Bond 17 (1991/1994/1995)
Above: "Special edition" style artwork for Timothy Dalton's unmade Bond adventure by fan artist "Agent OO7"...
Locations
Scotland, UK; London, UK; Tokyo, Japan; Hong Kong, China.
Production
Producers: Michael G. Wilson & Barbara Broccoli
Screenwriters: Alfonse M. Ruggiero Jr., Michael Wilson, John Landis (rumoured), Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz (in talks), Richard Smith (story), Michael France (story)
Director: Ted Kotcheff (rumoured), John Byrum (rumoured), Michael Carton Jones (rumoured), Martin Campbell
Mission
After terrorists target a Scottish nuclear facility, 007 is deployed to the Far East to investigate the prolific businessman Sir Henry Lee Ching. In Hong Kong, James Bond rendezvous with retiring spy Denholm Crisp, crosses paths with the Chinese Secret Service and teams up with jewel-smuggler Connie Webb to get to the bottom of Ching's shady past and prevent global pandemonium that could spark World War Three.
| Cast and Characters | |
|---|---|
| James Bond | British Agent, 007 |
| Sir Henry Lee Ching | Microchip Entrepreneur |
| Connie Webb | Ex-jewel thief/CIA Freelancer |
| Denholm Crisp | MI6 Agent, Hong Kong |
| Rodin | Assassin |
| Kohoni Brothers | Shady Industrial Businessmen |
| Otto Winkhart | Swiss Lawyer |
| Nigel Yupland | Minister of Defence |
| Dr. Ronberdy | Research Assistant |
| Q | MI6 Quartermaster |
| M | MI6 Section Chief |
| Mi Wai | Chinese Intelligence Officer |
| Quen Low | Chinese Intelligence Chief |
Release Data
Originally scheduled for mid-1991, Bond 17 was delayed twice, first after a change in writing staff, the new date touted was to be December 1991. Later, after litigious actions halted the production, Bond 17 was set for a late 1994 release. The reworked and re-cast 007 outing, 'GoldenEye' starring Pierce Brosnan finally made it to the cinemas in November 1995.
Pre-Credit Sequence
Lead by the Minister of Defence Nigel Yupland, a bomb squad searches a chemical weapons factory. All appears to be normal. However, in a lab where computer-driven devices perform tasks too risky for humans, one of the machines goes haywire and soon bursts into flames. Outside the bomb squad duck for cover as the factory explodes.
Above: Artwork for mythical Bond 17 by fan artist "JobeGDG".
Production Timeline
-
Dalton's second Bond outing, 'Licence To Kill' (1989) is met poorly at the box office, especially in the USA with a lack-lustre marketing campaign up against stiff competition.
-
Production on the 17 Bond picture begins in 1990, Alfonse M. Ruggiero produces a 17-page draft.
- Ruggiero and Michael G. Wilson deliver a first draft on July 6th, 1990, for Warfield Productions.
-
MGM/Pathe global television rights are challenged in the courts, delaying 007's 17th adventure.
- William Davies and William Osborne produce a new draft, based on the Ruggiero & Wilson script, dated January 2nd, 1991.
-
In May 1993, Variety reports that Michael France has been hired to pen the new Bond adventure, Richard Smith is also brought on to plot "future" Bond stories.
-
MGM/UA legal debates draw to a close and in 1993 a more "Bond-friendly" view is taken by the execs.
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August 1993, France turns in a second draft.
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April 1994, with still no sign of Bond 17 going to production, Dalton bows out from the role. Many of France's ideas prove to similar to Schwarzenegger's spy-picture, "True Lies", new screenwriters are sourced to polish the James Bond outing.
-
June 1994, Pierce Brosnan is announced as the fifth man to don 007's tuxedo.
-
Production began on Bond 17 at Leavesdon Studios (then EON Studios), in January 1995.
While many details of this abandoned production are vague, MI6 puts the pieces together to take a look at what could have been the 17th James Bond picture based on the available materials. Click the links in the "Bond 17 Features" box above for indepth coverage.
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