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The first draft of "Die Another Day" originally
saw Michelle Yeah reprise her role as Wai Lin in Hong
Kong. Sleuths on the MI6 forums have uncovered evidence
of the sequence on the Special Edition DVD...
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Wai Lin`s Cut Role From Die Another Day
1st May 2003
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The first draft of the "Bond 20" screenplay in
November 2001 had a rather different version of the Hong
Kong location. Michelle Yeoh was originally penned to reprise
her role as Wai Lin from "Tomorrow Never Dies"
to give Bond a much needed ally after his escape from the
MI6 debriefing with M.
Sharp-eyed Bond fans in the Keeping
The British End Up discussion forums have uncovered
remarkable details on the Wai Lin sequences in the "From
Script To Screen" documentary, which is exclusive to
the region 2 "Die Another Day" DVD release.
During the documentary, some close up shots of producer
Barbara Broccoli thumbing through the draft script clearly
show the text of the Hong Kong sequence. Owners of the region
2 DVD can skip to timecodes 0:01:58 and 0:04:35 to freeze-frame
the script pages.
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Fight Sequence
Wai Lin makes her first appearance since "Tomorrow Never
Dies" helping Bond win a fight in an elevator in his hotel
in Hong Kong. Surrounded by North Korean freelance thugs, Wai
Lin helps Bond dispose of the threat before exiting to an unsuspecting
couple who witness the aftermath of the mayhem. In a nod to "The
World Is Not Enough", Bond straightens his tie as the pair
step out of the broken glass. Wai Lin and Bond leave the hotel
and head out into the street.
Tracking Zao
Chinese Intelligence and Bond's personal mission to uncover his
betrayer are linked by Zao's activities. As M describes in the
final film, Zao has blown up a peace conference and killed Chinese
agents. Wai Lin invites Bond into an awaiting car which proceeds
to drive through a car wash! It is all a front for a secret entrance
to a Chinese Intelligence building though, as an identical car
emerges from the car wash as the floor beneath Bond and Wai Lin's
car is lowered.
"It's certainly bristling with security"
- Bond.
An operations room awaits Bond at the end of the entrance corridor,
and as he walks in the room with Wai Lin, all the analysts look
up - slowly recognising it is the same man from the photograph
of the Zao exchange in North Korea.
Wai Lin: "As far as they're [analysts]
are concerned, our secret services are in conflict", Bond:
"And I thought you and I had done so much to improve relations"
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Given A Break
Tension rises when an analyst delivers a printout to Wai
Lin detailing the missing agent and the orders to return
him to MI6 if found. Guards surround the exits and Bond
struggles to eye an escape route, but after suggesting to
Wai Lin she could get into trouble for helping him out,
he realises she has been promoted to Head Of Stations since
their last adventure. She offers to "lose" the
order for 12 hours to give Bond a chance to get out of Hong
Kong before the security forces capture him and deliver
him back to MI6.
"You know... you have nothing to
prove, James?"
Not being able to run an operating in Communist Cuba themselves
for political reasons, Wai Lin informs Bond of Zao's location
and gives Bond a forged British passport and a weapon -
a Beretta pistol. This would have been yet another homage
to the series, as Bond had to hand over his own Beretta
to M before leaving for Jamaica in the "Dr. No"
mission.
"If you see him, say "hi"
from us."
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Ultimately the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" star
turned down the part in favour of shooting "The Touch"
with her own production company in 2002. The character of Wai
Lin was replaced by Rachel Grant playing the masseuse Peaceful
Fountains Of Desire and Ho Li playing Chinese intelligence agent
Mr. Chang in the shooting script for "Die Another Day".
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