One Week of UK Shooting for 'Casino Royale'

The BBC today reports that filming for Daniel Craig’s debut James Bond film, Casino Royale will only take place in the UK for one week.

Pinewood Studios played home to Pierce Brosnan’s two most recent 007 films, but uncertainty concerning Britain’s tax credit policy has forced Casino Royale and other film productions abroad (Financial Director reports that the Batman Begins sequel may also wind up shooting outside of the UK).

Filming, as previously reported, will instead take place in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas and Italy. Soundstage work that would ordinarily have taken place at Pinewood Studios will now occur in Prague. Last month, producer Michael G. Wilson touted Casino Royale to be “very much a location based film”.

UK Culture Minister, Tessa Jowell said in May that “everything possible” was done to woo Casino Royale‘s producers to shoot in Britain; nevertheless, filming is set to move abroad.

In August, Pinewood announced that operating profits were down to £1.6 million for the first half of 2005, compared with £6.6 million for the same period in 2004. Meanwhile, the fifth Harry Potter film remains the only big-budget movie to be shot in the UK next year.

Casino Royale will begin shooting in January for release in November 2006.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest news on Casino Royale.

Discuss this news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the internet.
Thanks to Harmsway.

Dench Talks About Her Role in 'Royale'

Dame Judi Dench today confirmed she will reprise her role as “M” in the upcoming James Bond film, Casino Royale. The movie will mark Dench’s fifth turn in the role, and her first opposite new 007, Daniel Craig.

In an interview with Empire Online, the actress revealed where we might see her character in the film.

“I heard today that I’m not going to be in London,” Dench said. “I’m going to get to go to Prague and The Bahamas. They’re getting me out of my box. It’s a whole film there. I’m very much looking forward to working with Daniel, but I’ve not even read a script yet. All I know is that we’re due to start in February.”

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond film produced by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production begins shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on 17 November 2006. Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, it will be filmed in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

“M” in action? Discuss this news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the internet.
Thanks to Royal Dalton.

Dench Claims to be Cast in 'Casino Royale'

Now that the riddle of Pierce Brosnan’s involvement in the next James Bond flick, Casino Royale, is solved, fans can turn their attention to Dame Judi Dench’s commitment to the film which has also been snapping back and forth.

In an interview with BBC Five Live, the veteran actress claimed she will indeed be starring in the upcoming Bond film, opposite Daniel Craig in his first turn as 007.

Dench has been in and out of the project at various points, with director Martin Campbell most recently saying they were in talks with her to reprise her role as “M” (which she has played since Campbell’s first Bond flick, GoldenEye).

Nonetheless, the script, as it stood at the Casino Royale press conference, does not feature the characters of Q and Moneypenny. The plan also remained for Casino Royale to depict Bond on one of his first missions, which works against the return of Dench as “M”.

Stay tuned to CBn.

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond film produced by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production begins shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on 17 November 2006. Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, it will be filmed in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

Update (24 Nov, 2005):

Dame Judi Dench has confirmed to Empire Online she will, indeed, be starring in Casino Royale, even offering details on where she will be required for filming.

Will / should Judi Dench return as “M”? Sound off in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the internet. With thanks to CBn Forum member, Atticus17F for the tip-off.

Reflections in a 'GoldenEye'

Continuing on in CommanderBond.net’s celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the 17th James Bond film, GoldenEye, is today’s article: Reflections in a GoldenEye. Members of the CBn Team have written about their experiences of first seeing Pierce Brosnan’s first 007 flick. All CBn members are encouraged to add their own reviews of GoldenEye in either the Countdown Review threads or in the discussion topic for this article. With that…

‘GoldenEye’ by: John Cox

In the mid ’90s I was trying to start a screenwriting career and somehow keep myself fed at the same time, so I had fallen a little out of Bondage. Sure, I still keep up on the latest news and read each John Gardner novel as they came out, but I didn’t much care for Licence To Kill and Bond 17 had several false starts, so I had lost my faith in the future of James Bond as a film franchise. Maybe there would be another movie, maybe not.

Then Brosnan became Bond and before I knew it there was a poster for GoldenEye starring me in the face and trailer that looked pretty darn good. However, I was philosophical. It was clearly going to be a new Bond for a new generation (I was little nervous about Bond running around with a machine gun in the trailer), so it may not contain that old intangible magic that I had come to expect. But that was my fault for getting old. I would see the movie and accept it for what it was.

Of course, I was still fan enough to go to the main showing at the biggest theater I could find, which was the Mann National in Westwood. It was unusually easy to wrangle several friends to come with me. Even non-Bond fans were eager to see GoldenEye (a good sign).

We got to the theater at least an hour early and already there was a line down the sidewalk. We grabbed our spot in line, and while our place was held, my friend Asbed and I ran across the street to a sports bar for a quick pre-show martini. Incredibly, the bartender had no idea how to make a Martini (and we’ve not in the sticks, we’re spitting distance from the Playboy mansion for crying out loud!). We talked him through it and sucked down two of worst martinis I’ve ever had in my life. We them darted across the street as the line began to move.

The theater was packed and some fans where dressed in Bondian costumes. We found dynamite seats dead center. I was both nervous and excited, and when the theaters went dark and the new UA logo came up, I really couldn’t believe I was going to see and new James Bond movie in 1995.

GoldenEye un-spooled and the audience laughed and cheered from gun barrel to closing credits. We cheered when he said “Bond, James Bond” and the rest of he audience cheered the fact that we were cheering.

After the movie we exited back out into Westwood (very crowded at this time of night) and my friends instantly turned to me for the verdict. Well, what did I think?

My verdict was then what it still is today; I couldn’t believe I just saw a full-on JAMES BOND movie! Everything that was hard to pull off they nailed. That old intangible magic was still there! Sure, I was a little thrown by the score and that low-key song at the end, but other than that, it was glorious. Pierce Brosnan IS James Bond (but that was never in doubt), and 007 returned for me in full force on the night of November 17, 1995.

‘GoldenEye’ by: Athena Stamos

I didn’t see GoldenEye on November 17, 1995. I saw the ad in the LA Times and was extremely excited both because of James Bond and…OMG Pierce Brosnan! But my mom barred me from seeing it because it was rated PG-13. I was 13 at the time and very upset. I ended up renting it one night from Blockbuster in 1997/98 (don’t remember which) while my mom was at choir practice. It’s one of my favorite James Bond films… possibly more of a favorite because I was rebelling against my mother.

‘GoldenEye’ by: Jacques Stewart

The first time I saw GoldenEye was – I forget the date – during the first week of its release; its qualities as a Bond film – what it says about itself – are less meaningful to me that what it said about me. Licence to Kill I had watched in the cinema as a fifteen-year-old, a child; GoldenEye I watched as an adult and a hell of a lot had happened in the interim. As a result, while I can remember being excited at the thought of going to see previous Bond films in the cinema, this… well, with the passage of time, with growing up, with becoming interested in other, better things, the prospect of GoldenEye left me totally neutral. It was just… there.

Why that should have been I didn’t know at the time, although I suspect that it’s probably that as a child, going to see a Bond film was probably the only occasion we would go to the cinema, and we all went as a family. In the interim years, at university, that stopped and perhaps I went to the cinema too often – and without my family – for it to be the subject of great – or any – excitement. Hence, when GoldenEye came along, it was just another film.

Or maybe I had grown out of it.

Accordingly, I watched it but with a nagging suspicion that things weren’t quite right, weren’t quite the same and – despite the abundance of things that could really only happen in a Bond film – this wasn’t quite James Bond. Or it wasn’t quite me watching James Bond; I still wonder whether the expectations of the film were expectations of myself and I’d rather take it out on the film than on me.

So I’ll do that. But I doubt it’ll help.

One can tick many boxes with GoldenEye and it comes up to scratch with its ingredients; however, there is a suspicion that this is exactly how they did write it, so it does come across as a going-through-the-motions film. It really didn’t do anything new, just warming-over some crowd-pleasing moments. I had changed. It… hadn’t. Perhaps that was to expect too much.

It seemed to be a series of compromises: far more noticeable, if not more abundant, product placement; a Bond who appeared to have few individual characteristics but playing it as a mix of everything else that had been before; a cast culled largely from British television, and as a result unexotic and oddly reminiscent of an end-of-series pantomime Christmas “special” of something else. The plot, in particular, seems like a spoof of Bond rather than the echt; Trevelyan’s scheme just won’t work. That’s not to suggest that Hitler in Space or hypnotising a gaggle of lovelies to respect chickens are remotely plausible but they are plausible whilst the film’s on. Trevelyan’s scheme failed the moment the exposition hit my head. All very poorly thought through, although I suspect that I may be more willing to criticise it because of my attitude to the film and its attitude to me…

Seemed to have been filmed for television, too – looks a bit “compressed”, lacking the spectacle of the others. And I remembered reading at the time, although this may have been a joke, that Bond’s total screentime comes in at under thirty minutes. Whether that’s true or not, there are gaps where not very much that is very interesting is happening. And certain aspects are dire: Jack Wade (couldn’t they at least have found a different actor?), the car (to announce the gadget and then show, fine; to not announce the gadget and then show, less so; to announce the gadget and then not use it – weird) and poor old Desmond Llewelyn, nothing against the chap personally, but it’s not a happy scene.

Its one innovation is what truly failed it for me; true, the audience knows they are watching a Bond film. The performers know that they are in a Bond film. However, here, the performers appeared to have been directed (and their parts written) to demonstrate that they are self-aware, that they knew what the audience knew. The female M seems to be an opportunity wasted for the hell of a few jokes and its point runs out long before the scene ends; the sexism references; the Freud-for-morons dialogue (despite this piece being full of it – spot the irony, gang) landing like a bellyflopping bus… the previous Greatest Hits kick-start, The Spy who Loved Me, is by far this film’s superior for, despite being considerably more fantastical and utter piffle, it is utter piffle played straight. GoldenEye is one long wink at the audience (and you can replace the vowel in “wink” if you want). Problem is, the more you convince the audience that you are exposing the Bond films as being a bit stupid, the more you expose the Bond film you are in. Less self-analysis would lead to less analysis. And the apparent tone of apologising for the lead character… a James Bond film that doesn’t like James Bond much. Odd.

I was expecting someone else. I was expecting James Bond. I was also expecting myself as a child, reacting as a child. Neither happened.

Things had changed, and in neither case for the better. I can’t blame GoldenEye for me getting older, but I can blame it for me thinking about getting older and as a result, it has an emotional impact on me which I wouldn’t have expected. Haven’t watched it for years. I suspect that it’s probably quite good. James Bond had returned.

But not for me.

‘GoldenEye’ by: Devin Zydel

GoldenEye is a very important James Bond film for me; quite simply, because it was the first one I ever saw. Bond fans always talk about what the one ‘thing’ was that got them into James Bond, and in my case it was GoldenEye. I remember seeing it at a cousin’s house one night with my family and was instantly hooked. It was full of action and pure excitement. Having to go before it was finished, I asked my cousin about the series and got a reply telling me about “Jaws”, “Oddjob”, etc. having no idea what those words meant.

The following day or so I went to my local Blockbuster and was very surprised to see some fifteen other Bond films available. I had no clue which to pick, and expected to see titles like “James Bond 007” as opposed to ones such as From Russia With Love and The Living Daylights. I ultimately ended up choosing The Man With The Golden Gun and I ended up becoming a Bond fan.

This is without a doubt one of those Bond films that never goes wrong when it comes to watching it with others. It’s no wonder that it’s often cited as the most popular and often talked about of the Pierce Brosnan films. It’s fun. GoldenEye may not be my favourite 007 film, but it is always enjoyable and I have found it to be a clear winner no matter who is watching it.

‘GoldenEye’ by: Charlie Axworthy

I had just began working as an executive assistant in the industry and, with it coming up, my employers kindly gave me the day off.

I actually had the “Bond Clause” in my employment contract for years to come.i.e. – I get the day of domestic release in the US off. Paid.

At the time, my Bond Girl was living in Vegas and I flew her out to LA. We met for dinner with my other partner in crime (004) and I had pre-bought the tickets.

Packed theater, great seats and Bond was back!

When the gunbarrel started, my Bond girl leaned in and taking my hand said “There’s enough energy corsing through you to power Vegas for a month.”

The audience ate it up, the movie relaunched the series, Pierce was finally Bond and delivered the goods.

We rounded up the evening at my apartment with a bottle of Bollinger identical – by chance – to the bottle shown in the DB5’s compartment.

A grand evening that night….and a great memory.

I’ll always know where I was on that date and time in my life.

Share your first experience of ‘GoldenEye’ in this thread on the CBn Forums.

‘GoldenEye’: 10 Years On

• ‘GoldenEye’ Convention and World Premiere

The John Cork CBn Interview

First off, what do you think about the announcement of Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale?

I’m thrilled with the casting, not only because I think he is the best choice, but because it means this movie is getting made. Craig is an experienced and very talented actor. He brings an edge to the role that will be very interesting to watch. Most exciting is that the filmmakers are not simply resting on the monumental success of the last four Bond films. They are pushing the series forward, taking risks and trying new things. In so many ways, this is like Dr. No all over again. We have a clean slate, no baggage. We have an original Fleming novel that has never been filmed by Eon productions. We have a commitment to the core of what Fleming wrote. Casino Royale is a great novel, one of the most influential spy novels ever written. It contains the essence of what makes Bond the Bond we know. If they get it right—and I think they will—the movie will be spectacular. Casting Daniel Craig, I feel, was both necessary and brilliant, because it strips away the past. He isn’t so young as to make Bond seem naïve or innocent. But he isn’t too old. The honing of the character that is an essential part of the story can still be believable. The past—as great as it was—is dead. Craig is Bond. Long live 007.

Okay, let’s get the “controversy” out of the way. Not long ago you were quoted in the Houston Chronicle as calling some Bond fans “pathetic, pasty-skinned, wifeless guys who sit in their apartments in London with nothing better to do than make up crap.” Care to elaborate?

I said nothing of the sort! I said that those who have nothing better than to make up rumors and post them on the internet were of this ilk. Not that there is anything wrong with being pasty or wifeless. I could probably use some sun myself. I think the key word might have been pathetic. True Bond fans don’t need to make up rumors. They are better than that.

In the early ’90s Variety reported that you had made a deal with Eon to develop ideas for what was then “Bond 17.” How did this deal come about?

I was working as a screenwriter. I had met Timothy Dalton and Barbara Broccoli at a screening of a film I wrote and told them that the reason I became interested in filmmaking was because of my love of the Bond films. We had a nice conversation. Quite some time later—a year and a half, I think—I called my agent to ask her what was happening with the new Bond film since legal entanglements had been cleared up between MGM and Danjaq/Eon. She called me back and said, “They are interviewing writers. You have a meeting with them.” I was thrilled. I went in and had a meeting and, as a result, was one of three writers hired. Michael France was always the writer working on GoldenEye. The other writer and I were working separately on treatments for future films. I never worked out a story, but I felt like I got along very well with Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson. It was a wonderful experience. I have tremendous admiration for the writers who hammer out a great, filmable Bond story. I was cut out for different things.

Can you share with us any details at all about what your Bond treatment was about? I heard it was called, Shaken Not Stirred. True?

No. Never had a title. We never even agreed on a storyline! I wouldn’t even say I ever had any good or memorable ideas.

Tell us about how you came to be so involved in the productions of the Bond DVDs?

I received a call from someone at MGM saying my name had been suggested by Danjaq, and asking if I would be interested in working with them on the DVDs? This was in 1999. I had previously been involved with the LaserDiscs of Goldfinger, Thunderball and GoldenEye, and that had grown out of my work with the IFF and my time working with Michael Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Cubby Broccoli on treatment ideas that never got fleshed out.

Was Eon reluctant to let you feature cuts scenes on the DVD documentaries.

Eon has been incredibly supportive of everything we have done on the DVDs. In many ways they have gone to the mat, dug deeper and helped far, far beyond the call of duty. Of course they approve the final materials, so they can say no. They very rarely have said no on the DVDs.

Was there anything you wanted to include in the DVDs that you either didn’t have the time to prepare or were not allowed to use?

Let’s put it this way: There is always more you can add. I can assure you, items were not excluded for lack of support from MGM and/or Eon.

Are there any plans of doing a “proper” DVD presentation of 1967’s Casino Royale and/or Never Say Never Again?

I have no idea. I was slightly involved in the Casino Royale release by MGM (I conducted the interview with Val Guest and helped arrange the CBS version appearing on the DVD). I’d love to do a documentary on the madness of the ’67 Casino Royale.

Will you be involved in any future DVD reissues? When do you think we might see new 007 DVDs?

I will likely be involved. Can’t comment further…

How did you come to write James Bond: The Legacy?

I got a call from someone at Eon one day asking me if I wanted to write a book on the Bond films. I said yes, and asked if I could bring in Bruce Scivally as my co-author. It is all in the introduction to the book. We had to meet with the head of Boxtree and submit a writing sample, but that was it.

How about Bond Girls Are Forever? How did the collaboration work between you and Maryam d’Abo?

Similar situation. I got an email from Boxtree asking me if I would be involved. I was touring to promote Legacy. Maryam was a dream to work with. She had already made a great documentary on being a “Bond Girl” and her interviews set the tone for the book. I can’t say enough about her.

What exactly did you do for the new Scene it? 007 Edition trivia game?

Bruce Scivally and I wrote some draft questions. In short, we didn’t do much. The creators of the game have such a good product that all we did was give them some trivia. It was interesting because the game needed to be able to be played by both Bond fans and your average movie fan. I hope it did well for the company. It looks great and I think it is a lot of fun.

What do think of some of the more experimental things going on in the non-cinematic Bond world at the moment. I’m thinking in particular about the Young Bond books series and the remaking of From Russia With Love as a video game?

I think SilverFin is great. But, I hasten to add, I loved Raymond’s books, too. I think it is interesting that at this point in the world of Bond, there is a great interest in the origins of 007. I have little knowledge of the From Russia With Love video game except that a friend called me from the big video game convention a while back and was screaming into his mobile phone that it looked great. He is only a very casual Bond fan. That’s probably a very good sign.

Speaking of Raymond Benson, he used your name as 007’s alias in Doubleshot? What did you think about this? Was it a surprise? Or did Raymond “clear” this with you first?

First, I was thrilled beyond belief that Raymond used my name in Doubleshot! I couldn’t have been happier. Second, Raymond did not clear this with me first. He didn’t need to. He knew it would be something that would bring a big smile to my face.

What happened to Goldeneye magazine?

Well, it is a sad story. I was trying to get it out and not doing very well between work and other obligations. The last issue came out when The World Is Not Enough opened. Shortly after, Ian Fleming Publications became interested in sort of taking over the magazine. I had most of an issue put together and someone over there said, “no, I’m 80% sure we’ll get this together in the next six weeks.” So I stopped working on the next issue. Well, the 20% chance won out, they got out of the magazine business, and their (the IFP’s) priorities changed. All of this happened with the best of intent, but as the months went by, the magazine somewhat died for me. I was starting Cloverland (my company) and I didn’t have time to pursue the magazine. I looked for others to edit the magazine, and finally found someone who was willing and I thought able. This was after the release of Die Another Day. I sent an email to Eon to see if they had any objection. They said they would rather the IFF not publish a magazine anymore. I totally respected their reasons (which I think had to do with being able to license official publications). We always said we could only publish if Eon supported that. Once they felt they couldn’t support the idea, it was totally over for me.

Is the Ian Fleming Foundations still active?

The IFF is still active, although all the heavy lifting is done by Doug Redenius, who has been managing our vehicle collection and putting together the fabulous events which have raised money for some very wonderful charities.

What would you say is your fondest Bond-related memory or event?

My fondest memory would be my honeymoon at Goldeneye in Jamaica. Nothing beats the reality of true love.

Oh wow, honeymoon at Goldeneye! Can you tell us more?

What is there to tell? It was a dream. We awoke in the morning and put on Noel Coward music and slow danced in Fleming’s living room. We ate lunch in the sunken garden. I wrote postcards at Fleming’s desk… the same desk where Sting wrote many of the songs for ‘Synchronicity’. Chris Blackwell gave me the greatest honeymoon anyone could have—Bond fan or not.

How has getting married and raising a son changed your feelings towards James Bond, the ultimate bachelor.

Bond has always been a fantasy. I’ve never owned a gun. I’ve never been much of a drinker. I don’t drive a sportscar, and I was never one who tried to have a girlfriend in every port. But I do love the window into the elegant, exotic, dark and dangerous world that Bond provides. I love the way my passion for Bond leads me into other worlds—the plays of Noel Coward, the art of Lucian Freud, the books of Peter Fleming and Patrick Leigh Fermor… Bond has taken me places and provided me adventures that are wonderful. Through Bond, I have learned to explore the world and embrace life and adventure. Bond was a role model of self-confidence when I was an adolescent. I remember once at summer camp when a group of kids were having some fun at my expense. Their bunks overlooked the bathroom cubical in our cabin, and they were blocking the door and then spitting on the unlucky cabin-mates who had to use the facilities. This day, it was my turn to be spat upon. I remember being there, feeling totally powerless, and then asking myself, what would James Bond do? While there were no great heroics, I figured out a way to climb up the wall and turn the tables. No kid ever got spat on in the bathroom cubical again. As far as Bond’s sexual prowess goes, everyone wants to be desirable. Every male wants to have the confidence to approach a woman he finds attractive. Being married and raising a son only means I found that woman to approach. Nicole is my Bond girl for life. Having a son only means I hope to instill confidence and a spirit of adventure into him. Fatherhood is the greatest adventure. I want him to grow up feeling the world is his oyster, that he can do anything he sets his mind to. Those are qualities that lie under the surface of Bond, the qualities I think are important in his lasting appeal.

The world of online fandom can be pretty opinionated and sometimes downright hostile towards Bond screenwriters, authors, etc. What do you say to those opinionated fans who might be reading this interview now?

People have opinions. Fans have invested a lot of passion. I respect that. I don’t go onto the message boards (I can only think of two exceptions where someone alerted me to something I went and checked out), so I don’t see what people post, and I never post. But I would say this: It is easy to be a lot nastier in a posting than someone would be face to face. It is easy to make assumptions that can be wrong and easier to criticize than it is to create. But it is also important for anyone to understand that the passion (or hostility) comes out of a love of Bond. Fleming’s fictional world tapped into something for those fans, and I hope that whatever pleasure they have from 007 is still there, regardless of whatever debates they get into with other fans.

If Eon wanted to understand the fans—their wants, needs, expectations, etc—I expect they would turn to you as someone with a foot in both worlds. Can we turn that around and ask you to help us fans understand Eon a little better?

Eon doesn’t need to turn to me! I don’t claim to understand “the fans”! Who are “the fans”? They are oodles of individuals who have opinions that are vastly different from each other. The ones I’ve met are great. But there are no insights I have. As far as understanding Eon—why is there a need to understand them? Is it so one can figure out who might be cast or what direction the next film might take? Watch the movies. Play the games. Enjoy Bond. The future will be here all too soon. Enjoy today. To paraphrase (with apologies to Ian Fleming and Jack London) I will not spend my days trying to predict the future, I will enjoy my time.

Finally, are you still a Bond fan?

What an odd question! Of course. I was flying from Ecuador to Lima, Peru today and my wife showed me an article in (of all things) Vogue (I think it was the July issue) about a house in the Bahamas. She thought the pictures reminded her of Firefly (Noel Coward’s house in Jamaica) in a way. I started reading the text and the husband was remembering falling in love with his wife on a diving trip. He compared her to Honey Ryder. Later, I was flipping through the in-flight magazine (LAN Airlines), and there was a very short article on Bond’s martini. I loved it. Before I came on this trip, I read some books, but none with more interest than Patrick Leigh Fermor’s Three Letters from the Andes. Why? Because Fermor was a great friend of Fleming’s (and a great adventurer and writer). I was in south Florida before that, and I had to go by a used bookstore and get copies of Live And Let Die and Goldfinger—just to re-read the Florida sections. And, of course, while in Miami, I stayed at the Fontainebleau. Bond flows in my blood.

To discuss this interview visit this thread in the CBn forums, the largest 007 forum on the net.

John Cork Related Items (from Amazon.com)…

• Bond Girls Are Forever
• James Bond: The Legacy
• The Long Walk Home (screenwriter)
• Scene it? 007 Edition

John Cork Related Items (from Amazon.co.uk)…

• Bond Girls Are Forever
• James Bond: The Legacy
• Scene it? 007 Edition

Worldwide Release Dates for 'Casino Royale'

Today Sony Pictures revealed the world wide release dates for Casino Royale.

We’ve all known for a while now that the 17 November 2006 would be Casino Royale‘s release date in the United States and United Kingdom. We had assumed this would be the first date the film would be going public. But if you live in the Philippines, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan Kuwait, Oman or the United Arab Emirates you can see the film a whole two days before those in the US and UK, on the 15 November. And those in live in Greece, Russia, Malaysia or Singapore, Israel, Lebanon, Qatar or Syria will be able to see it on the 16 November.

Sad to say it, but there will be some unfortunate fans in the Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia, Switzerland (Italian), Argentina, Brasil and Japan who will have to wait until early 2007 to see the anticipated 21st James Bond film’.

To view the full list of release dates, check out the schedule on sonypictures.com

To discuss the release dates visit this thread on the CBn Forums
Thanks to Rikard ‘Lionheart’ Andersson for the tip-off.

CBn Reviews 'Octopussy'

Over the last several months, members of the CBn Forum have been reviewing all the James Bond 007 films in the “Countdown Threads“. If you wish to join in on the forum discussion all you have to do is register. Now here are some selected reviews, varying in opinion, of Octopussy…

‘Octopussy’ by tdalton

‘Octopussy’ litho by Jeff Marshall

Octopussy represents the only time during Roger Moore’s tenure as James Bond that he put together 2 consecutive solid Bond outings. Connery did it twice (or 4 consecutive: Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and Dalton did it with his only two outings). But whenever Roger put up a great Bond movie, it was generally followed by a turkey. Live and Let Die (decent Bond film) followed by The Man With The Golden Gun and The Spy Who Loved Me followed by Moonraker.

The thing that makes Octopussy work is its cast of strong villians as well as the fact that it continues on with the For Your Eyes Only approach of realistic villians and a plausible plot. Steven Berkoff as General Orlov and Louis Jourdan as Kamal Khan are two very treacherous villians and are two villians who could feasibly exist in the world, unlike a Jaws character. They both light up the screens with their performances, pushing their characters to the edge and truly display their insanity very well on the screen.

It is clear from the start of the film that Roger Moore is starting to show his age, but this does not stop him (this time, anyway) from playing Bond as well as he had ever played him. Moore keeps Bond somewhat serious again, and it pays off. There is definitely more humor in Octopussy than in the previous Bond outing, but it is not silly and is kept within the framework of a serious Bond film.

Maud Adams redeems herself for the debacle that was The Man With The Golden Gun with a good performance as the title character. Octopussy’s character doesn’t serve much purpose to the story, but Bond always has to have a beautiful woman to fall for in the films, so she fills this purpose as well as provide some entertaining scenes.

Octopussy also marks a change of the guard of sorts. Robert Brown replaced the late Bernard Lee as “M”, after the characters abscence in For Your Eyes Only. He is the perfect replacement for Bernard Lee, and continues on with the character until GoldenEye.

John Barry returns once again for another solid Bond score. Rita Coolidge’s title song, “All Time High”, is a solid, yet forgettable, Bond theme song.

‘Octopussy’ by DLibrasnow

Octopussy has had many criticisms leveled at it since it slipped into cinema’s in 1983. One complaint is that there are simply too many villains – is the crazed Gen. Orlov the main villain or the suave Kamal Khan? Another objection postulates that its choice of India as a location sends Bond into a pure fantasy land with a depiction of tribal princes, mysterious islands populated entirely of impossibly beautiful women and bungling local thugs. Still more point to its inappropriate rather juvenile schoolboy humor, from Bond’s Tarzan yell to our heroes ogling over a young woman secretary’s bust as a reason why the movie fails.

These objections are perfectly legitimate, but one has to feel that the movies detractors were missing the point. Bond is a fantasy figure who in the past has battled armies inside bases hidden inside hollowed out volcano’s (in 1967’s You Only Live Twice) and shot into space to save the world from poisoned orchids globes (in 1979’s Moonraker). Bond belongs in the fantasy realm and the over-the-top formula is perfectly suited and indeed complimented by the India depicted here.

In addition the villains are similarly over-the-top and the movie audience is treated to two wonderful performances. Who can forget the fantastic performance of Steven Berkoff as Orlov in the Kremlin meeting room – “Never, the West is decadent” Orlov states as he struts around one of Peter Lamont’s amazing sets.

The humor is also perfectly suited to the Roger Moore portrayal of Bond and in fact the adventures had become for fantastical at this point that it was necessary for Moore to not take events too seriously. The only truly embarrassing scene is the one in Q’s workshop where Bond focuses a camera in on a woman’s bust. But other scenes referred to pop culture of the 1900s, such as Bond doing his Barbara Wodehouse impersonation telling a tiger to “sit-t-t” and swinging through the vines like Johnny Weismuller in an old Tarzan picture. Neither is particularly intrusive and both elicited belly laughs from the audience I saw the movie with. Similarly the complaint that Bond ends up in a clown suit at the end should be taken in context, he is undercover at a circus, a clown outfit is in fact the perfect disguise.

The movie starts with one of the most famous action sequences of the 1980s. Captured trying to destroy a spy plane in Latin America 007 escapes by using the worlds smallest jet even flying it through a hanger as the doors close. In fact the jet, called an Acrostar, actually exists and had been originally planned for use in 1979’s Moonraker, it deserves its place in the Bond movie’s pantheon of gadgets alongside the mini helicopter Little Nellie from 1967. Rolling up to a gas station at the end of the sequence Bond delivers my favorite line in the movie, smiling to the undoubtedly amazed attendant and asking him to Fill her up please.”

Of course this scene has nothing to do with the movie as a whole but it’s a nice little mini-adventure to start things off with and set the tone for the rest of the movie. Following the erotic main titles, in which designer Maurice Binder makes full use of lasers and gorgeous women, we are plunged headlong into the main plot with two assassins chasing a British agent in full clown make-up (shades of what is to come later) as he attempts to get a fake Faberge egg to the British embassy.

Understandably a little miffed at the death of their agent and curious as to the reason why he was carrying a fake egg the British send Bond to observe the auction of the real egg at Sotheby’s. Here is one of my favorite scenes, there are no explosions, no meglomaniacal speeches from super villains and no incredible sets but merely Bond testing the determination of Khan in a standoff which reaches its final conclusion thousands of miles away over a game of backgammon. Here we see shades of Goldfinger cheating at golf in the 1964 movie except this time its loaded dice on the backgammon table.

Special mention must go to the very alluring Maud Adams who holds the distinction of being the only actress to play two leading roles in the EON Bond series (Ursula Andress played two, the first in Dr. No and the second in the non-Eon 1967 spoof Casino Royale). Adams is a stunning Scandinavian beauty and plays the title role with a sense of both amusement and conviction.

The plot for what its worth involves jewelry smuggling and nuclear brinkmanship, but that’s really not what is important here, that merely serves as a canvas on which to stage fun set pieces and a generous selection of stunt action sequences.

What we have here is a fun action adventure movie, just don’t go in expecting anything serious. If you approach this movie with the right frame of mind you might find this entry in the James Bond canon to be one of the series most entertaining – for entertainment’s sake.

‘Octopussy’ by Qwerty

I simply love Octopussy. It’s a James Bond 007 film that works on many fronts. It has an intriguing storyline and plot, and did well with the fans. (Had a very good American box-office at the time, if I recall correctly), and was down only marginally on the whole from For Your Eyes Only.

Roger Moore is still on top of the game as James Bond here, his age only really becomes too noticeable in A View To A Kill, in my opinion. There is a terrific supporting cast with him as well. Of all the Roger Moore James Bond films, he shares the best chemistry with the leading lady in this one. Maud Adams is a classic Bond film star, and her character in Octopussy doesn’t dissapoint. Louis Jordan is also one of the best villains in the series, and very much overlooked. He gets some fantastic lines all throughout the film and his performance stays excellent through the end. Gobinda is one of the better henchmen in the series as well. Can not overlook Magda though either, her limited scenes are good ones.

And of course….General Orlov. So over-the-top. “The West is decadent and divided!

India featuring as the prime location for much of this film works very much to it’s advantage. The audience gets a classic Taj Mahal shot, as well as the thrilling ‘dangerous game’ chase and the spying on Octopussy’s palace. What really helps the film is John Barry’s score. While somewhat reserved, it keeps the tension throughout many scenes going and the classic action cue in the final assault is very well done.

Two sometimes overlooked/underrated sections of the film that I also enjoy are the main title sequence and Rita Coolidge’s title song. One of my favorite main-titles from Binder.

Classic Bond.

‘Octopussy’ by Scottlee

Roger’s second best Bond, in my opinion. It has an effective storyline, a great variety of villains, a limited amount of over-the-top humour, a good soundtrack, a fantastic pre-credits, a cliffhanger ending between Kamal and Bond, and most noticablely of all, beautiful scenary.

Moore gives one of his most serious performances, too, which adds to the effectiveness of the film. Stunts and action sequences involving moving vehicles would go on to annoy me in the later Bond films, but in this film, despite being used pretty much all the time, I can’t think of one sequences that irks me. Even the sight of Bond esaping the villains in a rickshaw gets pulled off.

Great film.

‘Octopussy’ by Genrewriter

I’ve always been amazed by how well this film works. Roger Moore delivers a stellar performance and Louis Jourdan and Steven Berkoff make great bad guys. What makes the film work as well as it does is the seamless, gradual shift in tone. For the first hour or so it’s fairly lighthearted, a little like Moonraker but the humor is done a little bit better and placed in more appropriate spots. As soon as the film introduces us to Octopussy however, the tone slowly shifts to a more serious one as Vijay is killed and the threat of the bomb comes into play. John Glen keeps the tension up quite well as he builds to the defusing scene, not even letting the sight of Bond in clown attire take away from the threat. Once the bomb is defused we relax a bit more as Bond wraps it up with a nice raid on Kamal’s palace and a breathtaking plane finale. At the risk of sounding like a cliche, this is truly Bond’s all time high.

‘Octopussy’ by Double-Oh Agent

During the previous 12 films, James Bond and EON had little to no competition to worry about. That would change during the production of their 13th entry into the series, Octopussy, as Kevin McClory went into production with a rival 007 picture eventually titled, Never Say Never Again. This was not to be just any movie, this was a virtual remake of Thunderball with McClory holding an ace in the hole–Sean Connery starring as James Bond 007.

With both films originally scheduled to come out against each other, the press dubbed the faceoff as “The Battle Of The Bonds”. Complications arose, however, that pushed Never Say Never Again‘s release date back a couple of months (to the betterment of both films undoubtedly) and the build-up to the epic battle slowly faded away.

With all this as a backdrop, the pressure was on Roger Moore and EON to deliever not just a good film, but a great one. When all was said and done, they had done just that.

Octopussy is an underrated Bond film. In my opinion, it is the most underrated in the entire series. Virtually everything in the production works. There’s humor (but not too much), danger and suspense (lots), a great plot, solid action, and excellent performances throughout.

The bad: Not much to put here. The Tarzan yell during the jungle chase is better off left unused, the crowd watching the fight during the motorcart chase shouldn’t have acted like they were watching a tennis match, and the circus fight was a tad much. I’m also not a fan of the way Kamal Khan dies. It should have been better and more memorable. But these are minor quibbles. The good far outweighs the bad.

The good: A tremendous pre-titles sequence kicks off the film. It was a neat trick to have Bond captured before accomplishing his mission, only to escape and complete his assignment another way. The auction at Sotheby’s is well done as is jungle hunt and Bond’s desperate race against time to stop the bomb. I love the scene where the kids stop as if to pick up a hitchhiking Bond only to take off when he gets close. Very ironic. Plus director John Glen builds the suspense well leading up to the bomb going off. One wonders how Bond will stop it when he’s got the West German police and the entire American air force base after him. I especially liked how the detonator harmlessly goes off just after Bond extracts it from its casing. And then there’s the coolest scene in the film–perhaps in the series–where Bond slides down the banister shooting Khan’s men. The scene is capped perfectly by Bond noticing the large decorative knob at the end of the handrail and then shooting it off just before he gets to it, thereby saving the family jewels from harm. Adding that extra oomph to the scene is John Barry’s rousing use of The James Bond Theme. Simply classic all around.

Miles Messervy aka M makes a welcome return in Octopussy after a one-film hiatus, this time in the guise of Robert Brown. The knife-wielding twins, Mischka and Grischka (Anthony Meyer and David Meyer) are excellent and very menacing–nowhere more so than during their chase of 009. Steven Berkoff as Orlov gives an over the top but humorous performance. He captures the mad Russian general’s insanity very well. Kristina Wayborn as Magda is beautiful and exotic and you’ve got to love her exit from the hotel room after sleeping with Bond. Maud Adams is okay as Octopussy and Vijay Amritraj is very likable as Bond’s ally, Vijay. Kabir Bedi is perfectly menacing and dangerous as Gobinda. Oh those piercing eyes. He’s one of the best henchmen of the series. Equally so on the villain side of things is Louis Jourdan as Kamal Khan–my second favorite villain of the series. He oozes charm and evil in just about every scene he’s in. He’s also got some of the best lines in the series. 1) “Spend the money quickly, Mr. Bond.” 2) “Mr. Bond is indeed a very rare breed–soon to be made extinct.” And 3) “You have a nasty habit of surviving.” You have to admire a villain who can say lines like that.

Roger Moore gives one of his strongest portrayals as 007. He is at his best in his confrontation with Orlov. He’s determined to stop the general and sickened by his plan at the same time. I love his tone of voice, which is all business, when he says, “On your feet general, you’re going to stop that train.” When he says that, you know he means it.

The stunts are great from the aerial tricks in the pre-titles sequence to the car on the railroad tracks to the fight on the train to the final assault on Khan’s palace. The music by John Barry is excellent and the title song “All Time High” sung by Rita Coolidge is one of the best of the series. The production design by Peter Lamont is one of his best efforts and the whole India setting is very exotic. And lastly, the plot to explode a bomb on an American air base to force NATO disarmament so the Russians can overtake much of Europe is quite clever and well done.

All in all, Octopussy is a truly great Bond film. It hits all the right notes and leaves the viewer and Bond on an all time high.

Geoffrey Keen, 1916 – 2005

The James Bond family has lost a member. Geoffrey Keen, who played The Minister of Defense in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985) and The Living Daylights (1987), passed away on November 3, 2005, at the age of 89.

Among Keen’s 100 film credits were Genevieve (1953), Doctor in the House (1954), The Long Arm (1956), The Spiral Road (1962), and Taste The Blood of Dracula (1969). Keen also appeared the David Lean classic, Doctor Zhivago (1965).

By the 1970s Keen’s big-screen career consisted mainly of his appearances in the Bond movies. However, there was a steady stream of theatrical engagements, as well as an increasing involvement in television. His most memorable small screen role was his portrayal of Brian Stead, a ruthless oil company chairman, in Troubleshooters.

The Living Daylights signaled his retirement at the age of 71. Since the death of his third wife, Doris, Keen lived a quiet life in Surrey. He no longer enjoyed watching the films in which he appeared, calling them “ghosts which will only haunt me”.

Keen is survived by his daughter and by his second wife.

CBn offeres its sincere condolences to the Keen family.

Discuss the life and work of Geoffrey Keen in this thread on the CBn Forums.
Thanks to ACE.

The Men Who Could Have Been Bond

During the search for the next James Bond (aka: Bond #6), CBn had a policy of not revealing names of actors who we knew to be in contention. A leaked name at the wrong time could ruin the chances for a young actor to land the role of a lifetime. But now that’s it all over and Daniel Craig is the new James Bond in Casino Royale, CBn will spill the beans.

All names on this list are verified, none are rumours. Some names we’ve heard of before, some we haven’t. Updates to this list will be made when more candidates are confirmed (and with Michael G. Wilson’s saying that they looked at over 200 actors, this could become a life-long project).

Okay, we’ve teased you enough. So without further ado, here are 16 men who could have been James Bond…

The Phantom

Gerard Butler

Age: 35 (1969)
Nationality: Scottish
Known for: Dracula 2000 (2000), Reign of Fire (2002), Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life (2003), Phantom of the Opera (2004)

Comments: Often suggested by fans, Butler was considered in March 2005.

The Runner Up

Henry Cavill

Age: 22 (1983)
Nationality: English
Known for: The Count’s son in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

Comments: Director Martin Campbell said that in the end it was between Daniel Craig and Cavill. Cavill lost out because, at 22, he was just too young. Could Cavill become Bond #7?

The Guy Who Kissed Johnny Depp

Rupert Friend

Age: Unknown 20s
Nationality: English
Known for: Kissing Johnny Depp in The Libertin (2004), Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Comments: Friend gave an impressive reading and was at one point in the selection process was as serious a candidate as Henry Cavil.

The BeastMaster

Daniel Goddard

Age: 34 (1971)
Nationality: Australian
Known for: BeastMaster (1999-2002)

Comments: Nothing more is known about Goddard’s candidacy but here’s his official web-site danielgoddard.com.

The Ringer

Martin Henderson

Age: 31 (1974)
Nationality: New Zealander
Known for: Ex-husband in The Ring (2002), Bride & Prejudice (2004)

Comments: At 5’9″ Henderson was the shortest contender.

The Doctor

Julian McMahon

Age: 37 (1968)
Nationality: Australian
Known for: Charmed (2000-2003), Nip/Tuck (2003-Current), Fantastic Four (2005)

Comments: Greatly impressed both Eon and Campbell, but apparently did not make the finals for reasons unknown.

The 41 Year Old

David Morrissey

Age: 41 (1964)
Nationality: English
Known for: Hilary and Jackie (1998), Captain Corelli?s Mandolin (2001), Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

Comments: Nothing additional is known about Morrissey’s candidacy, but his age could have been a factor.

The Oyster Farmer

Alex O’Lachlan

Age: 28 (1977)
Nationality: Australian
Known for: Oyster Farmer (2004)

Comments: O’Lachlan confirmed for The Daily Telegraph that he had tested for the role in full wardrobe.

The Soap Star

Ingo Rademacher

Age: 34 (1971)
Nationality: German
Known for: Jax on General Hospital (1996-Current)

Comments: Rademacher was considered in early 2005 and met with Campbell in Los Angeles.

The IMF Agent

Dougray Scott

Age: 40 (1965)
Nationality: Scottish
Known for: Ever After (1998), Mission: Impossible II (2000), Enigma (2001), Ripley’s Game (2002)

Comments: Scott was ultimately considered too old for the role.

The Footballer

Christian Solimeno

Age: 30 (1975)
Nationality: English
Know for: Jason Turner on Footballers’ Wives (2002-2003)

Comments: Campbell is said to have liked Solimeno a great deal, but it is not known how far the actor made it in the audition process.

The Giant Killer

Antony Starr

Age: 30 (1975)
Nationality: New Zealander
Known for: David (as in David and Goliath) on Xena (1996), Without a Paddle (2004)

Comments: Starr gave an impressive reading in Summer 2005.

The Caesar Salad

Karl Urban

Age: 33 (1972)
Nationality: New Zealander
Known for: Caesar on Xena (1996-2001) Eomer in The Lord of The Rings (2002, 2003), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), Doom (2005)

Comments: Was considered in March 2005, but his look was not right for James Bond.

The Croatian

Goran Visnjic

Age: 33 (1972)
Nationality: Croatian
Known for: Jimmy Anglov in Practical Magic (1998), Dr Luka Kovac on ER (1999-Current), Elektra (2005)

Comments: Visnjic had impressed Campbell with a screen-test for Zorro so the director suggested he test as 007.

The Guitarist

Dominic West

Age: 36 (1969)
Nationality: English
Known for: 28 Days (2000), Rock Star (2001), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), The Forgotten (2004)

Comments: West told the Daily Telegraph he appeared at his audition in jeans and a t-shirt to be “different from the other actors who were all wearing suites and tuxes.”

The Aussie

Sam Worthington

Age: 29 (1976)
Nationality: Australian
Known for: Dirty Deeds (2002), Thunderstruck (2004)

Comments: Worthington was reportedly one of the full dress screen-test finalists and may have been in the final three with Craig and Cavill.

You may also be interested to know?

Remember Orlando Bloom? Well, it is unknown whether or not Eon ever seriously considered Bloom, but MGM did.

And the men who (really) weren’t going to be 007: Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, Jude Law and Ewan McGregor. Despite constant media reports and rumours that major stars were in the running to play 007, CBn has not been able to confirm if any of this was true. CBn was told early on that Clive Owen was “too old” for what they had in mind. Campbell recently stated that, to his knowledge, Owen and Jackman were never approached. Eon’s standard Bond deal (which includes a multi picture deal and no profit participation) probably ruled out “name” stars from the very beginning.

As for Pierce Brosnan, he was officially out of Casino Royale in February 2004 (the decision had been made as early as Dec 2003). Despite constant rumors to the contrary, sources say he was never again in the running.

Brosnan Bares All For Playboy

Caution: Excerpts from this interview contain language that my be offensive to some readers.

The notoriously candid Pierce Brosnan has given an in-depth interview to the notoriously open Playboy Magazine, and the result is both oddly un-revelatory and shocking. What follows are excerpts from the Bond related sections of the interview in which Brosnan continues expressing bitterness about his tenure as James Bond, and even extends his wrath to former Bond star George Lazenby.

Playboy: Where you ready to step down as James Bond?
Brosnan: It would have been a trip to do another one. I prepared myself to do it. I psyched myself. But they have set sail. The made their decision. They want to reinvent it and make it a period piece. The want to get a younger guy.

Playboy: How does it feel to be told that you’re too old?
Brosnan: It was kind of shocking to have ageism come on me when I was just getting started. It’s shocking to be told that you’re too old, that you’re past your sell-by date.

Playboy: Do we detect some bitterness?
Brosnan: It’s bloody frustrating that the f*ckers pulled the rug when they did. It was like, “Come on, we’re family here. You talk about being a family. You know my late wife; you know my family now. Yet I get a call from my agents at five in the afternoon in the Bahamas, and I hear that you’ve shut down negotiations because you don’t know how, where or which way to go and that you’ll call me next Friday?” What can I say? It’s cold, it’s juvenile, and it shouldn’t be done like that, not after 10 years and four films.

When asked how he assessed his four Bond films (GoldenEye,1995; Tomorrow Never Dies, 1997; The Word Is Not Enough, 1999; Die Another Day, 2002) the actor responded:

Brosnan: All the movies made money. Creatively, maybe, they could have been stronger, but they were Bond movies, and they advanced a certain degree out of the dolddrums where they had been. They were tricky to do. I never really felt as as though I nailed it. As soon as they put me into a suit and tie and gave me those lines of dialogue, I felt restricted. It was like the same old same old. I was doing Roger Moore doing Sean Connery doing George Lazenby. I felt as if I were doing a period piece dusted off. They never really took the risks they should have. […] It would have been great to light up and smoke cigarettes, for instance. It would have been great to have the killing a little more real and not wussed down. My boys watch the movies on DVD, so I see them from time to time. I see myself with nowhere to go, and it’s all rather bland.

Brosnan went on to expresses his disappointment that the sex scenes in his Bond films where never steamy enough for his own tastes (“It would have been great to have sex scenes that were right on the button.”). When asked who would be his ideal Bond Girl, Brosnan had this to say:

Brosnan: Monica Bellucci is a ravishing beauty — a gorgeous, gorgeous woman. She screen-tested to be a Bond girl a while back and the fools said no. Teri Hatcher stole the day instead.

Asked about the reports of his clashes with Teri Hatcher in the set of Tomorrow Never Dies, Pierce explained:

Brosnan: The Teri Hatcher incident was blown out of proportion. She was late to set because she was newly pregnant. I didn’t know that until the end of the day. […] I was vexed because I had a call time of six or seven AM, and we didn’t do any work until three or four in the afternoon. No one told me her situation until afterwards. By that time I’d already shot my mount off and cussed and moaned and groaned. That’s all it was, a storm in a teacup.

The most bizarre part of the interview is when the topic of former Bond star George Lazenby arose. This has garnered some outside press attention, so here is the Q&A in it’s entirety.

Playboy: How about George Lazenby, who played 007 in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service? He once said about you, “If he walked into a room, I doubt anyone would look up. But this is the 1990s and women want a man who shows his feminine side. Pierce definitely has that.”
Brosnan: George is just an angry, old, pissed-off guy. He was never an actor but some pissed-off Aussie who doesn’t know how to show his feminine side. I met him, and he’s got that kind of brittle edge to him. People want to take swipes. I have no idea why.

Brosnan went on to suggest Clive Owen would make a good James Bond, but when the conversation turned to his new film, The Matador, Brosnan once again let his fury fly:

Brosnan: I would like to see this film be a glorious poke in the eye to certain parties and to be a success and have other glorious roles follow in it’s wake. […] When the f*ckers try and hem you in with Bond, it’s great to come back with The Matador. It’s great to say, “F*ck you, a**hole. F*ck you who wouldn’t give me a job. F*ck you who thought I was some wuss. F*uck you, who thought I was a pretty boy. F*ck you, who thought anything of me without even knowing me or giving me the chance. F*ck you.” But when you go around with all that inside you all the time, you end up completely mangled so you have to let it go.

To read the entire Pierce Brosnan Playboy interview, purchase the December issue of Playboy Magazine. To subscribe, visit www.playboy.com (Caution: this link/website features frontpage nudity).

Discuss this interview in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the internet.

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