‘Bond 24’ Rumors: Script Rewrite, Production Delay Due To Lack Of ‘Gags’ And Jokes Between James Bond And Moneypenny In New Movie?

Sam Mendes has brought "Skyfall" original writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade back to "Bond 24" to rewrite the script turned in by Oscar-winning screenwriter John Logan, according to new rumors reported by The Daily Mail, pushing back production to December. Did Sam Mendes want the "Bond 24" script rewritten because there weren't enough "gags" and jokes between James Bond and Moneypenny?

According to Cinema Blend, Purvis and Wade were asked to "sprinkle in more gags, emphasizing the witty repartee between Daniel Craig's 007 and Naomie Harris's Miss Moneypenny, and focusing on the interplay between Bond and Ralph Fiennes' M."

This comes just after seventy-four-year-old Englishman John Cleese, who played Q in James Bond franchise films "The World Is Not Enough" and "Die Another Day," noted that there aren't enough jokes or one-liners in the new films, including "Bond 24." When the series was rebooted with Daniel Craig as James Bond, John Cleese was not asked to return, and he says now the franchise is missing that familiar banter.

Speaking on the Radio Times, Cleese called the decrease in jokes in the new James Bond movies a "fundamental flaw," Cinema Blend reports.

According to The Telegraph, Cleese said: "I believe that they decided that the tone they needed was that of the Bourne action movies, which are very gritty and humourless. Also, the big money was coming from Asia, from the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, where the audiences go to watch the action sequences, and that's why in my opinion the action sequences go on for too long."

According to Metro UK, an executive associated with the James Bond films told Mail Online: "Neal and Robert are only doing what was done to them. There's no blood; no scars."

"Let's call it polite turmoil. People are getting on with their work, but we have to wait for the script, so filming won't begin till December, a few months later than they wanted."

What do you think, 007 fans? Are the new James Bond films too serious? Do you think "Bond 24" should bring back those famous quippy jokes? Let us know in the comments section below! 

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