NOTE: For the sake of cohesion, this page is mainly about Sir Henry Lee Ching as described in the 1990 May & July script treatment(s) by Michael G. Wilson and Alfonse Ruggiero.
Sir Henry Lee Ching was the original main villain of the "unmade 17th Bond film / Timothy Dalton's third Bond film". Per May 1990 and July 1990 drafts by Michael G. Wilson and Alfonse Ruggiero, Lee Ching was meant to be a tech mogul based in Hong Kong, whose plans mainly involved using technology to annex Hong Kong from both British and Chinese authority, even at the risk of setting off World War III.
After the May 1990 draft, another treatment was offered by William Osborne and William Davies in January 1991. Here, he was rewritten as a Caucasian named Sir Henry Ferguson, which would lead the character eventually developing into Elliot Carver from Tomorrow Never Dies. Additionally, due to the MGM's legal troubles because of the Giancarlo Paretti affair, EON Productions would lose interest in the "Hong Kong" story, and subsequently pursue the Russia/EMP-weapon plot that would ultimately become GoldenEye.
Personality[]
Regarding materials available to public, little can be deciphered about what kind of character Lee was meant to be. The character was envisaged to be a "brilliant and handsome thirty-year old British-Chinese entrepreneur" from the outset.
Per May 1990 draft, Sir Henry appears to be a quite positive personality, often seeing actions against his projects as a fun challange. A peculiar trait is that he has sex with Nan, a character revealed to be a cyborg.
May 1990 draft[]
This is the plot as outlined in the May 1990 treatment by Michael G. Wilson and Alfonse Ruggiero.
Early life[]
It is revealed in the later part of the story that Lee Ching's father was a general in Chiang Kai Shek's army. Following Shek's defeat in the Chinese Civil War, his father fled to Burma with Shek's treasure and became the boss of a paramilitary opium empire. Chinese Agent Quen Low, when he was younger, was sent to destroy Lee's father's operations, resulting in the latter's death. However Lee and his caucasian, English mother survived and managed to escape to Hong Kong.
Lee managed to keep his true origins a secret. He managed to build himself a technological empire, providing components to 83% of all worlds electronics, notably to British military. Prior to events of the story, he was knighted, and wielded lots of political power in England, which even Nigel Yupland of MOD recognizes.
With Hong Kong handover set for 1997, and the recent Hong Kong Basic Law being formally promulgated on April 1990 - Sir Henry sees this as an opportunity to secure Hong Kong as his own principality.
Scotland[]
Before carrying out his plan, Sir Henry, with Otto Winkhart serving as intermediary, he has deployed ex-CIA infiltration expert Connie Webb to break into various facilities. Unbeknownst to Sir Henry, while infiltrating one of the British goverment facilities, a security camera had managed to record a blurry photo of Webb, which Q is later able to use to reconstruct and identify her.
Sir Henry truly begins his operations by sending a threathening letter to the British goverment, warning that a chemical weapons lab in Scotland will be destroyed. While intially treated as a joke, Nigel Yupland and UK's elite bomb squad regardless go investigate the lab. Nothing turns up in their first search, but upon beggining the second search, one of the robots at the lab malfunctions (later revealed to have been likely prompted by Sir Henry at his command center) and starts a fire, causing the lab technicians to flee. Subsequently, the facility explodes and causes massive politcal outrage in England.
While Yupland gathers a taskforce to investigate the Scotland "terror attack", Sir Henry sends a second letter, warning that a "British goverment facility" will be attacked within 72 hours. James Bond had been assigned to the taskforce and Bond proceeds to follow the lead by getting Q to identify the person who had broken in to Scotland plant.
Lead on Connie Webb[]
Meanwhile, under orders by Sir Henry and Winkhart, Webb breaks into Kohoni Industries in Tokyo, Japan. She has been tasked to replace a component with Sir Henry's copy (that contains the remote control backdoor) of a robotic apparitus, that is due to be sent to a nuclear power plant in Nanking.
She is successful in switching the components, taking the Kohoni-made one with her, the security, along with company owners, the Kohoni Twins, arrive at the factory. Webb realizes something is wrong and makes her exit, able to avoid the security at first before being eventually spotted. Regardless, she successfully escapes and goes hiding in Switzerland. However, Kohoni Twins begin their pursuit of her to find out who hired her to break in.
Back in England, Q has identified Connie Webb, and that she has gone to Switzerland. Bond goes after her and woos her, trying to get to her client. Bond introduces a superconductor - given by Q as bait - to try get Sir Henry to invite Bond closer to his circle. However, the Kohoni Twins have also successfully tracked Connie down. Bond and Connie escape, with the latter getting away with both the Kohoni chip and the superconductor Bond gave.
Connie phones Winkhart, telling that she has the Kohoni chip and that she has acquired something that might be intrest to Sir Henry.
Sir Henry's debut[]
Sir Henry is introduced proper after Winkhart has acquired the superconductor. Winkhart goes to Sir Henry's main building in Hong Kong, where he sees Sir Henry being croweded by scientists asking his opinion on their projects. Sir Henry remains mostly unimpressed by them and giving hints how to improve them. That is until one Doctor Lombardy comes and shows Sir Henry something, to which the latter nods approvingly.
Winkhart finally gets through the crowd of people and gets to whisper something to Sir Henry and shows him the box that contains the superconductor Bond gave to Connie. Sir Henry again nods to Dr. Lombardy to take it and observe what is inside. They find a small greyish cube, which prompts stifled laughter from all but Sir Henry.
The others follow Sir Henry's fast pace into one of the labs. He asks the lesser technicians to leave the room. As the others gather, Sir Henry places the cube on the center plate of an electromagnet. When he turns on the magnet, the cube levitates, rocks and spins slowly, suspended a few centimeters above the table. Sir Henry smiles, deeming this room temperature superconductive object useful. He tells that he wants Winkhart to find Bond and inquire about it further.
Sir Henry then asks Winkhart to follow him and they go through a security checkpoint at the heart of the building. They arrive at a massive computer epicenter, akin to NORAD situation room. Sir Henry asks if the Chinese have responded to his letter yet, to which Winkhart anwsers that they haven't. Sir Henry then decides to "get their attention" and has his computers point to Nanking nuclear power plant, that its to arrange a "little accident."
In an automated room at the Nanking nuclear power plant, robotics constantly adjust the bars of the reactor core. A robotic device that appears the one Connie tampered with at Kohoni's factory is being tested and observed by technicians. Suddenly, that robotic device goes ballistic, causing and emergency and the entire plant subsequently exploding.
In his control room, Sir Henry turns to Winkhart, who voices that he needs to take over Kohoni Twins' businesses. Winkhart tells that he will arrange them a meeting at their Hong Kong offices.
Sir Henry sends a invitation to Bond (who is at impasse, since Connie took the superconductor), who accepts it and heads to Hong Kong.
Killing the Kohonis[]
Sir Henry arrives at the Kohonis' regional Hong Kong offices in a black limo. Winkhart is already at the entrance and comes to tell Sir Henry that the Kohonis "don't want to sell." Sir Henry is confident, proceeding inside with Winkhart following, telling the latter that Kohonis are Yakuza and thus play tough.
Then, Sir Henry's henchman Rodin, posing as a motorcycle dispatch rider enters the security control room at the back of the Kohoni building. The guard tells that he has arrived though the wrong door and meant to enter through reception. With his helmet still on, its visor relays Rodin info about the guards at the vicinity.
Rodin draws a futuristic gun with a gimbal attachment and with the helmet's targeting system, manages to effortlessly eliminate all the nearby guards. Rodin holsters the gun and enters the service elevator.
Meanwhile, Sir Henry and Winkhart exit a elevator in another location of the building. After passing through a metal detector, a burly Yakuza thug escorts them to the conference room. The place has high security and a guard (who is one of the men who attacked Bond and Connie at ski resort), opens a steel door. Sir Henry quips about the bandaged nose broken by Bond, and the guard just ushers Sir Henry and Winkhart inside, where the Kohoni Twins and their henchmen sit around a long table. He makes a bow which they return almost imperceptibly.
On the roof of the building, Rodin disables a guard. Rodin spots a automated window cleaner, and starts tampering with it, re-configuring nozzles and hoses and replacing cleaning solution with a new cartridge. Back at the conference room, Sir Henry compliments the building security, to which Kohonis' respond with peevish attitude. They point out that they have everything in the room reinforced, including the window, it being sound-proofed and "micro-searched" daily.
Sir Henry then makes a cheerfully ominous observation about that the room is "Hard to get in, hard to get [out of]". He then asks if the Kohonis have considered his offer, to which one the twins says that they'd rather not sell. Sir Henry then starts to lecture about the world and the markets, and the Kohonis ability to survive in it. The other twin becomes enraged, underlining that they are not selling their businesses. Sir Henry muses that he has bought electronics companies across Europe, America, the Far East, even Eastern Europe. But if Kohonis say so, then he will not set foot in Japan. Sir Henry laughs to himself and as it is pointless to continue, wishes the twins a good day.
As they exit the building, Winkhart appears to be relieved that there was no violent confrontation with the Kohonis. On the other side of the street, Rodin is sitting on his motorbike. Sir Henry gazes at him and gives a affirming nod, which prompts Rodin to activate a controller. On the roof, the automatic window washer - that Rodin tampered with - begins to move down the side of the building.
Inside the conference room, the Kohoni congratulate themselves on having stood up to Sir Henry. Outside the large window, we see the cleaner arriving. No one pays it much attention. The automated window cleaner stops outside the windows of the conference room, but instead of spraying cleaning liquid, the machine now works like a flamethrower. The machine starts melting the armored window, while people inside the room try to get the slow-moving steel door to open. Soon enough, the window gives in, exploding and the flames engulfing the room and killing everybody inside.
Sir Henry stands by the car with Winkhart, who starts speculating the issues of trying to buy from Kohonis. Only then a sound of explosion to be heard and massive fire coming out of the conference room. Winkhart is bewildered, but Sir Henry insures that they only now need to secure a puppet to succeed Kohonis and to "replace the windows."
Party at Sir Henry's building[]
Bond and Denholm arrive at Hong Kong, with Q delivering Bond's Aston Martin DB5. When Bond settles at the Imperial Hotel, Connie Webb is there and the two make love at a tropical-style hot bath (with adjustable enviroment controls.)
Later that evening, Bond arrives to Sir Henry's building the Aston Martin DB5, with Connie aboard. Upon clearing the building security, Rodin orders a more thorough check on Bond's background. At Sir Henry's building, the party room is filled with top-level politicians and military men all over the world, who can be inferred to be Sir Henry's customers. Bond gets introduced to Sir Henry, with Connie subsequently leaving for a drink. Bond spots Denholm at the buffet table chatting with Mi Wai, the assistant manager of his hotel (who has photographed Bond and set it to Chinese intelligence).
Connie returns with their drinks, but Bond feels something is about to happen. Suddenly, the machine gun fire can be heard. Outside the building, some sort of elite commando unit, clad in black, attempt to break in. Chaos erupts in the crowd as the lights dim and the doors are sealed. Bond eases up, as he and the crowd observe as the building's automated defenses repel the intruders, much to Sir Henry's amusement of the crowd reaction.
The lights come back on and Sir Henry stands on the podium, thanking "Colonel Kim of the Hong Kong Royal Guard" for helping him with his demonstration. The fallen commando members rise to their feet as Sir Henry addresses his audience, explaining that they are in the "building of the future." Everything is operated by a computer, with aspects like temperature controls, maintenance and security are all automated. It keeps track of everyone in the building and knows where they are at all times. And just as demonstrated, it is completely impregnable to a terrorist attack.
Connie takes Bond to Otto Winkhart's table who greets him warmly. They sit down and Winkhart tells him that Connie mentioned meeting the Kohoni twins. Winkhart informs that their entire clan having been wiped out in freak accident, with Bond silently observing Winkhart's smile indicating his involvement. A waiter arrives, who brings fortune cakes, with Bond's cake revealing insturctions to meet a informant. Sir Henry asks if Bond had a interesting forecast, but Bond just puts the paper in his pocket and shakes hands with the industrialist.
Sir Henry takes the seat next to Bond and asks him what brings him to Hong Kong. Bond tries to sell Sir Henry on his abilities to get technology like the superconductor to him. Both Sir Henry and Connie remain guarded, but Bond's promises eventually win Sir Henry over.
Just then, Sir Henry notices his acquaintance in the crowd behind Bond. Sir Henry waves the person to come over, and Bond recognizes this person's voice, turning over. It's Nigel Yupland, who is chummy with Sir Henry, with the former just about immediately outing Bond as a agent/spy in his obliviousness.
Sir Henry is amused at this revelation, while Winkhart remains stone-faced. Connie however is clearly upset by this, she tries to leave but is stopped by Sir Henry by grabbing her under the table. He first wants the microchip stolen from Kohonis, to which she obliges. She then extends her hand to Bond, secretly handing Bond something and then leaving. Denholm sees Rodin guiding Connie to an elevator, seemingly against her will.
Car fight[]
Connie had handed Bond the original chip Connie stole from Kohonis. He heads to the meeting point dictated by the message in fortune cake in his DB5. Upon arrival, Mi Wai boards Bond's car, who insturcts her to a new location.
Back at Sir Henry's building, at the loading dock area, Sir Henry and Rodin approach a shiny black sports car with "fighter-plane like" design. In reality, it is a prototype robotized car with high technology, meant to chase and destroy other vehicles. Sir Henry relishes the idea to pit his technology against "best of MI6" and Rodin boards the car in a black, fireproof suit and helmet. Rodin starts the car with digital screens, radars activating in the visor of his helmet. With Sir Henry wishing "happy hunting", Rodin slams the door and speeds off.
Sir Henry returns to his computer epicenter, where Winkhart and Dr. Lombardy are waiting for him. Two henchmen bring Connie into the room, telling that Henry that she should go get the real Kohoni Microchip back. Sir Henry laughs off, turning on one of the monitors, with view of the front car projected on screen. Connie presumes it is some kind of video game.
At a remote mountain road during night, Mi Wai is directing Bond to their destination. However, Rodin's black robot car appears and attacks Bond. Sir Henry and his cronies egg-on Rodin, while Bond fights for his life on the DB5. As the fight goes on, Connie starts to realize that it is not a video game, but Rodin actually trying to kill Bond.
Eventually, Rodin locks on to Bond's car, mimicking its every move. Bond realizes this and decides to sacrifice the gadget-laden DB5 by driving off a seaside cliff. Rodin is caught off guard and follows Bond off the cliff, being unable to deactive the homing device. Bond deploys the ejector seats, allowing him and Mi Wai land safely. However, Rodin still survives due to the toughness of the car, but Bond and Mi Wai are soon spritied away by a Chinese military helicopter, before Rodin can catch them on foot.
The people at the epicenter are not happy of Bond's survival, with Connie for her involutary cheering over Bond's win. Sir Henry is greatly displeased and orders his men to take her to his apartment.
Bond in China and the assassination attempt[]
Bond is transported to mainland China, where he meets Quen Low, a high-ranking officer of Chinese Intelligence. He tells that Nanking Nuclear Plant exploded and thinks that British are responsible for it, trying to reneg on the Hong Kong handover. Bond eventually pacifies him, with Quen Low taking him to the Nanking plant.
Examining the destroyed plant in NBC suits, Bond eventually finds the robotic apparitus that Connie fiddled with early in the movie/the one Sir Henry made haywire. Bond checks the robot's interior and compares the microchip Connie gave him, it being clear that Bond has the one that was originally meant to be there.
Bond figures out that Sir Henry is mastermind behind the plant disasters, but unsure why. Quen Low explains that he was sent on a mission where he killed Sir Henry's father, that he was a drug warlord and that Sir Henry managed to flee with his white mother to Hong Kong.
Bond tells that he has some leads to follow in Hong Kong, and that they will have better chance of defeating Sir Henry if they work together. There is only 24 hours before the next threat is carried out, so Quen reluctantly orders Bond to be returned to Hong Kong with Mi Wai to continue his investigation.
Bond and Mi Wai return to Hong Kong, with Bond going to "Universal Exports' Far East Office" to tell Nigel Yupland that he has identified Sir Henry being the mastermind of the plan. Yupland however is extremely uncoopeartive. Despite Bond correctly deducing that the third and final warning letter ordering "British to withdraw from Hong Kong", Yupland refuses to accept any wrongdoing on Sir Henry's part. Bond critizes Yupland over his handling of the investigation, to which Yupland responds to kicking Bond of the team. Bond storms out, with Yupland calling the security to arrest him.
Meanwhile, Sir Henry is on the balcony of his penthouse atop his building, looking over the city that "that will soon be his." At the doorway behind him is a beautiful woman known as Nan. There is a call to Sir Henry and Nan moves out of the way. The henchman on the monitor tells that they have found Bond.
As Bond exits the Universal Exports, there is a impassive security robot, through which Sir Henry is able to see Bond in his monitor. Sir Henry is delighted, he orders Rodin to go kill Bond while caressing Nan's leg, while the henchman on the monitor tells that Rodin is already heading there.
Bond quickly walks over to Mi Wai's car and gets inside. He tells her that Yupland refuses to help, due to Sir Henry's involvement. The Hong Kong police follow Mi Wai's car and order it to stop. Rodin then takes this chance, using a document tube on his motorcycle - which turns out to be a rocket launcher - to fire at Mi Wai's car. The car goes flying into waters of a dock, with Bond surviving with sheer luck, while Mi Wai having died before the car hit water. Bond regarins focus and hides from the Hong Kong police, to try fool Sir Henry that he is dead.
Back at the penthouse, Connie and Rodin wait for Sir Henry, with the former kept in tight grasp by latter. TThe bedroom door opens and Sir Henry steps out, flushed with lovemaking and is full of vigor. Through the open door, Connie sees Nan lying face down on the bed behind a white gauze curtain.
Sir Henry approaches Connie and grabs her face gently. He asks why Connie brought a British agent to try spy on him, to which Connie tells that she had no idea Bond was a spy. To her, it was simple relationship and claims to be happy to be rid of him - now asking to be paid and let go. Sir Henry gleefully tells that Bond is dead, to which Connie slightly tears up. However, Sir Henry mistakes Connie's grief for fear for his own life, telling that harming such exquisite female flesh would be a crime. He still has plans for her, but Sir Henry has other business to take care of. He leaves Connie with Nan and leaves.
Meanwhile, Denholm and Q, along with Yupland think Bond is dead after the Hong Kong police salvage Mi Wai's destroyed car. Being sick of Yupland's attitude, Denholm and Q go get drunk. Upon arrival at Denholm's home, Q and Denholm find Bond alive.
Finale[]
Bond commences the break into Sir Henry's nearly impenetrable building. Denholm leads Bond through the maze of sewers beneath the city of Hong Kong, and eventually find a pipe that leads to Sir Henry's building.
Through the pipe, Bond gets inside the building. He first sabotages the fire main and the fire pump so that they would start filling in water within allotted time. As Sir Henry commences the final preparations, Bond sneaks through the building successfully, gaining access to the penthouse where Connie is. Bond and Connie meet, with latter being delighted to see Bond alive. However, Nan appears to silently confront Bond. Connie tells Bond that Nan should be harmless, but she soon demonstrates superhuman strenght and agility, giving Bond a good beating.
By happenstance, Connie tears Nan's chest open, revealing an robotic apparatus and that Nan is infact a robot. Bond eventually manages to defeat Nan by tricking her into punching through a window, with her falling through. However, the alarm goes off, prompting Rodin and his men to track down Bond and Connie. Ultimately they are unsuccessful in repelling Sir Henry's men in the elevator shaft and surrender, with the two taken to Sir Henry's command center.
Upon arrival to the command center, Sir Henry is actually amused to see them. Sir Henry starts teasing Bond about what sort of disaster he should unleash and asks Bond to suggest something. Bond tells Sir Henry that the authorities will soon find out that he is behind the recent disasters and come to take him down.
Sir Henry is not worried, as he wields more power that they can imagine. Besides robotics, he has other devices that he can call upon. Reminding Bond that his companies have made essential components to nearly every navigation, communication, weapon and missile guidance system in the world. He boasts how the western world wastes billions on weapons and come imprisoned in the armors they amass.
Then, Sir Henry gets the idea how to demonstrate his power. He figures that, by using his component(s) in the Royal Navy's Polaris submarine, he can order a missile attack on Shanghai. Deeming it to be a fun idea, he orders his men to start the countdown.
Then upstairs, the guards start noticing water bursting out of pipes and water hoses. Sir Henry's building security and the engineers frantically try to contain it with little success. The then report reports the problem to Sir Henry in the control room.
Sir Henry smiles at Bond, dismissing his sabotage plan as child's play. He tells the engineer to cut off the power grid. He then orders the members of his control room to prepare to switch their systems to auxiliary power. He turns to Bond again, telling his trick having been futile. The engineer turns off the electrical network of the building. All the lights go out. Sir Henry orders his men to switch to auxiliary power and continue the countdown.
The guard in the upper floor hallway reports to the control room that the water flow has only decreased slightly, that the situation is totally out of control. The engineer says he's going to have to close the fire main and when he tries to close the valve, it breaks in his hands. He reports to Sir Henry that they have a severe problem, and Sir Henry still remains positive, welcoming Bond's challange. He tells the men to speed up the countdown.
The guard on the upper floor sees water flowing under the door of a conference room. He opens it. The water level in the room comes up to his head, the water surges down the hall knocking the guard off his feet and bringing him to the stairwell. He shouts a warning into his radio as he and the water descend the stairwell in a cascade of water.
In the control room, Bond takes advantage of the panic to grab Connie and run for the door. Rodin follows them up the stairs and spots them as they enter a door on the floor above. Rodin enters the stairwell just as the waterfall arrives. He is knocked off his feet and swept to his death.
Sir Henry's countdown is almost over when the large torrent of water floods the control room. He escapes but most of his men are drowned. He manages to move on to the next level as the water rises around him.
He sees Bond and Connie being transported by water to the dark maintenance area. He puts on Rodin's night vision helmet and chases after them. Bond searches his way to the hole he cut in the sewer pipe and pushes Connie inside. The water is rising dangerously all around them.
Sir Henry catches up to them in the dark using the night vision goggles. He fights Bond who is unable to fight back because of the darkness. Bond manages to acquire his blowtorch, and igniting it, drives the blinding flame into Sir Henry's visor, causing it to explode. Sir Henry is blinded and Bond finishes him off. Bond dives into the sewer pipe and escapes with Connie just in time.
July 1990 script[]
Template:Section stub This is the plot as outlined in the July 1990 treatment by Michael G. Wilson and Alfonse Ruggiero.
Aftermath[]
Sir Henry Ferguson (Jan 1991 treatment)[]
Jonathan Pryce as Elliot Carver, the main villain of 1997 Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. The "Sir Henry Ferguson" character is a prior evolution of Elliot Carver, developed from the original Sir Henry Lee Ching.
In the William Osborne and William Davies's January 1991 treatment, the character was changed into Sir Henry Ferguson, a Caucasian tech entrepreneur operating in Hong Kong. This incarnation of "Sir Henry" serves as a mid-stage evolution of the character, between the prior Lee Ching and the later Elliot Carver (who was named "Elliot Harmsway" at one point, post-GoldenEye), the villain of the 1997 Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.
Reasons for the change is unknown, but it is worth pointing out that the villain of the 1990 Bond Novel Brokenclaw by John Gardner, is the half-Native American, half-Chinese philanthropist Lee Fu-chu, nicknamed Brokenclaw. Not only does he bear the same surname, but his plan involves the Chinese and a computer-/technology-based scheme as well. Also, the novel was released roughly the same time when EON attempted to start to production of Bond 17. It can be inferred that EON may have wanted to avoid being too close to Gardner book and changed the villain into a Caucasian instead.
In the Osborne-Davies treatment, Sir Henry was collaborating with a rogue Chinese strongman named General Han (who likely inspired General Chang from Tomorrow Never Dies.) Their plan revolved in the theft of new British stealth fighter named Scimitar, which would be stolen during a joint-exercise with U.S. Navy. Here, Sir Henry operated at a secret retreat, located in Kowloon, Hong Kong. He has secretly been supplying weapons to Han, being helped by American gangsters called the Vinelli Brothers.
Sir Henry's and General Han's plan is to use Scimitar to launch an undetected nuclear attack on China to allow Han to overthrow the Communist Party and take control. Once in power, Han would hand control of Hong Kong to Sir Henry, as his own principality.
Impact[]
Because of the legal troubles EON Productions' parent company MGM was having, neither the May/July 1990 or January 1991 treatment would be filmed. However, the January 1991 script would ultimately serve as the template for the 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies, where villain Elliot Carver uses a stealth ship to launch an undetected attack to provoke a war between UK and China, with his collaborator, General Chang taking power in mainland. However, in the 1997 movie, was the General's coup to be successful, the villain wishes to be granted a broadcasting rights monopoly in China, rather than making Hong Kong his own country.
While Henry Lee Ching never took off, various aspects of his character would be partially reused by later Bond movie villains; Elliot Carver and Gustav Graves.
Lee Ching may have inspired Saga Genji from Dynamite Entertainment's James Bond storyline Black Box. Both are Asian tech moguls whom Bond finds out about while chasing a mercenary female love interest. Furthermore, their final fight against Bond takes place in dark, where a surprise light-source provided by Bond helps him defeat the villain.
Trivia[]
- His name is probably a pun on the word "leeching", figuratively meaning "to derive profit from others in a parasitic fashion."
- Regarding Lee Ching's plan; there has never been a nuclear plant in Nanjing. In Nanjing, there is mainly only coal-fired power plants, with the only nuclear power plant in the entire Jiangsu province (where Nanjing is located) being the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant (in Lianyungang), which went operational in 2006.
Sources[]
- Edlitz, Mark (2020). "The Lost Adventures of James Bond". ISBN: 978-1735461618
- The May 1990 draft by Alfonse Ruggiero and Michael Wilson - analysis by Clement Feutry (in French)
- The July 1990 draft by Alfonse Ruggiero and Michael Wilson - analysis by Clement Feutry (in French)
- The January 2, 1991 draft by William Davies and William Osbourn - analysis by Clement Feutry (in French)
- What Timothy Dalton’s Third James Bond Movie Would Have Been About
- MI6 HQ - Bond 17 (1990) by MI6 Staff
- MI6 HQ - Bond 17 (1991/1994/1995)
- 007 Info - The 007 Film That Never Was: Dalton’s Third Bond
See also[]
- Augustus Trevelyan - the other unused "Bond 17" villain