Okay, stepping up. Here's what I would do if Barbara Broccoli called me up and said, "We want you to do the next Bond movie."
First, I'd say, "Give me $40 million and back off."
Then I'd sit down with Pierce Brosnan and say to him, "Bond's going to have to suffer. He's going to lose things that matter to him. He's going to freak out, lose his cool and the bad guys are going to beat him down. And he's going to get his crap together, fight his way clear and do what he has to do for Britain. Cause James Bond is a patriot and a Scot, and nothing's tougher than a Scot with a mission."
Then I'd send him away to do stupid, annoying stuff that will make him annoyed and angry and hate me. So that when time comes he's all cranky and frustrated and ready to explode at any second.
Then I'd write this story:
It opens with a daring daylight robbery at Orly International in Paris. Gold bullion in a 747 is hijacked and taken out in a wild shootout and chase through the streets (and sidewalk cafes) of the City of Lights. Frenchmen die in all sorts of ways. The bad guys get away.
Cut to: Bond is tracking a portly businessman who's up to no good. When JB swoops in for the grab, he gets outwitted and beaten and loses his man.
M's not amused. She orders Bond to take a vacation, a leave of absence, and think about what he really wants. Maybe he's lost his edge.
Bond gets an invite to visit his old friend Rene Mathis, who runs a small casino on the coast of France. We pick him up as he drives his own car, a lovingly restored and maintained 1933 Bentley 4 1/2 litre with an Amhert-Villiers supercharger, battleship grey convertible coupe. It's his car. He loves it. It is one of the few things James Bond truly loves.
So when the bad guys pile in behind him and start trying to cause trouble, his primary concern is to avoid any damage to his precious car. It's the opposite to every Bond chase ever done, where normally Bond displays compete disregard for property damage. Here he agonizes over every scrape, wrenching at the wheel to keep the bad guys from sideswiping him.
Well of course he gets away, wondering what that was all about. When he arrives at Mathis' casino, he finds out that his old friend is about to be ruined by a guest who seems undefeatable. Nothing can stop this man from losing, and if he wins much more Mathis will lose his life's work. He begs Bond to help, and admits that this is why he invited his old friend.
Bond is annoyed at having to work on his holiday, but the piggish oaf who is ruining Mathis insults him -- and Mathis' young and beautiful fiancee drops him a wink, and well, he can't say no.
The truth comes out: the oaf masterminded the hijacking at Orly, but lost the money which was bound to his terrorist bosses. They're going to kill him if they find out, so he's cheating at Mathis' casino in order to make the money before word gets out. And when he heard that Mr. Bond is coming, he sent a welcoming committee.
Bond has to uncover the truth, defeat the man in an epic duel of baccarat, then prevent minions from of course torturing Mathis, kidnapping the girl and general horrors. At the same time he has to fight off the attentions of Mathis' fiancee (another reversal of the standard Bond story) while not breaking his friend's heart -- especially when it comes out that she's been working with the oaf the whole time.
Bad guys, torture scenes, chases, gunfights in crowded casinos, cold-hearted decisions and last-minute betrayals rule the roost, and by the time it's over Bond and his oldest friend are at each others' throats, with a woman, millions of pounds and the security of the free world at stake.
He goes back to M, who snarks at him about taking a leisurely holiday and until he shows the proper work ethic, he's on wiretap duty.
Huh? Huh?
Who's your James Bond daddy? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about...
