James Bond producers concerned by film delay, says Hollywood Reporter

James Bond’s state of suspended animation hasn’t kept the superspy out of the news. Today, in the wake of Activision launching its next original 007 adventure Blood Stone, the Hollywood Reporter leads with the latest on Bond 23‘s inertia.

According to the trade paper’s source, a former MGM insider, James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are “deeply concerned” about the effect the delay will have on the picture when it finally moves forward.

“They’re completely panicked that if they go five, six years without a Bond movie, it’ll be over,” a former MGM insider told the paper. “They don’t want to kill the golden goose.”

The source claims Broccoli is hoping MGM will be sold to Time Warner, whose bid for the studio is the highest that has so far been offered. The producer is said to have doubts about whether other interested studios, including Spyglass Entertainment, Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate, could handle the scale of a Bond production. However, at $1.5 billion, Time Warner’s offer is well below the amount sought by MGM’s creditors. MGM is currently buckling under $4 billion of debt.

“They want to continue with Sony since Sony spends.” – Former MGM insider

The former MGM insider told the Hollywood Reporter, “Bond’s the entire yearly production budget for Lionsgate, and you’ve got Carl Icahn [the US investor currently seeking to acquire Lionsgate] saying they’re spending too much money. These [prospective MGM buyers] freak them out. [But] all they can do is work behind the scenes to get what they want.”

Eon were previously reported to be interested in MGM being bought by Time Warner last month.

Broccoli and Wilson are also keen to continue their relationship with Sony Pictures, which began with 2006’s Casino Royale. “They want to continue with Sony since Sony spends,” the Hollywood Reporter’s source said.

The Bond producers are clearly protective of their family’s legacy. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Broccoli was quizzed by Sony’s top brass early in their relationship about what they like to see in studio executives. According to the paper’s source, “Barbara said, ‘We generally like studio executives, but we don’t like assholes like John Calley.’ [Sony chairman, president and CEO] Howard Stringer finally cut her off. It was the most awkward moment. [But] it was her way of firing a shot across the bow.”

Eon’s influence over the studio is evident in their successful hiring of Daniel Craig for Casino Royale. Broccoli took note of Craig after MGM requested she watch Matthew Vaughan’s Layer Cake, who was under consideration to direct Casino Royale.

“Barbara said, ‘I really like this guy, Daniel Craig,’ ” the Hollywood Reporter’s former MGM insider said. “We were horrified. We liked Eric Bana, Hugh Jackman. To her credit, she thought [Craig] was a great actor, had this magnetism. We wanted to do one more with Pierce [Brosnan]. [The producers] are generally cautious, but they are capable of doing bold strokes.”

“James Bond will return. It’s been true for 50 years.” – Bruce Feirstein

Meanwhile, past 007 alumni were quick to dispel fears the franchise would lose steam should Bond 23 not move ahead in the near future.

“I’m not worried about 007,” said James Bond screenwriter Bruce Feirstein, who most recently penned the scripts for Activision’s GoldenEye and Blood Stone. “There’s a line at the end of every movie which we used in the video game: It’s that James Bond will return. It’s been true for 50 years. A hiccup like what’s going on at MGM is not going to change that.”

Feirstein also noted that interest in James Bond didn’t wane during the six-year gap between 1989’s Licence to Kill and 1995’s GoldenEye.

GoldenEye‘s casting director Pam Dixon agreed. “The long break was a plus in that instance,” she said.

Broccoli and Wilson declined to comment to the Hollywood Reporter. However, there’s no doubting the sentiments behind behind Michael G. Wilson’s opening quip at the Blood Stone launch: “I wish we were launching a movie.”

Be sure to check out the Hollywood Reporter’s full coverage.

Development on the latest James Bond film has been suspended since April 2010.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for all the latest Bond 23 developments.

First Nintendo DS GoldenEye details emerge

Video game developers n-Space have revealed the first details of the Nintendo DS version of the upcoming GoldenEye remake.

The first snippets of information were released to coincide with Activision exhibiting 2010’s two new James Bond games – GoldenEye and Blood Stone – at San Diego Comic-Con.

Courtesy of n-Space’s blog, here’s what gamers can expect from the DS version of the anticipated 007 remake…

GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo DS is an all new first-person action game developed by n-Space in conjunction with the Wii title. GoldenEye 007 for the DS offers all of the epic action of James Bond’s greatest adventure, built from day one to push the capabilities of the Nintendo DS to its absolute limits. In both single and multiplayer, GoldenEye 007 delivers covert action on a handheld like you’ve never seen it before.

What makes GoldenEye 007 so special?

James Bond in GoldenEye in 2010

GoldenEye 007 is a re-envisioning of the film’s original story. Rather than a one for one remake of the original game, GoldenEye 007 takes the undeniable finesse of James Bond and the incredible events of the 1995 film and delivers them in a handheld game that incorporates all of the elements that made the classic game great, all with the quality and style of a modern day shooter.

GoldenEye 007 delivers the complete saga of GoldenEye re-envisioned by famed Bond author Bruce Feirstein for 2010 starring Daniel Craig as the world’s greatest secret agent. The game features the same full voice cast as the Wii title – Dame Judi Dench, Rory Kinnear, a cast of new talents as the classic GoldenEye lineup, and of course Daniel Craig as James Bond.

Travel the world as James Bond, through locations both vintage and new, taken from both the original film and the zeitgeist of the modern era. Tear through the dam at Arkhangelsk, snake through the snowy surface of Severnaya, and rampage through St Petersburg in a tank – all with the skill and style of 007.

Covert Action on the DS

GoldenEye 007 is a covert action game, using a combination of tactical shooting encounters and stealth ops situations to let the player experience what it truly feels like to execute a mission as James Bond 007.

GoldenEye 007 is a “thinking man’s shooter,” rewarding brains over bullets. Bond’s greatest weapon is his mind, and the player is rewarded for making tactical decisions rather than charging in and spraying gunfire. Environmental kills, unconventional routes, distractions, and silent takedowns are the norm in GoldenEye 007.

GoldenEye 007 is built from the ground up to take full advantage of the Nintendo DS’s special features. The player also uses the Touch Screen for feats of both strength and skill – smashing through barricades, escaping a doomed helicopter, and leaping from the Arkhangelsk dam!

Unparalleled Handheld Multiplayer

GoldenEye 007 recreates the classic fun of the original title with a focus on multiplayer first-person gaming never before seen on the DS.

GoldenEye 007 supports 6 players in both wireless and Wi-Fi connections across the globe. A full suite of game modes are available, with vintage modes like Golden Gun and Flag Tag making a return alongside some new game types.

A full spread of modifiers allows players to change the state of the game to create a whole new experience in an all-new way.

An enormous number of multiplayer awards are available for players to unlock; guaranteeing hours of both cooperative and competitive play online.

We look forward to sharing more about this great new DS title in the coming months!

Screenshots from the DS version of GoldenEye remain forthcoming.

n-Space are also developing the DS version of Blood Stone.

Stay tuned to CommanderBond.net for our full report direct from San Diego Comic-Con.

"I want to get going on it as quickly as possible."

A brief update on the 23rd James Bond film today courtesy of Empire magazine.

The Empire team shared the following tweet an hour ago from San Diego Comic-Con…

“Bond is on hold, but all I can say is I want to get going on it as quickly as possible.” – Daniel Craig. Ten seconds ago. @empiremagazine

Craig appeared with Harrison Ford at San Diego Comic-Con to promote Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens, in which the pair star.

Last week at the launch of Activision’s Blood Stone, producer Michael G. Wilson also shared his commitment to making Bond 23. “[We’re] convinced that we’ll be bringing you another Bond film soon.”

Craig has lent his voice and likeness to two James Bond video games to be released this year: GoldenEye and Blood Stone.

Development on the latest James Bond film has been suspended since April 2010.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for all the latest Bond 23 developments.

Jeffery Deaver on updating James Bond

Details about the next James Bond novel – tentatively called Project X – remain sparse, but author Jeffery Deaver has dropped some more hints about his approach to writing about 007 in an interview with the News & Observer.

The bestselling thriller writer confirmed that his Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award-winning book Garden of Beasts was what landed him the 007 gig. “What happened was, a book of mine, Garden of Beasts, was a hit in Europe. It’s a historical thriller about a hit man in America given the option to go to Berlin for 1936 Olympics and assassinate the guy that was helping Germany rearm after World War I.”

“It’s actually my favorite book of any I’ve written, and it won an award in Europe that was sponsored by the Ian Fleming estate. When I accepted the award, I said how it meant a lot to me because I had read all the Bond books when I was young and they were a big influence on me.”

“I didn’t think anything of it beyond that. Then out of the blue, my agent got a call, and – was I interested in writing the next James Bond novel?”

“The Russians never did attack America; the threat of nuclear war didn’t happen. It’s hard to generate tension with those things anymore.” – Jeffery Deaver

However, there were a number of hurdles to overcome before Deaver accepted the offer. “I almost had to turn it down due to legal issues with my other publishers. And I also didn’t want to do a period piece. The Russians never did attack America; the threat of nuclear war didn’t happen. It’s hard to generate tension with those things anymore. There are new threats other than Cold War threats. But as it turns out my fears were unfounded because they want me to write a book in the modern day.”

“I joke that I have a co-author, Mr Fleming, because his estate is looking over my shoulder.” – Jeffery Deaver

But how exactly does Deaver plan to update Ian Fleming’s quintessential spy for the 21st century? “I’m writing the book myself, but I joke that I have a co-author, Mr Fleming, because his estate is looking over my shoulder. The work that I’ve done has been preliminarily approved. But I do have to go back and forth with them to get the details straight, which we’ll do over the next few months.”

“The book will be set in mid-2011, which is when the book will be coming out. Bond is a 29- or 30-year-old agent for British security, doing what he did in the original books. And he will be a veteran of the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. You’ll see the cast of characters readers are familiar with – Miss Moneypenny and M – but updated for the present day.”

“The character in the books is much more complicated. He’s darker. He’s a killer.” – Jeffery Deaver

It’s clear Deaver is taking his time to craft a well-plotted adventure. The author’s finished outline runs at about 180 pages. “What I’m doing is taking two templates, or formulas. One is taking the very complicated and edgy character that Fleming created. If people know Bond only from the movies, that’s just one interpretation. The character in the books is much more complicated. He’s darker. He’s a killer. The 00 classification, the license to kill, didn’t mean he was allowed to kill someone defending himself. It meant he was sent out on assignment for the express purpose of assassinating someone.”

“It takes a very special kind of person to do that. Now in fact, he rarely did. In some books, he didn’t kill anybody. He took a life if he needed to, regretfully. He didn’t enjoy it. Which, I think, makes him all the more human. He’s a flawed character. So that’s template one. And that will all translate into the modern day very well. It’s a post-modern character, really.”

“The other template is my kind of storytelling – very intricate plotting, very fast paced. The book will take place over only a few days. There will be exotic locations – and that’s part of the Bond formula as well, of course. It will have a lot of twists and turns and misdirections, and several big surprise endings.”

Be sure to check out the full interview, in which Deaver discusses more about his approach to thriller writing, in the News & Observer.

Deaver plans to deliver the Project X manuscript by 30 October. The book will be published around 28 May 2011 by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK and Simon & Schuster in the US.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest literary James Bond news.

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007 producers confident Bond 23 will move ahead soon

James Bond film producer Michael G. Wilson quashed rumours that the 23rd 007 film has been cancelled at the London launch of Activision’s Blood Stone this week.

While Wilson refused to be drawn on MGM’s financial woes – the reason behind production on Bond 23 stalling – the long-time producer told IGN UK, “Both Barbara [Broccoli, Wilson’s producing partner] and I are convinced that we’ll be bringing you another Bond film soon.”

Speculation that Bond 23 had been outright cancelled moved through the press earlier this month when the Daily Mirror published an article claiming production staff on the film had been given their marching orders.

However, the trade press were quick to dismiss the report, with a number of outlets claiming Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes remain committed to making Bond 23.

Development on the latest James Bond film has been suspended since April 2010.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for all the latest Bond 23 developments.

Christopher Nolan: "I'd love to direct a Bond film"

Christopher Nolan, the Oscar-nominated director behind Memento, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, and long known to be a James Bond fan, has told BBC News that he’s keen to helm a 007 film in the future.

“I’ve loved the Bond films since I was a kid. For me, they’re always about the expansiveness of cinema.” – Christopher Nolan

Nolan’s latest film, Inception, is currently in cinemas, and it’s heavily influenced by 007, the director says. “The Bond influence on [Inception] was very intentional because, for me, growing up with the Bond films – they’ve always stood for grand-scale action.”

“[The Bond films have always] stood for the promise of being taken to some place bigger than you could have imagined. In dealing with the human mind and dreams, my mind naturally gravitates towards the Bond films as that sort of expression of cinematic potential. By the end of the film you feel that Inception could go anywhere and do anything.”

Deadline relays more from the BBC, in which Nolan reveals his desire to helm a James Bond film. “I’ve loved the Bond films since I was a kid. For me, they’re always about the expansiveness of cinema. The first Bond films set up infinite possibilities about the world they create. I’d love to do a Bond film.”

In particular, Nolan has cited On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – his favourite Bond film – as an influence on Inception.

Bond fans excited by the prospect of Nolan helming a Bond pic shouldn’t hold their breath, though. The director is next expected to tackle a third Batman film, reportedly due for release in July 2012. He has also been linked to a new Superman film.

Sam Mendes remains committed to directing the 23rd James Bond film, even though its development is currently suspended.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest James Bond news.

Charlie Higson in discussions over Young Bond's future

What does the future hold for Young Bond? James Bond fans may be one step closer to finding out today after Charlie Higson revealed via Twitter that he is meeting to discuss a number of his properties, including Young Bond, The Enemy and Monstroso.

Various meetings today to discuss the future of Young Bond, the Enemy, Monstroso & 1 with an academic to discuss the past -Randall & Hopkirk
– monstroso

The Dead, Charlie Higson’s sequel to The Enemy, will be published in September 2010. The book is the second in a proposed trilogy.

In May, Charlie Higson raised the possibility of a new trilogy of books set during James Bond’s Fettes years.

You can follow Charlie Higson on Twitter at @monstroso.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for all the latest Young Bond news.

Bond 23 tabloid reports false, claim trade press

Last week’s report in the Daily Mirror claiming production staff on the 23rd James Bond film were told the film was “canned” prompted tabloid press around the world to forecast the death of the cinematic 007. This claim has now been discounted by several trade publications.

According to the Hollywood Reporter’s Risky Business blog, nothing has changed since Eon Productions’ April announcement that Bond 23 is “delayed indefinitely”.

Deadline is making similar sounds. According to the site’s source, “There is no new news. Development will resume once MGM is viable again, as Danjaq can’t go anywhere without them. So all bets are off. No idea when this will get resolved.”

Deadline claims both Daniel Craig and Sam Mendes remain committed to the next James Bond film.

Rumour site Gossip Cop also claims the report was false. According to sources apparently close to Daniel Craig, “The situation remains exactly the same as for the last many months. The filmmakers formally announced then that the current production of Bond 23 was being postponed due to the issues relating to the sale of MGM. Nothing has changed and production is only postponed, not cancelled.”

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest James Bond news.

Tabloid report: Bond 23 production "canned"

Reports that the 23rd James Bond film is in development purgatory have flared up again in the UK press this week after the Daily Mirror ran a story claiming the film’s production staff have been notified its development is suspended.

Eon Productions announced in April that Bond 23 had been “delayed indefinitely” thanks to MGM’s ongoing financial woes.

This week, the Daily Mirror quoted an alleged insider on the production who told the paper, “Members of the production crew have been told the Bond film has been canned. There is a lot of bad feeling as a lot of time, money and hard work has already gone into this.”

An Eon spokesperson told the paper, “We do not know when development will resume and cannot comment further at this stage.”

Last June, it was reported that director Sam Mendes – whose involvement in Bond 23 has not been officially announced – remains committed to helming the next 007 picture.

The report has prompted other media outlets – including guardian.co.uk – to speculate over the future of the Bond film franchise. Given the unreliability of British tabloids, the Daily Mirror’s report ought to be taken with a grain of salt.

However, it remains clear that the uncertainty over MGM’s future is continuing keep Bond 23 from moving ahead. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the studio is set to seek a sixth extension on its debt and interest payments. The studio is expected to formally request the extension this week.

The trade paper reports that the studio is being pressured to sell its share of the rights to The Hobbit films. Studio executives are keen to retain the rights, but some lenders are pushing for them to be sold in a bid to raise capital.

The top bid for MGM – Warner Bros. with $1.5 billion – was rejected as being too low, but according to the Hollywood Reporter, the offer still stands.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest James Bond news.

Jeffery Deaver to deliver Project X manuscript by 30 October

An update on the United Agents blog – the literary agent for the Ian Fleming Estate – alerts James Bond fans to the news that the manuscript for Jeffery Deaver’s Project X will be delivered by 30 October.

Deaver, currently on tour in the United Kingdom, is in the process of outlining the novel, the first in a contemporary re-imagining of the literary 007.

The blog post also reveals that Project X has landed its first foreign publication deal, with Dutch publisher Unieboek. It’s anticipated the book will be published in over 30 countries following its release next May.

Offers are already coming in from publishers in Germany, France, Spain, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Korea.

Project X – working title only – will be published on 28 May 2011 by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK and Simon & Schuster in the US.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest literary James Bond news.

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