Screenwriting duo hands over Bond to Boyle
THE screenwriting team behind the past 20 years of James Bond films has been replaced by the man behind Trainspotting and Shallow Grave.
Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have written every Bond adventure since The World Is Not Enough in 1999.
But when producers approached Danny Boyle to direct Bond 25 they learned that he came as a package with his long-time collaborator, John Hodge. It was confirmed yesterday that Boyle will direct the film.
It had been reported that Purvis and Wade were working on a script for the film, starring Daniel Craig, which will begin shooting in December.
However, in an interview with The Telegraph last year, the pair hinted that they were planning to hand over the reins and considered the 2015 film, Spectre, to be their swansong.
Asked if they would make another film, Wade replied: “Never say never. But for sure, Spectre felt like it closed off a certain way of doing Bond. And I think whatever happens next will be quite different.”
Purvis said it was hard to come up with ideas in the current political climate. “The thing is, I’m just not sure how you would go about writing a James Bond film now. Each time, you’ve got to say something about Bond’s place in the world, which is Britain’s place in the world. But things are moving so quickly now, that becomes tricky.
“With people like Donald Trump, the Bond villain has become a reality. So when they do another one, it will be interesting to see how they deal with the fact that the world has become a fantasy.”
Hodge comes from a family of medics and wrote the script for Shallow Grave after qualifying as a junior doctor. He made that film with Boyle, and they continued their partnership with Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary and The Beach. They recently worked together again on last year’s Trainspotting sequel T2.