More 'Quantum' Spy Shots In Bregenz

Following up several behind-the-scenes photographs from the set of Daniel Craig’s second James Bond film in Austria, Monsters and Critics have come across even more.

Focusing on several of the extras as well as stuntmen practicing a jump from a theatre roof, the 10 Quantum of Solace spy shots can be viewed online here.

In related news, the Today Show visited the Bregenz set earlier this morning. Click here for CommanderBond.net’s full report.

CommanderBond.net will keep you updated with all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Today Show 'Quantum of Solace' Austria Set Visit

NBC’s The Today Show will be visiting the Quantum of Solace set in Austria.

The segment, which will likely include behind-the-scene footage of Daniel Craig’s second James Bond film, is set to air on the Monday, 5 May episode.

The Today Show airs 7:00am – 11:00am (EST). Visit TV Guide for further details.

CommanderBond.net will keep you updated with all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

James Bond Summer Screening Extravaganza

Diamonds Are Forever

Get ready to Bond with outdoor 007 screenings on Thursday and Friday nights for 16 weeks this upcoming summer in Rosslyn, Virginia and the NoMa (North of Mass Ave.) section of Washington D.C.–because one Bond screening is never enough!

The ‘Once is Never Enough’ James Bond summer screening event is being organized as part of the Georgetown Film Festival.

Both the Bond screening events at Rosslyn, Virginia and NoMa, Washington D.C are free to the public. Screenings typically begin at dusk/8pm-ish.

The full line-up of Bond screenings:

Rosslyn:

• 2 May – Dr. No
• 9 May – From Russia With Love
• 16 May – Goldfinger
• 23 May – Thunderball
• 30 May – You Only Live Twice
• 6 June – Diamonds Are Forever
• 13 June – Live and Let Die
• 20 June – The Man with the Golden Gun
• 27 June – The Spy Who Loved Me
• 11 July – Moonraker
• 18 July – For Your Eyes Only
• 25 July – Octopussy
• 1 Aug – A View to a Kill
• 8 Aug – GoldenEye
• 15 Aug – Tomorrow Never Dies
• 22 Aug – Die Another Day

NoMa:

• 8 May – Dr. No
• 15 May – From Russia With Love
• 22 May – Goldfinger
• 29 May – Thunderball
• 5 June – You Only Live Twice
• 12 June – Diamonds Are Forever
• 19 June – Live and Let Die
• 26 June – The Man with the Golden Gun
• 10 July – The Spy Who Loved Me
• 17 July – Moonraker
• 24 July – For Your Eyes Only
• 31 July – Octopussy
• 7 Aug – A View to a Kill
• 14 Aug – GoldenEye
• 21 Aug – Tomorrow Never Dies
• 28 Aug – Die Another Day

For futher information, phone 703-522-6638 (Rosslyn), 202-289-0111 (NoMa), or visit the official website.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for all the latest on James Bond-related events happening around the world.

Examining What Went Wrong In 'Quantum' Action Sequences

It’s no secret that in their quest for a jaw-dropping opening sequence for the 22nd James Bond adventure, the Quantum of Solace production has suffered more than a couple mishaps in the process.

Most notable among these incidents were an Aston Martin DBS losing control and flying off a lakeside road into Italy’s Lake Garda. The other, occurring only a few days later, involved another one of the cars involved in the chase that crashed after ramming into a filming lorry and then into a nearby wall.

The latter event was serious enough that filming was temporarily suspended on Quantum of Solace to allow for investigating into the incidents.

The Times has posted an excellent article in which Joseph Dunns looks specifically at what went wrong during the filming of these dangerous Bond stunt sequences:

Calamity James: behind the scenes of the jinxed Bond film

The 007 production has since moved onto filming of different sequences in Austria.

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

Winehouse James Bond Title Theme Unlikely To Be Finished

Despite recent confirmations by music producer Mark Ronson that Amy Winehouse was indeed planning a song for the 22nd James Bond film, there are no doubts that the track will ever be finished.

Speaking to Sky News, Ronson, who was working alongside Winehouse, has said they have ceased work on the Quantum of Solace track.

‘We tried to work for a little bit,’ he said. ‘I’m not sure she’s ready to work on music yet.’

When asked if he thought their James Bond theme would ever be made, Ronson was doubtful: ‘I don’t think so unless by some miracle of science it gets recorded and someone sings a vocal on it so probably not.’

‘We did work on it but we never finished it so that’s about it.’

A spokesman for Winehouse added: ‘Mark has presented a track to Amy, but she had other ideas about the direction it should take. She has always made her own decisions about her music.’

‘Needless to say, this is part of the process between artist and producer and we’re sure they will continue to make great music together.’

Other sources mentioned that the prime reason this 007 theme stalled was that Winehouse ‘did not feel the song was appropriate in its current form.’

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

Radio 4 Celebrates Centenary Of James Bond Creator Ian Fleming

As previously announced on CommanderBond.net, several James Bond-themed events have been planned by BBC Radio 4 as part of the Ian Fleming centenary celebrations this year.

These events include a Dr. No dramatisation, a programme entitled ‘The Bond Correspondence’, which features letters from Fleming, and much more.

An official press release from Radio 4 sheds further light on these upcoming programmes to keep an eye out for:

Ian Fleming’s Dr. No

Radio 4 Celebrates Centenary Of James Bond Creator Ian Fleming

Ian Fleming, renowned author and creator of iconic spy James Bond, was born 100 years ago and to mark this special anniversary, BBC Radio 4 presents a short season of programmes.

They include an all-star dramatisation of Dr. No; a documentary following Fleming’s niece on a personal journey to find out more about her uncle; and an exploration of what the creation of James Bond tells us about post-Empire Britain.

On Saturday 24 May, Toby Stephens and David Suchet star in the first ever full radio adaptation of Dr. No, Ian Fleming’s 1958 James Bond novel.

Recovering from the after-effects of his last assignment, Bond is given what appears to be an easy job on his next case.

Sent to Jamaica to investigate the mysterious disappearance of two of his colleagues, Bond discovers that the heart of the mystery lies with a sinister recluse on Crab Key, Dr No.

Before long Bond comes face to face with this bizarre creature and soon he is fighting for his life in a murderous game.

The cast also include Samuel West, John Standing, Martin Jarvis and Peter Capaldi.

In The Bond Correspondence, also on Saturday 24 May, Ian Fleming’s niece, Lucy Fleming, sets out to discover more about both her uncle and the creation of his most famous character, James Bond.

Her uncle has, until now, been someone Lucy vaguely remembers from her teens. But, after she delves into dusty old boxes of letters to see the wealth of correspondence from readers and his responses, she discovers a lesser known side of Ian.

She goes inside the old Naval Intelligence Unit where her uncle worked in the Second World War, visits his wartime girlfriend Joan Bright Astley, and stepdaughter Fionn Morgan, and, in doing so, brings to life ghosts from the past.

On Monday 26 May, Professor David Cannadine, argues that the Bond novels are a fantastic response to the moment when Britain lost an Empire but was still struggling to find a role in the new world.

In James Bond, The Last Englishman, Professor Cannadine claims that Fleming’s Bond novels have played a key role in shaping England’s national self-image.

For Cannadine, Bond is the consolatory fantasy of Fleming, the nostalgic conservative appalled by Britain’s collapse as a great power.

There will also be another chance to hear Amis, Amis and Bond on Sunday 18 May in which Martin Amis explores his father’s obsessive interest with James Bond and the writing of Ian Fleming with fellow Bond enthusiast Charlie Higson.

Amis, Amis and Bond is on Sunday 18 May at 1.30pm

The Bond Correspondence is on Saturday 24 May at 10.30am

Dr No is on Saturday 24 May at 2.30pm

James Bond, The Last Englishman is on Monday 26 May at 8.00pm

Stay tuned to CBn for all the latest details and coverage on all the Ian Fleming centenary events and James Bond-related releases.

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.

Sebastian Faulks' Forty Most Influential Books

Sebastian Faulks

CommanderBond.net previously reported that Sebastian Faulks would host Watersone’s first Writer’s Table where he would compile a top 40 book list that inspired him as an author. The list has finally been published in select Waterstone’s stores and their website, and includes a number of names associated with James Bond.

Faulks’ handwritten review of Moonraker

Coming in at #9 on the list is surprisingly Moonraker by Ian Fleming. In Faulk’s review, he praises it for its uniqueness. “Early Bond. He doesn’t sleep with the girl and the big dénouement is in Kent… It breaks all the rules and it really only has three scenes. But what good scenes they are.”

Topping the list at #1 is Colonel Sun author Kingsley Amis with Jake’s Thing (1978) followed by his son, Martin Amis at #2 with his 1978 novel Success. Additionally, George MacDonald Fraser’s World War II memoir also made the list. Fraser is best known to Bond fans for being a screenwriter on Octopussy.

The full list:

1. Jake’s Thing by Kingsley Amis
2. Success by Martin Amis
3. Tim All Alone by Edward Ardizzone
4. The Garden Of The Finzi-Continis by Giorgio Bassani
5. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
6. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
7. The Waste Land by TS Eliot
8. The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald
9. Moonraker by Ian Fleming
10. The Magus by John Fowles
11. Quartered Safe Out Here by George MacDonald Fraser
12. Towards The End Of The Morning by Michael Frayn
13. Loving. Living. Party Going by Henry Green
14. The Last Enemy by Richard Hillary
15. The Line Of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
16. The Price Of Glory by Alistair Horne
17. An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan
18. The Lake by Yasunari Kawabata
19. The Unbearable Lightness Of Being by Milan Kundera
20. 20. The Whitsun Weddings by Philip Larkin
21. The Rainbow by DH Lawrence
22. The Adventures Of Dr Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
23. The Scent Of Dried Roses by Tim Lott
24. The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
25. The House Of Elrig by Gavin Maxwell
26. The First Day On The Somme by Martin Middlebrook
27. Birds Of America by Lorrie Moore
28. The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch
29. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
30. The World Is Not Enough by Zoe Oldenbourg
31. Sabbath’s Theater by Philip Roth
32. The Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger
33. One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
34. The Red And The Black by Stendhal
35. A Cruel Madness by Colin Thubron
36. War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy
37. A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler
38. A Fringe Of Leaves by Patrick White
39. Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth & Samuel Taylor Coleridge
40. Germinal by Emile Zola

For reviews of each book and why they were selected for this list, see Waterstone’s website

Faulks’ James Bond novel, Devil May Care, will be published worldwide on 28 May 2008.

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

Hornby To Buy 007 Die-cast Maker Corgi For $15 Million

Model maker company Hornby is set to breathe new life in the die-cast model market after buying Corgi International yesterday for $15 million (£7.5 million).

The Times reports that that Hornby intends to revive the company well known for it’s 40+ year-long association with the James Bond series.

Frank Martin, chief executive of Hornby, said: ‘It is a fanastic brand and has a superb reputation worldwide. We intend to build its premier position in the market. The strategic fit with our existing business could not be better.’

Corgi’s owners put the business up for sale after struggles with paying suppliers and introducing new products. Hornby will be paying the US-based Corgi £7.5 million for the brand, tooling and intellectual property rights to Corgi Classics. An additional £800,000 for all existing stock.

The company is perhaps best known to 007 collectors for their phenomenally popular Aston Martin DB5 model–first launched in 1965. A prototype model sold for $2,100 at an auction this past October.

Hornby’s Martin stated that his priority was ‘satisfying the pent-up demand in the UK for Corgi classics’, but also intends to generate more exports to the US and continental Europe. Corgi’s sales have fallen to £6.5 million a year from as high as £18million in the late 1990s.

‘The core business of Corgi is the adult collector but one of the opportunities we have is to broaden the market by taking the brand to a younger audience,’ he said.

‘There is definitely still a place for these brands. I still don’t think that there is any substitute for the physical act of collecting these models, holding them and putting them in a display case.’

Lindsey Amrani, editor of Model Collector magazine, said: ‘Everyone will be relieved–there’s been a lot of speculation about the fate of Corgi and no models have been released this year. Hornby recently declared record profits and they have taken Airfix on and turned it around, so I think it will be a very good thing indeed.’

Most recently, Corgi showed off their Quantum of Solace/Casino Royale Bond figures and gadgets at the 2008 UK ToyFair. Hornby also recently confirmed a Quantum of Solace Scalextric racing set due for release later this year.

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

Photographs: 'Quantum of Solace' Shooting At Floating Stage And Opera House

Daniel Craig is James Bond

WARNING: Possible minor spoilers

18 photographs taken during the Quantum of Solace filming the past two days in Austria have been posted online at Getty Images.

The shots were captured as the 22nd James Bond production continued filmed in the Austrian cities of Feldkirch and Bregenz.

The Seebühne Floating Stage was prepared for an action sequence in which 007 interrupts an opera performance as he pursues one of the film’s villains across the grandstand and through the audience.

Shooting also took place inside the nearby Bregenz Festival House, where Daniel Craig can clearly be seen in a tuxedo.

Other photos captured several of the extras on the Quantum of Solace sets as well as director Marc Forster.

Floating Stage with ‘Tosca’ Set at Bregenz
(Images copyright Bruno Klomfar and Karl Forster)

Click Here To View All The
Quantum of Solace Photos

These photos follow up those from yesterday in which Craig and Anatole Taubman (who plays villain Elvis) were spotted in Feldkirch.

The Bond production arrived on 29 April and shooting is expected to continue until mid-May.

CBn will keep you updated with all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

David Arnold And Don Black Team Up For Stage Musical

James Bond composer David Arnold and lyricist Don Black will be teaming up with Derren Litten to create a new stage musical.

The Stage reports that while exact details on the forthcoming show are being kept under wraps, it is understood that it will be a musical comedy based on an existing story.

007 fans best know Arnold for his work on the musical scores to Pierce Brosnan’s last three Bond films as well as Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale (he is also working on Quantum of Solace).

Black has also been associated with the Bond series, credited for his lyrics on the following songs: Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, The Man With The Golden Gun, Surrender, The World Is Not Enough and Only Myself To Blame (working alongside Arnold on the final three listed).

Black said he was ‘excited’ to be working with Arnold again, saying that the composer’s varied catalogue of works and knowledge of different music styles made him someone who could come up with an original production for the West End.

‘You can talk to David about Cole Porter or the Kaiser Chiefs, Irving Berlin or the Scissor Sisters. It is nice to work with young people and I am enjoying very much working with David again,’ he said.

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest James Bond-related news.