Adi Shankar releases another short film, this time starring James Bond.
Story by Matt Cummings
With SPECTRE releasing a character poster this week of a turtlenecked Daniel Craig, it actually wasn't the only piece of Bond-related news of note. Dredd producer Adi Shankar premiered another in his 'bootleg' short film series, which includes the ultra-violent (and ultra-awesome) Power/Rangers short. It was notorious booted off the web due to copyright issues, but soon found its way back, making an instant hit with over 13 million views. This time, he's tackled none other than James Bond in a 16-minute PreViz feature titled In Service of Nothing, directed by Tyler Gibb and produced by Shankar.
From the way Gibb and Shankar portray Sean Connery (voiced by Christopher Gee), it's definitely reminiscent of a 60's Goldfinger style, that is until we fast-forward to an aged Bond reflected on his "past transgressions." Here, Bond is a man without a purpose, a "blunt instrument" as referenced by The Man on The Boat. As he moves towards yet another kill, his voice is tired and remorseful, even as he dispenses yet another threat with his trademark Walther PPK. But it's no longer in the service of MI6 but as a gun for hire, something that neither Sam Mendes nor any other Bond director has ever tackled.
Shankar, for all his unique looks and comments, has quickly garnered the attention of movie geeks everywhere for his gritty, unapologetic style. His other shorts - The Punisher: Dirty Laundry and Venom: Truth in Journalism - demonstrate that he's willing to tackle any subject, re-writing its DNA in the process, even if mainstream Hollywood might not approve. And yet this short seems to be missing something, as if Shankar imagined a series like Judge Dredd: Superfiend. Does he have plans to make a series of Bond PreViz shorts? Or is this single release destined to be a 'didn't get it quite right' that fans will skip and ultimately forget?
While only time will tell, you're encouraged to watch the following, in which Shankar explains why he produced In Service of Nothing:
SPECTRE opens in U.S. theaters on November 6th, 2015.
Discuss this story with fellow SJF fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @SandwichJohnFilms, and follow author Matt Cummings at @mfc90125.
Comments