MI6 looks back at the history of Bond 18 script and the variety of sequences and characters that differed from the final film...

Tomorrow Never Dies Script History (2)
23rd December 2007

In part one of this series, MI6 investigated the history of the script for the 18th James Bond film, which would be later dubbed "Tomorrow Never Dies". Tomorrow Never Dies - Script History (Act I) Ten years since the release of "Tomorrow Never Dies", MI6 takes an in depth look at the initial August 2006 draft by Bruce Feirstein with sequences, characters and locations that never made it to the final shooting script. With just a week to go before principal photography was scheduled to start, Feirstein was recalled and took back the reigns.

ACT II

HMS Indomitable
Onboard the British frigate cruising off the coast of Hong Kong, electronic silence is observed. HMS Indomitable is transporting a very precious cargo back home to England. This sequence introduces the British Navy angle that, in the final cut, comes directly after the titles. In the first draft, this is introduced almost a third of the way through Feirstein's original draft. The name is also altered from the HMS Indomitable to the HMS Devonshire in the final film.

Scotland
What follows is a short sequence that would be lost completely from "Tomorrow Never Dies", but something very similar can be seen in "The World is Not Enough". The Feirstein-penned sequence sees a full, regal funeral for Harmsway's late wife. In "The World Is Not Enough" it is the funeral of Electra King's father. This sequence cuts quickly to inside Harmsway's highland retreat where he is hearing from a collection of operatives in a Blofeld-style briefing. Ultimately, the scene is juggled around and appears earlier in the later drafts and the entire briefing is done via video-wall.

Sea Sick Back onboard HMS Indomitable, we find it is being tracked by the Sea Dolphin II and at the poignant moment "the worm" (later the "sea drill") is launched to sink the frigate. Yung and Harmsway watch from the bows of the launch as the gigantic Indomitable sinks. Divers go in after the ship for its precious cargo. Left: The HMS Argyll, a Royal Navy Frigate as the Indomitable would have been seen.

Back at MI6, Bond receives a dressing down from British officials for "losing the Sea Dolphin" and it is revealed that one third of UK gold was transported onboard the frigate when she went missing. Bond tries to prove a link between the sabotaged ship and Elliott Harmsway (hinted as a revenge for Paris' death) but nevertheless M assigns Bond to investigate the missing bullion without assuming Harmsway's involvement - to her the old investigation is at a dead end.

In the later drafts of "Tomorrow Never Dies" Elliott Carver has the Devonshire hijacked in order to retrieve sea-to-air missiles (a means to conclude his deadly plan), yet in Feirstein's plot, it would seem the retrieval of the bullion was an extra bonus.

Selling Shares Elliott Harmsway has arrived in Hong Kong to do business with General Li - a leader in the Chinese Army. He is selling up shares in his Hong Kong enterprises and hopes the corrupt General will buy them. General Chang in the final film is probably inspired by the original character of General Li, although each share quite different roles in the mish-mash plot. In the final film Chang is only seen in passing, but it understand he is the backer of Carver in his Hong Kong dealings - including the construction of the stealth ship. Sea King Bond is aboard a Sea King Helicopter, searching the waters south of China for the missing Indomitable. Meanwhile, Elliot is preparing the news he himself caused. With no luck searching by air, Bond rendezvous with Jack Wade of the CIA to search by boat. This sequence appears slightly jumbled by comparison with the final draft - in the shooting script Bond meets with Wade first and uses the bargaining power of the CIA to arrange a HALO jump into the Vietnamese waters.

Above: High rises of Hong Kong are a key location in the Feirstein draft, however the final cut takes the action to Vietnam...

Feirstein's first draft sees Bond and Wade check the harbour masters office for reports and charts of the area. They discover they are not the only ones interested in the evening of the attack.

Above: Jack Wade returns from GoldenEye.

Propping the Bar Up Investigating a lead, Bond finds himself at the Kuala Lumpa Yacht Club. Wade keeps the locals busy at the card table while Bond gets down to business - that is of course, until gorgeous girl ordering Bourbon at the bar catches Bond's attention. Enter Sidney Winch. Feirstein does not introduce the key Bond-girl until over half way through his screenplay. Banter is exchanged and 007 watches as Sidney's dinner date arrives - "Uncle Elliott".

Sidney was quickly scrapped from the "Tomorrow Never Dies" script - with such little screen time to make an impression on the audience, it was a wise move to introduce Wai Lin of the Chinese secret service, much earlier in the piece.

Cue Q
Bond is at a disused peer, a short walk from the Yacht Club. At the far end a boat is moored, and Bond climbs aboard. From within the boat comes the immortal voice, "You're late double-oh-seven!"” Q has not been forgotten entirely.

Q arms Bond with the ultimate weapon - at this stage the brand and model of the car had not been identified but it is clear from Feirstein's early work that his vision is just as gadget-laden as the BMW 750il that makes it on screen. Q also supplies 007 with detailed maps and the last reported GPS coordinates of the HMS Indomitable. The following morning, Wade and Bond are out on the water again, scouring for the sunken vessel. At the location pin-pointed by Q's data, Bond dives in. After finding the empty shell of the frigate, Bond returns to the surface only to confront Sidney - who had been diving at the wreck too.

Above: Filmmakers couldn't completely let go of Q on "Tomorrow Never Dies"...

This sequence is reminiscent of Bond's infiltration of Carver's launch party in Hamburg and the rendezvous with Paris that appears in the final script, but the location and various characters appear differently. The same purpose is served: Bond learns the location of the stolen goods and reunites with his ex-lover.

In Feirstein's initial draft, Bond and the girl come face to face diving at the wreck of the British frigate (as 007 and Wai Lin do in the final film) but the circumstances and placement of this scene differ greatly. The final film, not pausing in between for the Bond Girl or Q, makes less of the searching for the ship and has a much punchier pace.

Stay tuned to MI6 for the final two acts of the plot as well as other features and facts in the "Tomorrow Never Dies" 10th Anniversary season of coverage...

Related Articles
Tomorrow Never Dies - Script History (Act 1)
Tomorrow Never Dies - Script History (Act 2)
Tomorrow Never Dies - Script History (Act 3)
Tomorrow Never Dies - Production Notes
Tomorrow Never Dies - Movie Index