An ode to the man who redefined and revitalized the world’s longest-running film franchise
It was 2002. The most recent entry in the James Bond series, Die Another Day, had made $431 million at the global box office – making it the highest-grossing film in the franchise that had just celebrated its fortieth anniversary.
The star, Pierce Brosnan, had done four films and was much admired as Bond. He had expressed a desire to do another picture. In showbiz, once a formula for success has been discovered, it is uncompromisingly followed as the sole goal is to set the cash registers ringing. It was, therefore, an obvious choice to forge ahead with Brosnan as Bond and make a film in a vein similar as Die Another Day.
But despite its enormous profits, the producers were aware that Die Another Day was poorly received by Bond fans and most critics. The film began promisingly with Bond being captured, tortured, and suspected of being compromised. But the gritty premise was abandoned in favour of an outlandish resolution, with fantastical elements such as an invisible car and kite surfing over a tsunami, causing the film to devolve into pastiche.
The gravitas, depth, and subtext that Ian Fleming had envisioned had long been missing in the series but it became most apparent in the indifferently made Die Another Day. It also seemed incongruous for the post 9/11 era to have a light-hearted spy thriller. The presence of the spy parodies such as Johnny English and Austin Powers meant that it was impossible for Bond to be more outlandish.
Following the formula could give them short-term profits, but the producers knew that it would be detrimental to the overall life expectancy of the series.
During that time the producers had won a case that gave them exclusive rights to Casino Royale, the first Bond novel by Ian Fleming. It was almost as if providence was leading them in a brave new direction.
Thus defying conventional wisdom and business sense, producers took the first step that began a new journey.
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