Developing 'Quantum of Solace' At Treyarch Studios

A brand new video has appeared online highlighting a recent visit by IGN to Treyarch Studios, the company responsible for developing Activision’s Quantum of Solace for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Running for roughly six minutes, the video includes interviews with those working on the James Bond title and highlights everything from early development, the day-to-day goals, concept artwork, A.I., sound design and much more.

Click below to check it out:

Order Quantum of Solace

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

Corgi James Bond 'Mission Arsenal' Gadgets Available For Pre-order

Back in February of this year, CommanderBond.net first alerted readers of the several upcoming James Bond figures and gadgets from die-cast model company Corgi.

The company, who has since been purchased by Hornby, revealed it’s line of 007 ‘Mission Arsenal’ at the 2008 UK ToyFair and now some of these items are starting to appear at Amazon.com for pre-order.

Scheduled for release on 29 October in order to capitilize on the Bond mania created by the theatrical debut of Quantum of Solace, the line-up includes:

• Nano Surveillance Camera (view)
• Pen with UV Ink Revealer (view)
• Crypto Decoder Device (view)
• MP3 Comlink Set (view)
• GPS Hideout Tracker (view)
• Secret Sender Cell Phones (view)

So far, two of the Bond gadgets have appeared on Amazon:

James Bond ‘Mission Arsenal’ – Pen with UV Ink Revealer
Retail price: $14.99

• New James Bond technology
• Cool for older kids
• Attractive to younger kids
• Includes pen with invisible ink Cartridge and message revealer with backpack clip
• Nothing is what it seems, in the world of Bond products

Order the Corgi Pen with UV Ink Revealer from Amazon.com

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James Bond ‘Mission Arsenal’ – Crypto Decoder Device
Retail price: $19.99

• New James Bond technology
• Create secret text messages, with one touch message encoding using real-world PDA styling
• LCD display and cell phone keyboard, multiple decoder keys create agent specific messages
• Insert decoder key, type message, encode, remove key and pass to agent for future decoding
• Includes message encoding, decoding devise and 3 accessory decoder keys

Order the Corgi Crypto Decoder Device from Amazon.com

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

Bond On Blu-ray

James Bond is coming to Blu-ray Disc and CommanderBond.net brings you the definitive guide to hi-def 007.

News first emerged that the James Bond films were headed to Blu-ray Disc in June 2008. MGM and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment confirmed these reports later that month, announcing six 007 titles would arrive on the format by the year’s end.

Additionally, a two-disc set of Casino Royale will arrive on Blu-ray later this year. CBn will bring you full details of this release as they come to hand. In the meantime, details of the existing Blu-ray bestseller can be found here as well.

Specifications and special features for these upcoming releases have yet to be announced.

“Recently restored and re-mastered for the highest quality picture and sound quality via the state-of-the-art Lowry process digital frame-by-frame restoration and featuring special features galore, Bond is primed for Blu-ray Disc with a selection of 007 adventures spanning the storied career of cinema’s most recognisable spy.”

Official MGM/Fox announcement

Dr. No (1962)

Special features

• To be confirmed

Release date

• UK: 20 October, 2008
• USA: 21 October, 2008

Recommended retail price

• UK: £22.99
• USA: $34.98

Order online

• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.com

From Russia With Love (1963)

Special features

• To be confirmed

Release date

• UK: 20 October, 2008
• USA: 21 October, 2008

Recommended retail price

• UK: £22.99
• USA: $34.98

Order online

• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.com

Thunderball (1965)

Special features

• To be confirmed

Release date

• UK: 20 October, 2008
• USA: 21 October, 2008

Recommended retail price

• UK: £22.99
• USA: $34.98

Order online

• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.com

Live and Let Die (1973)

Special features

• To be confirmed

Release date

• UK: 20 October, 2008
• USA: 21 October, 2008

Recommended retail price

• UK: £22.99
• USA: $34.98

Order online

• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.com

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Special features

• To be confirmed

Release date

• UK: 20 October, 2008
• USA: 21 October, 2008

Recommended retail price

• UK: £22.99
• USA: $34.98

Order online

• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.com

Die Another Day (2002)

Special features

• To be confirmed

Release date

• UK: 20 October, 2008
• USA: 21 October, 2008

Recommended retail price

• UK: £22.99
• USA: $34.98

Order online

• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.com

Casino Royale (2006)

Special features

• “Becoming Bond” featurette
• “James Bond For Real” featurette
• “Bond Girls Are Forever” featurette
• Chris Cornell music video

Release date

• UK: 19 March, 2007
• USA: 13 March, 2007

Recommended retail price

• UK: £24.99
• USA: $38.96

Order online

• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.com

UK boxed sets

James Bond Blu-ray Collection Vol. 1 (6 Disc Set)

Contains Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Thunderball, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only and Die Another Day.

Release date

• UK: 20 October, 2008

Recommended retail price

• UK: £101.99

Order online

• Amazon.co.uk

USA boxed sets

James Bond Blu-ray Three Pack Vol. 1 (3 Disc Set)

Contains Dr. No, Live and Let Die and Die Another Day.

Release date

• US: 21 October, 2008

Recommended retail price

• US: $89.98

Order online

• Amazon.com

James Bond Blu-ray Three Pack Vol. 2 (3 Disc Set)

Contains From Russia With Love, Thunderball and For Your Eyes Only.

Release date

• US: 21 October, 2008

Recommended retail price

• US: $89.98

Order online

• Amazon.com

'Quantum of Solace' – Official Blog Report #18

The official Quantum of Solace blog has been updated today with another crew member from the 22nd James Bond 007 film: stuntman Ben Cooke.

‘I’m a stuntman and I pretty much take care of Daniel [Craig],’ says Cooke in his introduction.

‘I start six to eight weeks before principal shooting. Gary [Powell–stunt coordinator] sort of tells us what he wants and we go away to prepare things and get Daniel in there working with the stunts.’

‘We want it to have a certain look and feel and we want it to be realistic, but someone who’s still obviously had the training as well. We weren’t afraid for Bond to get hit.’

‘[Craig’s] probably got about three to four doubles. There’s a few reasons why he has that number of doubles: there’s two units running, there’s people who have got better skills in different fields. You push the effects to the limits so you want to get the right person for the job.’

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

James Bond And Bregenz Festival Footage Available By Satellite

A new press release highlights the forthcoming release of footage from the Bregenz Festival this Wednesday, 23 July. In addition to the festival opening, footage of the ‘Tosca’ opera as well as Quantum of Solace interviews and clips will also be included.

As many 007 fans are well aware, sequences of the 22nd James Bond film were shot at the floating Seebühne stage on Lake Constance this past May.

The full press release follows below:

Footage of Bregenz Festival and James Bond Available by Satellite

Opera “Tosca”, Opening Ceremony and James Bond in Two Short Versions for TV Channels

Satellite broadcast directly after the opening of the festival on 23 July 2008, from 1:30 – 1:50 p.m. (British Summer Time BST (= London Time) / 8:30 – 8:50 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time EDT (= New York City Time)

Pre-Cut TV Material by Satellite Downlink

The Bregenz Festival will make footage available to television stations for the purpose of media coverage of the festival. The pre-cut material – not overvoiced – will be available for downlink by satellite in Europe and North America on the opening day of the 63rd Bregenz Festival, 23 July, starting at 2:30 p.m. CEST (see below for international time zones).

Opera “Tosca” Opening Ceremony and James Bond

The footage is supplied in two versions of differing length: 2’45” (news item) and 5’00” (feature). Both versions include the edit decision list and text to accompany the images. They show excerpts from the opera Tosca on the world’s largest floating stage at Bregenz (Austria), which premieres on the evening of 23 July, as well as film of the opening ceremony of the Bregenz Festival in the morning.

In addition the TV material includes interviews and clips from the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, some sequences of which were shot on the spectacular opera set on Lake Constance in May.

Broadcast on EUTELSAT W1 and INTELSAT 3R

The TV material will be broadcast in two repeated sequences on 23 July 2008 from 2:30 to 2:50 p.m. CEST (12:30 to 12:50 p.m. UTC) on EUTELSAT W1 (Europe) and INTELSAT 3R (North America). The technical specifications are shown under http://www.pressefoyer.com/mc4/index_en.html; edit decision lists and image texts will follow on 23 July in the afternoon. The footage is free of charge if used by broadcasters in the provision of current media coverage of the Bregenz Festival. No other use is permitted.

• Coordinated Universal Time UTC 12:30 – 12:50 p.m.
• Central European Summer Time CEST (= Berlin Time) 2:30 – 2:50 p.m.
• British Summer Time BST (= London Time) 1:30 – 1:50 p.m.
• Eastern Daylight Time EDT (= New York City Time) 8:30 – 8:50 a.m.
• Pacific Daylight Time PDT (= Los Angeles Time) 5:30 – 5:50 a.m.

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

'Quantum of Solace' Game Expected On 31 October In UK

James Bond fans can look forward to the release of Activision’s Quantum of Solace game alongside the film of the same name–literally on the same day.

MCV is reporting that the debut 007 game from Activision has been slated for a 31 October 2008 release in the UK where it will be released on the following formats: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and Windows PC

Previously, 4 November was announced as the US release date for Quantum of Solace game.

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news and complete coverage of Activision’s Quantum of Solace.

'John Barry – The Man With The Midas Touch' Slated For Autumn '08

Back in April of this year, CommanderBond.net reported that John Barry – The Man with the Midas Touch, a book celebrating the work of the famed James Bond film composer, had been delayed from it’s original 2007 release date.

Today we can announce that the release information has been updated and fans can look forward to John Barry – The Man with the Midas Touch in Autumn 2008–to coincide with Barry’s 75th birthday.

Full details regarding what to expect have been published at JohnBarry.org.uk:

Whether or not you purchased John Barry – A life in Music, ten years ago, you can look forward to a book that has been thoroughly re-written and completely updated. We have spent a lot of time on the picture content and this too has been extensively updated and includes a good selection of rare photos, both colour and black and white.

There are approximately 300 pages including two photo sections of 16 pages each of colour and b & w. In addition to this, a photo introduces each of the thirty chapters, and, of course, the discography has been updated to include everything that’s happened since 1998. It’s a book that does full justice to a glittering career.

We want to emphasise that this project is basically a self-publication in that we have commissioned a publisher to act on our behalf. All the work has been done by a team of dedicated Barry fans, much of it voluntarily.

Therefore, we want to encourage as many as possible to order (and therefore pay for) the book now, even though it won’t be available until October/November. Of course, there will be a discount if you do this–we don’t expect anybody to pay in advance purely for our benefit!

The book will retail at £19.99 ($39.99) but for those wishing to pay in advance, the cost will be £14.99 ($29.99)–a saving of 25%!

Order John Barry – The Man with the Midas Touch at JohnBarry.org.uk.

007 fans best know Barry for his work as composer on the scores for 11 James Bond films, starting with 1963’s From Russia With Love and finally ending with 1987’s The Living Daylights.

Keep your eyes on the CBn main page for all the latest James Bond news from around the world.

Sir Roger Moore Discussion And Book Signing In October '08

Sir Roger Moore is scheduled to make an appearance at London’s National Theatre in October for a discussion and book signing to mark the publication of his memoirs, My Word Is My Bond.

The UNICEF ambassador and former James Bond star will be discussing his illustrious career, including his well-known roles in The Saint, The Persuaders! as well as his iconic portrayal of 007.

The discussion will then be followed by a book signing.

The event will take place at the Lyttelton Theatre on Thursday, 16 October 2008.

For further details and to purchase tickets, visit the official National Theatre website.

My Word is My Bond will be published on 2 October in the UK and 4 November in the US. Pre-order online:

• Order the UK hardback edition of My Word is My Bond from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the UK paperback 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

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news from the world of James Bond.

2008 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Awarded

Tom Rob Smith has been announced as the winner of the 2008 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for his novel Child 44.

As with past years, Ian Fleming Publications Ltd has sponsored the Crime Writers’ Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger; an annual award for the best thriller published in the UK.

Smith was presented with his dagger and the £2000 cheque by Corinne Turner, managing director of Ian Fleming Publications, at the Awards Dinner held at the Four Seasons Hotel in London’s Park Lane on 10 July.

The judges’ comments on Child 44: ‘This powerful debut evokes the double unthink disorientation and paranoia of the Stalinist era, while never losing sight of the more intimate story. Location and period take it a notch above the usual serial killer narrative.’

The other authors nominated for this year’s Steel Dagger award included:

• Mo Hayder – Ritual (Transworld)
• Gregg Hurwitz – I See You (Little, Brown)
• Michael Robotham – Shatter (Little, Brown)
• David Stone – The Echelon Vendetta (Penguin)

The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger judges for 2008 included literary agent Gordon Wise, crime novelist Michael Jecks, Young James Bond author Charlie Higson, and Zöe Watkins, Publishing Manager of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd with Turner acting as the chairperson.

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news from the world of James Bond.

'Quantum of Solace' DS Details

GamersHell.com has published Activision’s official fact sheet on the Nintendo DS version of Quantum of Solace.

Unlike the console versions, Quantum of Solace on DS will be strictly a third-person shooter.

Full details follow.

James Bond is back to settle the score in the Quantum of Solace game. Introducing a more lethal and cunningly efficient Bond, the game blends intense action with a unique combat system for the Nintendo DS that allows players to use their stealth and lethal combat skills to progress through missions. Seamlessly blending the heart-pounding action and excitement of the upcoming Quantum of Solace feature film with the Casino Royale movie, the title propels players into the cinematic experience of international espionage. The Quantum of Solace game for the Nintendo DS gives players a unique experience in the palm of their hands, as they use an innovative touch screen control scheme that gives players the feeling of being James Bond.

Key features

• Become Bond – The Quantum of Solace game marks the first time players can become the dangerous and cunning Bond portrayed by Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale.
• Innovative Touch Screen Control – The Quantum of Solace game for the Nintendo DS introduces streamlined controls, with players stealthily navigating the treacherous world and engaging in intense combat using only the stylus for a unique and compelling James Bond experience.
• Combat Variety – Choose how you want to complete your missions. Use your skills in espionage, to silently disable your foes. Take aim from a distance to remove enemies with deadly precision. Or come in close for melee combat in an innovative touch screen combat system.
• Deep upgrade system – Earn Bond points, collect better items, and use special playing cards to customize and enhance your abilities. Choose where you want to upgrade your character to enhance your favorite style of play. Explore the world for rare and powerful items.
• Cinematic Appeal – The game narrative accentuates key movie events from both Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale, as players control James Bond through in-game conversations with multiple narrative options. Choosing the right one can unlock new abilities and uncover special items.

IGN has early screenshots from the DS version.

Quantum of Solace is scheduled for release on 4 November, 2008.

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