Neal Purvis and Robert Wade

Last updated

Neal Purvis
Born (1961-09-09) 9 September 1961 (age 62)
Occupation Screenwriter
Robert Wade
Born1962 (age 61–62)
Penarth, Wales
Occupation Screenwriter

Neal Purvis (born 9 September 1961) and Robert Wade (born 1962) are British screenwriters who co-wrote seven James Bond films, from 1999's The World Is Not Enough to 2021's No Time to Die , [1] [2] as well as other works.

Contents

Early lives

Purvis's father was a photographer, and as a teenager, Purvis was in a film club that focused on 1940s cinema. [3]

Wade was born in Penarth and lived there until he was 11. [4] His mother was an artist, and from an early age he wanted to be a writer and began making home-made films as a teenager. [3]

They met each other while attending the University of Kent, when they were assigned as roommates. [3] They began playing in a band together, which they continued to do for at least 20 years. [3] Purvis left Kent and completed a BA in Film and Photo Arts. [3] Wade graduated from Kent and moved to London where he was later joined by Purvis. [3] They spent six years writing scripts together as well as ghost writing for music videos. [3]

Films

Wade and Purvis' screenplay for Let Him Have It (1991) (based on the true story of Derek Bentley, a young man who gets caught up in street gangs in post war London and is later controversially hanged), displayed the writers' "outrage toward a system hell-bent on vengeance" [5] and was called "first rate, no non-sense". [6]

Barbara Broccoli, producer of the James Bond films, hired Wade and Purvis to write their first Bond script because she had seen their film Plunkett & Macleane (1999) and liked that it was "dark, witty, sexy and inventive". [7] Purvis described their approach when they joined the Bond franchise as to "come in with ideas, things we've found in science magazines, on the internet, interesting weapons and what's happening in technology. Then we find a journey for Bond to go through." [8] In their Bond collaborations, Wade generally does "all the verbiage at the beginning of the script." [9] They created a novelisation of their Bond script for The World Is Not Enough in collaboration with Raymond Benson. [10] Wade and Purvis also wrote a script for a Bond spin-off featuring the Die Another Day character Jinx (Halle Berry), which was attached to director Stephen Frears, but cancelled by MGM because of budget concerns and "creative differences". [11]

Their 2003 Bond parody, Johnny English , received generally unfavorable reviews from critics, receiving a 33% "rotten" rating at the review site Rotten Tomatoes. [12] However, the film earned $160.5 million in its global box office receipts. [13] A sequel, Johnny English Reborn , based upon their characters but written by Hamish McColl, was released in 2011. [13] [14]

Purvis and Wade wrote [15] and produced [16] Return to Sender (also known as Convicted), which was described as a "gripping tale" of a man "fighting to prevent a miscarriage of justice". [15] They had originally written the script while doing research for their first film 14 years earlier. [17]

In 2005, they co-authored the bio-pic Stoned (also known as The Wild and Wycked World of Brian Jones) about the last days of the life of The Rolling Stones co-founder, Brian Jones, which they based on an account from a builder on the farm where Jones died, claiming that Jones's death was not accidental as recorded by the coroner. [18] The film was criticised for "fail[ing] to convey what mattered about Jones artistically, what he contributed to music, why we should feel more than pity." [18]

When Daniel Craig was signed on as the new Bond, Wade described their approach to screenwriting thus: "When you have an actor you play to his strengths ... He's got this great toughness to him but not an unthinking toughness. I think that's where the films will need to go." [19] Their first work for Craig as Bond, Casino Royale , was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, [20] and received a Four Star review from Roger Ebert, who stated that the film "has the answers to all my complaints about the forty-five-year-old James Bond series, and some I hadn't even thought of." [21] However, their followup Quantum of Solace , which was not based on any Ian Fleming work, was criticized because while having "the right ingredients: plenty of car, plane or boat chases ... spooks, vendettas, and turncoats", it lacked the "magic, and a decent plot." [22]

Their screenplay for Skyfall , which they co-wrote with John Logan, was described by Frank DiGiacomo of Movieline as being "very wily" for having Bond experience a mid-life crisis. [23] In 2012, it was announced that "after a tremendous run" with the Bond franchise, Wade and Purvis would not be involved in the 24th Bond film, which would be solo written by Logan. [1] However, on 27 June 2014, it was announced that they were being brought on to polish the screenplay for the next film. [24]

On 10 March 2017 it was reported that they were approached to write the script for No Time to Die . [25] In July 2017, it was initially reported they would write the script, [26] but in May 2018, EON announced that director Danny Boyle was instead working with his regular collaborator John Hodge on a new script. [27] In September 2018, following Boyle's departure from the project, Purvis and Wade were re-hired to write a new script. [28]

Family life

Wade and his wife live in West Sussex and have four children. [4]

Filmography

Ref.: [3] [29] [30]

Related Research Articles

<i>James Bond</i> Media franchise about a British spy

The James Bond series focuses on the titular character, a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have written authorised Bond novels or novelisations: Kingsley Amis, Christopher Wood, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver, William Boyd, and Anthony Horowitz. The latest novel is With a Mind to Kill by Anthony Horowitz, published in May 2022. Additionally Charlie Higson wrote a series on a young James Bond, and Kate Westbrook wrote three novels based on the diaries of a recurring series character, Moneypenny.

<i>Die Another Day</i> 2002 James Bond film by Lee Tamahori

Die Another Day is a 2002 spy film and the twentieth film in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It was directed by Lee Tamahori, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. The fourth and final film starring Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond, it was also the only film to feature John Cleese as Q, and the last with Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny. It is also the first film since Live and Let Die (1973) not to feature Desmond Llewelyn as Q as he died three years earlier. Halle Berry co-stars as NSA agent Giacinta "Jinx" Johnson, the Bond girl. It follows Bond as he attempts to locate a traitor in British intelligence who betrayed him and a British billionaire who is later revealed to be connected to a North Korean operative whom Bond seemingly killed. It is an original story, although it takes influence from Bond creator Ian Fleming's novels Moonraker (1955) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1965), as well as Kingsley Amis's novel, Colonel Sun.

<i>The World Is Not Enough</i> 1999 James Bond film directed by Michael Apted

The World Is Not Enough is a 1999 spy film, the nineteenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by Michael Apted, from an original story and screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Bruce Feirstein. It was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. The title is the translation of the motto on the Bond family coat of arms, seen first in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

<i>GoldenEye</i> 1995 James Bond film by Martin Campbell

GoldenEye is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the James Bond Series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Martin Campbell, it was the first in the series not to utilize any story elements from the works of novelist Ian Fleming. It was also the first James Bond film not produced by Albert R. Broccoli, following his stepping down from Eon Productions and replacement by his daughter, Barbara Broccoli. The story was conceived and written by Michael France, with later collaboration by other writers. In the film, Bond fights to prevent a rogue ex-MI6 agent from using a satellite weapon against London to cause a global financial meltdown.

<i>Casino Royale</i> (2006 film) James Bond film

Casino Royale is a 2006 spy film, the twenty-first in the Eon Productions James Bond series, and the third screen adaptation of Ian Fleming's 1953 novel of the same name. Directed by Martin Campbell from a screenplay by Neil Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis, it stars Daniel Craig in his first appearance as Bond, alongside Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, and Jeffrey Wright. In the film, Bond is on assignment to bankrupt terrorism financier Le Chiffre (Mikkelsen) in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Logan (writer)</span> American film producer and screenwriter

John David Logan is an American playwright and filmmaker. He is known for his work as a screenwriter for such films as Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000), Martin Scorsese's The Aviator (2004) and Hugo (2011), Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Sam Mendes' James Bond films Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015). He has been nominated three times for Academy Awards, and has won a Tony Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Bruce Feirstein is an American screenwriter and humorist, best known for his contributions to the James Bond series and his best-selling humor books, including Real Men Don't Eat Quiche and Nice Guys Sleep Alone. Real Men Don't Eat Quiche was on The New York Times Best Seller List for 53 weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Mangold</span> American filmmaker (born 1963)

James Allen Mangold is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Noted for his versatility in tackling a range of genres, Mangold made his debut as a film director with Heavy (1995), and is best known for the films Cop Land (1997), Girl, Interrupted (1999), Identity (2003), Walk the Line (2005), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), and two films in the X-Men franchise with The Wolverine (2013) and Logan (2017), the latter of which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He then directed the sports drama film Ford v Ferrari (2019), which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture, and directed and co-wrote Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), the fifth and final installment in the Indiana Jones series.

<i>Quantum of Solace</i> 2008 James Bond film

Quantum of Solace is a 2008 spy film and the twenty-second in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sequel to Casino Royale (2006). It is directed by Marc Forster and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis. The film stars Daniel Craig as Bond, alongside Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Giancarlo Giannini, Jeffrey Wright, and Judi Dench. In the film, Bond teams with Camille Montes (Kurylenko) to stop Dominic Greene (Amalric) from staging a coup d'état in Bolivia to access the country's natural reserves.

<i>Plunkett & Macleane</i> 1999 British film

Plunkett & Macleane is a 1999 British historical action comedy film directed by Jake Scott, and starring Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller and Liv Tyler. Gary Oldman was executive producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Morgan</span> British film writer and playwright

Peter Julian Robin Morgan, is a British screenwriter and playwright. He has written for theatre, films and television, often writing about historical events or figures such as Queen Elizabeth II, whom he has covered extensively in all major media. He has received a number of accolades including five BAFTA Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, a Tony Award and a Laurence Olivier Award. In February 2017, Morgan was awarded a British Film Institute Fellowship.

The James Bond film series is a British series of spy films based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond, "007", who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. It is one of the longest continually running film series in history, having been in ongoing production from 1962 to the present. In that time, Eon Productions has produced 25 films as of 2021, most of them at Pinewood Studios. With a combined gross of over $7 billion, the films produced by Eon constitute the fifth-highest-grossing film series. Six actors have portrayed 007 in the Eon series, the latest being Daniel Craig.

<i>Skyfall</i> 2012 James Bond film by Sam Mendes

Skyfall is a 2012 spy film and the twenty-third in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the villain, with Judi Dench returning as M. Directed by Sam Mendes and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan, the film has Bond investigating a series of targeted data leaks and co-ordinated attacks on MI6 led by Silva. It sees the return of two recurring characters, Miss Moneypenny and Q, after an absence of two films. Ralph Fiennes, Bérénice Marlohe, and Albert Finney are among the supporting cast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raoul Silva</span> Fictional character in the 2012 film Skyfall

Raoul Silva is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall. He is portrayed by Javier Bardem. A former MI6 agent, he turns to cyberterrorism and begins targeting the agency he used to work for as part of a plan to get revenge against M, against whom he holds a homicidal grudge.

<i>007 Legends</i> 2012 video game

007 Legends is a first-person shooter video game featuring the character of British secret agent James Bond. It was developed by Eurocom and first released by Activision on October 2012 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with Microsoft Windows and Wii U versions releasing later that year. Wii U release of the game was cancelled in Australia and the game was removed from all digital storefronts in January 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skyfall (song)</span> 2012 single by Adele

"Skyfall" is a song recorded by English singer Adele for the James Bond film of the same name. It was written by Adele and producer Paul Epworth and features orchestration by J. A. C. Redford. British film production company Eon Productions invited the singer to work on the theme song in early 2011, a task that Adele accepted after reading the film's script. While composing the song, Adele and Epworth aimed to capture the mood and style of the other Bond themes, including dark and moody lyrics descriptive of the film's plot. "Skyfall" was released at 0:07 BST on 5 October 2012 as part of the Global James Bond Day, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the release of Dr. No, the first James Bond film.

<i>No Time to Die</i> 2021 James Bond film by Cary Joji Fukunaga

No Time to Die is a 2021 spy film and the twenty-fifth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, starring Daniel Craig in his fifth and final portrayal of fictional British MI6 agent James Bond. The plot follows Bond, who has left active service with MI6, and is recruited by the CIA to find a kidnapped scientist, which leads to a showdown with a powerful and vengeful adversary armed with a technology capable of killing millions.

<i>Spectre</i> (2015 film) James Bond film

Spectre is a 2015 spy film and the twenty-fourth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. Directed by Sam Mendes and written by John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Jez Butterworth from a story conceived by Logan, Purvis, and Wade, it stars Daniel Craig as Bond, alongside Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci, and Ralph Fiennes. It was distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. In the film, Bond battles Spectre, an international crime organisation led by Franz Oberhauser (Waltz).

<i>Johnny English</i> (film series) British series of spy-action comedy films parodying James Bond

Johnny English is a series of spy action comedy films parodying the James Bond secret agent genre. It features Rowan Atkinson as the title character, based on the screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and William Davies. The series includes three instalments: Johnny English (2003), Johnny English Reborn (2011), and Johnny English Strikes Again (2018).

References

  1. 1 2 Tobin, Christian (25 October 2012). "'Skyfall' writer John Logan to pen next James Bond movie". Digital Spy . Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  2. ↑ Dowd, Vincent (7 October 2022). "James Bond: Duo were 'privileged' to renew 007 story". BBC . Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kevin Conroy Scott (6 March 2006). Screenwriters' Masterclass: Screenwriters Talk About Their Greatest Movies . HarperCollins. p.  347. ISBN   9781557046925 . Retrieved 24 October 2012. isbn:1557046921 wade.
  4. 1 2 "Inspired by childhood in Penarth: James Bond screenwriter set for world premiere of new 007 movie Skyfall!". Penarth Times. 18 October 2012. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  5. ↑ Wiener, Tom (2002). The off-Hollywood film guide: the definitive guide to independent and foreign films on video and DVD. Random House Digital, Inc. p. 369. ISBN   9780812992076.
  6. ↑ John Ivan Simon (2005). John Simon on Film: Criticism, 1982–2001. ISBN   9781557835079.
  7. ↑ Steven Priggé (January 2004). Movie Moguls Speak: Interviews With Top Film Producers. ISBN   9780786419296 . Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  8. ↑ Pomerance, Murray (2004). Bad: Infamy, Darkness, Evil, and Slime on Screen. SUNY Press. p. 175. ISBN   9780791459409. Pomerance is citing a quote recorded by Yarborough in 2000 work.
  9. ↑ Scott, Kevin Conroy (6 March 2006). Screenwriters' Masterclass: Screenwriters Talk About Their Greatest Movies . Newmarket Press. pp.  347–. ISBN   9781557046925 . Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  10. ↑ Raymond Benson; Neil Purvis; Robert Wade (1999). The World Is Not Enough: A Novel . Berkley. ISBN   9780425173503 . Retrieved 24 October 2012. Robert Wade film OR screenwriter OR movie OR film.
  11. ↑ Moore, Sir Roger (2012). Bond on Bond: Reflections on 50 years of James Bond Movies. Globe Pequot. p. 77. ISBN   9780762789696.
  12. ↑ "Johnny English at Rottentomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes . 18 July 2003. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  13. 1 2 O'Connell, Sean (21 October 2011). "Critic Review for Johnny English Reborn". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  14. ↑ "Johnny English Reborn (2011) – Full cast and crew". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 27 October 2012.[ unreliable source? ]
  15. 1 2 Cameron-Wilson, James (1 October 2006). Film Review 2006–2007 . Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN   9781905287284 . Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  16. ↑ Riggs, Thomas (2007). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Gale. ISBN   9780787690502.
  17. ↑ "Male Bonding – 007 screenwriters speak". Empire . 9 March 2004. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  18. 1 2 Keogh, Tom (31 March 2006). "Movies: "Stoned": The final days of a Rolling Stone". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  19. ↑ "Film writers who 'rebuilt' Bond". BBC News. 17 November 2006. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  20. ↑ "Interview: Robert Wade and Neal Purvis: The Voice of Bond". The Trades. 29 January 2007. Archived from the original on 13 December 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  21. ↑ Ebert, Roger (2008). Roger Ebert's Four Star Reviews—1967–2007. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 136. ISBN   9780740771798.
  22. ↑ Farah Nayeri (26 October 2008). "James Bond Seduces in Comeback, Loses Old 007 License to Thrill". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  23. ↑ Frank DiGiacomo (15 October 2012). "'Skyfall' early review". Movieline. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  24. ↑ McNary, Dave (27 June 2014). "Neal Purvis, Robert Wade Returning to Write 24th James Bond Movie". Variety. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  25. ↑ Barraclough, Leo (10 March 2017). "James Bond: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade Approached to Write Next 007 Movie (Report)". Variety. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  26. ↑ Couch, Aaron; Kit, Borys (24 July 2017). "Next James Bond Movie Sets 2019 Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  27. ↑ "Universal Wins International Rights to James Bond 25". Variety. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  28. ↑ Pulver, Andrew (14 September 2018). "Veteran 007 writers Purvis and Wade rehired to salvage Bond 25". The Guardian . Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  29. ↑ Willis, John; Monush, Barry (2010). Screen World: The Films of 2006. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 258. ISBN   9781557837295.
  30. ↑ Dave McNary (26 October 2012). "John Logan to write next two Bond films". Variety . Retrieved 27 October 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.