Change is a constant that has kept James Bond films new and exciting for more than six decades. This is true from a top-down perspective, as turning actors into main characters in film adaptations of Ian Fleming’s seminal books is something we see periodically.
But on a much more intimate level, stories in a single installment, such as director Lee Tamahori’s Die Another Day, can be quite drastic. A recent interview with the boy himself proved it, as he talked about big adjustments to the script. , a pretty big cameo that almost happened, and the reasons behind the two production tweaks.
While speaking to Mr. Tamahori at his press day for the 2024 film The Convert, I naturally tried to direct some of our verbal exchange to his time on 007’s 20th adventure. One of the series’ most notorious entries in its set. , Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond swan song was said to have been meant to bring Michelle Yeoh’s Wai Lin back into the fold.
Through my interview with Lee Tamahori, the New Zealand filmmaker showed that this was indeed intended to happen. But as he explained to CinemaBlend, there is one main explanation for why it never happened:
Many adjustments were made, but yes, Michelle Yeoh was destined to return to the fore, and in a non-substantial part, for the Hong Kong series. And we went to see her, we went to meet her in Hong Kong. and she refused. She didn’t need to play a small role. . . After the Crouching Tiger [Hidden Dragon] and all that, her stature had evolved.
Already mentioned in 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies, Colonel Wai Lin has teamed up with Major James Bond to disrupt the thriving global war driven by media mogul Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce). In true Bond fashion, our two heroes survived, sealing their partnership with a Kiss to finish the film.
In the proposed scene from Die Another Day, Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh allegedly teamed up for a swap edition of the series that saw 007 as a thug in his quest to thwart the ongoing evil plot. This scene seems like the definitive film, in a series. where Bond foils a plot by the Chinese secret service to film him in a compromising position with a young masseuse (Rachel Grant).
Various resources, such as the Bond fan site MI6. co. uk, have indicated over the years that Yeoh intended to return to an earlier edition of Die on some other day, with special features on the Region 2 DVD cited as additional evidence. However, like Olga Kurylenko’s discredited Skyfall cameo, I sought out an official to tell me whether or not this was correct. In fact, Lee Tamahori was able to do just that.
With these reports confirming that a supporting James Bond character almost returned was true, The Convert director was also able to explain why that didn’t happen. Continuing his story with CinemaBlend, Tamahori shared those additional details:
So I think she thought it was too small a role for her at the time, but we tried. But that would have changed as well. We hadn’t cast the casting, we weren’t done with the character of Jinx at the time, and we hadn’t cast Halle. So it would have been great to have Michelle in it, but I didn’t need to dominate [the film]. It was not necessary to master it with too many female characters. But yes, I did a lot of restructuring.
So what do we know about Michelle Yeoh’s cameo in Die Another Day?Well, based on what has calmed down in the past, we would have noticed that 007 enlisted Wai Lin’s help in locating Zao (Rick Yune). As Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens) and agent James Bond’s right-hand man swapped for James Bond’s in a prisoner swap, he’s the first piece of the case to clear his call and save the world for the 20th time in 40 years.
Arriving at a luxury hotel in Hong Kong, Bond was scheduled to meet Wai Lin and then fight in the elevator with North Korean assailants preparing for both of them. This makes a lot of sense, since Yeoh’s action credentials were part of what brought her to the James Bond franchise in the first place, and Halle Berry’s Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson hasn’t been cast yet. So based on the noise, there might have been scope to make this Tomorrow Never Dies cameo bigger into a full-fledged Bond Girl. She comes back for the Chinese colonel.
Lee Tamahori admitted to making further adjustments to the Die on Day script that helped shape it, along with James Bond’s in-house writing team, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. Through this ongoing story, a number of revealing points occurred that highlighted many extra plot twists; even through more unfortunate circumstances.
Die Another Day had the disadvantage of being the first Bond film to be released after the September 11 terrorist attacks. While the entire Hollywood landscape has noted films rewritten, edited, or completely delayed due to those events, not even the 007 saga has been affected by such changes. Lee Tamahori shared it with CinemaBlend with those memories of where he was that day:
They are very adaptable at EON Productions. I read the script very differently from the one we ended up shooting. There the destruction of cities by the “death ray of space”. And we saw the September 11 attacks on EON’s production studios. We were still writing the script when 9/11 happened. and we had to abandon the end of the story because I was too familiar with the destruction of the Twin Towers.
Instead of seeing cities destroyed just over a year after the 9/11 attacks, Die Another Day moved its big destruction sequences to the minefield between North and South Korea for its big finale. And yes, this “death ray from space” is obviously the Icarus, a device Tamahori would mention when protecting a debatable Die Another Day device.
This same defense was based on the fact that EON Productions manufacturer Michael G. Wilson likes to use real-life Mil-Spec technologies to create over-the-top devices and weapons of mass destruction. Clearly, the director known for other Hollywood hits like Along Came A Spider and xXx: State of the Union has yet to praise his time at EON Productions, adding through additional comments like these:
They are very welcoming. I mean, basically, in the Bond franchise, you can dismiss any ridiculous concept that you want, as long as it has merit for the narrative. They can be rejected or accepted, if the concept is accepted then you accept it. Like [Neal] Purvis and [Robert] Wade and I, and the makers were in a room, and we would just take it apart, Occam’s Razor reduced to the essentials.
While we’ve noted that moments of “creative differences” lead to surprises like Danny Boyle’s departure from Bond 25, even this example turns out to imply that such a split came about in clever terms. So while not all managers seem to have compatibility in the EON Productions circle of relatives as Lee Tamahori did, the collaborative nature of James Bond’s corporate cinematic reign doesn’t seem to have diminished.
I, for one, would have liked to see Michelle Yeoh’s Wai Lin return to Die Another Day, but her reasons for leaving the role are absolutely valid. Not to mention, Halle Berry’s Jinx is one of the female Bonds who once appeared in the box along with 007 himself; which, of course, led to his own missed opportunity with the canceled Jinx spin-off.
It can simply be said that this type of exchange story is absolutely general when its film franchise is over 60 years old and shows no signs of slowing down. While you’re waiting for Bond 26 to take shape, it’s pretty straightforward to get back to Die Day. if you need to reevaluate this James Bond country adventure that turns out to be gaining new enthusiasts over time.
But of course, do not to watch Lee Tamahori’s newest film, The Convert, starring former James Bond hopeful Guy Pearce, as this symbol is lately being noticed in theaters and on demand.
Mike Reyes is CinemaBlend’s main film contributor, though that name is more of a guide. Passionate about entertainment since early school, cinema has held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a bachelor’s degree in political science, but he long ago gave up on running for public office. Mike’s experience ranges from James Bond to all things Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic CV. He fights for the user.
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