Goldfingers: meet the writers of every James Bond film this century

On Neal Purvis and Robert Wade’s watch, the secret agent has become a parent, grown his hair and even alluded to gay experiences. It even rains in Bond films now. But after the ending of No Time to Die, even they don’t know what happens next

When Neal Purvis and Robert Wade were students together in the late 1970s, they formed a band and wrote their own James Bond theme. “It was called Never Say Thunderballs Dr No,” Purvis tells me. “Musically, it was quite good,” offers Wade. The group is still going strong, with Rat Scabies of the Damned on drums. A decade ago, they even played their Bond theme to the producer Michael G Wilson, who with his half-sister Barbara Broccoli is one of the custodians of the franchise. “He said: ‘Don’t give up your day job,’” Purvis shrugs. “Which I thought was a bit unnecessary.”

Not too hurtful, though, when your day job is writing James Bond movies. Purvis (60) and Wade (59), have had a hand in every instalment since The World Is Not Enough, back when Pierce Brosnan was still rocking the tuxedo. They oversaw the bare-bones Daniel Craig reboot (Casino Royale), the first Bond movie to be a direct sequel (Quantum of Solace), the death of Judi Dench as M (Skyfall), the return of arch-villain Blofeld (Spectre) and the twists and shocks of No Time to Die. This is no time for spoilers, but it is giving nothing away to reveal that Craig’s swansong is not simply a Bond farewell. It’s an absolute James-changer.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3FbkJZA

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