1 Unused James Bond Opening Sequence Would Have Been 007’s Most Ridiculous In 61 Years

An unused James Bond sequence would have drastically impacted the trajectory of the franchise and stood out as the most ridiculous moment in the series. Since the release of its first film, Dr. No, in 1962, the franchise has seen many different depictions of the character, sparking fierce debates about which James Bond actor is the best and where each of the James Bond movies ranks in quality. However, each incarnation has its unique traits and charms, with Timothy Dalton’s brief run as James Bond being remembered for its more realistic tone following Roger Moore’s more lighthearted approach.

While Dalton’s two movies, The Living Daylights and License to Kill, are known for bringing the James Bond franchise into a more serious direction, the actor could’ve ended up with a different legacy for his portrayal. Throughout the previous James Bond actors’ eras, the franchise had gone through a full spectrum of tones, from acutely realistic and faithful adaptations of Ian Fleming’s novels to bizarre and outrageous depictions of the character’s most famous stories. Dalton’s era could also have embraced the more ridiculous aspects associated with 007 but never got the chance. Had he continued in the role, one planned opening scene would have changed the James Bond franchise forever.

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Timothy Dalton’s James Bond Almost Faced Robots In His Third Movie

The opening sequence would’ve been like something out of The Terminator​​​​​​.

Timothy Dalton’s two outings as James Bond were not the most popular, with License to Kill posting the worst box office gross in franchise history and The Living Daylights not performing much better (via The James Bond Dossier). This could have been due to its humorless tone compared to what audiences were used to from 007, especially during Roger Moore’s era. Instead of immediately replacing the actor, however, producers intended to change things for Dalton’s third movie as James Bond.

While it was ultimately scrapped due to legal issues concerning the James Bond movie rights in the early ’90s, the unmade third Dalton film would have seen 007 fighting Terminator-like robots in its opening sequence. This was part of the movie’s cautionary tale focused on society’s increased reliance on technology. In an interview featured in Mark Edlitz’s book The Lost Adventures of James Bond, screenwriter Alfonse M. Ruggiero described the sequence:

“Bond is on his glider. Bond drops off from a glider onto what looks like a soap factory but instead, they are making munitions. The factory is guarded by robotics… It’s a sequence that could look like it could have been in The Terminator or something because these robots were smart.”

The script for the unmade sequel detailed this opening, noting that Bond assumes his latest mission will be incredibly easy to complete because his intel confirmed no men were inside guarding the factory. He infiltrates the complex, straps explosives to a vat of nitrates, sets a timer for three minutes, and prepares to leave before he’s stopped by a small, Self-Propelled Security Robot (SSR) that can communicate with humans in multiple languages. The robot utilizes tasers and a machine gun in an attempt to kill 007. After he narrowly escapes the miniature death machine, the facility explodes, concluding the sequence.

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Dalton’s Unused Opening Would Have Completely Changed His 007

The idea of James Bond fighting robots was ridiculous even for the franchise as a whole.

The unused opening for Timothy Dalton’s scrapped James Bond movie would have completely changed his take on 007, as it would have been far too ridiculous for the grounded tone and direction that The Living Daylights and License to Kill established. The drastic shift in tone from License to Kill‘s gritty, revenge-driven spy movie simply wouldn’t blend well with the unrealistic imagery of Dalton’s Bond fighting robots. A huge part of what made Dalton’s 007 work so well was the actor’s convincing physicality, so anytime he engaged in a fight with henchmen more imposing than himself, there was a heightened sense that he could be in danger, creating compelling tension.

While Dalton could have taken on greater threats in his third James Bond movie, multilingual robots with machine guns and self-destruct mechanisms simply wouldn’t work. The more action-oriented take on Dalton’s 007 that the unused script was aiming for would have exchanged the solid character work that Dalton displayed in The Living Daylights and License to Kill, and turned his bond into another generic action hero apt for a Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle. Although Dalton only portrayed James Bond twice, his grounded version of the character worked perfectly for the tone of those two outings.

Timothy Dalton’s Unmade Third Movie Was A Precursor To Brosnan Era Mistakes

Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond movies featured similarly outlandish ideas.

Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond movies are known for their high kill count and broader scope, as he travels to vastly different locations in each installment. His movies also took the franchise in a more playful direction, just as was planned for Timothy Dalton’s third outing, but they rely too heavily on ridiculous items like invisible cars and avalanche ski jackets. While Brosnan’s debut, GoldenEye, does a good job of portraying Bond as a more competent combatant, each subsequent entry in this era became less interested in that aspect in favor of giving the spy increasingly ludicrous gadgets.

Many of Brosnan’s tools, such as his explosive and X-ray glasses and the invisible car, are far too convoluted to be taken seriously in a practical context. Bond is beloved for his wit, charm, and resourcefulness, so focusing more on ridiculous gadgets was always bound to backfire. Furthermore, these movies’ emphasis on putting Brosnan’s 007 through increasingly absurd stunts, like skiing through an avalanche and surfing a tsunami, went against GoldenEye‘s more serious tone and beyond even the level of acceptable James Bond action set pieces.