He came prepared for a cold reception... Nobody knows how Bond got into position at the terrorist's arms bizarre in the pre-titles teaser sequence of Tomorrow Never Dies, but an exciting scene from the original screenplay details an enthralling climb in the Khyber Pass. "Ice" is repeatedly rumoured as a theme of 007's next adventure (currently without title and simply known as "Bond 20"), but it is not beyond the realms of possibility that this unused sequence could make the next cut...

Original Tomorrow Never Dies Teaser
4th November 2001

FADE IN ON:

EXT. DESOLATE MOUNTAIN RANGE - HIGH ANGLE - DAWN

Super: THE KHYBER PASS, AFGHANISTAN

We're looking down at what used to be called "The End of the Known
World." A landscape that is both beautiful, and forbidding.

In the center of this vista, there is a deep ravine.

Pushing in on the ravine, there appears to be a giant icicle hanging
over a cliff:

AN ICE FALL. A 600 foot waterfall whose face is frozen solid.

Pushing in still closer, there is a tiny black dot inching its way up
the ice. A human figure. This is:

JAMES BOND, BRITISH SECRET SERVICE AGENT, 007.

Bond is sweating and straining, four hundred feet in the air. He has
an ice-pick tethered to each hand, ice-cleats on his boots. A black
backpack. As he climbs, spider-like, pulling himself up, he goes to
JAM A CLEAT into the ice, but -

CRACK! A 50 foot stiletto of ice breaks off, CRASHING onto the rocks
below. Regaining his foothold, Bond looks down: Certain death. He
looks up: So very, very, far to go. Bond shakes his head:

BOND
There has to be an easier way to earn
a living.

Still, Bond climbs. Huffing, sweating, he goes up, and up, until -

ANOTHER ANGLE -

He's 25 feet from the top. He drives a first ice pick in. Gets a
toehold. But when he slams the second pick in -

THE ICE WALL SHATTERS, FALLING AWAY IN FRONT OF HIM. IN THE SHOCK -

BOND LOSES HIS GRIP ON THE FIRST ICE PICK -

And 007 is now dangling, 575 feet in the air, staring at a torrent of
water - hanging only by the leather thread around his wrist, attached
to the first ice-pick, still embedded in the wall.

Bond pauses. Thinks. And coolly begins to swing himself back and
forth, in widening arcs, like a clock's pendulum.

At the high point of his swing, Bond reaches back to smash his other
pick into the ice - BUT MISSES. He looks up at:

THE FIRST ICE PICK, STILL EMBEDDED IN THE WALL -

Beginning to work its way out. The tether, fraying.

RETURN ON BOND -

Cautiously, 007 begins to swing a second time. Once. Twice. And on
the third arc, he swings the ice-pick viciously - but MISSES AGAIN.

ANGLE ON THE FIRST ICE PICK, STILL EMBEDDED IN THE WALL -

Now jutting downward, barely holding. The tether is almost totally
frayed through.

RETURN ON BOND -

One last chance. Bond swings. Once. Twice. He reaches back, hurls
himself at the wall, lunging - AND SMASHES THE SECOND PICK INTO THE
ICE... Just as the tether finally snaps on the first one. Still,
he's all but home: He reaches over, grabs the first pick (barely
holding in the ice,) jabs it in, and continues upward.

EXT. THE TOP OF THE WATER FALL -

Exhausted, Bond reaches up, over the edge. He drives a pick down -
through the ice, into the hard, flat, ground beneath the waterbed.

As he pulls himself up, (his full weight on the first ice-pick,) he
smashes a second pick through the ice, into the waterbed, and -

THE ENTIRE ICE FALL GIVES WAY -

Breaking off with a groan, tumbling onto the rocks below.

IN THE WATERBED -

A torrent of water crashes over 007. Fighting the oncoming deluge,
he crawls - on his belly - through the water - 25 feet inland.

NEW ANGLE - (TOP OF THE WATER FALL, INLAND)

Bond stands, walks out of the riverbed. He looks back at the cliff:

BOND'S POV - THE WATER FALL -

On either side of the water, there are two small RADAR DISHES, angled
down, scanning every inch of the area, save for the waterfall itself.
In other words: This was the only way in.

RETURN ON BOND -

007 shrugs. From his backpack, he takes out TWO CIGAR-SIZED BLACK
CANISTERS, and an ELONGATED BLACK BOX. He presses a button on the
side of the box, and - fwap, fwap, fwap - SNOW SKIS unfold.

He presses buttons on the canisters: TELESCOPIC SKI POLES. Bond
slaps on the skis, and takes off, through the snow.

EXT. SNOW-COVERED FOREST - BOND SKIS THROUGH THE PINES -

EXT. MOUNTAIN CLIFF -

Bond hurtles over the side, going airborne, landing 100 feet below,
amidst boulders. In perfect Olympic form, he skis out, and down.

EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE -

Bond slaloms down, in and out of trees, to avoid detection. At the
bottom, where the snow thins, he comes to:

A ROCK OUTCROPPING.

Hiding behind the rock, Bond takes off his skis, knapsack. He
unpacks (and unfolds) a HIGH TECH AUTOMATIC RIFLE. Puts on a
HEADSET. He creeps up on the rock, and looks out on:

A SECRET MILITARY BASE/AIR STRIP (BOND'S POV)

50 feet down, 200 yards away: 50 MEN are unloading CARGO from a dozen
MILITARY TRANSPORT TRUCKS; there are TWO NORTH KOREAN MiG-29s on the
ground (one partially obscured by a truck,) plus FLATBEDS carrying
HELICOPTERS and SCUD MISSILES.

Near a QUONSET HUT, a TRUCK-MOUNTED RADAR DISH scans the area, with
INFRARED GATLING GUNS mounted on either side.

BOND - AT THE ROCK OUTCROPPING -

Props his rife on the boulder, and peers through the GUN SIGHT.

THROUGH THE TELESCOPIC SIGHT -

He sees a closer (but still wide) telescopic view of men bargaining
over weapons, and forklifts loading/unloading crates of munitions.

THE SAME SCENE ON A VIDEO WALL - MI-6 SITUATION ROOM, LONDON.

BOND'S VOICE
(over a speaker)
Seven, in position.

TANNER'S VOICE
Roger, Seven.

Watching this display is M, TANNER, and a handful of MILITARY BRASS,
including a RUSSIAN GENERAL, BUKHARIN, and BRITISH ADMIRAL ROEBUCK,
an aging sea-lion with no love for M, or MI-6.

M deals with the humorless Admiral by, well, humoring him:

M
... What were you saying, Admiral?
Something about this 'not being a job
for a wine-sniffing, skirt-chasing
playboy spy?'

ADMIRAL ROEBUCK
- I'll be sure to acknowledge 007's
'assistance' in my report to the
Prime Minister. But this is, still,
a naval operation.

M
What do they say in Russia, General
Bukharin?
(asks questions in
flawless Russian)

The general chuckles. Translates:

GENERAL BUKHARIN
'In a joint operation, someone's nose
always gets put out of joint.'

M turns to Admiral Roebuck:

M
I'm interested in success, Admiral.
Not who gets credit.
(turning to:)
Mr. Tanner: What have we got?

Tanner points to the video wall with a RED LASER PEN.

TANNER
(ironically)
A regular terrorist swap meet. Death
at discount: Two Chinese Long March
Scuds, a pair of Soviet A-17 attack
helicopters -

BUKHARIN
(interrupting)
Stolen -

TANNER
And the crates look like American M-16
assault rifles, Chilean antipersonnel
mines, six French Exocet missiles, and
75 - no maybe a hundred - kilograms of
Czech made C-4 Semtech explosive.
(beat)
Something for everyone. Fun for the
whole family.

M
(freezing him with a glance)
What about ID's?

TANNER
(pushes a button on a console)
One to seven: Deal the face cards.

THE ROCK OUTCROPPING -

Bond adjusts a knob on the scope.

MI-6 SITUATION ROOM -

On the video-screen, the picture zooms to a CLOSE UP of one of the
arms traders. Tanner presses a button, and - almost instantly - the
man's bio and vitals appear on another video screen.

TANNER
Gustav Meinholtz. Neo-Nazi, former
East German STASI agent. Ties to the
Beider-Meinhoff gang.
(pressing a button)
Aces high, seven. Bid to the east.

Bond shifts his aim, east. (Intercut as necessary) He zeroes in on
another face, and the man's stats appear in London.

TANNER
Vilko Barkoviac. Bosnian war
criminal; thought to be operating
freelance out of Teheran.
(pressing a button)
Full house, seven. Bid to the North.

Bond complies. Another face, another set of stats:

TANNER
Sitoshi Isagura. Japanese religious
fanatic. Wanted for the Tokyo subway -

ADMIRAL ROEBUCK
(impatiently, cutting him off:)
I've seen enough. Let's finish this.
(ordering M:)
Tell your man to drop back. We're
initiating plan B -

M
But -

ADMIRAL ROEBUCK
- Thank you, M. But this is more
than your man can handle.
(to Bukharin)
Are we in agreement?

BUKHARIN
(hesitant, at first)
- Yes. Yes.

M
Admiral -

Moving swiftly, the Admiral has picked up a RED PHONE:

ADMIRAL ROEBUCK
Command to Nelson: Authorization to
fire.

EXT. A BRITISH WARSHIP - STEAMING IN THE GULF OF OMAN -

INT. WEAPONS CONTROL ROOM - BRITISH WARSHIP -

CAPTAIN
Weapons authorized. Prepare to fire.
On my count: Five. Four. Three. Two -

EXT. DECK OF THE WARSHIP -

A launcher rotates, and - BOOM - a Cruise missile blasts off.

INT. WARSHIP WEAPONS CONTROL ROOM -

FIRING OFFICER
Cruise missile away -

MI-6 SITUATION ROOM -

FIRING OFFICER'S VOICE (Cont'd)
Time to target: Four minutes.

ADMIRAL ROEBUCK
I appreciate your assistance, M. But
this is now a military operation.

M
(urgently, to Tanner)
Bring up the tracking satellite. And
get 007 out of there.

Tanner hits a button - and a third video screen appears, displaying a
satellite view of the area, detailing the Cruise's path and progress.

TANNER
One to seven: Exit target area.
Repeat -

BOND'S VOICE
Seven to one. Negative. Wait.

THE ROCK OUTCROPPING -

Bond has taken his eye from the scope. He's peering at:

THE MIG-29'S - ("MiG-1," AND "MiG-2") -

A FORKLIFT appears from behind the TRUCK blocking the view of "MiG-l"
A TALL BALD MAN is riding the empty fork, with his back to us.

BOND -

Puts his eye back on the scope, shifts the rifle -

MI-6/VIDEO WALL -

Bond's scope view settles on THE BALD MAN. The forklift reaches the
back of the truck. HE STEPS OFF as the fork begins rising to unload
something. And as the man turns, FACING US to scan the area:

TANNER
Oh, no.

M
Who is it?

TANNER
(calling up his stats)
Kim Dae Yung. North Korean Nuclear
specialist.

M
Meaning there may be nuclear material
down there?

Tanner nods. A look passes from M, to Bukharin, to Roebuck.

THE CRUISE MISSILE -

Hugging the surface, crossing from water to land.

MI-6 SITUATION ROOM -

VOICE FROM WARSHIP
Time to target: Three minutes.
(sfx: Beep!)
Target acquired. Weapon armed.

Tension. Adrenaline. QUIET PANIC. On the SCREEN, the FORK LIFT has
pulled a RED BOX from the truck, a SHORT ROUND MAN appearing with it.

M
Who is that?!? What's in the box??

TANNER
(punching buttons)
I don't know. He's not in the database -

M
(to Bukharin)
What's in the box, General?
(he shrugs)
What's in the box???

BUKHARIN
(sheepishly)
... We usually... Transport...
Weapons grade uranium.

Shock sweeps the room. M turns on Tanner:

M
Will it go off?

TANNER
Maybe. Maybe not.

M
Abort the cruise.

ADMIRAL ROEBUCK
It's too late -

M
GET BOND OUT OF THERE.

TANNER
One to seven - one to seven -

BOND - SQUINTING THROUGH THE RIFLE AT THE OUTCROPPING -

BOND
Negative, one. NOT YET.

THE TRUCK/MiG-l, ON THE GROUND/THROUGH THE SCOPE -

THE BALD MAN slaps the back of the truck obscuring MiG-1. THE TRUCK
PULLS AWAY, revealing MiG-l's WING. Hanging from the weapons pod: A
NUCLEAR BOMB.

BOND - AT THE ROCK OUTCROPPING -

Mutters a curse.

MI-6 SITUATION ROOM -

TANNER
Soviet SB-9 nuclear torpedo. Yield,
one kiloton.

M
Will the cruise set it off?

TANNER
Yes.

ADMIRAL ROEBUCK
(to Bukharin)
Jesus. Can't you people keep
anything locked up?

GENERAL BUKHARIN
We didn't know it was missing.

M
Get me the Prime Minister. Alert
NATO, the CIA, the Pentagon.
(presses a button:)
Seven: This is a direct order. I
want you out of there. Do you copy?

THE ROCK OUTCROPPING -

Bond's headset lies on top of the rock, along with the telescopic
sight - still broadcasting.

Find Bond, crouching BEHIND the rock. Automatic rifle in one hand,
GRENADE in the other. He pulls the pin, hurls it 40 feet away.
Pauses. Waits, counting down time. Then -

BOND SPRINGS. SHOOTS at one of the CRATES. IT BLOWS UP, just as -
THE GRENADE EXPLODES.

There's PANIC ON THE GROUND. Men running everywhere as THE RADAR/
GATLING GUN spins, and SENDS A HAIL OF FIRE at Bond's diversion.

And with this, BOND is off, SPRINTING INTO THE CHAOS.

THE SAME SCENE - VIDEO SCREEN - MI-6 SITUATION ROOM.

Stoned silence. Disbelief. Tanner whispers:

TANNER
God help him.

THE CRUISE MISSILE - FLYING THROUGH A MOUNTAIN RAVINE -

God help the rest of us.

THE SECRET AIR BASE -

As various factions shoot at each other (Who's the traitor?) Bond
streaks toward the action. Without breaking stride, he swings his
gun to the right: TWO BURSTS. THREE MEN DIE. Still running, he
swings to the left: ANOTHER BURST. TWO MORE DOWN.

Ahead, Bond sees the FLIGHT CREWS DASHING for the MiG's. He makes a
beeline for MiG-1.

ANGLE ON THE BALD MAN -

Slamming the gate on the RED BOX in a cargo truck. Rushing to the
passenger door. Climbing in. The SHORT ROUND MAN floors the
accelerator, driving them away.

THE CRUISE MISSILE - STARTING ITS DESCENT DOWN A MOUNTAIN

MI-6 SITUATION ROOM - M, WATCHING HELPLESSLY -

VOICE FROM WARSHIP
Time to target: Thirty seconds.

WIDE ON MiG-1 -

The pilot climbs the ladder to the cockpit. Running at full tilt,
BOND LEAPS, pulls the man down. They fall to the tarmac, FIGHTING.
Bond SHOVES A KNIFE in the man's ribs, killing him.

Kneeling, Bond takes the pilot's helmet off. He looks up: A MAN is
coming at him with a GUN. In one unbroken move, Bond YANKS THE KNIFE
from the pilot's body and THROWS IT - thwack - into the man's heart.

ANGLE ON MIG-2'S PILOT - WATCHING THIS FROM HIS COCKPIT.

RETURN ON BOND - CLIMBING INTO THE COCKPIT -

Where the COPILOT (having climbed in from the other side,) sees it's
not the right guy. As he fumbles for a weapon, BOND BASHES HIM WITH
THE HELMET. The copilot collapses into his seat, unconscious.

Bond settles into his seat, fires the engines, closes the double
canopy, and begins taxiing out.

THE CRUISE MISSILE - CROSSING OVER THE PERIMETER OF THE AIR BASE

MI-6 SITUATION ROOM - ROEBUCK, TANNER, M, WATCHING, UNABLE TO BREATHE -

HIGH ANGLE - THE RUNWAY -

The CRUISE SKIMS IN DIRECTLY OVER BOND'S PLANE, speeding to takeoff.

(INT. BOND'S MiG) BOND SHOVES THE THROTTLES TO THE FIREBALL AND -

THE VIDEO-WALL - MI-6 SITUATION ROOM -

KA-BOOM!!!! The scene on the screen erupts in a GIANT EXPLOSION -
then turns to video-snow. Is Bond alive? No one in London knows.

HIGH ANGLE - THE AIR BASE -

The FIREBALL grows and grows, a raging hell. And just when it seems
no one could possibly survive: BOND'S MiG ROCKETS OUT OF THE FLAMES!!

INT. BOND'S MiG -

Bond thinks he's safe. Sound. Until -

MiG-2 FLIES OUT OF THE FIREBALL -

Cannons blazing at 007. A hail of metal and tracers.

INT./EXT. BOND'S MIG -

Bond goes into evasive maneuvers - jinks right, jinks left - when,
suddenly, THE COPILOT REVIVES, and starts trying to STRANGLE Bond
with a METAL LANYARD. Struggling, Bond HEARS a THIN HIGH-PITCHED
TONE -

INT./EXT. MIG-2

The pilot has locked onto Bond's MiG. Boom! TWO HEAT-SEEKING
MISSILES roar away.

INT./EXT. BOND'S MIG -

Fighting the garrote, Bond KICKS THE THROTTLES forward and PULLS BACK
ON THE YOKE. The MiG goes into a spine crushing climb as -

THE TWO HEAT SEEKING MISSILES FOLLOW HIM, LOOPING UPWARD.

INT. MIG-2 -

Bond's MiG has disappeared from the pilot's view: Not in front. Not
on the left. Not on the right. Where did he go? The pilot looks up:

BOND'S MIG APPEARS, FLYING INVERTED, COCKPIT DOWN, 10 FEET ABOVE MIG-2.

THE PILOT OF MIG-2 IS STUNNED.

INT./EXT. BOND'S MIG -

Fighting against the garrote, Bond strains to reach a RED BUTTON on
the panel: COPILOT EJECTOR SEAT.

Bond finally taps it, and - THE BACK HALF OF THE CANOPY BLOWS OFF!

The COPILOT BLASTS OUT OF THE PLANE, DOWNWARD, directly into MIG-2's
cockpit. Bond peels off.

For a second, MiG-2 hangs in the air. Until... BOOM!!! The TWO HEAT
SEEKING MISSILES BLAST IT TO SMITHEREENS.

Back in MiG-1, Bond fiddles with the radio.

MI-6 - SITUATION ROOM -

BOND'S VOICE
Seven to base. I have a full
house. Your bid.

The situation room erupts in cheers.

RETURN ON BOND IN THE MIG -

BOND
By the way: Thank the General for all
his "assistance." Over and out.

EXT. BOND'S MIG -

Goes to AFTERBURNERS. And from the fiery glow of the engine, we
DISSOLVE TO:

THE 007 GUN BARREL. MAIN CREDITS.