EON CONFIRMS CAMPBELL AND 'CASINO ROYALE'!

Eon Productions have today broken their silence and confirmed that Pierce Brosnan is OUT… director Martin Campbell is IN… and Bond 21 is officially called CASINO ROYALE.

While none of this is new news to readers of CBn, it’s finally official confirmation from the only source that can make it “official”… Eon Productions.

MARTIN CAMPBELL TO DIRECT CASINO ROYALE,
THE 21ST JAMES BOND ADVENTURE

Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of the James Bond films, and MGM announced today that Martin Campbell will direct CASINO ROYALE, the 21st film in the 007 franchise.

This is Campbell’s second time as helmer of a James Bond film. In 1995 he directed the hit GOLDENEYE which introduced Pierce Brosnan to the role of 007 with great success.

Wilson and Broccoli said: “We are thrilled that Martin has accepted our offer to direct CASINO ROYALE. He is an extremely talented director and we believe he will help take our films in a new and exciting direction. He is currently finishing filming ‘Legend Of Zorro’, the sequel to ‘The Mask Of Zorro’, and will be joining EON Productions shortly to work on the development of the script with our writers, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.”

MGM Vice Chairman and COO Chris McGurk said: “Martin is an incredibly exciting filmmaker. GOLDENEYE was a wonderful movie and helped reinvigorate the Bond franchise. We’re thrilled to have him back to direct the newest Bond.”

Born in New Zealand, Campbell moved to England in 1966 and made his directorial debut on the popular TV series’ ‘The Professionals’ and ‘Minder’. He moved to America in 1986 to direct ‘Criminal Law’ and ‘Defenceless’. Following GOLDENEYE, he went on to direct ‘The Mask Of Zorro’, ‘Vertical Limit’ and ‘Beyond Borders’ and is currently directing ‘Legend Of Zorro’.

CASINO ROYALE will be released in 2006 and distributed world-wide by MGM. No decision has yet been made regarding casting for the role of ‘James Bond’.

– Official Press Release from EON PRODUCTIONS LTD

Casino Royale was first adapted in 1954 as a one-hour TV teleplay by CBS with American Barry Nelson playing the screen’s first 007. Because Fleming had already sold the film rights to his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale was not part of the 1961 Cubby Broccoli/Harry Saltzman film rights purchase deal that was the foundation of the James Bond/Eon Productions franchise.

The rights passed from hand to hand until Charles K. Feldman announced he’d produce a rival Bond film to the Eon series. But this was at the height of Bondmania, and Feldman decided he couldn’t compete with Sean Connery, so in 1967 he and Columbia Pictures turned Casino Royale into a farce comedy starring David Niven and Peter Sellers. (Kaleidoscope, an excellent thriller made in 1966, used plot elements so strikingly similar to Casino Royale that it could almost be called an unofficial adaptation.)

Fast forward to the late 1990s when Sony (who acquired the Casino rights when they purchased Columbia Pictures) locked horns with MGM over disputed rights to the Bond film Thunderball. The settlement in favour of MGM not only returned the Thunderball rights to Eon, but Sony also surrendered their long-held rights to Casino Royale. This alowed Eon to finally adapt this first Fleming novel.

Ironically, Sony’s recent purchase of MGM means they will have a major hand in producing Casino Royale after all.

As always, keep watching CBn for all the latest Bond 21…
…Whoops! We mean, CASINO ROYALE news.

To discuss this press release visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

Related CBn stories (now confirmed):

• February 11, 2004: LICENCE REVOKED
• July 30, 2004: Bond 21 is ‘Casino Royale’
• January 16, 2005: “It’s a Done Deal.” Campbell to direct

Roger Moore Asks People To Help

Former James Bond actor and UNICEF ambassador Sir Roger Moore has added his voice to the international appeal for aid to help the people of Asia.

Sir Roger, who calls for help via his official website, says that people should not forget the plight of tsunami victims while they are celebrating the New Year. He said: ‘As we celebrate the New Year, it is hard to ignore the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Asia.’

‘Hundreds of thousands of children are in need. In need of finding their parents, their families. In need of access to clean water. In need of safety. In need of help. "Unicef needs your support to help these children and make a difference to their lives.’

‘Your donations to Unicef will help make that difference in the New Year.’

If you want to help, you can go to supportunicef.org and make a donation.

Brosnan Back in 007 Talks?

In the latest newsletter from the James Bond International Fan Club, chairman David Black offers this cryptic new rumour regarding the seemingly never-ending saga of Pierce Brosnan and Bond 21.

Although the media reports that Pierce has had enough of the ongoing Bond debate and ruled himself out – I have heard rumours that some further negotiations may have just taken place and he may still be back for the new film due for release in 2006. Don’t rule him out just yet – that’s all I can say on the subject!!

This is not the first time CBn has heard this tantalizing rumour, but whether there is any truth in it remains to be seen.

Keep watching CBn for the latest news on Bond 21.

To discuss this news visit this thread in the CBn Forums.
Thanks to Blofeld’s Barber for the tip.

Bond 21 Shooting For Spring 2006?

CBn has learned from sources that Eon Productions and MGM are considering a Spring 2006 release date for Bond 21. This follows last week’s news that the original November 2005 release date has been scrapped.

While it’s unusual for a James Bond film to move away from the Summer or Christmas movie seasons (the traditional time for “event” movies), a late March or early April release would have its benefits. Spring would move Bond 21 well away from such competitors as Mission Impossible III and the next Jason Bourne movie. Eon may even time Bond 21’s release to coincide with the Easter holiday (March 27) and position itself as the only “event” movie for months before the onslaught of Summer blockbusters.

After Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ grossed over $300 million during the Spring 2004 season, studios may be warming to March and April as a viable time to release movies that were traditionally reserved for Summer or Christmas.

A Spring ’06 release for Bond 21 also agrees with the rumours of an April ’05 production start date.

Keep watching CBn for the latest news on Bond 21.

Discuss this article in this thread in CBn’s Bond 21 forums.

Related Articles:

• Bond 21 on Hold, MGM Confirms No Bond in ’05
• Bond 21 To Start Shooting In April ’05?

The Gareth Hudson CBn Interview

A wonderfully balmy summers evening in London last July saw Bond fans flock from far and wide to the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank of the Thames. The event? Just one night in a series by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra known as the ‘South Bank Summer Pops.’

On July 16th, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra presented a one-off James Bond concert in central London: Shaken Not Stirred- The Music Of James Bond included many of the title songs from the series as well as numerous action and romance cues from the film scores that rank among some of the most memorable in both popular and movie music genres.

Gareth Hudson, the conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra during Shaken Not Stirred is based in Dublin where, after being Executive Producer of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, he was recently appointed Associate Conductor of the orchestra with a brief to further develop the orchestra’s light music, family concert and entertainment output. He has conducted over 300 concerts and broadcasts with the RTÉ CO and he also conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra. After making his debut with the Odense Symphony Orchestra, Denmark, in the summer of 2003 he was immediately re-engaged to conduct the orchestra in the ’04/5 season. He recently made his first appearance as a conductor for BBC R2’s Friday Night is Music Night.

He has received a major national Irish award for his “Outstanding Contribution to Music in Ireland” in recognition of his work with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra. Gareth Hudson’s abilities on the podium as a conductor and presenter are matched by his innovative programming ideas from the lighter classical repertoire and the finest quality light music. He has conducted over 100 concerts in his series of family concerts Music for Fun with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra that has also been the subject of a TV Documentary.

His programmes are created for the individual needs of each orchestra from his library of first class arrangements of light classical and ballet music, music theatre and film music (including silent film accompaniment). Other programmes he has devised have included Elation, Movie Classics, Shaken Not Stirred, The Ratpack, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Supertroupers, String Serenade, Valentine Day Classics and Love Against the Odds.

Gareth Hudson has a close association with the world of musical theatre. In 1995 he was selected from over 50 Broadway and West End conductors to be Principal Conductor and Musical Director of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of The Phantom of the Opera for which he recruited the singers and musicians from over 25 countries for a special production in Basel, Switzerland. This ran for two years, was recorded by Polygram and he was subsequently asked by Cameron Mackintosh to conduct the London Production. His work for the BBC has included a very favourably reviewed production of Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot (starring Paul Nicholas and Jason Donovan) for BBC Radio 2.

Half an hour before the concert started, CBn was able to sit down and have a chat with Gareth Hudson, the Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra about the series of 007-themed concerts and his views on the Bond cues that span 40 years of film music.

Do you follow all of the Bond film scores? Or are you just familiar with the title songs? If so, is there a favourite?

To an extent, the concert is a blend, mainly of the title songs. But what makes this concert different is that over the years there have been Bond concerts featuring orchestras and if you were lucky – with one singer, but generally doing an awful lot of “orchestrations” of the songs. I wanted to put the thing back to original sounds. So you’re talking about having three singers; we’re covering the main Bond songs; and there’s a certain amount of the instrumental music too.

One of the reasons this sort of thing hadn’t been done before is that a lot of the arrangements that would had been done for the film soundtracks; the actual orchestrations that had been done for the film had been lost, burnt or whatever. So sometimes these things never get reconstructed. So – if you like, some of the stars of tonight are the team of arrangers and orchestrators who put together the Bond sounds as originally heard.

But, yeah, you were asking about my favourite film; I guess of all of them – it’s very difficult when there have been 20 because you tend not to have seen the most recent ones as many times – but I think the George Lazenby one, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service [is my favourite]. I like it very much. I know it’s controversial, other people like it and other people give it the thumbs down and that’s partly because there were so many rumours like what he [George Lazenby] was like to work with. Was he fired after one? And then there’s another [rumour] that says he was actually more complicated than that. I personally think anyone replacing Sean Connery would have had a hell of a time. Looking at it from a musical point of view a lot of the best usage of music was in there. And it did have some solid acting in there: Joanna Lumley, etcetera. Telly Savalas didn’t do a bad job and Loius Armstrong’s song… things like that. It’s a bit different. Certainly John Barry’s finest score.

With David Arnold incorporating electronic sounds into the scores, was that an issue for you at all?

Obviously, one of the things that’s more different about symphonic Bond concerts is that we carry a full rhythm section. We do this concert on a three-hour rehearsal. If you had more time you’d be balancing it all with synthesisers and things like that. The truth of the matter is, it’s an acoustic concert and therefore you’re trying to give the taste of the original sound. It’s all there, but as you know they spent hours and hours recording and rehearsing the soundtracks and our concept is that we first walk in [to rehearsal] at 3pm and leave at 7:30pm. There is a full rhythm section so a lot – not all of the machine stuff – but what can humanly be done is actually there.

I think David Arnold has actually managed a very difficult situation because they went through a stage with the Bond scores where they wanted to sound hip and get more modern, but they turned their back on the old John Barry sound. Then David Arnold found this way of being hip and bringing it all up to date as well as paying homage to Barry. So I think he’s done an extraordinarily good thing. It seems to me that that whenever a composer turns their back on the original Barry sound, it never is quite so good. There was a French composer [Eric Serra] who almost deliberately said, “I’m not going to use Barry” – and that didn’t work. It’s rather funny that Barry has created this thing; can you imagine as a film composer for the phone to ring and [be asked] “Would you do the next Bond?” Superb. But actually, you couldn’t really be your own man. You’d have to pay tribute to Barry.

As these concerts are essentially your own project, how long has it taken in preparation from the start to now?

This is the fourth or fifth time we’ve done it. I’m attached to this professional orchestra in Dublin; they have a symphony and concert orchestra, rather like the BBC does. Part of my job is to look at new angles on things. We start working on something like this, I mean, I enjoyed it actually, it’s Bond, so it’s a question of listening to all the soundtracks and saying “What would work in a concert in this situation?” In actual fact, this isn’t in any way to insult the Bond genre, but there’s obviously a lot of incidental music, that from a purist’s point of view, you might put a record on and say “Oh, I remember what scene that is from…” however in a concert situation it just wouldn’t work. So, in actual fact, I found that there is about a two hour concert on what I would call the best music. Particularly with all the strict copyright, they don’t like us to show films. The marketing people had a hard job; Eon Productions are actually quite strict on what you can and can’t do. On one hand, a Bond concert sounds like a marketing dream, but in actual fact, it is a tough one because of what we can’t do.

Who would you like to perform the next Bond title song? Do you have a favourite? Should it be instrumental (as with “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”) or a more traditional lyrical number?

I think it would have to be with lyrics. Who is the contemporary person to fit into that genre now? It’s a very good question. Madonna would have been such an obvious choice for the last one. I don’t mind telling you, when it came to picking something from Die Another Day, I went all the way through the soundtrack and we had to get something in, and I’ve actually used this piece, “Welcome to Cuba”, which in the film, after a few bars is turned right down, but as a two-minute piece of Cuban music is actually lovely. But unfortunately there’s no way to take the Madonna piece and turn that around for the stage….At the moment there’s no-one that really jumps out at me as the singer for the next one.

You can discuss the concert in this thread in the CBn Forums.

With thanks to Gareth Hudson, patrickgarvey.com and Chris Evans at the RPO.

Related Articles:

• Shaken Not Stirred: The Music Of James Bond

GoldenEye 64: Something To Remember

GoldenEye 64 set the bar for all kinds of games. It’s an exciting thrill ride that many Bond gamers still measure newly released 007 games by. GoldenEye is based on James Bond’s 17th adventure. In the game you are Bond, James Bond, and must stop the world being destroyed by a secret space weapon, codenamed GoldenEye.

A new revolutionary helicopter, known as the “Pirate” EuroCopter has been stolen right in front of the world’s high-ranking military representatives. Workers at the Severnaya Weapons Facility in Russia are brutally murdered and the base is mysteriously hit by a massive electro-magnetic pulse (EMP), wiping out all electronic devices and all evidence. The Russian Government’s official word is that it was a training exercise gone wrong, though MI6 finds a connection between the “accident” and the stolen Helicopter, and that the incident was certainly no accident. Using a lead they find GoldenEye has fallen into the hands of a Russian crime syndicate known as Janus.

Your mission is to find and stop those who are in control of GoldenEye, at any cost.

This game has something for everyone. There are 20 exciting levels for you to test your wits, two of which you are only accessible by completing the game on the higher difficulty levels. An array of characters are also at your disposal in multiplayer mode, many of which you’ll meet in the levels. Old enemies like Jaws; to new allies like Natalya are some of the characters you’ll be working with… or against.

GoldenEye was a hit game when it was originally released in 1997, and still to this day, is the subject of many Bond game discussions.

If you don’t own Goldeneye 64 you can buy it online from eBay quite cheaply. And if you need a Nintendo 64 games console as well, you can find that on eBay too.

Therefore, presented to you are the mission walkthroughs for all twenty levels for this game. A chance- if you so wish – to get the game back out of the loft, dust off your N64 and play it again.

Brosnan REVOKES his own Licence to Kill

CBn reported back in Febuary of this year that Pierce Brosnan would not be returning to play 007 in Bond 21. Bewteen then and now… Brosnan opened up to talk about how no one really knew what was going on with the next Bond film (1, 2, 3). Soon after that things became silent (1, 2); then news broke out from a source other than Brosnan that there was indeed a despute between the Bond producers and Brosnan and negotiations had crumbled between the two.

Yesterday on Access Hollywood there was mention of Brosnan being cut from the Bond franchise. Now today the magazine Entertainment Weeky has reported that it appears Pierce Brosnan is indeed turning in his licence to kill.

In an interview on the magazines web-site Pierce Brosnan said, “That’s it, I’ve said all I’ve got to say on the world of James Bond.” Brosnan also mentioned that Die Another Day (2002) was his last mission on Her Majesty’s Secret Service. “Bond is another lifetime behind me.” But for Brosnan, playing Bond will always be a fond memory…

“We went out on a high, and I look back affectionately at that time and doing those four movies. But I’ve said all I gotta say on it.”

– Pierce Brosnan
ew.com Interview

So the big question is who does MGM and Eon/Danjaq really have in the running to be the next James Bond? Will they approach Brosnan and ask him to return, and if so will he take the role back for Bond 21? Will Brosnan return in a later movie, like Sean Connery did for Diamonds are Forever and Never Say Never Again? Or have we really seen Pierce Brosnan’s last day as Bond in Die Another Day?

To discuss this news visit this thread in the Bond 21 Forum on CBn.
Thanks to CBn Team Member Athena Stamos.
And Thanks to CBn Forum Members doublenoughtspy and License To Kill for the tips.

The Gloria Hendry CBn Interview

I first met Gloria Hendry in New Oreans in the fall of 2000 and was immediately taken by her beauty. She’s more beautiful now at the age of 55 than she was when she appeared as James Bond’s first African-American love interest in “Live and Let Die” more than 30 years ago. But there is more to Gloria Hendry than just a pretty face. She’s smart, funny, and warm to all that she mets. And she’s a damn good singer, too! She may have never achieved superstardom, but in the eyes of this fan she certainly is a superstar who shines very brightly indeed.

I conducted this interview with Gloria nearly two years after we first met. Some of you may have read it elsewhere before and some of you may be discovering it for the first time. Regardless, I hope you enjoy reading more about this wonderful woman and her experiences working with the world’s greatest secret agent.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am the eldest of two girls. We were born in Florida. My family members are from Georgia, Alabama and Florida. My people are Seminole Indian, African, Creek Indian, Irish, Chinese and something else and range in color from deep chocolate to café ‘ole. Since America symbolizes the melting pot of the world, my family members are true Americans.

My mother left Florida to join my grandmother and grandfather in Jersey City, New Jersey, when I was about 2 years old and my sister around a year old. We lived with them until I was about 7 years old. From the age of 7 until 18, my sister and I lived with my mother and her companion in Newark, New Jersey until I graduated from high school. Throughout elementary school, I maintained excellent grades and played the violin in the All-City Orchestra and performed for radio, and various academic events.

During my high school years, my grades were average and my educational training consisted of Gregg shorthand, typing and various clerical skills to prepare me for my occupation as a Secretary. After graduation, I attended Essex College of Business for Law for a Legal Secretary position. All through school, I excelled in sports of all kinds: basketball, touch football, baseball, volley ball, sprinting, fence climbing, bicycling, swimming, gymnastics, Latin dancing, jumping rope, roller skating which continued into my adulthood, tennis, snow and water skiing, distant running, weight lifting, ballet, roller blading, ice skating and Karate.

You were the first African-American Bond girl (Unless you count Thumper from Diamonds Are Forever) and at the time it wasn’t socially acceptable for a white man to be with a black woman. Do you think that your role in the film helped make the interracial situation more acceptable to audiences?

I remember Harry Saltzman talking seriously to me about racism. He expressed that it was a shame that we still had racism. He said that everyone should marry another race so no one could say they were one race or the other and this would stamp out racism. He suggested to me that I should marry a Caucasian. Then, he introduced me to a very special gentleman whom he considered would be a good choice for me to marry. I went out with him a couple of times, and he told me how to dress and act. I became disinterested in an arranged marriage.

As an African-American woman with a white co-star in the 1970’s did you ever receive any negative feedback from the audiences?

A fan told me that in certain sections of Live and Let Die, where Roger and I were kissing by the lake was cut out. My photograph and name were splattered throughout the world in various newspapers, magazines and billboards with positive comments associating me with Live and Let Die. For a number of years thereafter, people called upon me to make special appearances and/or to give my endorsement for various causes.

If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that I had starred in Live and Let Die. After being associated in advertising all over the world and going from one publicity event to another for Live and Let Die, I found after time had passed my name was no longer associated with the film. Nor was I named or called upon when there was mention or request of the 007 James Bond Ladies. I never knew what to think of that.

How did you get the role of Rosie Carver?

I received a phone call from my manager, Lloyd Kolmar, in New York City, who said, “I need you back in New York to audition for “Live and Let Die,” the James Bond movie. I said I don’t have a chance in the world. They want large breasted women, not me. Besides, I’m not White. My manager said, “They want to see you. Don’t you understand? You have to fly back on your own dime.” I had to think about that. After a couple of days in numbers crunching, I called him back and said exasperated, OKAY! Where is the audition? Lloyd gave me Harry Saltzman’s office address in New York City and the time and date for me to appear. I caught the next flight out. I still had my New York apartment. So, I said to myself, I’m going to put on my best clothes. It was November 1972.

When I walked into Harry Saltzman’s office, I saw this regal, strong, sophisticated, deep, dark set eyes, white-haired man, quietly sitting there. As I entered, he stood up. He said nothing, just gestured for me to sit down and so did he. And in the next moment, he asked me how was my flight here from Los Angeles. I told him. Then, he said, How soon can you fly out to New Orleans to meet the director, Guy Hamilton, and Roger Moore? We can book you on the next flight. If you would like. I said, without thinking, Okay! So before I knew it, Mr. Saltzman made arrangements with his secretary. He had a car waiting for me.

So, off I went to the airport on the next flight out. At the airport in Louisiana, a driver met me with a sign holding up my name and picked me up in a large Mercedes limousine and took me to the French Quarter where someone from the “Live and Let Die” production greeted me. I met with the director, Guy Hamilton, and Roger Moore, The Saint. I was very nervous. We talked, laughed and ate. It was like a dream come true. But, I knew not to take any of this seriously. Then, they took me to the movie set to watch them continue to film “Live and Let Die.” They were most gracious and asked if I wanted to stay for the weekend. I said, No, no thank you. I would like to return to New York on the next available flight. That evening they said, We will call me later to let me know. I returned to New York City and stopped at my apartment again and got a few things, then, hopped the next available flight to Los Angeles, California. About a week had passed, I received a telephone call from my manager, Lloyd, “YOU GOT IT!

Tell us about you relationship with Roger Moore. In his James Bond Diary he refers to you as “Gloriass” which has lead some people to believe that you two didn’t have a “sparkling” relationship.

Throughout the filming of Live and Let Die, Roger Moore and Harry Saltzman were most gracious and kind to me. By the way, during our stay in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, at the Sans Souci Hotel, my room was located in between Roger and his family and Harry and his family which I had the great pleasure of meeting and often having dinner with them. In my mind, I thought they wanted to keep an eye on me and keep me safe. However, I snuck out as often as I could to hang out with the people of Jamaica. I had the fortune to fall in love with a wonderful Jamaican gentleman.

It’s been said that Roger Moore didn’t like or get along with many of his female co-stars. How would you respond to that?

During the filming and stay in Jamaica, Roger shared his chauffeured driven limousine with me each workday. Whenever Roger was asked and he signed his autograph, he gave me the pen and said sign yours too (this was a first-time experience to sign my name for any fan). Each morning, around 6:00am, Roger and I shared the hotel swimming pool, half asleep, pushing dead bumblebees aside, as we swam from one end of the pool to the other, in opposite directions. I liked Roger very much. He was a true gentleman.

Tell us about locations shooting.

We filmed from November through December 1972 in Jamaica. Sometime in December, Harry asked me whom would I love to share the holiday spirit? Without any hesitation, I told him, my Mother. He said, so be it. I called my Mother at her factory job, American Aluminum, in New Jersey, requesting her to take off and join me. My Mother was thrilled. She had never been to Jamaica or for that matter ever flown first-class. Harry had my Mother flown first-class and stay with me until New Year’s Day.

How many days total were you on location shooting?

After my Mother left Jamaica, I was called in for a meeting with Harry and Guy, who said in essence, we don’t want to kill you off Madam because so many people like you. So, standby there might be a script change. A couple of days after that, Harry apologized that they had to kill me. So, we shot the scene that day. Then, I was flown ahead of everyone, as a tourist, to London, England, where someone met me at the airport. My hotel room took up the entire floor of the hotel. I had the opportunity to work at the legendary Pinewood Studios, dubbing and completing interiors.

It was always very dark and cold in London – there was never any sunshine. During my stay, I received a telephone call from a producer and was sent a script and offered a starring role in a film opposite Jim Brown, “Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off,” which I accepted.

The producers often are said to have given the best of the best to their stars. Would you agree?

Yes. They had treated me like I had starred in Live and Let Die and so much more. The only time I saw the film with the public was in New York City at the 1973 United States’ premiere with my mother and her companion, sister and I were chauffeured in a large black limousine Cadillac, a huge affair that I had never ever experienced in my whole life. I remember not knowing how to act because people were shouting my name, asking for my autograph (remembering Roger giving me the pen to sign), cameras were flashing all around me and at that moment in my life, I felt I was somebody really, really special.

My photograph and name were splattered throughout the world in various newspapers and magazines with positive comments. For a number of years thereafter, people called upon me to make special appearances and/or to give my endorsement for various causes. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that I had starred in Live and Let Die.

Everyone on the set treated me like I was starring in Live and Let Die. I had my own chair, dressing area, Roger shared his limousine with me, and personal publicity shots. The photographer followed me throughout filming both in and out of the States. One day, someone on the set came up to me and told the story that the role of Solitaire was initially written for and a Black actress was hired to play the part. While filming somewhere in New York City or New Orleans, they decided that it was too risky to have a Black Woman end up with James Bond. Therefore, the role of Rosie Carver was switched to Black and the role of Solitaire was switched to White. That is where I came in. I am known as MRS. JAMES BOND.

Tell us about working with Guy Hamilton and the others on the crew. I’ve talked with Guy Hamilton and he seems like he’d be a pleasure to work with.

Guy Hamilton was a joy to work with. He took his time. Never got upset. If the scene was not working, he would take me aside and have a conversation about the weather, then mention a thing or two about the scene. Then we would return to filming. Roger disliked retakes, so Guy handled Roger with great care and consideration, as he did all of us.

---

To discuss this interview please visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

Dana Broccoli (1922-2004)

In what will be shocking news to family, friends, and Bond fans around the world, CBn has learned that Dana Broccoli, wife of Cubby Broccoli and defacto Godmother of the James Bond franchise, passed away becasue of cancer on Sunday February 29th in her Beverly Hills home at the age of 82. Her funeral will be held at the Church of the Hills at Forest Lawn in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 4th.

She was born Dana Natol in New York on January 3, 1922. Dana Broccoli worked in Hollywood as an actress in the late 1940s and early ’50s before publishing a number of novels. She first met Cubby Broccoli in the late ’40s when he was selling Christmas trees in Beverly Hills and she was known as Dana Wilson. The pair did not start a romance until years later when they met again in the spring of 1959. At that time, Dana Wilson was looking for a producer to make Dutch Treat, a story based on her family history.

Cubby Broccoli was, by then, one of the most successful producers working in England and Europe. Broccoli did not produce the film, but he did marry Dana Wilson six weeks later.

Although not well known, Dana Broccoli had a remarkable impact on the success of James Bond. Described by friends and co-workers as refined and elegant, Dana Broccoli worked as an unofficial advisor to Cubby during the creation and making of the Bond films. She read the early screenplays, making important suggestions, and helped considerably with the casting of the films. Her first chance to assist came when Cubby Broccoli called her down to a screening of a Disney film about leprechauns.

Dana Broccoli quickly told her husband that the burly farmhand in the film would make a fine James Bond. The actor was Sean Connery.

Other crew members on the Bond films recall how Dana Broccoli’s own sense of casual grace helped mold the character and the series over the years.

CBn would like to express its sincere condolences to Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson, and everyone associated with the Bond “family”.

If you wish to send the Broccoli family your condolences… in lieu of flowers they would appreciate donations made to their charity – The Dana & Albert “Cubby” Broccoli Center for Aortic Diseases. Many Thanks.

To discuss this news visit this thread of the CBn Forums
Thank you to N. Peress for informing us.

Sideshow Unveil Special New Figure

Sideshow Collectibles have unveiled a new 1/4 scale figure of Sean Connery, sculpted by veteran Mat Falls (creator of some of Sideshow’s standard line of Bond figures.)

This new semi-articulated figure boasts stunningly realistic Connery likeness, polystone head and hands, a film accurate tailored costume, and a James Bond gunbarrel base! Retailing at their site for a cool $225, and shipping in the later half of this year (August/September)

Those who are still collecting their superb current and exhaustive line of Bond figures fear not! This special collectible doesn’t make yours obsolete, and the release of the new Goldeneye & Thunderball figures proves the range is steaming ahead in 2004.

Since Sideshow Collectibles obtained the licence to make these figures in late 2002, the range boasts 22 individual pieces each with stunning likeness and attention-to-detail that will make them surefire collectibles in the future and this limited edition Connery figurine is bound to rouse excitement in the hearts of collectors and Bond fans alike.

Feel free to discuss this release in this thread of the CBn Forums.