Daniel Craig’s James Bond films have been a mixed bag of success. While Casino Royale (2006) was a major hit and introduced a more vulnerable, intense, and tormented Bond that was well-received by both critics and audiences, Quantum of Solace (2008) was a major disappointment due to a rushed production process fueled by a writers’ strike.
The Writers Guild of America had gone on a strike demanding better compensation and protection from the industry after the streaming boom. The strike meant that no studio could hire writers, even on projects with finished scripts that may need retouching in progress. The rush to seize momentum, economic pressures to meet deadlines, and the writers’ strike led to Quantum of Solace being shot without a finished script, without writers available to help in the process.
With such a commitment of a $230 million budget, 23 weeks of shooting, more than 1,500 extras, and done in six different countries, it’s not unreasonable to wonder why they didn’t wait until they could get the best out of the investment. However, the rules were that they couldn’t use anyone as a writer, but the actor and director could work together on scenes.
As a result, Daniel Craig wrote some scenes, leading to a disappointing sequel lacking the dramatic depth that Casino Royale had proposed. It remains to be seen how the current writers’ strike will impact the industry and if history will repeat itself with more disappointing films that are rushed due to production pressures.
