'Ian Fleming: Where Bond Began' Scheduled For 19 October

James Bond fans will want to tune in to BBC One later this month for an all-new special on 007’s creator, Ian Fleming.

Scheduled for Sunday, 19 October at 6:10pm is Ian Fleming: Where Bond Began. Join former Bond girl Joanna Lumley (the Engish Angel of Death in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) as she investigates the life of Ian Fleming to coincide with the centenary of his birth and the upcoming release of the 22nd Bond film, Daniel Craig’s Quantum of Solace.

On a journey which takes her from London to Jamaica, driving Aston Martins, firing Berettas and being surrounded by £24m-worth of diamonds, Joanna discovers how Fleming poured his personal experiences of war-time espionage, love, luxury and death into his most alluring literary creation, James Bond.

Stay tuned to CommanderBond.net for all the latest news on Bond-related events happening around the world.

Sir Roger Moore's 'My Word Is My Bond' Audiobook Released

The audiobook edition Sir Roger Moore’s autobiography, My Word is My Bond, was released today in the UK.

Published by BBC Audiobooks and retails for £12.99, this audiobook is read by Sir Roger himself and can currently be ordered at a discounted price at Amazon.co.uk.

ROGER MOORE
My Word is My Bond

Published by BBC Audiobooks on 9 October 2008
ISBN: 9781408409466
RRP: £12.99; Duration 2 hours 30 mins on 2 CDs

The download of this title will be available from 6 October 2008, RRP: £9.00
Download ISBN: 9781408423974

Screen legend Sir Roger Moore reads his first ever autobiography recounting with his trademark charm and candour his life and career on stage and screen. In this new release from BBC Audiobooks Sir Roger has recorded the story of his extraordinary career spanning seven decades, from early television to the golden age of Hollywood and on to international stardom.

Dashing, handsome and every inch the gentleman Sir Roger has starred in some of the most treasured films and fêted television series of the last 50 years. Playing the debonair adventurer Simon Templar in The Saint and the charismatic playboy Lord Brett alongside Tony Curtis in The Persuaders Moore was perfectly poised to assume the role of 007, taking Bond to new levels of suavity, style and charm.

Throughout My Word is My Bond Sir Roger recounts his story with his trademark charm and feeling, leading us through his family life, his marriages, and his later battle with cancer and interweaving his personal history with wonderful stories from the heyday of Hollywood and seven block-buster Bond films. Here he is uniquely positioned to give an affectionate insight into the Bond family, the close relationships and all the fun on set filming iconic scenes including the ski-chase opening to The Spy Who Loved Me and exploding Scaramanga’s Lair in Live and Let Die.

My Word is My Bond is peppered with personal anecdotes about Sir Roger’s work with such icons as Elizabeth Taylor, Lana Turner (who taught him how to kiss), David Niven and Michael Caine with whom he became great friends. Another friend and neighbour Audrey Hepburn introduced Sir Roger to UNICEF for whom he works as an ambassador, a role he is passionate about and on whose behalf he has travelled across the globe to some of the world’s most dangerous trouble-spots. His work for UNICEF was honoured with a knighthood in 2003 and he continues to act as an ambassador and spokes-person for the charity.

In this audio-recording, released on 9 October and in the hardback edition of
My Word is My Bond: The Autobiography , released by Michael O’Mara Books Ltd on 2 October Sir Roger gives us a unique glimpse into his fascinating life story. Packed with stories about his childhood in London and experience during World War II, his encounters with the stars and his wonderful memories of Hollywood, My Word is My Bond provides a fascinating insight into the life and career of a true icon.

The US release of My Word is My Bond will follow on 4 November. Order online:

• Order the UK hardback edition of My Word is My Bond from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the UK signed hardback edition of My Word is My Bond from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the UK audiobook edition of My Word is My Bond from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the US hardback edition of My Word is My Bond from Amazon.com

'Quantum of Solace' – Cast & Crew Listing

Article originally posted: 24 January 2008
Last updated: 9 October 2008

The Quantum of Solace Cast

The Quantum of Solace Crew

With the announcement of Quantum of Solace as the title of the newest James Bond 007 film directed by Marc Forster and details on the plot being uncovered, there has also been quite a bit of new information regarding the characters Daniel Craig’s 007 will be encountering in the film…

According to a report from BBC News, Olga Kurylenko, who plays the role of Camille, stated that she has yet to film any scenes for the newest 007 adventure, but is working hard preparing for her role.

I’m doing weapons training and body flight training for aerial scenes and stunt work for fighting,’ she said. ‘My days are so long, and it’s very physical. She’s going to be very different from the previous Bond girls.’

‘She’s a fighter. This girl is going to kick ass. She’s on her own mission and she’s driven by revenge.’

As earlier reported on CommanderBond.net, Quantum of Solace sees James Bond out for revenge on a mission that takes him to Austria, Italy and South America.

According to the synopsis, Camille (Kurylenko), leads the secret agent to Dominic Greene, member of a mysterious organization and a ruthless businessman, seeking to control huge natural resources.

Greene is played by Mathieu Amalric, who starred in the Oscar-nominated The Diving Bell and Butterfly. The plot follows on directly from Casino Royale as Bond aims to uncover the truth about Vesper, the beauty who betrayed him, and discovers that she had been blackmailed. ‘James Bond is after revenge, and Camille is after revenge and they have slightly different goals, but in the end they are going to have to collaborate,’ Kurylenko told reporters.

Gemma Arterton, who has the role of MI6 Agent Fields revealed that she had already completed her love scenes with Daniel Craig.

She said: ‘I felt like a giggly girl, and I felt so young and inexperienced–but I kissed James Bond!’

Arterton, who recently starred in the St Trinian’s film, said her Bond role is ‘not so frolicksome’ and her character ‘fresh and young, not sultry and a femme fatale.’ At the age of 21, Arterton is one of the youngest Bond girls in the series yet.

French actor Mathieu Amalric, who plays the villainous Dominic Greene, told reporters his character had ‘the smile of Tony Blair and the crazy eyes of Nicholas Sarkozy.’

As previously revealed at Empire Online, Amalric wasn’t planning on portraying the newest Bond villain as a larger than life figure. He said: ‘He’s not an over the top villian… no scars, no metal jaw–he is nude [which Empire assumes meaning no visual oddities].’

Dame Judi Dench, who returns for her sixth Bond film, said: ‘I get to do more in this one, which is brilliant.’ She hinted that her M’s relationship with Bond would be ‘pretty prickly’ in Quantum of Solace.

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

James Bond 007 Ultimate Edition DVDs – 2008 Re-release Updates (UK, US)

There are going to be a lot of James Bond DVD and Blu-ray releases when the 20th/21st of October rolls around.

Following up our September reports that the James Bond Ultimate Edition DVDs would be re-released alongside the Blu-ray discs in October, we now have extensive details on what exactly to expect when.

Starting off with the US: The Ultimate Edition DVDs will finally be available as individual two-disc editions featuring the same cover artwork as on the Blu-ray releases. List price is $22.98 each. Eight titles–Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Thunderball, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, The Living Daylights and Die Another Day–are currently available to order.

Furthermore, the single-disc Ultimate Edition DVDs (originally released througout 2007) are being repackaged with the new 007 logo/white background covers. Retail price remains $14.98 each. All titles available with the exception of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

The UK will see the release of an all new 42-disc Ultimate DVD Collector’s Set (retail: £149.99) featuring the new 007 logo/white background covers. All titles will also be released separately (retail: £14.99).

James Bond Ultimate Edition DVD – 2008 Re-release (US) [2-DISC]

James Bond Ultimate Edition DVD – 2008 Re-release (US) [SINGLE DISC]

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James Bond Ultimate Edition DVD – 2008 Re-release (UK) [2-DISC]

James Bond 007 ‘Ultimate Edition’ DVDs
Complete CommanderBond.net Coverage
Latest news, front and back cover art, box cover art, worldwide release dates, menu and screen caps, new certificates, ordering details, special features, technical specs, special collections and more.

James Bond On Blu-ray
Complete CommanderBond.net Coverage
Latest news, cover artwork, worldwide release dates, ordering details, special features and much more.

Casino Royale Three-Disc Collector’s Edition
Complete CommanderBond.net Coverage
Latest news, cover artwork, worldwide release dates, ordering details, special features and much more.

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest 007 collecting news.

'Quantum of Solace' – Official Blog Report #29

The official Quantum of Solace blog has been updated today with two crew members from the 22nd James Bond 007 film: title sequence directors Ben Randatz and Tim Fisher.

Referring to the Bond film’s opening main title sequence, Ben Randatz says: ‘We’re co-directing together and we’re from a design collective called MK12.

‘”What do you think about naked women and lasers?”–that’s how we pitch every title design that our studio has ever done and then once that’s knocked away, we try and get to something more practical,’ says Fisher with a laugh.

‘But this time around, it’s an interesting challenge starting with Casino Royale and then in Quantum of Solace, Bond is reinventing himself, so our challenge is to pay homage to title sequences in the past and be respectful of the ground that’s been covered with the franchise, but also update that and give it some new life and new energy.’

‘There’s such a legacy with the Bond titles and it’s proven to be such an inspiration for designers, animators and filmmakers over the years. Being able to contribute to that and expand on that and take it in a new direction is really exciting.

Click the video link above for your first look at the Quantum of Solace main title sequence.

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Final 'Shadow War' Mission Featuring Charlie Higson

Charlie Higson plays a crucial role in finale of the first Young Bond alternate reality game

THE SHADOW WAR

Today (Wednesday 8th October) sees the finale of the first ever Young Bond alternate reality game, The Shadow War. Charlie Higson, author of the bestselling Young Bond books, will be taking part in a live online event at 5pm today.

The Shadow War, a gripping interactive online game and the first alternate reality game connected to a children’s series of books, was launched on Saturday 23rd August on www.youngbond.com. It has since seen an incredible 10,000 people taking part in a series of six missions, all set in the Young Bond world: from crossing the Alps without being caught or tracking down a ship in the dangerous Docks of London’s East End to joining the Eton Danger Society or unravelling some strange goings on in Hellebore Castle.

The seventh and final mission, set today, will see Charlie Higson taking part and helping players solve the mission. For seven nail-biting weeks, the game has put Young Bond fans and online gamers in the shoes of either a British SIS agent or a Soviet OGPU and this last mission will see each side pitted against each other, interspersed with a live video of Charlie Higson posing as a captured British soldier, held in a cell in a castle in the Austrian Alps.

The seventh mission:
The OGPU and SIS are sending commando teams to attack the castle and racing to reach the control centre first. Players on each side will be collectively solving puzzles and cracking codes that will get them through the danger-filled castle. Charlie Higson will be on hand to help in the form of a captured British soldier who will regularly appear, giving each side hints about solving puzzles and updating them on the state of the battle. In addition, players will be able to submit their own questions to him. The end of game will see an unexpected turn when both sides will be forced to work together.

Charlie Higson comments: “The Shadow War has been a great way to follow the Young Bond story in a different way. Over the past few weeks kids from around the world have been working together as secret agents to crack a series of ingenious plots. It’s the final stage of the game this week, and a chance for all those kids to come together in a race against time and finish the story. I’m really looking forward to playing a part in it and appearing live in the game as a British agent. I just hope the kids solve the problems in time or I risk being liquidated by a fiendish foreign power!

Written by Charlie Higson and developed by specialist creators of alternate reality games Six to Start, The Shadow War is an innovative combination of reading, story-telling and online gaming. It is designed for children aged 9 plus, but can be enjoyed by adults too, and is played completely free of charge. Set within the Young Bond world, the game allows fans to explore familiar locations and see memorable characters from the series – including James Bond himself.

The Shadow War

The seven missions take the intrepid player through adventures in the world of Young Bond. Each mission takes up to an hour to complete and players can join and leave at any point, as well as change sides. At the end of each mission there is a mission debrief before the next is set.

The final mission will take place live on Wednesday 8th October between 5pm and 6.30pm.

Six to Start

The Shadow War has been developed by specialist, cutting-edge alternate reality game creators Six to Start, working closely with Charlie Higson and Puffin Books.

Dan Hon, Co-founder and CEO of Six to Start has been at the forefront of alternate reality gaming since its inception in 2001, when he co-moderated the groundbreaking online community Cloudmakers, formed to play The Beast, Microsoft’s production for AI. Dan was one of the UK’s first bloggers.

Adrian Hon, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Six to Start, is one of the
world’s leading alternate reality game designers, having been influential in the genre since its birth. Previously, Adrian was Director of Play at Mind Candy, where he designed and produced Perplex City, the world’s first commercially successful alternate reality game.

Penguin has previously worked with Six to Start on the digital fiction initiative
We Tell Stories, which saw more than 150,000 people visiting the website during the six weeks it ran.

Charlie Higson

Charlie Higson is author of five Young Bond books which have, to date, sold over a million and been translated into 24 different languages. The fifth in the series, By Royal Command, was published on 3rd September 2008.

The Young Bond titles are included in a recent list of books compiled by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the School Libraries Association to encourage school boys to read (www.boysintobooks.co.uk). Charlie also contributed to the World Book Day / Evans Schools competition this year which challenged children across the country to write their own short stories.

Charlie Higson comments:

“People often ask me what my working day is. I tell them I do regular office hours, a strict nine to five at my computer. What I don’t always tell them is that far too much of that ‘working’ day is spent playing games on my computer and poking around on the internet. By playing online you are playing against real people, not the computer, and it adds a very exciting and addictive edge. Playing computer games is often dismissed as a solitary, antisocial activity, but playing online with other people is surprisingly social. I’ve seen how my own boys play games – sharing with their mates, talking to each other over headsets, chatting about tactics on the way to school, typing messages during game play with enviable speed and accuracy. Actually playing games is a very communal activity. Playing ARG games is even more sociable as it requires players to share information and work together to solve clues and move forward.

“The Shadow War offers a parallel experience to reading the books. As it is a perfect combination of game playing and poking about on the internet, it’s right up my street.”

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net for all the latest developments regarding Young Bond and The Shadow War.

Dom Perignon James Bond Centenary Celebrations

Dom Perignon, a brand long associated with the character of a James Bond, was the featured champagne at the grand ‘Story of James Bond. A Tribute to Ian Fleming’ centenary celebration event, held this past Sunday at the London Palladium Theatre.

Dom Perignon Celebrates the Centenary Year of Ian Fleming, Creator of James Bond

On the occasion of “The Story of James Bond. A Tribute to Ian Fleming”, arranged by Ian Fleming’s niece, Lucy Fleming, to mark the final event in the Ian Fleming Centenary year at the London Palladium Theatre on Sunday 5 October 2008, Dom Perignon paid tribute to the iconic author as the official and exclusive champagne partner of the private After Show Party.

Dom Perignon Vintage 2000, the iconic luxury champagne was served to the VIP guests to celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming and James Bond’s fondness for Dom Perignon, as described in Moonraker:

“Bond smiled… ‘Yes,’ he said,… ‘I believe I would like to drink champagne this evening…’The wine-waiter was pleased. ‘If I may suggest it, sir, the Dom Perignon ’46. I understand that France only sells it for dollars, sir, so you don’t often see it in London…’ Bond smiled his agreement”

No doubt that all VIP guests at this special party also agreed…

A glittering host of stars attended the After Show Party: Sir Roger Moore, Gemma Arterton, Rosamund Pike, Jeremy Irons, Mica Paris, Samantha Bond, Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley, Lesley Manville,Toby Stephens, Jo Gibb, Laura Michelle Kelly, Joely Richardson, …

Pictures on rexpictures.com

FROM DOM PERIGNON VINTAGE 1946 TO DOM PERIGNON VINTAGE 2000 : A VINTAGE LOVE STORY

Dom Perignon has often been featured on-screen (and-off) in the lives of some of the worlds most iconic characters — one of which was, of course, Ian Fleming’s extraordinary creation James Bond, whose love for Dom Perignon even made it into the pages of Moonraker…

From Moonraker to today, Dom Perignon has preserved its timeless style and iconic status, but instead of the vintage 1946 served to James Bond in Moonraker, Dom Perignon served the exceptional vintage 2000, a vintage that was received with pure pleasure by all who tasted it. Fresh, crystalline, and sharp, the first nose unveiled an unusual dimension, an aquatic vegetal world with secret touches of white pepper and gardenia. The wine then revealed airy, gentle richness before exhaling peaty scents. On the palate, the attack burst forth, before maturing into a sensual fullness that winds around itself… An indefinable je ne sais quoi, never upsetting the integrity of the wine, had worked its charm… seducing everybody.

The unmistakable Dom Perignon Style…

Surely, Ian Fleming would have approved of this choice!

A TRIBUTE TO CREATORS AND STARS

Going beyond a certain classicism in the spirit of Dom Perignon, Vintage 2000 is an emblematic homage to the creation of Champagne, and to the most iconic stars and characters of all times, who continue to elect Dom Perignon as their favourite.

In fact, this is the extraordinary destiny of a champagne which is–since the visionary work of Dom Perignon in the 18th century–much more than champagne: Dom Perignon is an inspired creation for inspiring people, and probably since Moonraker one of the most desired weapons in the world!

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest worldwide James Bond news.

James Bond Hits The Cover Of Esquire Magazine… Twice!

James Bond features on the cover of UK men’s magazine Esquire not once, but twice!

There are two covers of the November 2008 issue of the magazine for 007 collectors to search out for. The first features Daniel Craig as Bond from Quantum of Solace, while the second subscribers-only edition is a fun play on the recently released ‘Bond girl’ Ian Fleming hardbacks.

Click Here To View Both Covers

And on the inside? 36 pages dedicated to the rebirth of James Bond, including a one-page interview with Sir Sean Connery.

Happy hunting.

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest James Bond news and Quantum of Solace coverage.

Behind-The-Scenes: Heineken's 'Quantum of Solace' Commercial

8 October UPDATE:

The full commercial is now available online. Visit www.jamesbond.heineken.com to view.

It was announced in August that Heineken would once again be continuing their partnership with the James Bond films in Quantum of Solace.

As was the case with Eva Green and Casino Royale before, their advertisement campaign will incoporate the film’s lead Bond girl, Olga Kurylenko.

A behind-the-scenes video of Heineken’s Quantum of Solace commercial, featuring the character of Camille and several scenes from the 007 film, has been released online.

Click below to view:

Melinda Eskell, Manager Heineken Brand Communication said: ‘We worked in close partnership with Eon and Columbia Pictures to ensure the global campaign remained authentic to the film and the James Bond franchise. The involvement of Olga Kurylenko combined with the use of other authentic Bond assets provides Heineken the unique opportunity to allow our consumers worldwide to experience the world of Bond.’

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Activision's High Hopes For The Return Of 007

James Bond fans will get to experience Activision’s first take on a 007 adventure in just a matter of weeks now and expectations are high amongst the developers behind the game.

In a new interview with Play.tm, Adam Gascoine, co-design director of Quantum of Solace spoke about what went into the two-and-a-half year process of creating the game.

‘We’re pretty much at submission now,’ he said. ‘Actually, I think the discs have already gone to Microsoft and Sony for approval, so we’re pretty much there.’

As many Bond fans are well aware, this game combines together Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace in terms of storyline and action. Referring to this mix, Gascoine said: ‘Its a little less than 50-50. A little more Casino Royale stuff… actually, we begin at the end of Casino Royale, where Quantum of Solace starts, then we go into that story, then we do a flash-back to more Casino Royale stuff. Then we go to the end of the Quantum of Solace story. Its close to being down the middle… but there’s slightly more Casino Royale. The reason for that is that we had some new content, officially, you would say its based in the Casino Royale world–but no one will have seen it before. It’s brand new.’

When asked if the game comes to a close in the same general way the 22nd Bond film will, he replied: ‘It’s hard to tell because they changed the ending of the movie, so we had to change the ending of our game more than once, but I believe we do. There are a couple of little story threads where we change things, so, we actually added to them. A couple we wrap-up at the end. The general story? Yes, we finish that the same as the movie, but there are a couple of added bits that you’ll see in the game too.’

‘You can either choose to play stealthily, sneaking up on players, throwing them over balconies, or you can go in all guns blazing. Its a combat heavy gamer–mostly a shooter.’- Adam Gascoine

Gascoine went on to state that the next 007 entry from Activision will likely be based off of the eventual 23rd entry in the film series.

‘I assume we’re going to work on the next one in two years,’ he said, ‘and I know our team are ramping-up as if we are. We want it. If the game sells well; the reviews go well; and if people like it, then I think we should get it. I know that we’re prepared to take this forward, and I know we’ve designed the game in such a way that we can keep working on it.’

‘We want this to be like Call of Duty, like Halo… a really good game to start with that just gets better and better. That’s what we want to do with this project. So, whether get there or not, I think depends on sales and reviews.’

Read on for additional comments on the gameplay, multiplayer and more.

And in related Quantum game news, a new trailer is expected to drop this Friday, 10 October.

GamePlasma reports that this latest trailer –which will show off the the multiplayer gameplay–will be available on head to Xbox LIVE, GFW.com and Xbox.com.

Access the links below on Friday to check it out:

• Xbox.com
• GFW.com

CommanderBond.net will continue to keep you updated with the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Activision’s Quantum of Solace.

Quantum of Solace will be released on 31 October in the UK and 4 November in the US on the following formats: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2, Nintendo DS and Windows PC.