alternatehistory.com
James Bond
A 25th Anniversary Spectacular!
—The new James Bond… living on the edge.
(A tagline for The Living Daylights, the fifteenth entry in the James Bond franchise.)
"Bond, James Bond." Those iconic words had been on the silver screen since Dr. No in 1962 and Eon Productions was planning for it to be up there once again in 1987. However long-running James Bond actor, Roger Moore, had decided he was getting too old to play Bond and this began the search for a replacement.
The NBC cancellation of Remington Steel in the spring of 1986 saw actor Pierce Brosnan being named as the newest James Bond, replacing Roger Moore, as the producers' first choice—Timothy Dalton—was busy with other commitments. Despite a upswing in news about the event coverage of the Japanese earthquake dominated the headlines. The positive publicity made NBC reconsider cancellation. Indeed NBC flirted with the idea of renewing Remington Steel for the 1986-87 season for some time, but despite suddenly deciding to renew it several people had to break the news to a certain NBC executive that the time on Brosnan's contract had run out the day before.
As such Pierce Brosnan, who would have been contractually obligated to come back if NBC had made up their mind earlier, was now free to play James Bond in The Living Daylights reboot.
Deciding that the very 1980s setting of the previous Roger Moore films was dated with a new Bond coming in and a full reboot being the plan, the producers set about to create a more timeless and classic James Bond film that shied away from hijinks and reoriented it to what could be considered an alternate 1980s that bore a striking resemblance to the more stylistic 1960s era Sean Connery films. The Japanese earthquake also influenced the underlying plot with the Soviet Union considered too old an adversary and instead choosing to go with corporate terrorists. Despite the complete lack of resemblance to the Ian Fleming short story, they decide to keep the name.[1]
Production began right away, aiming for a 1987 release, with location shooting in Tokyo[2], New York, and London as part of a global network of sinister corporations manipulating governments. The intelligence agencies were portrayed as hopelessly comprised with Bond losing his license to kill and being stuck on a beach in the Pacific. However the new M supports his unofficial quest as she believes in his ideas, if not his actual self which is clear when she memorably says "the Soviet Union is an outdated dinosaur… much like yourself, Mr Bond, if one added sexism and misogyny to the list". For the first time M would be played by a women, Judy Dench[3], as another part of Eon's plan to throughly update Bond.
The pre-title sequence would show Bond earning his 007 license to kill, and then flashing forward to where he's a junior 00 agent whose behaviour has led him to being ignored. When he persists in his inquiries political pressure forces M to revoke the 00 status, sending him off to the Pacific where he makes his way to Tokyo to look for answers.
Sam Neill, considered for the part of James Bond, was instead cast as the Wall Street villain (coinciding with the 1987 film Wall Street, in one of those strange film industry coincidences) whose political influence is unmatched because of his vast wealth. This results in James Bond being hunted by elements of the CIA with only his new friend, CIA agent Felix Leiter, on his side. Reluctantly stealing from the non-Eon Productions production of Never Say Never Again the producers continued their quest to be as different as possible, auditioning a variety of non-white actors for the role of Felix.
In the end it came down to LeVar Burton of Roots fame, Denzel Washington who was taking a starring turn on the television hospital drama St. Elsewhere, and mostly unknown Chinese American actor John Lone who had made an impression during the screen test. The first two men had potential commitments, LeVar Burton having been approached for a new Star Trek TV series and St. Elsewhere was a NBC show which presented problems after the Remington Steel issue.
Torn by their choices a suggestion by one of the writers meant they wound up casting two people as Felix Leiter which made for a moderate reworking of the central section of the script as Bond gets told the only CIA agent he can trust is Felix Leiter as he once saved M's life, but of course M is cut off before she can describe him. John Lone starred as the "good" Felix and Denzel Washington in a memorable turn starred as the "bad" Felix. (What NBC thought of Eon's successful poaching and vaulting to stardom of a pair of their talent is one of those "I heard it from a friend of a friend" rumours in Hollywood.)
Maryam d'Abo would star as the only major Bond Girl in the film. She was cast as a retired assassin who used to work for Sam Neill's character. Neill brings her back for one last missionto gain the trust of James Bond, find out what he knows, and then kill him. The producers deliberately conceived a much more active role for the "Bond Girl" as part of their reboot although, naturally, she does sleep with Bond. Taking advantage of the PG-13 rating in the United States that allowed, at the time, bare breasts the American version of The Living Daylights had both more violence and—of course—Maryam d'Abo's topless self. They also arranged for her to be in the September issue of Playboy, helping to promote the film. Most versions, including the British release, would have various cuts and, overseas, an American VHS copy of The Living Daylights was highly prized.[4]
With a new look came a new director and writer (although veteran Bond writers Richard Maibaum & Michael G. Wilson would do much of the work as well). Fresh off the success of Top Gun newcomer Tony Scott found himself on the A-list of Hollywood directors. He was approached for multiple movies including Beverly Hills Cop II but in the end the pitch made by Eon Productions won out, and he signed on to direct The Living Daylights. Famous British playwright, Tom Stoppard, was approached for the script and despite initially not being willing to write an action film he changed his mind when told they wanted him primarily for his skills at dialogue and structure.[5]
Eon Productions was determined to make this new Bond film not just a financial success (the Roger Moore films had usually done fine on that front) but also a critical one, to overhaul the series for the upcoming 1990s and portray a new kind of spy thriller. By the time filming began almost everything had been revamped in their attempt to do so.
The reported $45 million budget was vastly higher than the previous film's $30 million one and the speculation among Hollywood insiders was that Eon Productions had done an exceptionally good job of hiding the rest of the budget, which meant The Living Daylights might have cost twice as much as the previous one. It is perhaps not surprising that the longtime pioneers of product placement in the James Bond films stepped up to the plate once again. Virtually every item with a visible brand name had been paid to be put there, ranging from the fridge in an apartment to the watch Brosnan wore. Naturally having a particular fridge brand on screen wasn't worth that much to General Electric, but Eon proved to be a master of eking out product placement dollars by having even that fridge bid on by several companies. Every dollar helped.
Every dollar, and the cars. The Living Daylights marked the return of Aston Martin to the franchise. Their first appearance since 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service saw the V8 Vantage Volante convertible feature prominently in the film, as one more part of the producers (mostly) steadfast classic style reboot.
The Living Daylights was released on 1 November 1987 in the United States, with the world premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square Cinema in London being a little over a month earlier. The film was heavily marketed as the 25th anniversary of James Bond, although that was counting the British release of Dr. No, and it proved to be a major success, grossing over $16 million in its first weekend in the USA for an eventual total of $76 million domestically, with a total worldwide gross of some $251 million. On raw numbers it was the most successful James Bond film of all time, but once you adjusted for inflation and ticket prices it fell to 4th place: beating out Moonraker at 5th; trailing Thunderball, Goldfinger, and You Only Live Twice.[6]
The critical reception was also excellent with reviewers praising the new look of the film, the quality of the script, the toned down James Bond that still managed some humour, and the rest of the cast. The primary complaint levelled at the movie was that it was too realistic (indeed, a hard-fought battle with the British Board of Film Classification took place in the spring of 1987) and that the mostly retro stylings were at odds with the realism.
A sad note capped off the otherwise remarkable The Living Daylights. Pierce Brosnan's wife, Cassandra Harris, was diagnosed with cancer in 1987 and Brosnan requested to be let out of his contract to be with her. Even his wife protested, as she had wanted him to play James Bond for years. In turn Eon Productions offered a deal in which they would delay the next Bond film by a year (audience fatigue had been a growing concern throughout the 1980s, so it was not entirely altruistic on Eon's part) but reduce Brosnan's salary for the next film, if he still wanted out when it was time to shoot Bond 16 than he would then be released from his contract.
Eon also hoped that having an additional year would allow for a script and director as good as they had for The Living Daylights and perhaps even reduce the massive budget, as well as giving them time to find a backup James Bond if need be. After several weeks of thought and consultation with his wife, Brosnan agreed to the terms.
The grand reboot had been a massive success… but would they keep their Bond?
|||||
[1] They did in fact consider making The Living Daylights as a reboot/prequel, much like the 2006 Casino Royale film. ITTL with Pierce Brosnan and the earthquake seeming to mark a major event in the 1980s they choose to do so. Corporate terrorists is, of course, my invention but the USSR again would seem too dated for a reboot. Although OTL The Living Daylights copied the short story for a section, the rest had little to do with it.
[2] The high profile of The Living Daylights in Japan was considered a major publicity coup (for both Japan & Eon), and indeed with the resonant plot The Living Daylights did the best of any Bond film to that point in the Japanese box office.
[3] Yes I'm reaching forward. However she was free from commitments at the time (84 Charing Cross Road might conflict) and she was a highly respected British actor at the time (won a BAFTA in '86). It seems reasonable that in a reboot they might go with her anyway although her inspiration would have to be someone besides Stella Rimington. Also, I love her as M
.
[4] Yes, this is a change from OTL's James Bond. However they are dedicated to rebooting it and talks with Playboy (who did, IOTL, put her in an issue) have led them to push the still loosely defined boundaries of PG-13. Obviously the BBFC and most overseas ratings that are similar to PG-13 object, which actually helps The Living Daylights because they can cut the bare breasts and then weasel their way into cutting less of the violence.
[5] Again I'm reaching forward. Honestly the 1980s James Bond films were utterly dominated by the same writers and the same directors. So I'm trying to find solid people that at one point or another talking about being involved with Bond, hoping that their interest is a long standing one.
Tony Scott expressed interest in a James Bond film written by Quentin Tarantino IOTL. With Top Gun making him an A-list director Eon Productions talks with him and he decides to do something more serious instead of Beverly Hills Cop II to avoid being director-cast as that fun action movie guy. Tom Stoppard was mentioned as a possibility for Quantum of Solace, and has worked on a number of spy and action scripts (including The Bourne Ultimatum) in recent years. His reputation in the UK was well established by the 1980s, particularly in dialogue.
[6] Butterflies from the radically different nature of the film and a longer film shoot have meant a somewhat later release date and an increase in budget from OTL's $40 million. Of course these are just reported budgets, once you account for the hidden stuff the alternate The Living Daylights probably cost about 50% more than our movie which tempers the net profit you might expect from such a hit.
-----
I hope no one minds a pure James Bond update. Pierce Brosnan being offered the part at about the same time as the earthquake meant I simply couldn't resist making an all-out James Bond spectacle post. Obviously the changes are massive, but at the same time Goldeneye or Casino Royale does show that Eon have been willing to go all out. Once they think over their reboot concept a little more, they decide if they reboot the franchise it'll have to be a major effort. They were also stung by the critical failure of the last Moore movie and IOTL made a much more realistic dour Bond as a reaction (I'm sure Dalton influenced that with his presence). With Brosnan as their actor he seems like a natural fit for a return to more 1960s era Bonds, which is a better fit for the reboot.
—The new James Bond… living on the edge.
(A tagline for The Living Daylights, the fifteenth entry in the James Bond franchise.)
"Bond, James Bond." Those iconic words had been on the silver screen since Dr. No in 1962 and Eon Productions was planning for it to be up there once again in 1987. However long-running James Bond actor, Roger Moore, had decided he was getting too old to play Bond and this began the search for a replacement.
The NBC cancellation of Remington Steel in the spring of 1986 saw actor Pierce Brosnan being named as the newest James Bond, replacing Roger Moore, as the producers' first choice—Timothy Dalton—was busy with other commitments. Despite a upswing in news about the event coverage of the Japanese earthquake dominated the headlines. The positive publicity made NBC reconsider cancellation. Indeed NBC flirted with the idea of renewing Remington Steel for the 1986-87 season for some time, but despite suddenly deciding to renew it several people had to break the news to a certain NBC executive that the time on Brosnan's contract had run out the day before.
As such Pierce Brosnan, who would have been contractually obligated to come back if NBC had made up their mind earlier, was now free to play James Bond in The Living Daylights reboot.
Deciding that the very 1980s setting of the previous Roger Moore films was dated with a new Bond coming in and a full reboot being the plan, the producers set about to create a more timeless and classic James Bond film that shied away from hijinks and reoriented it to what could be considered an alternate 1980s that bore a striking resemblance to the more stylistic 1960s era Sean Connery films. The Japanese earthquake also influenced the underlying plot with the Soviet Union considered too old an adversary and instead choosing to go with corporate terrorists. Despite the complete lack of resemblance to the Ian Fleming short story, they decide to keep the name.[1]
Production began right away, aiming for a 1987 release, with location shooting in Tokyo[2], New York, and London as part of a global network of sinister corporations manipulating governments. The intelligence agencies were portrayed as hopelessly comprised with Bond losing his license to kill and being stuck on a beach in the Pacific. However the new M supports his unofficial quest as she believes in his ideas, if not his actual self which is clear when she memorably says "the Soviet Union is an outdated dinosaur… much like yourself, Mr Bond, if one added sexism and misogyny to the list". For the first time M would be played by a women, Judy Dench[3], as another part of Eon's plan to throughly update Bond.
The pre-title sequence would show Bond earning his 007 license to kill, and then flashing forward to where he's a junior 00 agent whose behaviour has led him to being ignored. When he persists in his inquiries political pressure forces M to revoke the 00 status, sending him off to the Pacific where he makes his way to Tokyo to look for answers.
Sam Neill, considered for the part of James Bond, was instead cast as the Wall Street villain (coinciding with the 1987 film Wall Street, in one of those strange film industry coincidences) whose political influence is unmatched because of his vast wealth. This results in James Bond being hunted by elements of the CIA with only his new friend, CIA agent Felix Leiter, on his side. Reluctantly stealing from the non-Eon Productions production of Never Say Never Again the producers continued their quest to be as different as possible, auditioning a variety of non-white actors for the role of Felix.
In the end it came down to LeVar Burton of Roots fame, Denzel Washington who was taking a starring turn on the television hospital drama St. Elsewhere, and mostly unknown Chinese American actor John Lone who had made an impression during the screen test. The first two men had potential commitments, LeVar Burton having been approached for a new Star Trek TV series and St. Elsewhere was a NBC show which presented problems after the Remington Steel issue.
Torn by their choices a suggestion by one of the writers meant they wound up casting two people as Felix Leiter which made for a moderate reworking of the central section of the script as Bond gets told the only CIA agent he can trust is Felix Leiter as he once saved M's life, but of course M is cut off before she can describe him. John Lone starred as the "good" Felix and Denzel Washington in a memorable turn starred as the "bad" Felix. (What NBC thought of Eon's successful poaching and vaulting to stardom of a pair of their talent is one of those "I heard it from a friend of a friend" rumours in Hollywood.)
Maryam d'Abo would star as the only major Bond Girl in the film. She was cast as a retired assassin who used to work for Sam Neill's character. Neill brings her back for one last missionto gain the trust of James Bond, find out what he knows, and then kill him. The producers deliberately conceived a much more active role for the "Bond Girl" as part of their reboot although, naturally, she does sleep with Bond. Taking advantage of the PG-13 rating in the United States that allowed, at the time, bare breasts the American version of The Living Daylights had both more violence and—of course—Maryam d'Abo's topless self. They also arranged for her to be in the September issue of Playboy, helping to promote the film. Most versions, including the British release, would have various cuts and, overseas, an American VHS copy of The Living Daylights was highly prized.[4]
With a new look came a new director and writer (although veteran Bond writers Richard Maibaum & Michael G. Wilson would do much of the work as well). Fresh off the success of Top Gun newcomer Tony Scott found himself on the A-list of Hollywood directors. He was approached for multiple movies including Beverly Hills Cop II but in the end the pitch made by Eon Productions won out, and he signed on to direct The Living Daylights. Famous British playwright, Tom Stoppard, was approached for the script and despite initially not being willing to write an action film he changed his mind when told they wanted him primarily for his skills at dialogue and structure.[5]
Eon Productions was determined to make this new Bond film not just a financial success (the Roger Moore films had usually done fine on that front) but also a critical one, to overhaul the series for the upcoming 1990s and portray a new kind of spy thriller. By the time filming began almost everything had been revamped in their attempt to do so.
The reported $45 million budget was vastly higher than the previous film's $30 million one and the speculation among Hollywood insiders was that Eon Productions had done an exceptionally good job of hiding the rest of the budget, which meant The Living Daylights might have cost twice as much as the previous one. It is perhaps not surprising that the longtime pioneers of product placement in the James Bond films stepped up to the plate once again. Virtually every item with a visible brand name had been paid to be put there, ranging from the fridge in an apartment to the watch Brosnan wore. Naturally having a particular fridge brand on screen wasn't worth that much to General Electric, but Eon proved to be a master of eking out product placement dollars by having even that fridge bid on by several companies. Every dollar helped.
Every dollar, and the cars. The Living Daylights marked the return of Aston Martin to the franchise. Their first appearance since 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service saw the V8 Vantage Volante convertible feature prominently in the film, as one more part of the producers (mostly) steadfast classic style reboot.
The Living Daylights was released on 1 November 1987 in the United States, with the world premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square Cinema in London being a little over a month earlier. The film was heavily marketed as the 25th anniversary of James Bond, although that was counting the British release of Dr. No, and it proved to be a major success, grossing over $16 million in its first weekend in the USA for an eventual total of $76 million domestically, with a total worldwide gross of some $251 million. On raw numbers it was the most successful James Bond film of all time, but once you adjusted for inflation and ticket prices it fell to 4th place: beating out Moonraker at 5th; trailing Thunderball, Goldfinger, and You Only Live Twice.[6]
The critical reception was also excellent with reviewers praising the new look of the film, the quality of the script, the toned down James Bond that still managed some humour, and the rest of the cast. The primary complaint levelled at the movie was that it was too realistic (indeed, a hard-fought battle with the British Board of Film Classification took place in the spring of 1987) and that the mostly retro stylings were at odds with the realism.
A sad note capped off the otherwise remarkable The Living Daylights. Pierce Brosnan's wife, Cassandra Harris, was diagnosed with cancer in 1987 and Brosnan requested to be let out of his contract to be with her. Even his wife protested, as she had wanted him to play James Bond for years. In turn Eon Productions offered a deal in which they would delay the next Bond film by a year (audience fatigue had been a growing concern throughout the 1980s, so it was not entirely altruistic on Eon's part) but reduce Brosnan's salary for the next film, if he still wanted out when it was time to shoot Bond 16 than he would then be released from his contract.
Eon also hoped that having an additional year would allow for a script and director as good as they had for The Living Daylights and perhaps even reduce the massive budget, as well as giving them time to find a backup James Bond if need be. After several weeks of thought and consultation with his wife, Brosnan agreed to the terms.
The grand reboot had been a massive success… but would they keep their Bond?
|||||
[1] They did in fact consider making The Living Daylights as a reboot/prequel, much like the 2006 Casino Royale film. ITTL with Pierce Brosnan and the earthquake seeming to mark a major event in the 1980s they choose to do so. Corporate terrorists is, of course, my invention but the USSR again would seem too dated for a reboot. Although OTL The Living Daylights copied the short story for a section, the rest had little to do with it.
[2] The high profile of The Living Daylights in Japan was considered a major publicity coup (for both Japan & Eon), and indeed with the resonant plot The Living Daylights did the best of any Bond film to that point in the Japanese box office.
[3] Yes I'm reaching forward. However she was free from commitments at the time (84 Charing Cross Road might conflict) and she was a highly respected British actor at the time (won a BAFTA in '86). It seems reasonable that in a reboot they might go with her anyway although her inspiration would have to be someone besides Stella Rimington. Also, I love her as M
.[4] Yes, this is a change from OTL's James Bond. However they are dedicated to rebooting it and talks with Playboy (who did, IOTL, put her in an issue) have led them to push the still loosely defined boundaries of PG-13. Obviously the BBFC and most overseas ratings that are similar to PG-13 object, which actually helps The Living Daylights because they can cut the bare breasts and then weasel their way into cutting less of the violence.
[5] Again I'm reaching forward. Honestly the 1980s James Bond films were utterly dominated by the same writers and the same directors. So I'm trying to find solid people that at one point or another talking about being involved with Bond, hoping that their interest is a long standing one.
Tony Scott expressed interest in a James Bond film written by Quentin Tarantino IOTL. With Top Gun making him an A-list director Eon Productions talks with him and he decides to do something more serious instead of Beverly Hills Cop II to avoid being director-cast as that fun action movie guy. Tom Stoppard was mentioned as a possibility for Quantum of Solace, and has worked on a number of spy and action scripts (including The Bourne Ultimatum) in recent years. His reputation in the UK was well established by the 1980s, particularly in dialogue.
[6] Butterflies from the radically different nature of the film and a longer film shoot have meant a somewhat later release date and an increase in budget from OTL's $40 million. Of course these are just reported budgets, once you account for the hidden stuff the alternate The Living Daylights probably cost about 50% more than our movie which tempers the net profit you might expect from such a hit.
-----
I hope no one minds a pure James Bond update. Pierce Brosnan being offered the part at about the same time as the earthquake meant I simply couldn't resist making an all-out James Bond spectacle post. Obviously the changes are massive, but at the same time Goldeneye or Casino Royale does show that Eon have been willing to go all out. Once they think over their reboot concept a little more, they decide if they reboot the franchise it'll have to be a major effort. They were also stung by the critical failure of the last Moore movie and IOTL made a much more realistic dour Bond as a reaction (I'm sure Dalton influenced that with his presence). With Brosnan as their actor he seems like a natural fit for a return to more 1960s era Bonds, which is a better fit for the reboot.
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