SOLACE originally set to end on a cliffhanger

by Matt Holmes

QUANTUM OF SOLACE director Marc Forster has revealed to Reelz Channel that the latest James Bond movie, the 22nd in the four decade old franchise was originally set to end on a cliffhanger finale, clearly setting up events for a third movie. We've heard time and time again about this "trilogy" idea which began with CASINO ROYALE as the first act, QUANTUM the middle and then the next movie the finale but Forster claims Columbia didn't want to restrict themselves with having to rigidly follow a key plot point... so they deleted the 1 minute or so "end" scene from prints of SOLACE, though it will make the DVD/Blu-Ray release when it hits shelves in the late Spring.

€˜There was a scene after where the movie ends now. The movie felt sort of complete with Bond finding his €œquantum of solace.€ If I would have kept the scene, then producers wouldn€™t have had a choice but to make it a trilogy. Now they can start new. They have that opportunity.€™
Forster compares the sequence to the cliffhanger ending from ROYALE...
€˜Let€™s put it this way: Bond encounters Mr. White at the end of that scene,€™€”hinting perhaps that Mr. White, first seen in Casino Royale may have an integral role in the Quantum organization?€”€˜You wouldn€™t have had a choice at the end of that but to follow that lead.€™
Though that's not to say that continuity in the new franchise will end with QUANTUM OF SOLACE. Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has told the same source that the mysterious organisation known as QUANTUM (which is the modern day equivalent to Spectre which was present in the early Bond films) will continue for the future films. One wonders which A-List actor will eventually be outed as the head of the organisation. I would love to see Sean Connery do it of course but at one time the rumor was Al Pacino. For U.K. Readers... don't forget TONIGHT ON ITV1 at 10.40pm a James Bond special is on the Show Bank Show... and then both Daniel Craig and former Bond girl Grace Jones are on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross on Friday. QUANTUM OF SOLACE opens next week in the U.K. source - commander bond

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Matt Holmes is the co-founder of What Culture, formerly known as Obsessed With Film. He has been blogging about pop culture and entertainment since 2006 and has written over 10,000 articles.