When it came time for the next installment, Quantum Of Solace was planned as a direct sequel to Royale, shackling the filmmakers to the Q and Moneypenny-less world established in the previous film. Regardless, the movie's producers were clearly content with dropping two of the saga's most enduring characters and staying accurate to the original Bond book in order to shake up a series that had become increasingly stale. The film will update the novel but stick very closely to the storyline' (Moneypenny is in fact mentioned in Ian Flemming's Casino Royale novel, if only very briefly). Prior to the film's launch, producer Michael Wilson clarified the reasoning behind dropping Moneypenny and Q, saying ' neither of them are in the book.
The 21st Bond movie ditched Brosnan's veteran spy in favor of Craig's unrefined lone-wolf, jettisoning much of the over-the-top hijinks that contributed to Die Another Day's problems in the process. Following the disappointing Die Another Day, which is widely considered the worst Bond film, 007 was in need of a reboot that brought the character into the modern age.
Making such a drastic change made a lot of sense at the time.
