Author Lee Child explains why he turned down writing James Bond novels - twice

Back in February, MI6 exclusively revealed that author Lee Child had turned down an offer to write a new series of James Bond novels.

Child was the frontrunner in a race to become the successor to continuation author Raymond Benson, but declined an offer to pen the 2008 James Bond novel.

Now the author has explained his reasons to a crime & thriller e-zine.



Lee Child: "Twice over the period of five years they’ve asked me to write the series, no regrets really because I think it is a thankless task in terms of first financial remuneration, as the terms were more favourable to the Ian Fleming estate than to me, and secondly there is the technical and cultural aspect."

"I see this as an impossible job as it’s now 2007, around 50 years on from the world that James Bond first appeared in. The world has changed, and one of the reasons the world has changed is because of James Bond, this country has altered its cultural frame of reference because of things like James Bond, so any follow-up fifty years later would be somewhat self-referential, and reading the book would be like watching an ABBA tribute band – i.e. what’s the point?"

Ian Fleming Publications announced last year that they were due to release a new adult James Bond thriller novel in 2008 to celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming's birth.

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