# Bond films - until recently, all based on Fleming novels? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 25, 2002, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bond-films-until-recently-all-based-on-fleming-novels/138580 "2002-11-25T02:17:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bond-films-until-recently-all-based-on-fleming-novels/138580/21 "2002-11-26T02:10:35Z")
Although I haven’t seen the new movie, the premise I’ve heard has Bond captured and brain-washed by the bad guys. This echoes the opening to the novel “The Man With The Golden Gun” where the Russians have gotten ahold of 007 and programmed him to assassinate M. When the plot fails and he is deprogrammed, he is then sent off on what is essentially a suicide mission to kill Scaramanga–either he succeeds and proves himself worthy to return to duty or dies and MI6 no longer has to worry about Bond’s psyche. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bond-films-until-recently-all-based-on-fleming-novels/138580/22 "2002-11-26T04:00:13Z")
Interesting thing about **Moonraker** – in the bok the villain, Hugo Drax, is decribed as “a Lonsdale character”. In the movie Drax as played by ---- Michael Lonsdale! I always felt sure that Lonsdale got the part because of that brief throwaway description by Flemin . Which I never understood, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bond-films-until-recently-all-based-on-fleming-novels/138580/23 "2002-11-26T23:52:18Z")
There is one part of the novel _Moonraker_ that was used for the movie _Die Another Day_. The main villian is a young, popular, hugely successful British industrialist, an orphan who appeared seemingly out of nowhere and built a huge fortune is a short time, using this fortune and the support of the English people to build a weapon to be used against them. In both cases, he’s a spy planted by the enemy to infiltrate and destroy the British. It seems more than a coincidence to me. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bond-films-until-recently-all-based-on-fleming-novels/138580/24 "2002-11-26T23:57:42Z")
Bryan: Yep, I knew that. Look at the credits, and you’ll notice the character is listed as “Man in Wheelchair” or something similar. They used the character without using his name, technically staying within the court’s rulings. This had to be a deliberate shot at McClory owning Blofeld–not just a way to tie up the loose end, because in Blofeld’s last appearance, in _Diamonds are Forever_, Bond kills him. Now, had EON retained the rights to Blofeld, they no doubt would have had Blofeld either survive the exploding oil platform, escape, or reveal that it was another double that was killed (which would have made three that movie, I think). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bond-films-until-recently-all-based-on-fleming-novels/138580.md?page=1)