[ad_1]
Charlie Higson, creator of the Young Bond book series, does not think his stories featuring a teenage James Bond will ever be adapted into films. Set in the 1930s and following a younger version of Ian Fleming’s famous spy, Higson’s series begins with 2005’s Silverfin in which the future 007 finds himself attending his first year at Eton College. The author would go on to pen four more books in the series, culminating in 2008’s By Royal Command which featured Bond’s eventual expulsion from Eton. Six years later, author Steve Cole picked up from Higson and continued the best-selling series with four more books.
Speaking with RadioTimes.com, Higson recently discussed the possibility of his Young Bond books being made into films. Suggesting that the original release of his novels coincided with attempts to relaunch the Bond franchise with Daniel Craig, producers likely did not wish to “muddy the waters” by promoting an alternate version of the character. Moving forward, the author still doubts there would be any interest in bringing his version of the character to the screen. Check out his comments below:
“When the Young Bond books came out… Eon automatically own all screen rights to Bond and back then they were relaunching Bond with Daniel Craig, [it was] set in the modern world, all of that, and the last thing they wanted was to muddy the waters with a series about a young Bond set in the 1930s.
“But, you know, the world of media has evolved so much since then. The big thing now is ‘the universe’ – might they be planning a James Bond universe? Who knows? But they probably have no interest in making Young Bond.”
Why A Young Bond Television Series Might Be A Better Option
With 25 films under its belt and a cinematic history spanning 60 years, the James Bond series is undoubtedly one of the biggest and most successful movie franchises of all time. Recognized the world over and spawning a slew of imitators, even the very act of attempting to guess who will be the next James Bond has evolved into a favored pastime among the series’ passionate fanbase. With kind of success in mind, it would make sense that Amazon, as MGM’s new owner, might look to further expand the franchise beyond the main films.
While Higson is right in his supposition that having two different big-screen versions of Bond, one set in the modern era and another in the 1930s, might cause confusion, there is another option that could potentially offer viewers the best of both worlds. With Amazon already spending big on prestige spy series like Citadel, a Young Bond television series on Prime Video seems like a natural fit. Leaving modernized reworkings of 007 to the movies, a streaming series would allow Amazon to explore an alternate version of the character more closely related to Fleming’s original spy.
Between Higson’s and Cole’s young adult novels, there is already plenty of story fodder to inform multiple seasons of a Young Bond show. Moreover, the 1930s-era setting of their books could provide viewers with a unique perspective on the character that has never been shown on screen before. With any luck, Amazon might just see the potential in bringing Higson’s young James Bond to life.
Source: RadioTimes.com
[ad_2]
Source link
