'The Shadow War': Mission Six

The penultimate mission in the first ever James Bond alternate reality game, The Shadow War, is here!

British and Soviet spies should have received their briefing via email this week…

This week you need to get across the Austrian Alps, without being caught and using as many different modes of transport as necessary. Whatever it takes, but you’re on your own and there are enemy agents on your tail. Did we mention that the clock is ticking?

Recruits will have also received the first details on next week’s mission – the culmination of the entire Shadow War game…

IMPORTANT NOTICE:Wed 8th October 5pm in London
Log in LIVE to the dramatic live finale of The Shadow War where the SIS will be up against the OGPU. You’ll need all your skills, and Charlie Higson will be sending you live video messages! All will be revealed so be there.

It’s not too late to sign up for the Shadow War, the innovative Young Bond alternate reality game, based on Charlie Higson’s bestselling novels. Simply head over to the official Shadow War website to register.

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

'Quantum of Solace' Surrey Charity Screening Announced

Another new charity screening has been announced for Quantum of Solace.

The BBC News reports that the 22nd James Bond film will play at the Screen Cinema in Bancroft Road in the Surrey town of Reigate on Friday, 31 October–the same day the film goes on general release in the UK.

Money raised this gala screening will support the Help for Heroes charity, which helps military personnel wounded in Britain’s current conflicts. Over £6 million has been raised since the charity was launced in October of last year.

Mayor Roger Newstead praised this upcoming 007 screening, saying: ‘The charity screening of the film is an opportunity to see it on its release date and to help a great cause.’

As always, keep up-to-date with all the latest Quantum of Solace news by pointing your browsers to the CommanderBond.net main page.

Garrett Young Talks 'Quantum of Solace'

Following up a wave of recent video featurettes with the team behind Activision’s soon-to-be-released James Bond game, Quantum of Solace, That VideoGame Blog has scored an interview with executive producer Garrett Young.

Young discusses the well-documented first-to-third person perspective transition that will be featured in Quantum of Solace, working alongside Eon Productions and the cast and crew of the Bond film, improving upon the Call of Duty 4 engine, and much more.

‘Our game is an action game, because we believe that’s the part of the Bond universe that gamers want to play. There is dialogue in our game, but we’re not focused on making a dialogue-heavy Bond experience.’ – Garrett Young

Click here to check out the entire interview with Young, including details on the highly-anticipated Quantum of Solace multiplayer mode.

Keep your eye on the CommanderBond.net main page for the most complete and up-to-date 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.

'Special Effects Superman: The Art And Effects Of Derek Meddings' Released In UK

Special Effects Superman: The Art And Effects Of Derek Meddings has been released today in the UK and is now shipping from Amazon.co.uk.

The book, which CommanderBond.net first reported on in May of this year, is written by Martin Shubrook and Paul Shubrook and is published by Shubrook Bros Publications. The 160-page hardback retails for £25 in the UK.

All orders placed through this website will be entered into a drawing to win signed copy by Sir Roger Moore, who provides an introduction to the book.

007 fans best know Meddings for his visual effects and miniature effects contributions on the following six James Bond films: Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only and GoldenEye.

After his career in the film industry took flight with Gerry Anderson in 1957, Derek Meddings proceeded to head the effects team and design every major vehicle for the hit British television series, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and UFO. When the Anderson studio closed in 1970, Derek moved into movies and headed the effects on over 20 motion pictures.

His effects accolades include; six James Bond films from Roger Moore’s Live and Let Die to Pierce Brosnan’s GoldenEye, Batman, Supergirl, Santa Claus: The Movie and The Neverending Story. Derek Meddings also headed the miniature effects on the first two Superman films and won an Oscar for his achievements on Superman: The Movie.

Special Effects Superman is a tribute to Derek Meddings and his amazing career. The book will include over 300 ‘on set’ photographs from the Meddings family collection and stories from those who worked with Derek throughout his career.

• Order the UK hardback edition of Special Effects Superman: The Art And Effects Of Derek Meddings from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the UK hardback edition of Special Effects Superman: The Art And Effects Of Derek Meddings from www.meddingsbook.com

Stay tuned to the CBn main page for all the latest literary James Bond news.

The September Spoiler-Free CBn Podcast Has Arrived!

Dunph

So, you want a piece of the hot Poddy action?… If you’re subscribed via iTunes, then under your Podcast section, click the ‘Update’ button to have this new episode downloaded automatically. If you have iTunes installed Click here to subscribe, or you can find more details on how to do this here.

We ask that you take a few seconds whilst you’re downloading to review the podcast on iTunes or Digg this article (link at the bottom of the page with a snazzy new graphic button), to spread the word to other 007 fans. Go on. Spread.

Download Enhanced Video version (Presented in WILLNOWVISION).

Download Standard version.

You can download all episodes directly from the bottom of this page, if you can’t be bothered faffing around through iTunes.

Evan and I are always ready and willing to take your feedback on this podcast episode in this thread of the CommanderBond.net Forum. So do be a good sport and pop along, won’t you? Show us some love.

Ian Fleming's 'Quantum of Solace' Cover Art Revealed

In early July, CommanderBond.net first reported that October 2008 would see the book release of Ian Fleming’s Quantum of Solace in the UK.

Today, we can report that cover artwork that will accompany the hardback and paperback editions of this book. Click to view:

Hardback cover | Paperback cover

Similar in contents to the recently released Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories collection, this forthcoming release brings together the nine 007 short stories that make up the For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy & The Living Daylights collections).

Scheduled for publication on 30 October, the hardback and paperback editions of Quantum of Solace will retail for £20.00 and £6.99, respectively.

Pre-order online:

• Order the UK hardback edition of Quantum of Solace from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the UK paperback edition of Quantum of Solace from Amazon.co.uk

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page for the most complete literary James Bond coverage on the web.

To keep track of all the upcoming 007 releases, events, television shows, and more–just keep your eyes on the CBn Calendar, located on the right panel of our main page.

'Casino Royale' Collector's Edition DVD/Blu-ray Overview

CommanderBond.net rounds up all the latest news regarding the upcoming Casino Royale Collector’s Edition, due for release on DVD and Blu-ray in October 2008.

This article will be continually updated in the following weeks.

Originally posted on 29 July 2008.
Last updated on 1 October 2008

Casino Royale Collector’s Edition

Overview

CommanderBond.net exclusively reported back in August 2007 that a three-disc special edition of Casino Royale was in the works, planned for release around the time Quantum of Solace (then titled Bond 22) hit theatres in October/November 2008.

This Casino Royale Collector’s Edition will improve greatly on the original two-disc release with more than seven hours of special features including audio commentaries (compared to 90 minutes on the original).

The Region 1 release date is Tuesday, 21 October 2008, with the Region 2 release slated for Monday, 20 October and Region 4 on Wednesday, 5 November.

Plot Synopsis

Casino Royale introduces James Bond before he holds his license to kill. But Bond is no less dangerous, and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to “00” status. “M” (Judi Dench), head of the British Secret Service, sends the newly-promoted 007 on his first mission that takes him to Madagascar, the Bahamas and eventually leads him to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. “M” places Bond under the watchful eye of the Treasury official Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond’s interest in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre’s cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond could never imagine, and he learns his most important lesson: Trust no one.

Ordering Details

Region 1:

• Release Date: 21 October 2008
• Retail Price: $29.95 (DVD)
• Retail Price: $38.96 (Blu-ray Disc)
• Format: DVD – Three-Disc Collector’s Edition
• Format: Blu-ray Disc – Two-Disc Collector’s Edition
• 2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Order (DVD) – Amazon.com
• Order (Blu-ray Disc) – Amazon.com

Region 2:

• Release Date: 20 October 2008
• Retail Price: £17.99 (DVD)
• Retail Price: £22.99 (Blu-ray Disc)
• Format: DVD – Three-Disc Collector’s Edition
• Format: Blu-ray Disc – Two-Disc Collector’s Edition
• 2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Order (DVD) – Amazon.co.uk
• Order (Blu-ray Disc) – Amazon.co.uk

Region 3:

• Release Date: 2008
• Format: DVD – Three-Disc Collector’s Edition
• Format: Blu-ray Disc – Two-Disc Collector’s Edition
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Region 4:

• Release Date: 5 November 2008
• Retail Price: $29.83 (DVD)
• Retail Price: $39.83 (Blu-ray Disc)
• Format: DVD – Three-Disc Collector’s Edition
• Format: Blu-ray Disc – Two-Disc Collector’s Edition
• 2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Order (DVD) – EzyDVD
• Order (Blu-ray Disc) – EzyDVD

Special Features

EXCLUSIVE BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:

• Bonus View Picture-in-Picture visual commentary with Director Martin Campbell and Producer Michael G. Wilson
• “Know Your Double-O” – the Ultimate James Bond Trivia Quiz, a BD-Live enabled multi-skill level, multi-player trivia game

BLU-RAY & DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:

Documentaries

• Ian Fleming’s Incredible Creation – A remarkable look at the birth and continued success of James Bond, including never-before-revealed information about Bond’s creator and the origins of 007.
• The Road to Casino Royale – The story of why it took over 50 years for the Bond filmmakers to bring Ian Fleming’s first 007 novel to the big screen, featuring the amazing behind-the-scenes stories of the many attempts to make the film.
• James Bond in the Bahamas – A fascinating examination of the links between the the cinematic Bond and the Bahamas, with never-before-told behind-the-scenes stories from Casino Royale, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, For Your Eyes Only and The World Is Not Enough.
• Ian Fleming: The Secret Road to Paradise – A revealing exploration of the world of James Bond’s creator. In this documentary, discover why Ian Fleming was drawn to the Bahamas, and learn the cinematic Casino Royale‘s unique link to an important chapter in 007’s secret history.
• Death in Venice – A break down of one of the key scenes in the film.
• Becoming Bond – An intimate look at how Daniel Craig stepped into the role of James Bond.
• James Bond: For Real – A behind-the-scenes look at the ground-breaking action and the stunts in Casino Royale.
• Bond Girls Are Forever – An extended version of the 2002 AMC television special, with new footage and interviews of the new Bond Girls.

• Featurettes:
• The Art of Freerunning – An in-depth look at the freerunning chase and the freerunning technique with the sport’s founder, Sebastien Foucan.

• Filmmaker Profiles: in-depth conversations with key creative forces behind Casino Royale, including never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage:
• Martin Campbell, Director
• Chris Corbould, Special Effects
• Phil Meheux, Director of Photography
• Gary Powell, Stunt Coordinator
• Alexander Witt, Second Unit Director
• David Arnold, Composer

• Deleted/Extended Scenes:
• “Rescue & Recovery”
• “Squandering Government Funds”
• “Cricket Pavilion”
• “Gettler Raises Bond’s Suspicions”

• Storyboard Sequence:
• Freerunning Chase – Watch the storyboards presented in animatic form, or view them in comparison to the finished film sequence.

• Scene Deconstruction:
• Catching a Plane: From Storyboard to Screen – featuring outtakes and never-before-seen footage.

• Music Video: Chris Cornell “You Know My Name”

• Crew Commentary: Audio Commentary with scene-specific comments and observations from many of Casino Royale‘s creative team.

---

The special features listing was first revealed in March 2008 along with a (now known to be incorrect) Region 1 release date of 3 June 2008 by the DVD Times website.

In addition to the above special features, specially marked copies of the Casino Royale Collector’s Edition will include ‘e-Movie Cash’ to see the 22nd Bond film, Quantum of Solace in theatres.

Cover Artwork

Cover artwork for the Region 1 and 2 DVD and Blu-ray editions uses the image of Daniel Craig as Bond from the International ‘A’ poster artwork for Casino Royale. Front and back artwork is currently available.

Front Cover Artwork | Back Cover Artwork

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of this Casino Royale Collector’s Edition DVD/Blu-ray release.

Promotional Trailer

A 1 minute, 22 second trailer that showcases the much improved set of special features that will accompany this release was made available in mid-September. Click here to view.

'The Man With The Golden Touch: How The Bond Films Conquered The World'

An all-new book examining the phenomenon of the James Bond movies, The Man With The Golden Touch: How The Bond Films Conquered The World by Sinclair McKay, is out now in the UK and can be ordered from Amazon.co.uk.

When Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman set out to make what they expected to be the first of three or four movies based on the espionage novels of Ian Fleming they can hardly have dreamt that they were founding a business that would still be going strong nearly half a century later. Yet the role of James Bond, which transformed Sean Connery’s career in 1962 when Dr. No came out, still retained its star-making power in 2006 when Daniel Craig made his Bond debut in Casino Royale. This is the story of how, with the odd misstep along the way, the owners of the Bond franchise, Eon Productions, have contrived to keep James Bond abreast of the zeitgeist and at the top of the charts for 45 years, through 21 films featuring six Bonds, three M’s, two Q’s and three Moneypennies. Thanks to the films, Fleming’s original creation has been transformed from a black sheep of the post-war English upper classes into a figure with universal appeal, constantly evolving to keep pace with changing social and political circumstances.

Having interviewed people concerned with all aspects of the films, Sinclair Mckay is ideally placed to describe how the Bond ‘brand’ has been managed over the years as well as to give us the inside stories of the supporting cast of Bond girls, Bond villains, Bond cars and Bond gadgetry.This book covers the 45-year history of the world’s most successful film franchise. It shows how Eon Productions has kept James Bond abreast of the zeitgeist and at the top of the charts through 21 films featuring six Bonds, 3 M’s, 2 Q’s and 3 Moneypennies. It tells the stories behind the ‘Bond’ girls, the ‘Bond’ villains, the ‘Bond’ songs and title sequences, the ‘Bond’ cars and gadgetry.

A six-page preview of the book can be found at Waterstones.com.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date James Bond news on the web.

Watch The 'Another Way To Die' Music Video

The music video for ‘Another Way To Die’, the title theme for Quantum of Solace performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys, has been released online.

The video, which totals 4:25 in length, does not feature any scenes from the 22nd James Bond film, with the brief exception of a shot of Daniel Craig walking in the desert previously seen in the film’s trailers.

After you’ve checked out the video, be sure to voice your opinion here on the CommanderBond.net Forums and vote in the poll.

Keep your eyes on the CBn main page for most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

'Quantum of Solace' – Official Blog Report #28

The official Quantum of Solace blog has been updated today with two crew members from the 22nd James Bond 007 film: editors Matt Chessé and Richard Pearson.

Working on the film from their office, Pearson explains: ‘We start editing right away in whatever order their shooting, so, yeah, we might get scene 40 first and then the next scene that might come in might be scene 75.’

Chessé adds: ‘It sounds like a cliché, but the footage kind of tells you what it wants to do. I mean, you get inspired and you get ideas by what gets shot and so how that comes together and pulses–you can’t really anticipate it.’

‘Every picture has it’s own language and so finding the language for this particular Bond film, even though it’s a Bond film, it needs to be honest with the material that was shot and the performances,’ Pearson explains.

‘You see those moments and you get to become a ten year-old boy again. It’s a Bond movie!’

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