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Miscellaneous / Verschiedenes » alt.fan.james-bond » TND Script - Revised Opening
| TND Script - Revised Opening [message #242885] |
Mo, 27 März 2006 22:31 |
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TND easily ranks in my bottom 5 Bonds for a
variety of reasons. So I thought I'd engage in
a little editing exercise to see if I could at
least fix up the intro to the script. Thanks to
Phil's link to Bruce Fierstein's online early
draft of it, I basically cut-and-pasted the opening
into much better shape than it originally was
written and mostly filmed. Gone are all the
superfluous fat scenes. As originally written
and mostly filmed, the opening was just all
over the place, very scattered in construction,
when it should really have been more direct
and focused on just two things and two things
only: Bond at the secret air base followed by
the post-credits briefing with M. The result is
not only a paring down of about the first 25
pages into a lean and mean and more relevant
version of less than 10 pages, but also a
streamlined version that adds more of a sense
of terseness to the goings-on. It doesn't just
all flop around in aimless, meandering fashion
compounded by including too many useless
characters in the way it's all done in the original
script and film; it instead paces steadily forward
without any needless stumbling blocks.
Changes that I've made include the following:
- Got rid of the ice-climbing bit - bloated
nonsense thankfully excised from the screen
version.
- Got rid of the back-and-forth between Bond
at the secret air base and M and military
personnel at MI6 HQ. Nothing of any value
was being said at HQ - it was just a case of
creating phony tension. Kept it all strictly
focused on Bond, that's all that matters.
- Got rid of the useless puerile flirting with
the Chinese girl in bed that just didn't add
anything, do anything or go anywhere.
- Got rid of the debriefing room session and
another pointless, dead-end flirting session
with Col. Dominique Everheart. I even gave
Everheart a sex change from female to male,
since the only reason for the Colonel being
female in the first place was for Bond to use
a bunch of excruciatingly lame one-liners on
her.
- Got rid of yet more pointless, and quite
embarrassingly juvenile, banter with
Moneypenny.
- Had both Everheart and Minister Johnstone
together in M's office to cover all the points
with Bond, thus further negating the extraneous
use of the debriefing room scene.
- Minor tweaks and subtle firming up of some
of the dialogue.
And now for the New Cut-and-Paste
Streamlined Version of TND's Opening
[the original for comparison's sake can be
found at
http://home.online.no/~bhundlan/scripts/
Tomorrow-Never-Dies.htm].
I reformatted the online version through my
scriptwriting software, then reformatted it
again to fit here, so don't expect perfect
script formatting, so I don't want to hear
any quibbles about that. It's the content
that counts.
GUN BARREL LOGO INTRO, then FADE IN:
EXT. MOUNTAIN CLIFF
>From behind, a SKIER hurtles over the side,
going airborne, landing 100 feet below,
amidst boulders.
EXT. SNOW-COVERED FOREST - AERIAL
On the skier smoothly zooming down a
winding path between trees at near breakneck
speed.
EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE
The skier slaloms down, in and out of trees,
to avoid detection. At the bottom, where the
snow thins, he comes to:
A ROCK OUTCROPPING.
Hiding behind the rock, we now see that the
skier is JAMES BOND as he takes off his
skis, knapsack. He unpacks (and unfolds) a
HIGH TECH AUTOMATIC RIFLE. He creeps
up on the rock, and looks out on:
SECRET MILITARY BASE/AIR STRIP
(BOND'S POV)
50 feet down, 200 yards away: 50 MEN are
unloading CARGO from a dozen MILITARY
TRANSPORT TRUCKS; there are TWO
NORTH KOREAN MiG-29s on the ground
(one partially obscured by a truck,) plus
FLATBEDS carrying HELICOPTERS and
SCUD MISSILES.
Near a QUONSET HUT, a TRUCK-MOUNTED
RADAR DISH scans the area, with INFRARED
GATLING GUNS mounted on either side.
BOND - AT THE ROCK OUTCROPPING
Props his rifle on the boulder, and peers
through the GUN SIGHT.
THROUGH THE TELESCOPIC SIGHT
He sees a closer (but still wide) telescopic
view of men bargaining over weapons, and
forklifts loading/unloading crates of munitions.
Bond adjusts a knob on the scope.
EXT. A BRITISH WARSHIP - STEAMING IN
THE GULF OF OMAN.
INT. WEAPONS CONTROL ROOM - BRITISH
WARSHIP.
CAPTAIN
Weapons authorized. Prepare to fire. On my
count: Five, four, three, two -
EXT. DECK OF THE WARSHIP -
A launcher rotates, and - BOOM - a Cruise
missile blasts off.
INT. WARSHIP WEAPONS CONTROL ROOM.
FIRING OFFICER
Cruise missile away.
EXT. THE ROCK OUTCROPPING.
Bond has taken his eye from the scope. He's
peering at:
THE MIG-29'S - ("MIG-1," AND "MIG-2").
A FORKLIFT appears from behind the TRUCK
blocking the view of "MiG-l"
A TALL BALD MAN is riding the empty fork,
with his back to us.
BOND
Puts his eye back on the scope, shifts the rifle.
THE CRUISE MISSILE
Hugging the surface, crossing from water to land.
The FORK LIFT has pulled a RED BOX from the
truck, a SHORT ROUND MAN appearing with it
BOND
Squinting through the rifle at the coutcropping.
THE TRUCK/MIG-L, ON THE GROUND/
THROUGH THE SCOPE.
THE BALD MAN slaps the back of the truck
obscuring MiG-1. THE TRUCK PULLS AWAY,
revealing MiG-l's WING. Hanging from the
weapons pod: A NUCLEAR BOMB.
BOND - AT THE ROCK OUTCROPPING
Crouching BEHIND the rock. Automatic rifle
in one hand, GRENADE in the other. He pulls
the pin, hurls it 40 feet away.
Pauses. Waits, counting down time. Then.
Bond springs, shoots at one of the crates. It
blows up, just as
THE GRENADE EXPLODES.
There's PANIC ON THE GROUND. Men
running everywhere as THE RADAR/GATLING
GUN spins, and SENDS A HAIL OF FIRE at
Bond's diversion.
BOND RUNS INTO THE CHAOS.
THE CRUISE MISSILE - FLYING THROUGH
A MOUNTAIN RAVINE.
THE SECRET AIR BASE.
As various factions shoot at each other (Who's
the traitor?) Bond moves into the action. He
swings his gun to the right: TWO BURSTS.
THREE MEN DIE. Still running, he swings to
the left: ANOTHER BURST. TWO MORE DOWN.
Ahead, Bond sees the FLIGHT CREWS
DASHING for the MiG's. He makes a beeline
for MiG-1.
ANGLE ON THE BALD MAN -
Slamming the gate on the RED BOX in a cargo
truck. Rushing to the passenger door. Climbing
in. The SHORT ROUND MAN floors the
accelerator, driving them away.
THE CRUISE MISSILE - STARTING ITS
DESCENT DOWN A MOUNTAIN
WIDE ON MIG-1 -
The pilot climbs the ladder to the cockpit.
Running at full tilt, BOND LEAPS, pulls the
man down. They fall to the tarmac, FIGHTING.
Bond SHOVES A KNIFE in the man's ribs,
killing him.
Kneeling, Bond takes the pilot's helmet off. He
looks up: A MAN is coming at him with a GUN.
Bond YANKS THE KNIFE from the pilot's body
and THROWS IT - thwack - into the man's heart.
ANGLE ON MIG-2'S PILOT.
Watching this from his cockpit.
RETURN ON BOND
Climbing into the cockpit.
Where the COPILOT (having climbed in from
the other side,) sees it's not the right guy. As
he fumbles for a weapon, BOND BASHES
HIM WITH THE HELMET. The copilot
collapses into his seat, unconscious.
Bond settles into his seat, fires the engines,
closes the double canopy, and begins taxiing
out.
THE CRUISE MISSILE
Crossing over the perimeter of the air base.
HIGH ANGLE - THE RUNWAY.
The CRUISE SKIMS IN DIRECTLY OVER
BOND'S PLANE, speeding to takeoff.
INT. BOND'S MIG
BOND shoves the throttles to the fireball and -
KA-BOOM!!!!
The scene erupts in a giant explosion.
HIGH ANGLE - THE AIR BASE.
The FIREBALL mushrooms into a infernal hell.
And just when it seems no one could possibly
survive:
BOND'S MiG ROCKETS OUT OF THE FLAMES!!
INT. BOND'S MIG.
Bond thinks he's safe. Sound. Until -
MiG-2 FLIES OUT OF THE FIREBALL
CANNONS BLAZING AT 007. A HAIL OF
METAL AND TRACERS.
INT./EXT. BOND'S MIG
Bond goes into evasive maneuvers - jinks right,
jinks left - when, suddenly, THE COPILOT
REVIVES, and starts trying to STRANGLE
Bond with a METAL LANYARD. Struggling,
Bond HEARS a THIN HIGH-PITCHED TONE.
INT./EXT. MIG.
The pilot has locked onto Bond's MiG.
BOOM!
TWO HEAT-SEEKING MISSILES roar away.
INT./EXT. BOND'S MIG -
Fighting the garrote, Bond KICKS THE
THROTTLES forward and PULLS BACK
ON THE YOKE. THE MIG GOES INTO A
SPINE CRUSHING CLIMB AS -
THE TWO HEAT SEEKING MISSILES
FOLLOW HIM, LOOPING UPWARD.
INT. MIG-2.
Bond's MiG has disappeared from the pilot's
view: Not in front. Not on the left. Not on the
right. Where did he go? The pilot looks up:
BOND'S MIG APPEARS, FLYING INVERTED,
COCKPIT DOWN, 10 FEET ABOVE MIG-2.
THE PILOT OF MIG-2 IS STUNNED.
INT./EXT. BOND'S MIG -
Fighting against the garrote, Bond strains to
reach a RED BUTTON on the panel: COPILOT
EJECTOR SEAT.
Bond finally taps it, and - THE BACK HALF
OF THE CANOPY BLOWS OFF!
The COPILOT BLASTS OUT OF THE PLANE,
DOWNWARD, directly into MIG-2's cockpit.
Bond peels off.
For a second, MiG-2 hangs in the air. Until...
BOOM!!! The TWO HEAT
SEEKING MISSILES BLAST IT TO
SMITHEREENS.
Back in MiG-1, Bond fiddles with the radio.
BOND (to himself, dryly)
Just another day at the office.
EXT. BOND'S MIG -
Goes to AFTERBURNERS. And from the fiery
glow of the engine, we
DISSOLVE TO:
THE 007 GUN BARREL. MAIN CREDITS.
AFTER CREDITS, FADE IN ON
INT. M'S OFFICE - DAY
Seated Bond, M, MINISTER JOHNSTONE listen
to NATO COLONEL EVERHART:
COL. EVERHART
To sum up: After analyzing the tire inflation of
the fork-lift in the MI-6 video tape, NATO believes
the red box contains approximately eighty
kilograms of U235 weapons grade uranium.
M
Enough to do how much damage?
COL. EVERHART
A single crude bomb could devastate one large
city, perhaps as many as four if the user is
clever enough.
M
And our suspects are?
COL. EVERHART
(handing over one photo, which is passed around)
Kim Dae Yung, a Moscow-trained North Korean
nuclear weapons specialist. He apparently fell
out of favor with the current North Korean
regime following a botched attempt to steal
fissionable material from a British light-water
reactor in South Africa.
(handing over the next photo to be passed around)
And Rendera Sikrahm, also known as Richard
Stamper, a freelance mercenary. His father
was Nepalese, a Ghurka warrior conscripted
by the British government to fight in China
during World War II. The family settled in Hong
Kong, where the young Stamper was
undoubtedly treated like a second class citizen
by both the Hong Kong Chinese and local
British. Both Yung and Stamper bear a
vendetta against the world. They are nuclear
armed, and dangerous. After failing to get the
UZ35 through the old opium route - the Khyber
Pass - NATO believes that their next attempt
will be through Bulgaria - where the NATO
Nuclear Strike Force will be there to stop them.
M
Have you anything else?
COL. EVERHEART
No, I believe that's just about the gist of it.
M
Thank you, Colonel.
COL. EVERHART rises and leaves.
M presses a button, and a photo of ELIOT
HARMSWAY appears on screen on the
wall behind her. Mid-50's, regal.
M
Is this face familiar to you, 007?
BOND
Elliot Harmsway. British media mogul.
Born in Hong Kong; controls an empire
that includes everything from print
publications to television stations, movies to
computer software. Also has a few satellites
and even some theme parks.
M
And Tomorrow, the first world-wide newspaper,
now with a daily circulation of 27 million.
'Able to topple governments with a single
story' - as he says in his press.
BOND
What's his story now?
M
It appears Sir Elliot may be involved with
Stamper and Yung and the missing uranium.
MINISTER JOHNSTONE
Hearsay, nothing but innuendo. Idle chatter
from a source you can't identify - who insists
on talking only to 007.
M
That may be the case at present, Minister
Johnstone, but our own sources suspect
that Harmsway used his considerable
Russian media holdings to elect Valentin
Zukofsky president of Ukraine in trade for
the uranium.
MINISTER JOHNSTONE
More unsubstantiated gossip.
BOND
Nevertheless, it does explain how an ex-KGB
agent turned illegal-arms dealer is suddenly
portrayed as a long-time friend of the people.
(beat)
If you believe what you read in the papers.
MINISTER JOHNSTONE (annoyed)
Need I remind the two of you that Elliot
Harmsway - Sir Elliot Harmsway - is directly
descended from the Earl of Aberdeen? That
his Scottish ancestors practically invented
Hong Kong - and out of sheer gratitude, Queen
Victoria herself named the port "Aberdeen
Harbor" in their honor?
M
Need I remind you, Minister, that one's title or
ancestory does not necessarily preclude one
from criminal activity.
Johnstone is uncomfortable. M continues,
to Bond:
M
The reason I invited the Minister here, 007,
was to reassure him that this investigation
will be handled with the utmost discretion.
BOND
Understood.
M
Which is also why I've withheld this
information from NATO and our allies.
BOND (nods, then, recalling)
But didn't we once investigate Harmsway?
M
Yes. In 1988. He was furious at the British
plan to return Hong Kong, and supposedly
started his own negotiations with the Chinese
Government. The inquiry went nowhere - but
it did earn MI-6 a rather formidable adversary.
MINISTER JOHNSTONE
Not to mention the chaos it caused at
Whitehall when his newspapers began
screaming for the recall of the sitting
government.
M (a beat, then:)
I'm sending you to Venice, 007.
She hands Bond a CARNIVAL MASK.
M
Wear this mask at the Carnival, and wait to
be contacted by the informant. Check out
the source, determine whether Harmsway
is involved with the enriched uranium, and,
if he is, do put a stop to him.
BOND
I'm assuming the informant will recognize -
(holds the mask to his face)
- the face?
M
Just as you'll recognize the informant's. It'll
be a mirror image.
MINISTER JOHNSTONE (standing, to leave)
Oh, and 007, I hope you do realize that Elliot
Harmsway is vital to the economic interests
of this nation. He's also a major contributor
to the party. He is to be given every
consideration.
BOND
Yes, sir.
Johnstone heads for the door, stops at it
as he opens it, turns back to M and Bond.
JOHNSTONE
I was never here.
--- And that's as far as I go, and how it should've
really went if the script had been edited right. The
remaining 140 pges or so is just too much of a
mess to begin to tamper with without getting paid
for it.
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