Bond Film for Faulks Novel Gets a Pass

If Eon Productions, the Bond franchise holder, has their way, then there will be no film coming out anytime soon based on the Sebastian Faulks novel titled “Devil May Care.” The company has passed on the idea of turning his work into a movie even though the fan intensity level is back up for the famed 007 agent, now portrayed on celluloid by actor Daniel Craig.

Now that Eon has given the thumbs down, the question is will there be another studio out there willing to pick it up? A similiar situation ocurred in 1983 when Warner Bros. opted to go with “Never Say Never Again,” the film that brought original 007, Sean Connery, out of retirement one last time. That film had moderate success at the box office, but still lagged behind the sanctioned Bond properties.

The other stickler for anyone wishing to make a film out of Faulks’ book would be the use of the Bond name in the film itself and the marketing. The franchise name is the sole property of Eon and even if another studio gets written permission from the Fleming estate and Faulks, that one key element will have to remain absent from the movie — “My name is Bond, James Bond!” Also missing would be the use of the 007 designation or the famous opening sequences made popular in nearly all the 22 Bond films – the point where Bond turns and points his weapon to the camera and fires just before the first scene of the film.

If another studio does opt for the project then getting Fleming estate approval seems likely since it was they who commissioned Faulks to write the tome as a continuation of the character made famous by author Ian Fleming and first brought to the small screen in the 1950’s by actor Barry Nelson and in the 1960’s to the big screen by Sean Connery….and the rest, as they say, is history.

Famed Bond films producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson say that since Faulks’ book is set in the 60’s it makes the idea a lesser commodity for a film, however, since all of Fleming’s books were set in that same period it hasn’t stopped filmmakers from updating it to the current time-frame. The latest Craig version of Bond “Casino Royale” is a prime example lending credence to the thought that Broccoli and Wilson have other motives for not grabbing onto this newest book. Both producers haven’t totally closed the door on the issue stating only that a film based on “Devil May Care” isn’t feasible at this time.

“We love the book, but because it is set in the 1960s, we haven’t considered making it in the near future,” Broccoli and Wilson told Daily Variety.

However, with the resurgence of Russian bullying in some regions, perhaps the producers will be forced to reconsider. The Cold War setting of “Devil May Care” and the storyline that centers around the international drug trade, the Iran situation and a possible revival of the cold war with Russia could make the film very contemporary.

The newest Bond film starring Daniel Craig is titled “Quantum Solace” and will premiere worldwide in theaters beginning November 7, 2008.