Did Daniel really rewrite the SP script?

MI6 wrote:

Daily Mail columnist Sebastuan Shakespeare is claiming that James Bodn star Dnaiel Craig has resorted to re-writing some of the SPECTRE script on the fly again, after he was thrust in to helping out the 'Quantum of Solace' script (due to a writers strike in 2008).

"The script is still all over the place, to the extent that Daniel himself has had a bash at rewriting it," said his source. "It’s total creative turmoil."

Shakespeare adds: "Rumblings over the screenplay began last year when director Sam Mendes was said to have gone ‘down on his knees’ to persuade former Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade to revise John Logan’s tepid offering. Playwright Jez Butterworth was also later called in to add polish."

After 'Quantum of Solace' was released, Craig admitted: "We had the bare bones of a script and then there was a writers’ strike. We couldn’t employ a writer to finish it. I say to myself: 'Never again.' But who knows? There was me trying to rewrite scenes — and a writer I am not."

There is good and bad in this:

Bad: That we might get a weaker Bond film.

Good: That if it flops, Babs might tell Craig to fuck off and we get a new Bond! Hello Mr. Fassbender.

Quote :

Daily Mail columnist Sebastuan Shakespeare is claiming that James Bodn star Dnaiel Craig has resorted to re-writing some of the SPECTRE script on the fly again ...

Maybe Danny should offer to do some rewrites for MI6, too.

The Mail? Pinch of salt advised.

It's not unheard of for actors to be consulted on what their characters say - especially if the script looks good on paper, but isn't translating well into film. My guess is that there has been a few occasions where Craig has suggested alternate dialogue or some such.

Roger Moore did it all the time.

Most of that article is about QoS, not SP.

Mendes "down on his knees"? The source for that quote seems a little muddled. Was S.S. actually there?

I'm not sure I believe this, there has been a respectable period to develop the script and I can't believe anyone would get 'down on his knees' for an inept one note duo like Purvis and Wade, if there was a genuine problem surely someone talented would be better to consult?

Purvis & Wade were never an issue, and I'm frankly tired of seeing the fan base throw them under the bus so much without understanding how they fit into the script process. From every interview I've read, they have a very clear understanding of Fleming's work and a lot of the work they put into the scripts ultimately get rewritten by other writers or filmmakers. There has never been a Bond film that had a script that was finished by them. For example, despite being credited as writers for QOS, none of their work ever made it onto the screen.

If there's one thing they're good at when it comes to contributing to Bond, it's that they've got a real knack for laying out the groundwork for a Bond story that has a lot of promise. This is why EON always comes back to them. What ultimately determines the final result of the film is left to other writers (lots uncredited), directors and producers.

Makeshift Python wrote:

Purvis & Wade were never an issue, and I'm frankly tired of seeing the fan base throw them under the bus so much without understanding how they fit into the script process. From every interview I've read, they have a very clear understanding of Fleming's work and a lot of the work they put into the scripts ultimately get rewritten by other writers or filmmakers. There has never been a Bond film that had a script that was finished by them. For example, despite being credited as writers for QOS, none of their work ever made it onto the screen.

If there's one thing they're good at when it comes to contributing to Bond, it's that they've got a real knack for laying out the groundwork for a Bond story that has a lot of promise. This is why EON always comes back to them. What ultimately determines the final result of the film is left to other writers (lots uncredited), directors and producers.

Exactly. I can understand why they wanted to leave the franchise if they were barely seeing what they've written onscreen.

My understanding is that they left because they felt they ran their course with Bond, not that they were dissatisfied of always having their work turned in for others to work on (they were peeved about DAD and QOS the most, fwiw). They knew their place in the scripting process. On SKYFALL, they never actually got around to writing the third act. That was all left for Logan and then Butterworth to work on. It's only when the filmmakers were not happy with what Logan was turning in that Purvis & Wade were asked back. EON could have found other writers to work, but they went back to those two likely because of how familiar they are with Bond and what makes it tick.

I'm curious if they will actually return again for Bond 25.

I suppose it depends on the experience. I doubt they would have returned to SPECTRE if they felt that they were going to be given the run-around again.