There have been script problems in the filming of the latest James Bond, played by Daniel Craig

There has been what some are calling ‘polite turmoil’ behind the scenes of the latest James Bond film, resulting in a reshuffle of screenwriters and a delay to the start of filming.

The picture, known for now simply as Bond 24, was being written solely by Oscar-nominated John Logan, after he was brought in by director Sam Mendes to pen the last picture, Skyfall. In the process, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, long-time 007 writers, were gently moved on.

But now they’re back. The pair — who co-wrote five films for the franchise — have just been hired to re-write Logan’s script and give it some ‘punch’.



An executive associated with the Bond films observed: ‘Neal and Robert are only doing what was done to them. There’s no blood; no scars.’



Perhaps not, but I asked if there was turmoil. The response was this: ‘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.’



Interestingly, producers at Eon and Sony had already opted to delay shooting while they waited for Mendes to direct Simon Russell Beale as King Lear at the National Theatre and to co-stage a revival of Cabaret in New York.

The script problems were detected before John Cleese’s stinging criticism in the Radio Times last week about recent Bond movies.

Cleese, Bond boffin Q in Die Another Day (and Q’s sidekick R in the earlier The World Is Not Enough) said recent Bond pictures were ‘gritty and humourless’.

He pointed out that big box-office money was coming from Asia, ‘where the audiences go to watch the action sequences, and that’s why in my opinion the action sequences go on for too long, and it’s a fundamental flaw’.

There has been some 'polite turmoil' behind the scenes of the latest Bond meaning filming will not start until December

Cleese added: ‘The audiences in Asia are not going for the subtle British humour, or the class jokes.’ Be that as it may, Skyfall raked in more than £1 billion in global takings — £100 million-plus of that in the UK alone.

Purvis and Wade have been asked to ‘punch up’ the script and sprinkle in more gags, emphasising the witty repartee between Daniel Craig’s 007 and Naomie Harris’s Miss Moneypenny, and focusing on the interplay between Bond and Ralph Fiennes’s M.

Mendes and his team have already been on recces to possible locations; and a handful of Scandinavian actresses and models have been interviewed with a view to starring as Bond girls — excuse me, Bond persons.

Alex's Wonka is a stonker!



Alex Jennings as Willy Wonka is certainly a performance to see

Alex Jennings is doing what he terms ‘joined-up singing’ as Willy Wonka in Roald Dahl’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane — as opposed to the sort of talk/singing he did as Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady, which won him an Olivier Award.

Jennings has just taken over from Douglas Hodge in Charlie, who brought an inspired, bitter, dark flavour to the role.

Jennings’s Wonka is an altogether different confection, and his performance absolute transforms Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.

It’s rare that a replacement makes a role his own in such a dramatic, fulfilling way.

It’s a performance to study and it’s most certainly a performance to see.

The actor, who usually does straight plays, will be in Drury Lane for a year, although he will take two months off this autumn to portray Alan Bennett opposite Maggie Smith in Nicholas Hytner’s film of Bennett’s The Lady In The Van.

I tweeted yesterday about Lindsay Posner directing Lindsay Lohan in David Mamet’s Speed-The-Plow at the Playhouse from September 24

Posner’s an expert on Mamet so he’ll keep the play in check and he will cast ‘up’ as they say, so that Ms Lohan — who’s making her theatre debut — will have solid support.

It’s being cast in London, New York and LA right now.

Ms Lohan can certainly act. What I’m not sure about is whether she has the grit and determination to focus on her work , and not party till the early hours.



At long last: the best show in New York, Here Lies Love, a musical about Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos, will run at the National’s Dorfman Theatre this autumn.

The show, created by David Byrne of Talking Heads and our very own Fatboy Slim previews from September 30 with an official opening night on October 13.

Alex Timbers, who directed the show at the Public Theater last year, where it’s still on, will direct. He and his team have been meeting with actors in the UK, Europe and Manila.

Here Lies Love, said to be the words that the former first lady of the Philippines wants on her tombstone, is an inclusive show with a gotta-dance disco beat.

The audience moves around the theatre with the cast and movable, roving stages. You’re encouraged to dance (don’t be shy, I did!) and, actually, you learn a lot about the politics of the region as you hum along to the songs.