Sometimes you tell people that the state of a movie is not so rosy, and that despite new screenwriters being involved fairly last minute, others will “carry water” and deliver counter news needed to create a sunnier narrative. In the case of ‘Bond 25,’ the sunny narrative is the film is set to open April 8, 2020. The real state of affairs? Well, things aren’t looking good at the moment, as the script is apparently still unfinished and filming is set to begin next month.
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For a clearer picture, let’s hear it from the cast of the upcoming spy film, because after all, “Bond 25,” to be directed by Cary Fukunaga, just underwent significant rewrites (courtesy of Scott Z. Burns) and is only a few short weeks away from supposed principal photography. However, apparently, some of the cast have no clue what the movie is about or what they’re doing in it because they haven’t received scripts yet.
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“I have been affectionately nudging [exec producer] Barbara Broccoli to send me a screenplay and I’m told it will be coming soon, and I know that Daniel [Craig] is playing Bond,” Ralph Fiennes who returns as M told BBC 2 Newsnight about the new Bond film.
“I don’t know the name of the film, I haven’t had access to a screenplay yet,” he said. “I do know they intend to film it later this year.”
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“Honestly, I’m not being coy,” he added genuinely. “I don’t know when it starts or what the story is.”
So that’s basically the state of the movie, still in the works, still in flux, and hoping to be ready to shoot in April. (By the way, when asked if he’d like to see a female or person of color Bond, Fiennes says, “I’d like to see a great black actor inhabit a Bond-like persona, but not necessarily in the same franchise. We could re-make Bond as a woman or as an actor of any ethnicity— in another vehicle.”)
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So where does this leave ‘Bond 25?’
More soon, but the latest I’ve heard is Scott Z. Burns handed in his draft and but then had to leave to direct an episode of “The Loudest Voice,” the Roger Aisles mini-series starring Russell Crowe as the former Fox mogul. What’s next for the spy film? I’m told there’s more work to be done still, but Burns is booked and had a tight deadline to begin with.
“Bond 25” is racing closer to its start date and yet, the screenplay seems to be a work in progress, and isn’t complete yet enough for producers to circulate it to the cast, despite being just weeks away from filming. “Bond 25” is set to open April 8, 2020, presuming the movies shoots on time, that is.