James Bond: Unfinished Script, Infernal Production Rate… How 2007 Writers’ Strike Hurt Quantum of Solace Filming

The writers’ and actors’ strike that has rocked Hollywood for weeks has logically brought all production networks to a sudden halt, on the small and big screens. And the showdown could largely go into overtime; Even until 2024.

An air of deja vu. From November 5, 2007 to February 12, 2008, 12,000 film and television screenwriters from the Writers Guild of America, Writers Guild of America East, and Writers Guild of America West went on strike. A social movement that has also influenced a number of productions to varying degrees, including the James Bond production, Quantum of Solace, released in 2008.

With the release of Casino Royale in 2006 to great critical and public acclaim, the James Bond saga was able to not only reinvent itself, but also solidify Daniel Craig as Agent 007.

Two years later, I’m waiting around A quantum of consolation It was logically very high, especially since it was also the biggest film/budget that Marc Forster was to direct, behind Neverland and In the Shadow of Hatred.

“I even wanted to leave the project…”

In an interview with the site Collider As part of the promotion of his new film “All I See is You”, the director Mark Forster Returned to production A quantum of consolationTo say the least, it was difficult… The main reason: the screenwriters’ strike in Hollywood, which significantly delayed filming.

“It was very difficult, because the film entered the shooting phase without a finished script and screenwriter, I even wanted to leave the project; Ron Howard It was originally done for filming Angels and Demons that Sony was producing.

At that point I said to myself, “Okay, maybe I’ll let it go because we don’t even have a finished script.” But everyone said, “No! We have to make this movie! The strike will be over soon, so you can start shooting with what we already have; we’ll finish it later!”

Mark Forster, who was in a race against time, so he complied, still with the idea of ​​making this new James Bond opus in mind. Revenge / Vigilante movie From the 70s, very action oriented. “A movie with many angles to hide the fact that there is primarily a lot of action and little story!” Foster explains.

As a result, we actually have a better understanding of the how and why of the brutal editing of the action sequences below, let alone the chainsaw…

“It was absolutely crazy because you’re under a lot of pressure, especially if it’s a James Bond movie and even more so when you have to hold back a movie like Casino Royale, which is the best book. Ian Fleming ever wrote; And it was the best James Bond film in a long time.” Forster remembered.

and add: “And you, you go after that, you don’t have a script, you don’t have a written book to rely on, and you still have to deliver. At the same time, we only had five or six weeks to edit the footage. The film’s principal photography. Then it went to the sound mixer and it came out. “.

“If the movie goes down, you’re responsible!”

Then the filmmaker recalls that during filming, he had to simultaneously think about editing and making sure that the story continued. “During the editing, I wanted to make sure the visual effects worked well and make sure the story worked. My nightmare was the possible sequel to the strike and all of these things, if the film crashes, you’re the one responsible! To the point where I said to myself, ‘Okay , am I going to find a job after that?”

Therefore, the real concern that has In the endThis did not prevent Forster from being relatively satisfied with his work. “I’m very happy with the film and I have to say that eight years after it came out, people seem to like it more. When it came out, it was very successful and people liked it, but I think it’s more than that. It’s been years.”

remind you A quantum of consolation It grossed over $589 million worldwide. less than the predecessor Casino Royale And his 616 million dollars.

The results are certainly not embarrassing for Mark Forster. But it’s a far, far cry from the planetary Hold Up that Sam Mendes would do four years later with Skyfall and its $1.1 billion gross.