back to article Bond 23 suspended 'indefinitely'

The producers of Daniel Craig's third outing as James Bond have suspended the production "indefinitely" due to "continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of MGM and the failure to close a sale of the studio". According to the BBC, Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of Eon Productions said they didn't know when work on …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Dead Vulture

    one liner

    "I expect you to die Mr Bond!"

    1. Matt Newton

      almost...

      Do you expect me to talk?

      No, Mister Bond. I expect you to die.

      1. Jim Morrow
        Coat

        possible lines for the next bond film

        ....and now Mr. Bond, have you got 50p for the meter so I can power up my death laser?

        Or, given the gratuitous product placement in Bond films

        "Thanks to Ocean Finance Mr. Bond, I rearranged all my debts into one convenient low monthly payment. It even left me wth a little bit left over to buy this fleet of nuclear-powered satellites to support my plan for world domination. And unlike that lot Carol Vorderman advertises, Ocean Finance didn't ripe me off for thousands as a fucking arrangement fee."

  2. Locky
    Coat

    The news has left Craig

    Shaken, but not stirred.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Shaken...

      ... but still unable to act?

      He'll be able to make money getting his muscles out for women on hen-nights though, so his career isn't over.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yarrrrrrr

    It'll be those pesky pirates that've done this to them, nothing whatsoever to do with a global downturn, a series of over budget productions or paying 'stars' and execs tens of millions every time they fart.

    Shame it's hit the Bond films though, they'd just started getting very good, Bond almost the way I'd imagined him from reading Fleming's books.

    1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge

      They got good, then they got bad again

      But I'm ever hopeful they'll get good once more.

  4. Piro Silver badge
    Pint

    All down hill anyway

    I don't think Bond is as iconic as he used to be

  5. Glyn 2
    Stop

    yay

    That's the quality of cinematic output increased for next year. After how excellent Casino Royale was, how did they regress to the tosh that was Quantum of Garbage?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Stop

      RE: yay

      I can only assume you're referring to the original Casino Royale because even that was better than the recent one!

      1. Glyn 2

        Qos

        The last pierce brosnan one was better than QoS and that had Ace Rimmer as the bad guy and an invisible car

        The QoS badguys scream of anger at the end was the best thing in it, only because everyone in the cinema burst out laughing at the squeakyness

  6. nichomach
    Black Helicopters

    "Now pay attention, 007...

    ...This is our newest device - it's a venture capitalist; you press the red button here, twist the head so and it simultaneously deploys a smokescreen and a parachute made of billions of dollar bills, which automatically combusts after use; completely untraceable - DARPA have been working on something similar for years, but we think we've got the jump on them this time..."

    BH to the Montana complex, because my Icelandic crater hideout with mega-laser just got smoked...

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Perhaps...

    they could issue bonds.

    The bulletproof one, please.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Bond 23 script?

    Is that the one where Bond has to take on an evil cartel of banking "executives" who are trying to get rid themselves by destroying the international finance market?

    If it was then presumably it got dropped because folks could mistake it for a documentary...

    Never mind SPECTRE assassins et al, ole Jimmy B got laid low by a crack (or should that be "crap"?) team of accountants - who'd have thought it?

  9. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    007 ..... Licensed to shill

    "Daniel Craig said: "I have every confidence in Barbara and Michael's decision and look forward to production resuming as quickly as possible."" ....... spoken like a popular make believe actor and every bit as deep?

    M to 007 ..... Report back to Base for New Real Holywood AIMission

  10. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Demise

    This sort of publicity will hasten the demise of MGM.

    What large Japanese corporation requires a large media library to influence the push of their technology ? Panasonic. Or perhaps the Koreans will be interested - Samsung ?

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    Never Say

    ... Never Again?

    Or is it a case of Die Another Day ?

    I once saw Blofeld. He was in a pub in South Kensington.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Happy

      Blowfield in a pub

      Sampling an odd lager perhaps.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The local

      He lived in a Fulham town house so that's not a huge surprise...

      You'd laugh your cock off over the letter he kept framed in his first floor bog... It richly deserved it's place in the smallest room.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why not...

    ..do a twilight crossover?

    James Bond: A Modicum of Sparkle!

    1. Trevor Pott o_O Gold badge

      No sparkly vampires!

      *hiss*

    2. Ugotta B. Kiddingme

      Or turn it into a kiddie's franchise

      "Shrek! James Shrek."

      Mike Myers already does semi-passable Scottish brouge.

      "That'll do Q. That'll do."

      (Mlle. moderatrix, might I request an icon for "I'm mad, I tell you! Barking mad!")

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Grenade

    About time.

    Connery was an excellent bond. The films are still OK 40 years on.

    Rodger Moore was a bit ropey. Some would say it went downhill from there.

    Most people hated Timothy Dalton (I thought he was pretty good).

    Pierce Brosnan was in the franchise for what seemed like 10 minutes.

    Things have been rolling steadily downhill since the late 80s. Too many tired cliches and special effects, just for the sake of effects.

    The original stories were all written before the cold-war ended. The result being that the films had to warp/modify/create their own. All attempts at which have been pretty rotten. There have been Bond villains that I've actually laughed out loud at. (Scaramanga was NOT one of them btw!)

    1. asdf
      Joke

      three most memorable villians

      1. Blofeld aka I wish I was as cool as Dr. Evil.

      2. Jaws aka one fugly dude who takes 2nd for also being in Rollerball and Happy Gilmore

      3. Handjob aka fugly asian with the derby (who also can be hired for Odd jobs).

    2. seven of five

      teh title

      Connery certainly is the better actor, but I feel Moore was the better Bond.

      Can´t remember Dalton.

      Brosnan had three tries, didn´t he? Didn´t like him, tho.

      And Craig.

      Appaling, to say the least. Whats that scratched, unshaven ... thug... doing in a Bond movie? Trotting around with his gun in his hand?

      Appaling, to say the least.

  14. Blofeld's Cat
    Coat

    MGM

    The MGM motto "Ars Gratia Artis" means "Art for art's sake".

    10cc's lyrics continued "Money for God's sake".

    It's the trench-coat.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    Times Up!

    Mr Bond, maybe we can make a deal?

    Will the last personal to leave MGM, switch off the popcorn maker and shoot Leo the lion.

  16. LinkOfHyrule
    Paris Hilton

    James Blond

    Do a low budget 007 film instead. Staring Jácób Blonde of the Swedish secrete service - fill it with loads of "action" of a more porny nature - sell loads of dvds and merchandise (which is only available to buy in this country from licensed premises) that should help clear some of the debt and refresh 007's image at the same time.

  17. Vince Lewis 1
    Thumb Down

    Pierce Brosnan was a great bond

    And did not do anywhere near enough films.

    Daniel Craig was a Chav Bond and Casino Royal should have been done as true Prequel.

    I would have loved to have seen a 60's style james Bond film with period realistic gadgets.

  18. Absent
    Big Brother

    Bond 24

    Jambo vs. the internet pirates.

  19. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    FAIL

    How the hell did they run up such a bill

    They've been around for nearly a century. That *should* mean

    Huge assets (property).

    Massive back catalog.

    Significant cash reserves.

    Own cinemas?

    It's astonishing that a large mature player in a large mature industry can be *this* far in the hole.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      WTF?

      WTF?

      >> It's astonishing that a large mature player in a large mature industry can be *this* far in the hole.

      What, like the banks? Or the airlines? Or General Motors, Ford, etc?

      MGM has been in deep shit for decades. It owes a few billion (give or take) and is largely owned by venture capitalists and private equity funds. There are no cash reserves. That's why they can't/won't finance the new Bond film. The back catalogue was sold to Ted Turner ~20 years ago.

      PS the story about Bond film financing is probably a stunt by the producers to find other investors and/or negotiate better terms with MGM. ISTR there was a similar story a few years ago and rumours that Moore?Dalton?Brosnan? (who gives a shit?) would be the last ever Bond.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    so what

    Bond reminds me of Hannibal Lecter with his Sadistic killings followed by jokey remarks.

    Maybe people have seen through this. Austin Powers helped there.

    Also Bourne makes Bond look plain embarrassing.

  21. tony trolle
    Joke

    product placement ?

    maybe Mr Bond should use Q's new optical implant communicator (iphone) and live in a black "hood" (ipad)

  22. asdf
    Joke

    hmm epic strategy fail

    I guess thats what happens when a casino business thinks they can become a movie studio.

  23. Craig 28

    Re:Kiddy franchise

    You mean like the James Bond Jr cartoon they tried doing years ago? Do the words "crash and burn" mean anything to you?

    I generally didn't mind Brosnan, World is Not Enough worked okay for me, but Die Another Day was just a steaming pile. One too many for Brosnan combined with a giant frickin' laser satellite? Daniel Craig is just meh to me. Never got on with the older ones especially the Connery ones, see aforementioned giant frickin' laser syndrome.

  24. pctechxp

    James Bond will return

    And this time will out Jason Bourne as a corrupt CIA agent and kick his ass.

    Seriously I'd rather watch a film from the Bond franchise than I would any other film.

    The Bourne franchise ran out of steam after three films, Bond is still going after 22.

    I'm surprised Sony Pictures hasn't taken it on by now as it must be a goldmine,

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