The CBn Dossier, August '05

Welcome to the August 2005 CBn Dossier, a wrap-up of all the 007 news and rumours for the month. In this month’s column, we’ll be examining the never-ending rumours and news of Casino Royale, the current status of the upcoming videogame, From Russia With Love, the adult Bond novel announcement and release information for Charlie Higson’s Young Bond book series. Plus the news of Titan tackling Colonel Sun next for their comic strip adaption releases, the news that Roger Moore will be recording commentaries for the upcoming 2006 DVD’s and much, much more.

This month’s CBn Dossier will be delivered by Devin Zydel.

Enjoy.

All Things Casino Royale

Since the news of the James Bond contenders being “whittled down to four”, there has been discussion pertaining to all of the four contenders, but still no official announcement of who 007 #6 will be. One of the four contenders, Alex O’Lachlan confirmed the news that he was one of the four actors who performed an audition for the main role in Casino Royale, saying, “I’m spinning out of my brain about it, I flew to London, stayed on Piccadilly and was looked after beautifully. [I was] fitted out at Hugo Boss for a tuxedo, had my hair cut and filmed two scenes.” He says a final decision was expected in 20 days, which worked out to be late August. Hmm…

Other news pertaining to Casino Royale is that Oscar-nominated screenwriter Paul Haggis has been reportedly announced to be rewriting the screenplay crafted so far by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. Haggis’ past work includes the acclaimed Million Dollar Baby as a screenwriter and 2005 sleeper hit Crash, which marked his directorial debut.

Meanwhile, there is also news that Eon Productions may have difficulty in securing their planned locations in South Africa, which was confirmed by Michael G. Wilson as a shooting location. While locations doubling for others is no new thing for the Bond films, many fans long for a time when the shooting location featured in the film is the actual location featured in the story. We can hope…

Finally, we move onto Pierce Brosnan and the endless rumours that he’ll be back as Bond, despite all else said and all other news. Brosnan telling the public that he’s done bonding with the 007 franchise is nothing new, but this time, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he went to further extents to explain that it really is all over, lashing out at the producers, one-liners, image, and more related to the cinematic 007:

“It never felt real to me, I never had complete ownership over Bond. Because you’d have these stupid one-liners ? which I loathed ? and I always felt phony doing them. I’d look at myself in the suit and tie and think, ‘What the heck am I doing here?’.”

Two things to note about Brosnan’s interview was him citing the producers (currently Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson) as “the most frustrating thing about the role: [the producers] play it so safe. The pomposity and rigamarole that they put directors through is astounding,” as well as Brosnan’s wish for the project to someday film Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale – something he won’t be apart of now.

Literature

Starting off the month, members of the Blades Library Book Club started reading Ian Fleming’s The Spy Who Loved Me. You just have to be a CBn member and add your name to the sign-in thread to join in! Also, the CBn “Looking Back…” series continued with John Gardner’s Death Is Forever, Never Send Flowers, and SeaFire.

The big news this month is by far the announcement that Ian Fleming Publications (IFP) is planning an adult James Bond novel in 2008, 100 years since the birth of the creator of 007, Ian Fleming. Names such as Lee Child, John le Carré, and past Bond author John Gardner have been mentioned, with Gardner ruling himself out. This would be the first time fans would be seeing an adult Bond continuation novel since Raymond Benson’s The Man With The Red Tattoo, which was released in 2002. This will without a doubt be one of the most followed stories in the upcoming months!

Keeping up to date with the recent Young Bond series by author Charlie Higson, a Large Print edition of SilverFin is now available for pre-order on Amazon. (And in the words of CBn’s zencat, pre-ordering these editions is a must.) The SilverFin audiobook will also be available in the US (in March 2006) according to a listing on amazon.

If keeping up with SilverFin wasn’t enough, Higson’s second Young Bond novel, Blood Fever is appearing up for bid on eBay in the advanced/uncorrected proof copy format. The novel won’t be published until 5 January 2006. Not to mention the release of “essential information” on Amazon.de on Blood Fever: “a Mediterranean mystery, one kidnapped girl – feisty, blond, superfit Amy Goodenough, sister of James’ best friend Mark, one villainous pirate – Zoltan Magyr, mysterious Latin-speaking men lurking near Eton, and one fast car.” Sardinian bandits and an Italian Count trying to restore the Holy Roman Empire also play a major part in the novel.

In the illustrated 007 department, there comes news that Colonel Sun and River Of Death will be making up the next highly anticipated release from Titan Books in December 2005. The most recent collection, The Spy Who Loved Me was released on the 26th of August. Be sure to read Red Grant’s review of the collection on the CBn main page.

CBn: Bond At Its Best

Two new CBn Podcasts were also made available on the mainpage, the first covering the 007 news in July, and the second featuring an interview with CBn’s own, Paul Dunphy. The CBn Podcast now has over an amazing 1500 listeners. Be sure to check them both out! How the Podcast works can be read here.

CBn wishes to congratulate CBn member thuffner for winning the CBn Remington Steele DVD competition. Congrats!

I was also able to interview author Michael Di Leo on his book, The Spy Who Thrilled Us: A Guide To The Best Of Cinematic James Bond. Check the book out if you haven’t already, it is available on the US and UK amazon websites. Read the CBn Interview here.

From Russia With…Connery, Bedingfield, Menounos, and more

August brought more news, screenshots and information centering around the upcoming EA videogame, From Russia With Love. It was officially announced by EA that Maria Menounos will be starring in the game as ‘Eva’, Red Grant’s henchwoman – a character not featured in the original novel or film. Natasha Bedingfield is also confirmed to appear in the game as original character Elizabeth Stark, the British Prime Minister’s daughter. Bedingfield previously performed the end-title song for the previous EA installment, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent

Both are “honoured” to be starring alongside Sean Connery – lucky guy.

The From Russia With Love cover art was revealed and confirmed to CBn to be “99% final”. James Bond and Tatiana Romanova are featured prominently on the cover. The videogame’s release date is 28 October in the UK and 1 November in the US according to Amazon.

Be sure to check out the CBn Exclusive screenshots as well.

Sir Sean & Sir Roger

CBn wishes a happy birthday to Sir Sean Connery, who celebrated his 75th on 25 August 2005.

There also came the terrific news that Sir Roger Moore is planning to record DVD commentaries for all of his seven James Bond films in time for their release in late 2006. Things are shaping up nicely for these 2006 DVD releases. Keep watching CBn for all further reports.

It’s safe to say that as Bond fans, we have alot to look forward to. As always, stay tuned to CBn for daily coverage of all things James Bond.

To discuss this month’s CBn Dossier visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

Related Links

• The CBn Dossier, July ’05
• The CBn Dossier, June ’05
• The CBn Dossier, May ’05
• The CBn Dossier, April ’05
• The CBn Dossier, March ’05
• The CBn Dossier, February ’05

The CBn Dossier, July '05

Welcome to the July 2005 CBn Dossier, a wrap-up of all the 007 news and rumours for the month (and if you read carefully, a scoop or two). In this month’s column, we investigate the looming announcement of James Bond #6, Charlie Higson’s second Young Bond novel, “Blood Fever”, the mysterious “Moneypenny Diaries”, CBn’s little bit to help out Lana “Plenty O’Toole” Wood and more.

Today, CBn’s Tim Roth delivers this month’s CBn Dossier.

Enjoy.

Casino Royale

In last month’s dossier, my good friend Heiko wrote: “All quiet on the Casino Royale front” and asked: “A calm before the storm?” He should be proved right. July brought a hell of a lot of Casino Royale news. It all started with CBn speculating that Casino Royale could be a “One Location Bond”, a sort of Bond movie that we haven’t had in a while. The possibility is suggested by the news that all exteriors and location work will be done in South Africa, with filming in Prague confined to studio soundstage work. Let’s hope that Phil Meheux will capture some great shots of the great, diversified African landscape. Yup, you heard it right: Phil Meheux, who already worked together with Martin Campbell on GoldenEye, is locked in as Casino Royale’s director of photography.

CBn also got word that high-profile editor Stuart Baird is a favourite of director Martin Campbell and may board James Bond’s latest adventure. With all the recent confirmation, Eon and Campbell appear to be assembling an impressive A-list crew for Casino Royale.

According to an article in the “International Herald-Tribune”, the Fiat Panda will have a cameo in the latest James Bond movie. But don’t worry – it’s already been confirmed that Bond’s going to drive an Aston Martin again (the V8 Vantage). As the Panda seems to be a rover vehicle it is very possible that he will be seen in some South Africa savannah. A picture of the Panda can be found in our report.

About 10 days ago, British paper “The Telegraph” surprised us with the information that “the list has been whittled down to four.” The list of potential successors of Pierce Brosnan, that is. The report became even more explosive when CBn learned that Martin Campbell had flown over to London for a duration of two weeks. Final castings? Preparations for a press conference? We don’t know— yet.

Only four days later, “The Sunday Mirror” was friendly enough to reveal who they think are the contenders: Goran Visnjic (32), Henry Cavill (22), Alex O’Lachlan (28), as well as Ewan Stewart (47). Although this was a report by a tabloid, there may be some truth in it. Back in May CBn shook Bond fans with a report that Eon was considering some very young actors for the role, including one “hot contender” who was only 22. Well, guess who that 22-year old was? Yep, Henry Cavill. So, what to make out of the report? Are the names of the four contenders for real or is it all a big smokescreen? CBn has received word from one of our regular sources that an official announcement is imminent…

Literature

Young Bond Book Number 2, which previously went under the working title “Double M”, got a final title and a cover this month. “Blood Fever”, as it is now called, will involve, in Charlie Higson’s words, “pirates, bandits, art thieves and a shoot-out in a cave; everything you could want from a James Bond book.” The story will be set in Sardina, Italy, where Young Bond spends his holidays.

Additionally, information about a lot of other literary works in connection with James Bond have emerged this month. For example, Raymond Benson’s novelisation of The World Is Not Enough, originally published in 1999, has just been released in a large print edition by Ulverscroft Large Print.

Meanwhile, another book Raymond Benson was the precursor of, got attention. “James Bond: The Man and His World“ is the first major work on the literary Bond since Raymond Benson’s “The James Bond Bedside Companion” in the mid-eighties. CBn was able to get a terrific first look at the cover art and publishers notes. Written by Henry Chancellor, the blurb promises:

No book has used the Fleming archive to explore the three-dimensional world of this quintessential secret agent, revealing what inspired it, and who inspired him. Complete, authoritative and entertaining, it will take you on a journey through myth and reality, from Moscow to Mayfair, the bedroom to the war-room, the casino to the villain’s lair.

Available from 24 October 2005.

By the way, Raymond Benson’s 3rd original Bond novel, “High Time To Kill”, is to be published in Japan in fall. Well… Raymond Benson… there was another thing this month… Right! Former Bond novel author Raymond Benson gave CBn an exclusive report about the “007 The Man With The Red Tattoo Museum”, located in Naoshima, Japan. Click here to read this extraordinary piece of work and view Raymond’s Japan image gallery!

Also, with the help of “Bond and Beyond”, CBn was able to shed some light onto another, formerly mysterious new book.

Called “The Moneypenny Diaries”, Ian Fleming Publications, who control the rights on the literary James Bond, denied knowing anything about the book. Written by Kate Westbrook, the publishers notes say: “‘My heart breaks for James…’ – so begins the explosive, true, private diary of Miss Jane Moneypenny, Personal Secretary to Secret Service chief M and colleague and confidante of James Bond.“ But could a book like this really be published without the knowledge of IFP? Is IFP just playing coy, or is this literary equivalent of Never Say Never Again? This is going to be one to watch.

Our regular series “Looking Back…” this month featured John Gardner’s novels “Brokenclaw” and “The Man from Barbarossa”.

CBn could also unveil some new information on a book called “Spies, Vixens & Masters of Kung Fu”, a work that will feature a section devoted to Paul Gulacy’s work on the 1992 graphic novel, “Serpent’s Tooth”, which saw 007 traveling to the jungles of Peru to stop a madman from creating a series of deadly tsunamis…

All things CBn…

The month started with CBn announcing the first James Bond, 007 Podcast. For the first time ever, the monthly CBn Dossier, a round-up of everything James Bond, can now be listed to on your iPod and subscribed to. How the Podcast works can be read here.

Congrats to CBn Member “K1Bond007”, who was the lucky winner of a rare “SilverFin” promotional poster that CBn gave away at the beginning of July. Then Under the raunchy title of “Win ‘Pussy Galore’” (I, in fact, opted for “Win a free Pussy” 😉 ), CBn member “North Scorpion” won the 12″ figure from Sideshow Collectibles. Congratulations to you and have fun with the Pussy ( – Galore, that is).

We were also able to add another great interview to our “CBn Interview” section; this time with ‘OO7 Magazine’ publisher Graham Rye. He is the former president of the James Bond International Fan Club, but his life has been dominated by James Bond for at least two decades. Click for Part I and Part II. In combination with this, CBn was also able to bring you an exclusive peek inside the ‘OO7’ Magazine design studio and a first look at the new issue.

Finally big congratulations to CBn itself, to everyone in the Team, to all the forum members and loyal readers of the world’s greatest James Bond website (Yes, I know, self-praise stinks, but don’t take it amiss 🙂 ). CBn this month celebrated its 5th birthday! How everything started and how the site developed – who could be a better story teller than the Admiral himself? Cheers on everyone and especially Dave, here is the ultimate CBn history!

Good works

This month, CBn in collaboration with Doctor Shatterhands Botanical Garden helped to promote an auction for Lana Wood’s daughter Ev. The auction winner, Paul Wynn (London, UK) is now in possession of a 1958 Diamonds Are Forever PAN paperback and the original Diamonds Are Forever soundtrack both signed by Lana Wood. Lana will be sending him a candid photo of her and her family as well. After the auction we accepted additional donations, thank you to everyone who donated additional money for Lana Wood’s daughter: Charlie Axworthy, Chris Wright, Paul Wynn, Rodney Richey and an annoymous CBn member who matched the winning bid. A total of $1,007 (wink wink 007, yes we did this on purpose) is being given to Lana this weekend at the Hollywood Collector’s Show in Burbank, CA.

Other items from Diamonds Are Forever and other Bond movies were up for auction in the Radison SAS hotel at London Stansted Airport on July 8, 2005. The auction raised over £6000 for “InterAct”, an Essex based charity which enables local people with mental health problems and learning disabilities to transform their lives.

The ‘007 Scene It?’ Test Drive

A group of 12 Bond fans in Los Angeles got together with John Cork and Bruce Scivally (who wrote the trivia card questions) for a night of 007 fun. The goal of the evening was to test drive Screenlife’s game, “Scene It? James Bond Edition.” Those in attendance ranged from hardcore Bond Fanatics to people who just came for the free food and booze. It sounds like it was an amazing evening, Athena’s story on this can be read here.

Collecting

CBn stopped by the Sideshow Collectibles booth at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con for a looksee at their latest Bond offerings. While there were no Bond surprises at this year’s con (Sideshow’s BIG news was the announcement of the license to produce 12-inch Star Wars figures), we did get a close up look at the prototype for Moonraker Moore (due out in the 3rd quarter 2005). Sideshow’s Production Coordinator, Scott Klauder, told us that we could expect more 1/4 scale Premium Bond figures with an announcement coming in the next few months. We can also expect news of a new 12-inch figure soon. See this report!

Bond Collectors Weekend 8 – New York

There are a couple spots left for the Bond Collectors Weekend August 25-28 in New York City. For more information visit this article and make sure to contact Matt Sherman ASAP to make your reservations (1-352-373-1992 or [email protected])

Obituaries – Hubert Fröhlich

On Friday, July 22nd, Hubert Fröhlich died in Herrsching near Munich, Germany. He worked as a production manager on On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and was the one, who actually found the Schilthorn mountain in Switzerland as a location. Fröhlich was responsible for a lot of the organization and the workers. Having had a secondary residence near Mürren, Fröhlich was known for being a great guide for every Bond fan interested in the locales and tales of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.. Fröhlich was good friends with Cubby Broccoli, John Glen and Peter Lamont.

He leaves behind his longtime companion in life and his beloved dog.

You read it on CBn first…

Martin Campbell will be returning to Los Angeles this week (1st week of August) to continue work on The Legend of Zorro. Does this mean a decision has been made on Bond #6?

Until next time…
Yarbo…. ehm, Tim

To discuss this month’s CBn Dossier visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

Related Links

• The CBn Dossier, June ’05
• The CBn Dossier, May ’05
• The CBn Dossier, April ’05
• The CBn Dossier, March ’05
• The CBn Dossier, February ’05

The CBn Dossier, June '05

Fan fiction

CBn kicked off the month with another presentation of great fan fiction, the story collection Measure for Measure, as a result of CBn’s short story contest from earlier this year. The jury, consisting of Fenna Geelhoed (Joyce Carrington), Christopher Davies (Hawkeye), Thomas Clink (clinkeroo), Evan Willnow (Mister Asterix), and Devin Zydel (Qwerty), considered the following entries to be worthy: ‘Flight of the Executioner‘ by Fraser Lomas, ‘The Rough with the Smooth’ by Andrew Hixson, ‘Measure for Measure’ by Mark Zahn, and ‘No Reason To Die’ by Matt Kriter. Thanks again to all participiants and the jury.

The PDF file can be downloaded here. Artistical merits for typesetting and creating an outstanding dustjacket in the tradition of Richard Chopping go to CBn’s Mister Asterix, Evan Willnow.

Literature

After the success of Charlie Higson‘s first Young Bond novel SilverFin, more and more details on his second volume (release date Jan. ’06) emerged. In a Q&A session by CBBC’s Newsround, Higson revealed (answering to a question by CBn’s Chris Wright (Righty007)) that the working title of this is still “Double M”, referring to the symbol of a secret criminal organisation, but as a publishing title it is “not considered racy enough”. Also, YB2 will hint at the significance of the number ‘seven’ in Bond‘s life. Read more details (also on why the book was set in Sardinia) here. IFP has reported that SilverFin has sold 50,000 copies until now and will be published in several countries. CBn was able to unveil the cover of the German version, which will go by the name of Stille Wasser sind tödlich (Silent Waters are Deadly). Also, the YB2 manuscript has been delivered by Charlie Higson, and IFP is not too shy to claim that it’s just fantastic.

In the sector of secondary literature, John Griswold’s Ian Fleming’s James Bond: Annotations and Chronologies has caused a lot of controversial discussions among fans, especially when it comes to his chronologies. But as CBn’s Charles Helfenstein (doublenoughtspy) pointed out in his review “Whether you agree with his timeline or not, it is the first time such an exercise has appeared in print (others have appeared online), and since Fleming would often contradict himself from book to book, it’s quite a challenge to even attempt such a feat.” John Griswold (as ianfleming1) himself showed more than willing to discuss this topic with CBn members in the forums and give even more insight on this project in The John Griswold CBn Interview.

And if it weren’t enough, the next James Bond book is already in the making: Death Rays, Jet Packs, Stunts, and Supercars: The Fantastic Physics of Film’s Most Celebrated Secret Agent by Barry Parker will examine the importance of science and technology in the James Bond movies. The book will be released in October 2005.

Meanwhile, James Bond continuation author Raymond Benson gets a special treatment in Japan: the Kagawa Prefecture has been promoting a cinematic version of Benson’s last 007 novel The Man With The Red Tatoo for a long time, as most of this book takes place on Naoshima Island in Kagawa prefecture. As a result of this activities, the 007 The Man With The Red Tattoo Museum will open on July 24th in Naoshima.

Gaming

For the upcoming EA game From Russia With Love, Amazon.co.uk has listed a release date of 28 October for three console versions, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2. This date is still to be considered tentative. Rely on CBn to report the definite release date as soon as confirmation is in.

In the meantime, EA has provided us with some exclusive screenshots of the ‘Hedgemaze’ level. This is the first level that has been lifted directly from the original 1963 movie, recreating the pre-titles sequence. Together with these screenshots, CBn was able to unveil an interesting piece of news: this location will be known as OCTOPUS hideout instead of SP.E.C.T.R.E. Island, according to EA because of still existing legal issues with the use of the name SP.E.C.T.R.E. Credit for this goes again to Kevin McClory.

Furthermore, johnbarry.org.uk has reported that Bond veteran Vic Flick, guitarist on the original “James Bond Theme” and a number of early Bond movie soundtracks, will return to contribute to the game’s score by Chris Lennertz.

After its release on Xbox, GameCube and PS2 last year, EA’s GoldenEye: Rogue Agent is now also available for Nintendo DS. This dual-screen (DS) version features a varity of new additions, such as a ‘Virtual Training’ mode and a unique multiplayer mode. The release date for this was June 15th in the U.S. and will be July 1st in the U.K.

CBn visits Club Aston

A definite highlight, not only in the past month of June, but also in the history of CBn, was a visit at Galpin Ford’s brand new 2.5 million dollar Aston Martin lounge and showroom in Van Nuys, California. CBn Team Members Athena Stamos (Athena007), Charlie Axworthy (Bryce003) and John Cox (zencat) followed a personal invitation to visit this place, which is not open to the general public. The extraordinary day ended with a ride for the Team in the Aston Martin DB9 and CBn itself becoming part of the unique Club Aston experience. Thanks again to all who made this possible.

Pinewood event

Another unique experience were the events “James Bond: A Celebration” and “An Evening With George Lazenby” which were held on June 10th at Pinewood Studios by Bondstars.com. Among the 100 Bond fans taking part in this were several CBners, including team member Charles Helfenstein (doublenoughtspy) who delivered an amazing report on this. The day started with a guided tour through Pinewood Studios, which brought up memories to many Bond movies that were shot here. After a Q&A session with a number of Bond stars, the group had the opportunity of an On Her Majesty’s Secret Service screening in Pinewood’s Theatre 7 which an introduction by George Lazenby himself. The evening ended with a 3 course dinner and another Q&A session and discussion with George Lazenby, who announced to the audience that his wife, former tennis player Pam Shriver, is expecting twins. Congratulations.

The event was overshadowed by the loss of Michael Billington, who was expected to attend, but passed away a few days before the event on June 3rd. Word has it that no other actor was screentested more often for the role of James Bond, but also that he never really believed that he had the role at some point. He is best known among Bond fans for his role of Sergei Barsov, Major Anya Amasova’s (Triple-X) lover in The Spy Who Loved Me’s legendary pre-title sequence. Our sympathies go to his family.

All quiet on the Casino Royale front

No news on Casino Royale this month. Only a speculation on the possibility of Bond veteran stunt coordinator and 2nd unit director Vic Armstrong not joining the crew this time due to his involvement in the movie Shooting Stars, which he is likely to direct. Apart from this, not even new names have been thrown in the game by British tabloids. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

Quiet. Suspiciously quiet? A calm before the storm? Highly likely, but no one is able to tell when it’s going to end. Frankly said, the CBn Team enjoys having a little bit of breathing space, as it gives time to recreate and prepare not only for the forthcoming Casino Royale coverage, but also for the celebration of CBn’s 005th Anniversary in July.

You read it on CBn first…

As previously speculated, CBn can now confirm that Phil Meheux is locked in as Casino Royale’s director of photography.

Also, despite reports, Casino Royale will film briefly in England before moving to Prague for studio work and South Africa for location shooting.

Until next time…

To discuss this month’s CBn Dossier visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

Related Links

• The CBn Dossier, May ’05
• The CBn Dossier, April ’05
• The CBn Dossier, March ’05
• The CBn Dossier, February ’05

The CBn Dossier, May '05

Mostly Harmless

In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the mighty computer Deep Thought, after considerable cogitating, produces as the Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything, the number 42; upon understandable complaints, the computer remarked that the question had not been specific enough.

Doubtless after equivalent Deep Thinking, Michael G. Wilson produced the following nine Ultimate Answers, ostensibly about Casino Royale. Quite what the Ultimate Questions were is moot. Accordingly, mooting ahoy…

• “I don’t know which actor” [“Which actor provided the voice of Teddy Ruxpin in “Teddy Ruxpin IV: Teddy Ruxpin goes to Hell?”]
• “January 17” [“In 1983, when was which Breakfast TV was broadcast in the UK?”]
• “October 19 2006” [“When’s Big Sam Allardyce’s 50th birthday?”]
• “Aston Martin” [“How would the name Martin Aston appear in a school register?”]
• “Casino Royale” [“For the lyricists amongst us, what’s the best rhyme for “Casino Royale” then?”]
• “Martin Campbell” [“Which company has, since 1980, developed an effective and cohesive commercial property consultancy in the Richmond-upon-Thames area, which is based upon a core activity of commercial property agency supported by strong professional disciplines, with the aim of safeguarding the commercial property interests of both owners and tenants?”]
• “Prague and South Africa” [“Where’s cheap?”]
• “Yes, Judi Dench will be back” [“Will there be any scenes set in a distillery?”]
• “No, Halle Berry won’t reprise” [“What’s the latest you’ve heard on “Catwoman II: More Kitty Litter?”]

Some tricky questions there, so top marks to the chap who lives “in a fishbowl”.

Further mooting by CBn Forum members at this thread. Given the reference to South Africa, query whether some almost forgotten ruminating about the Sun City complex on CBn suggested the idea to him.

As for these suggested locations, the first tabloid cry of “Czech mate, Mr Bond” is overdue and if South Africa is gospel, one awaits the inevitable headlines “The Mandela with the Golden Gun” or “The Veld is Not Enough” with a heavy heart. Although it seems a bit odd that Northern France doesn’t (yet) appear on the slate, plausible that Prague could pass for it, so those wedded to the book shouldn’t worry. Yet.

As always, CBn will keep you up to speed with developments, and let you know when Mr Wilson next plays Jeopardy.

“Hey, what the Hell is this? A perverts’ convention or something?”

CBn members DLibrasnow, Doctor Shatterhand and Doublenoughtspy were plenty fortunate enough to drop in on Lana Wood to reminisce about the making of Diamonds are Forever – read about the time she quizzed them about her night attire here, and the quote of the month from our own Mr Helfenstein (“Speaking of lingerie…”).

You think this title’s bad? Given that the only real alternative is a spectacularly vulgar play on the good lady’s name, in pursuing its rigid standards CBn would never stoop to heading any of its pieces “CBn gets Wood”.

CBn gets Wood

In July 2005, the Internet will celebrate 5 years of being married to CBn (apparently the “wood” wedding anniversary, no mucky chuckling at the back there); some special things planned (beyond “just” being the www resource for Bond news, views and abuse (para-rhyme)).

Stick around for some “interesting stuff” in the lead-up to our anniversary. We have asked Eon whether they would be prepared to let us have the name of the new Bond on the anniversary date. They haven’t actually said no. Well, not yet, anyway.

In other news, the CBn Forums celebrated reaching 4007 members, and we thank you all for making CBn the place to come to discuss Bond, speculate about the future of the character and defame people in an entirely conscience-free environment. Particular gratitude to those of you who keep linking us to Wal-Mart bargains. Ta.

For $28 million you can buy either…

a ) 70% of Mr Brosnan in Casino Royale; or

b ) 100% of Mr Broccoli’s house.

Your choice, really.

Although query whether Michael Wilson should have the house, given that at present he claims to be living “in a fishbowl”, which can’t be very comfy.

May the Fourth be with You

On 4 May, it appeared that MGM had a James Bond 6 (or, if you count Casino Royale version 1.0, James Bond 312): Daniel Craig. Bit of a pity, according to Mr Craig himself, that Eon didn’t appear aware of it. Not much of a story, as it turned out, but really couldn’t resist the title here. Not much of a story there, either…

So – who runs the show?

“There’s been some sort of move in my direction but there’s been a move in a lot of people’s direction. Possibly it’s a way of trying to raise debate. They throw out some names and then people start discussing it and then they can make a decision.”

He may not be everyone’s favourite, nor everyone’s idea of the cinematic James Bond, nor someone people have actually heard of. But Daniel Craig came up with an interesting suggestion in there that fansites such as CBn and AJB and others are seen as a valuable resource for reaction to suggestions for Bond 6. Vote Jack Davenport. So, in answer to the question… you do…

On the basis that this Daniel Craig stuff is accurate, George Lazenby is no longer the briefest official Bond: Daniel Craig appears to have had the role vote Jack Davenport for about… ooh… twelve minutes.

And then Fishbowl Boy chipped in. So, as with almost every other month, we end this one being blitzed with numerous possibilities vote Jack Davenport, but knowing increasingly less. Odd, that.

Oh, the usual rubbish…

Pierce is in, says Dench. No he’s not, says… er …Dench. Gary Stretch, perhaps? Or some chap from ER? Julian McMahon? Or a 22 year-old? Or a 52 year-old? “Why won’t they give it to me? Nurr, don’t want it anyway”, “says” Owen.

Yawn.

Writing Young Bond is like making love to a beautiful woman

Well, he didn’t say that really, but Charlie Higson was traditionally engaging and amusing when CBn members attended a couple of stops on his US promotional tour for Young Bond 1, SilverFin. First up, zencat and Athena in Los Angeles, and then the unstoppable trio of DLibrasnow, Doctor Shatterhand and Doublenoughtspy (“3D”) in Arlington. Lots of splendid information about the genesis of both YB1 and YB2 – which sounds fascinating; stick with CBn for further updates in the run-up to its release in early 2006.

Regrettably, Mr Helfenstein forgot to raise his trademark lingerie query, which seems like something of a missed opportunity.

In other literary developments, two unutterably fascinating sounding books are heading our way – Ian Fleming’s James Bond: Annotations and Chronologies and James Bond: The Man and his World – the Official Companion. All sounds very promising. Just when the film series seems to be disappearing up its own… fishbowl, the literary side is chugging along very merrily. Excellent.

Spot the Dog: The Moneypenny Diaries. Young Bond 2. Large print version of Raymond Benson’s The World Is Not Enough. Only one of these concepts is not sanctioned by the heirs of Ian Fleming. Arguably, it’s not that easy to tell, at first glance…

Shame though – Moneypenny as Bridget Jones? “Monday 6th June. Bought new bottle of scotch for M. V. pleased. Silly old bag. Sent 113 expendable agents to their deaths by mistake. Tried to delete Microsoft bloody paperclip office help thing, appeared to have nuked Zurich. V. naughty! Fantasised about JB then cried self to sleep. V. good. At 10 a.m. – vv bad. 3 cigarettes, half a rock of crack and a bottle of WKD – at least the fitness regime is holding up.” Well, I’d buy it.

OK, but will they keep the gypsy girl fight?

If EA manages to achieve this with the From Russia with Love game previewed at E3 and enjoyed greatly by our Athena007, then it may well indeed be the massive and (ahem) stimulating success it already promises to be. The promise of being able to interact with such an environment… hmm…

Fnarr…

Without whom…

28 May was the anniversary of Ian Fleming’s birth. It’s that simple.

To discuss this month’s CBn Dossier visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

Related Links

• The CBn Dossier, April ’05
• The CBn Dossier, March ’05
• The CBn Dossier, February ’05

The CBn Dossier, April '05

Literary

April’s news has been dominated by SilverFin, with the official US release on the 27th, although many online vendors were shipping it earlier. To coincide with the marketing push, author Charlie Higson started a seven city US promotion tour in Chicago.

German Bond fans will soon be able to read SilverFin in their native language, although the translated title means “Silent Waters Are Deadly”. SilverFin has also been translated into Portugese.

The Young Bond franchise is already expanding — IFP announced Young Bond would be appearing in graphic novels at the end of 2006. It’s a wise move — other children’s adventure publishers of such stalwarts as The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew recently announced their own series of graphic novels — an attempt to cash in on the $207 million market dominated by “tween and teen” readers.

71½ Candidates

On April 17, Eon Productions temporarily cleared up a big casting question when they explicitly stated Pierce Brosnan will NOT be back for Casino Royale. According to the article in The Guardian, Eon has kept track of all the wild names proposed by the British Press, and at this point it’s up to 69 men, 2 women, and a dwarf.

On April 26th, Dame Judi Dench set off a firestorm of a debate when she claimed Brosnan would be back for Casino Royale. Dench told celebrity gossip columnist Cindy Adams to expect the announcement in the summer. Just a day later, Sony Chairman Michael Lynton told Variety that the report of Brosnan’s return was false.

Like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season, the “Pierce is back — No Pierce is out” rumours continue to flourish.

Video Games

If you can’t get enough of GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, you will soon have the ability to play it anywhere because Electronic Arts will be releasing the game for the handheld Nintendo DS. Look for it in stores starting in June.

EA also unveiled the official From Russia With Love website which contains information and screenshots. A brief trailer also emerged, featuring the first footage from the game. Fans are still amazed that EA was able to lure Sean Connery back in digital and voice form. But this too follows a trend. Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry, Al Pacino as Tony “Scarface” Montana, and even surviving and dead cast members of The Godfather will be populating their respective video games in the near future. Obviously the relative ease of voice work, the nice paycheck, and the chance to connect with a new audience is an offer these actors couldn’t refuse.

Site News

April saw promotion of two CBn officers to moderating duty, the first was German Bond expert Heiko Bauman who does not have webbed fingers even if he does go by the name Stromberg. A gentleman and a scholar, as well as a great friend, Heiko helped make CBn’s visit to Blofeld’s Hideaway a reality.

The second promotion was of yours truly, Charles Helfenstein, aka Doublenoughtspy. I’ve had the pleasure of doing work for both Glidrose Publications (now Ian Fleming Publications) and MGM in official capacities and I am excited to add my expertise and Bond scholarship (Jim’s favourite term) to the best James Bond site on the Internet.

Besides adding new moderators, CBn recently changed servers after a harrowing weekend of downtime. Many thanks to Dave and Greg for their hard work and sleepless nights. Donations always help us maintain things “up to your usual high standards” as Bond says to Manuel in OHMSS.

Obituaries – John Brosnan

Today we watch a Bond film anytime and anywhere we want — in the comfort of our home, on our computers or portable DVD players, even on PDAs. But back in the early 1970s, Bond fans did not have that luxury. If you wanted to recall a Bond quip or relive a tense moment, you had to do so from memory — or you looked it up in John Brosnan’s James Bond in the Cinema.

While it is a tame in comparison to the in depth look at Bond films we read today — the retelling of the Bond movie’s plots with some analysis and opinion was a ground breaking work in 1972.

Brosnan told me in 1994 that he originally approached Harry Saltzman about the project, and was given the go ahead. About half way through the writing process, Cubby Broccoli did not like the direction it was heading, and tried to stop it. However, the contract had already been signed, and thus the book was published. Broccoli was able to prevent the 1981 update from being published in the UK. This same approval then denial process happened to Steven Jay Rubin with his book The James Bond Films.

Brosnan’s Bond critiques did not stop with the books, as he authored a column in the British media magazine Starburst. Besides film reviews, he also reported on a German James Bond convention in 1984 where Peter Hunt discussed the unused College of Arms chase for the first time publicly (in my old house you can still see the indentations where my jaw hit the floor after reading about that scene).

So many thanks to John Brosnan, a man who paved the way for Bond film discussion.

To discuss this month’s CBn Dossier visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

Related Links

• The CBn Dossier, March ’05
• The CBn Dossier, February ’05

The CBn Dossier, March '05

Child’s Play: Young Bond Arrives

Almost three years after Raymond Benson’s final original Bond novel hit the shelves, the literary Bond is back, and in a way I don’t think any Bond fan could have foreseen (or, let’s be honest, wanted). On 3 March, SilverFin hit bookstores throughout the UK, amid a flurry of Young Bond publicity. While CBn offered three very different reviews from three very different Bond fans – with varying reactions – the general consensus outside Bond fandom seems to be that Young Bond author Charlie Higson has penned a winner. Yet it’s worth noting that the finished product is not incurring the wrath from fans that it could, nay, should have. The premise left more Bond fans shaken than stirred, when IFP announced their plans last April to explore Bond’s prepubescent years in a series of novels. However, 11 months on, SilverFin now rests on the shelves of scores of Bond fans who have been lucky enough to obtain a copy within its first month of release, and for many, Higson has succeeded in creating an adequate escapist fare. And as one of the masses who dissed the idea when it was first announced, I’m now eagerly awaiting Young Bond #1 when it’s released Down Under in May.

Talk of a SilverFin film has also predictably emerged in the UK press. Those appalling ongoing rumours of Orlando Bloom being sought after to play a pre-007 007 aside (last time I checked, Higson’s Bond was in his early-teens and Bloom, well, wasn’t), there might be something deeper running here. Articles in both The Sunday Herald and The Guardian quote IFP spokespeople as saying that negotiations are an option down the track, with DreamWorks and Miramax being named as two interested parties (Who wouldn’t be? With Harry Potter cramming people into cinemas worldwide once every 18 months, Young Bond might be the answer to fill those Potter-less gaps). Charlie Higson himself even weighed in on where the film should be shot. However, it seems that Eon Productions automatically hold the rights to the James Bond character, young and old; case-in-point, James Bond Jr.. Yeah, I know, it was actually Bond’s nephew (who learned the game from his Uncle James, as that priceless theme song kindly informed us). Are these rumours just more SilverFin hype or is there a loophole in Eon’s contract which could see a potential Young Bond film slip out of a rival studio? Who knows? But with SilverFin‘s US release just around the corner, I suspect this isn’t the last we’ve heard of a Young Bond movie.

At the other end of the literary chronological scale, a first edition copy of Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel, Casino Royale sold for a cool £21,000 at a Bloomsbury Auction held at the end of February. The inscribed novel went for the second-highest price ever for paid for a Fleming first. Methinks these Casino Royale firsts will become even more sought-after leading up to the release of the film version next year.

Down at Casino Royale…

Fans continue to be divided by Eon’s plan to hurl continuity out the window and deliver a Bond picture detailing 007’s first mission, as revealed by director Martin Campbell earlier this year. Things became more complicated when Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (writers of The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day and Casino Royale) told Screen International that the new film would be a “very faithful adaptation” of Fleming’s novel, set in 2006. The current script thankfully contains a number of Casino Royale hallmarks no screen adaptation should be without, including the brutal torture sequence and Bond’s famous final line of dialogue. Fingers crossed these make it to the screen.

The collective head-scratching of Bond fans didn’t improve when Dame Judi Dench stepped forward and once again confirmed she would be reprising her role as “M” in Casino Royale (opposite a new 007 on his first mission?). Sure, continuity has never been Eon’s bag (Bond has never aged over 40 years, Blofeld discovered a cure for baldness and Felix Leiter has come in more shapes and sizes than one could ever imagine), but with Casino Royale, it seems almost as if they’re trying to outdo their disregard for connectivity between films.

Purvis and Wade’s script will expand on Fleming’s novel, which isn’t an unprecedented move for the franchise. Fleming’s ‘The Living Daylights’ played out almost verbatim early on during the film of the same name as part of a larger original story. Similarly, Fleming’s ‘Octopussy’ is summed up in two lines of dialogue during that film. But it seems at this stage Casino Royale will be the closest Fleming adaptation we’ve had in years. I can’t wait! Can you?

And speaking of waiting, it seems we now have a timeframe for Casino Royale, with The Hollywood Reporter recently dropping word that the film’s tentative release date is 17 November 2006, 11 years to the day after Campbell’s first Bond outing, GoldenEye, hit screens. We’ll take that as a good sign.

Connery’s Comeback

Who’d have thought? Sean Connery as James Bond in 2005. In what must be one of the most surprising revelations in Bond history, CBn learned in mid-March that the definitive 007 will return to the role of the suave superspy in 2005, despite saying “never again” for what must have been the ninth time.

Connery will return to voice 007 in EA’s next instalment of their lucrative videogame franchise, From Russia With Love, a re-imagining of the film of the same name. Game Informer‘s April issue offered a world exclusive look at the new game, including the stunningly realistic first images of a CG Sean Connery, circa 1963. Very little is known about the game at this point (selected images to be published by Game Informer include 007 using a jetpack à la Thunderball and being involved in a high-speed car chase), but expect a third-person adventure to rival 2004’s Everything or Nothing, arguably EA’s finest effort to date.

Curiously, EA is yet to make an official announcement regarding the game. Their last release, a first-person shooter where the player assumed the role of a Bond villain, failed to make much of a critical, commercial or fan impact, despite the obvious attempt to knock the original GoldenEye from its perch as the best Bond game ever. Glad to see they’ve stopped trying (for now) and will return to a game along the lines of Everything or Nothing.

From Russia With Love is tentatively due for release later this year.

Is Clive the New Double-Owen Seven?

In a month with the release of the first Young Bond novel, news of Sean Connery returning to the role of James Bond and some of the most tantalising Casino Royale tidbits yet, nothing shook fans more than an interview with Clive Owen that appeared on a fairly obscure entertainment website before blowing well out of proportion.

In it, Owen was confronted about accepting the role of James Bond for the 354,127th time, only instead of giving his usual “it’s all rumours” spiel, Owen gave an opaque response that has split fans straight down the middle. One group of fans remain adamant that Owen’s non-answer, coupled with a cheeky grin, gives away that he’s hiding something big (perhaps his first paycheck). Other fans, however, staunchly felt that Owen successfully came up with another way to dodge the 00-question whilst leeching off the Bond PR wagon in the process.

In a second interview with Charlie Rose (in which the Bond question was posed for the 354,128th time), Owen’s response was decidedly more in-line with his past answers. Of course, he did reveal that he was in the process of being locked into something top-secret that could be Bond, but it could also be Modesty Blaise, for all we know.

The mainstream media is yet to pick up on this lead, obviously pre-occupied with that “Orlando Bloom is Baby Bond” piece, but Owen received some surprisingly strong support within the fan community.

Going Back to Fleming…

CBn shared the first details of a brand-spanking-new Ian Fleming biopic earlier this month. With Ben Daniels as Ian Fleming, Emily Woof as Ann Fleming and Pip Torrens as Noel Coward, the 60-minute film borders on a documentary, telling the meticulously-researched true story of Fleming’s life for the first time (1989’s Goldeneye: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming and 1990’s Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming were B-grade Bond wannabes at best).

Ian Fleming: A Life In Pictures will be directed by John Alexander (TV’s Cutting It), financed by the BBC and produced through Wall to Wall TV Productions. Filming is currently takng place on-location in the UK and Jamaica (including at Fleming’s home, Goldeneye). The telemovie is scheduled to premiere later this year.

You Read it on CBn First

Contrary to those recent “final two” rumours, Daniel Craig is not and never has been a contender for the role of James Bond. However, Dougray Scott and, in particular, Julian McMahon, who has received the most Bond #6 press coverage this month, are more than just rumours…

Until next time…

To discuss this month’s CBn Dossier visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

The CBn Dossier, February '05

Casino Royale (Bond 21)

After more than a year of silence, Eon finally made an official statement (coincidently on the same day hell froze over). We have a title (thank you Eon for saving us from a bazillion “Beyond the Ice” rumors); we have a director (GoldenEye ‘s Martin Campbell); and now the news is all about location, location, locations! The sometimes reliable Daily Record has reported that Eon is considering using the Scottish Parliament as a double for the casino of Casino Royale. However, this story seems suspiciously like P.R. for a somewhat controversial building. What better way to turn your local white elephant into a monument of civic price than to feature it as a Bond locale? (Then again, didn’t the Millennium Dome also start out as a very early rumor?) Eon diplomatically said the location hasn’t been ruled out.

Fan sites have also been buzzing about Fiji as a possible locale, but the Fiji Audio Visual boards says they have no idea of any interest. Still, fans warmed to his rumor in a big way; so maybe the good folks at Eon should ring up that commission and have a look-see.

The real CR bombshell of the month was dropped by director Martin Campbell himself. In an interview with the New York Daily News, Campbell revealed that the 21st James Bond film will be a fresh start for the series, taking Bond back to the beginning and showing us his first mission as a recently minted 007. Yes, it’s “Bond Begins!” Not a fan of this approach myself. To me the essence of James Bond is a veteran, a man of experience, a man with friends, enemies, and lovers in every hemisphere. Then again, I didn’t see anything all that wrong with Moonraker, so maybe I should just “Leave it to the professionals, Ms. Bouvier!”

Meanwhile, director Matthew Vaughn, who almost had the CR gig before Sony stepped in with the money and common sense to hire Campbell, now claims he turned down the project after it was delayed because he was committed to doing…well, that he didn’t say. He’s now writing THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. movie for Warner Bros. in which he promises to “Totally reinvent the genre.” Hey, an U.N.C.L.E. movie sounds great to me. Let’s just hope he and the studio that brought us Wild Wild West don’t totally muck it up.

Screenwriters Purvis and Wade arrived in L.A. and had a close encounter with the CBn crew at a screening of Diamonds Are Forever in Hollywood. Are they here to work on Casino Royale? We didn’t ask (come on, it was “the boys” night off). However they may have leaked to us the very first CR spoiler — “Hope you guys don’t mind the space station we put in the end.”

They were kidding — we think.

The Bond #6 Search

Is it going to be Julian McMahon, Daniel Craig, Rory McCann (who was he again?), or is the infamous AJB “insider” correct that the announcement of Clive Owen is imminent? Well, settle back for what may be a long wait. Word is the search for James Bond #6 is ongoing without a frontrunner in sight. Eon is considering faces both familiar and unknown. In that unknown category is Ingo Rademacher, who I can safely report will NOT be the man in the gun barrel, but it just goes to show that Eon is digging deep to find just that right “young” man for the job (yes, I’m afraid too).

And speaking of the right man for the job, Variety editor-in-chief, Peter Bart, revealed in an unnecessarily nasty editorial that Pierce Brosnan negotiated himself out of the part by asking for $40 million (the UK press decided to raise the figure to $42 million; U.S. conservative mouthpiece “Human Events” raised it to $52 million — “fuzzy math” indeed!). We at CBn have heard a lot of much more modest figures; so I didn’t buy this at first. But then I got word that the figure is indeed correct! It now looks like Pierce’s repeated talk of the producers being in a state of paralysis might have instead been a bad case of sticker shock!

Of course, PB was not asking for a $40 million paycheck upfront. He was proposing a “compensation package” that would include profit participation. Share the wealth, right? Wrong. Dollar signs are one thing to Eon, but a percentage sign is something else entirely. Just ask Sean Connery. Eon is reluctant to give its Bond stars profit participation, and this may have been the real reason (or excuse?) that Eon left “the billion dollar Bond” at the altar. That and there are those rumors that Pierce and Barbara Broccoli have been at each other’s throats since TND. Don’t mess with the iron lady, Pierce. Next!

Oh, and Pierce confirmed on his official website that it’s really, truly, definitely, unquestionably, over. Goodbye, Pierce. We’ll miss you.

Next!

The Literary Bond

The official SilverFin website opened with a countdown clock ticking down to its March 3 release — but isn’t that a bit like Blofeld blowing up Kansas? (“The world may not hear about it for 10 years.”) Okay, it’s easy to rip on a series about a 13-year-old James Bond, but the publishers are putting a heck of a lot of promotion behind it; so they must feel pretty good about their debut Young Bond novel. Early reviews have been very positive. Shame the release of Book 2 has been pushed from October to January ’06.

Author Charlie Higson talked about SilverFin and Young Bond series at length (including some juicy details about Book 2) in a recent CBn Interview. In this first (and so far, only) interview with a James Bond website, Higson was generous, candid, and funny, and this seems to have won him more than a few converts across cyberspace. Higson even revealed that he frequents Bond fansite forums and sometimes contributes under a pseudonym! Hmmm…let the guessing game begin.

U.S. publisher Hyperion Books for Children recently put the entire first chapter of SilverFin online …only to quickly remove it after it was discovered by fans (with the help of a CBn main page story). Whoops!

007 Gaming

Electronic Arts (EA) was expected to make an official announcement about its next Bond game, James Bond 007: From Russia With Love, but that announcement never materialized. I suspect I know what the holdup is all about, but if I say anything, EA will kill me (or at least Athena won?t get her free review copy — in which case she will kill me). However, EA did preview game footage at the University of Florida. The footage featured Sean Connery in a jetpack. I think it’s fair to assume from this that the EA game will expand outside the FRWL storyline just a wee bit (in fact, I know it will).

EA also said a second Bond game is in development at their L.A. studio (site of last year?s GoldenEye: Rogue Agent Community Day). I hope this is the original game Bruce Feirstein was working on until EA realized they wouldn’t have a new Bond actor in time for a 2006 release and shelved the idea in favor of the From Russia With Love remake…rethink…whatever the heck they are going to call it.

The Toy Box

Sideshow Collectibles unveiled their latest figure Moonraker Moore, at the New York International Toy Fair 2005. He looks great in his natty yellow Drax jumpsuit, and the first 500 pre-orders get an extra…extra (Bond’s cigarette case X-ray machine). This is a must buy for this guy!

Sideshow is now shipping their Wai Lin figure and slipped CBn an early figure to review. Our review: Hubba-hubba! Sideshow has dramatically improved the articulation of their figures — of course, this only matters to you madmen who actually take her out of the box. Trivia note: Wai Lin comes with real human hair. Not sure whether this is cool or creepy, but it looks great! Now, if only they would stop binding their figures inside the box with a dozen twist ties. Those things drive me nuts!

Sideshow has yet to officially announced their Pierce Brosnan HALO figure. CBn broke the news of this upcoming figure just as we did Wai Lin last year. While Sideshow didn’t deny the news (thank goodness), they’ve remained strangely silent. Could the Pierce situation have put the kybosh on this project? We would ask, but we’re shy.

Good Works

Talented artist and all-around cool guy, Jeff Marshall, joined with CBn and the entire online Bond community (well, one site told us to take a hike) to auction his own personal The Spy Who Love Me print signed by the stars. The starting bid was $200…and ended at $760.50! All the money went to the UNICEF: 2004 Tsunami Relief Fund…you know, the organization represented by that guy who used to play Bond? Seriously, of all the mischief we fansites get up too, this is some mischief we can be proud of.

You Read it on CBn First

Word is Sony wants Martin Campbell to wrap work on The Legend of Zorro by mid-June and start pre-production work on Casino Royale immediately. Sweet!

Until next time…

To discuss this month’s CBn Dossier visit this thread on the CBn Forums.