to start destroying or sabotaging targets while posing as a freelancer in search of employment. Sanchez and his other lieutenants are unable to identify the real source of the threat, and Bond enlists Lupe – who desires to escape her gilded cage – in the task of framing Krest over the theft of money. After successfully doing so, Bond is satisfied to witness a furious Sanchez murder Krest with his own prized stingray. From Lupe, Bond learns Sanchez is in talks with the renegade Chinese general Kwang (Philip Kwok), who has been stealing rare artifacts or treasures to trade them for vast quantities of Sanchez’s product, and who is about to sell him a brand-new stealth plane the drug lord intends to use to expand his operations.

As Sanchez takes Bond into his entourage and flies to Oaxaca, Mexico to finalize his latest deal with Kwang, he finally realizes 007 is responsible for his latest setbacks and sets Dario on him. Bouvier, Q and DEA reinforcements – alerted by Lupe – storm the Oaxaca compound, and Bond throws Dario to his death into an off-screen cocaine grinder. Sanchez and Kwang attempt to escape in the stealth plane not realizing Bond has boarded it, with Pam in close pursuit from her own aircraft. Taken by surprise, General Kwang falls to his death, and Bond and Sanchez struggle for control over the plane. Having gained the upper hand, Bond taunts the drug lord by talking about Leiter (“my friend”), and jumps off the plane at the last moment. As the aircraft crashes into a mountain and explodes, Pam picks up Bond.

Back in Miami, Bond celebrates alongside a wheelchair-bound Leiter, whose spirits are lifted after the collapse of Sanchez’s empire. Having fulfilled a promise to Lupe to get her out, Bond suggests to her that she takes care of Leiter, which she resolves to do. M congratulates Bond on a personal level, and restores his licence to kill upon his return to the service. Rather than return immediately, Bond resolves to spend some time with Bouvier in the Caribbean.

Licence Revoked, originally targeted for a summer 1989 release, had to be postponed all the way back to November on account of fierce competition at the box office and the implementation of a new rating system, which might have left the more violent (in comparison to its predecessors) film missing out on key young demographics. Although the marketing campaign was mostly defined as “anemic” and/or undermined by its title – an urban legend suggests most US viewers could not ascertain what “Revoked” meant” -, the film nonetheless premiered at the end of 1989 amidst some public interest, taking place right as the Berlin Wall itself was falling. The film was particularly successful in the international market, and while the US returns were not as strong as it was hoped for, the film was still an improvement upon The Living Daylights. Still, critical reaction remained mixed, split among those who praised the serious tone, Hamilton’s willingness to portray a Bond that made mistakes and felt more “realistic”, and Daví’s menacing yet credible villain; and those who were particularly critical of the “cheaper” look of the film and several of its performances, including Terry, Crosby and Alonso's.

And then, just as Licence Revoked’s theatrical run ended, a British tabloid struck media gold. Although rumors had surrounded Hamilton at different points, libel laws had prevented anyone from turning the actor’s personal life into a serious issue. But having now found sufficient evidence, said tabloid outed Hamilton and broke the story of his sexuality with an inflammatory headline. Suddenly all of EON’s fears turned into reality, all while the controversy over having a gay man playing 007 himself went as far as becoming a political subject, just as socially conservative MPs pushed for further restrictions on the “promotion of homosexuality” than those involved in the controversial Section 28. It was also a matter of commentary in the United States, where backlash among religious groups even led to calls to boycott the next Bond film on arrival. In the aftermath of this, EON was split. Not only because the issue of whether to retain Hamilton for a third film was now highly controversial, but also because international conditions were changing too rapidly and Bond’s relevance was being put into question.

In the end, fate intervened before a decision could be made to rescind the actor’s contract or to start production on Bond 17, as the bankruptcy of MGM and its sale caused a legal quagmire involving EON. With the franchise stalled due to a struggle over different film rights, Hamilton nonetheless kept up hope despite feeling deeply hurt by the harassment and hounding of the press, wanting a third opportunity to cement himself on the role and prove his critics – particularly those hostile to his personal life – wrong. Sadly, after some success in a number of secondary roles, Hamilton was diagnosed with AIDS, thus facing the prospect of his two worst fears: death and being forgotten after it. Hamilton kept up the fight, but even as the legal struggle was eventually resolved, it became painfully clear to him his health would not allow him to act again. Thus, he announced his retirement as 007 in 1993, being replaced by the same man he had once been called to substitute: Pierce Brosnan. It is said Brosnan went to visit Hamilton at least once before his death, a subject the Irish actor has always been reluctant to discuss in public beyond expressing his admiration for his predecessor on the role.

Antony Hamilton died of pneumonia – related to AIDS – in early 1995, narrowly missing on the premiere of GoldenEye by a few weeks. The film, hailed as a triumphant return for the franchise, played out in cinemas with a dedication to Hamilton, and signaled the start of a long and successful tenure for Brosnan. For his part, Hamilton’s fears of being forgotten have been somewhat dispelled by the actor becoming something of a “gay icon” up to a degree, held up as an example by other actors who have broken similar barriers (willingly or not), and with his career and tenure as 007 undergoing much analysis and commentary in recent years. And although most have refused to do so, some tabloids and individuals have expressed regret or apologies for their treatment of the actor at the time, amidst a general feeling that, while not in style or on his performance, Hamilton may have been hired too early on account of prejudices at the time.

Immediately overshadowed over the controversy and a smattering of rumors and innuendo, Licence Revoked was sort of buried for a time, and it’s only now reevaluated as a solid yet flawed entry, a middle-tier Bond film balanced out between both strong and questionable performance, as well as an innovative story undermined by production and budgetary issues. Highlights of the film include Leiter’s torture by Sanchez, Davi’s performance as Klaus Sanchez, Q’s expanded role in the field, and the climatic Oaxaca fight.

Author’s Notes: I struggled for a while between Hamilton and Neill. In the end, Neill didn’t want the role, and there really isn’t much I can explore with him (plus I believe it’s been done already). Hamilton, while a very long shot accounting for the sheer risk of hiring a gay actor at the time for that particular role, did offer an interesting scenario to write about. Hamilton was considered for the role from what I can ascertain, and though it’s not certain just how far into the process he got, it does seem Broccoli felt he could not risk the negative publicity if Hamilton’s sexuality became an issue. So naturally, this is one of the long shots, only made possible (not necessarily plausible) by a lack of candidates that forces Broccoli to take a gamble. He could have also been found out early on. It’s also hard to tell what the actual reaction would have been to such a story and how the press would have handled it, but my guess is it wouldn’t have been pretty. If the Octopussy entry in particular considers the political sphere, consider this a brief examination of the cultural one.​

THE DEATH COLLECTORS will return in
“THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN”
 
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Garrison

Donor
Given there are politicians who will bitterly complain about such matters to this day I think the portrayal of what would likely happen is spot on.
 
I loved Hamilton on the new MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE series in 1988-89. I knew he was considered for the role of Bond but IIRC his being Australian also factored into the reason he wasn't cast (I also don't know how far he got or if any screen tests were made).

I feel Hamilton would have made a worthy Bond had he been given the chance...
 
So, TMWTGG being produced in 69 instead of OHMSS possibly with Roger Moore instead of Lazenby.

You're close! I was originally going with that, but it seemed too predictable, so I changed the Bond actor (so it's neither Moore nor Lazenby) and combined it with another scenario (hint: it has to do with an accident). I barely have any notes written for this one, so it should be fun to explore and write.
 
Will this continue through April? Because for some reason I keep 'seeing':
"Elvis Presley IS James Bond" in my head :)

That's ok, I'll see myself back to the side-lines...

Randy
 
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