Moonraker in Development

As with every film, different story elements are thrown around to try get the best possible film assembled. I'd thought we take a look at some of the ideas that floated about, courtesy of Some Kind Of Hero.

Cubby Broccoli felt the novel's threat of a "piddling rocket" targeting London wasn't enough, assumedly because the nuclear armageddon that Stromberg desired in the successful TSWLM was a global threat. Space motifs were planted early, this time perhaps on the back of a relevant title, and Star Wars. Though interestingly, even with the proposed focus on astronomy, 'For Your Eyes Only' was still the title on early outlines. It was on an early visit to NASA that they discovered that shuttles were transported on the backs of planes.

The film was to be partially set in the Himalayas. "The Archer" was to be a Bond girl/villainess skilled with a bow and arrow. Curious to note that Carole Bouquet was considered for a role in MR (possibly Corrine?), who would go on to use a crossbow in FYEO. India was to feature also, with scenes within the Taj Mahal, Bombay and an Indian village in Guatemala. A monastery was scouted in Kashmir and Nepal for the villain's lair, again something that would turn up in the next film. Similarly, a ski chase was originally envisioned in Moonraker, also. Mexico was scouted, too.

A Hawker jump jet scene was suggested but scratched, as well as a motorbike chase in Venice (perhaps this should have stayed instead of the Bondola sequence) but such a vehicle was dismissed by Cubby as "downmarket". The Gondola was to have submerged originally, with Bond remerging from the water with a jetpack.

Future set pieces originated from earlier scripts: Eiffel Tower restaurant scene (I wonder if the final film deliberately poked fun at a suit who may have rejected the idea?), the keelhauling scene, and the acrostar aerial action. These were Christopher Wood's ideas, who is usually criticised for making Bond something more akin to a parody than the man of Fleming's books. He was always trying to up the danger: a Venini Glass originally included Bond evading a burning poker (perhaps wielded by Chang? Or maybe when Bond is snooping the factory?) which burns a nearby chair and almost Bond too.

A scene in a Brazilian brothel was also written into the final screenplay but never shot.

Some of these ideas sound great. The Brazilian brothel is interesting considering MR is perhaps the most children friendly film in the series! What could have been if MR wasn't played for laughs...

I believe Bouqet was considered for Goodhead, Fieldsy. A crossbow wielding Goodhead would've added to her I reckon.

Interesting piece. Doubly interesting to see what came in later films like VTAK, FYEO and OP were thought of in 1977-79. Probably as well we never saw Bond emerging from the water in a jetpack -I think even Sir Roge would've been hard pressed to carry that off.

I assume the Himalaya would've been home to Drax and his shuttle complex (isn't it perhaps one of the shuttle sites we see during the blast-off sequence?)

Goodness I really need SKOH now. I've heard some of Wood's unused ideas before like having the keelhauling with Drax on a boat and the Venice bike chase improbably topped off with the jetpack.
He was trying to up the danger always and his two novelizations are probably the best Fleming pastiche ever.

That said, I'm surprised of how much of the later films appear as elements here. I only really knew of Boquet trying out for MR and the Acrostar jet chase over the falls being scrapped and then the plane being used in OP.

What I'd love to find out is what bits Mankiewicz supposedly contributed to MR.

Mankiewicz's outline (which was the first for Moonraker) included Himalayas and Indian locations and "The Archer".

SKOH's biggest strength is the development stage - outlining information regarding treatments, scripts, unused information and confirming/elaborating thought processes into certain decisions. Unfortunately, the Craig era section (SF excluded) is a hard slog because it highlights the obsequiousness to Craig (especially Barbs), the 'what could have been' for QOS, the substantial stupidity both in letting Brosnan go and development of CR, as well as the daft decision making/thought processes around Spectre's script development.

But that's another topic. I'd recommend getting the book and maybe we could set up a thread commenting on information we've all mined from the book.

Hilly wrote:

I believe Bouqet was considered for Goodhead, Fieldsy. A crossbow wielding Goodhead would've added to her I reckon.

...

I assume the Himalaya would've been home to Drax and his shuttle complex (isn't it perhaps one of the shuttle sites we see during the blast-off sequence?)

I can't see Bouquet as Goodhead. Odd that she'd be considered for an American CIA operation.

Yeah, I think it all came down to money in the end. Eon had frozen funds in southern Asia hence the early focus on developing the story there.

Fantastic. Fantastic! I definitely have to get it now.

It seems a number of folks tested earlier on or were seen first long before the eventual placement in whichever capacity it was a'la Pierce on the FYEO set, Roger always being unavailable etc.

Of course they had to consider Asia...how else would they ever get to use Harry's warehouse full of elephant shoes?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on SKOH, HGTB.