Sir Sean Connery's 'Being A Scot' Is Now Complete

Back in January of this year, CommanderBond.net reported that Sir Sean Connery had finally planned the release of his autobiography/memoirs, entitled Being A Scot, for August of this year.

According to an update from The Scotsman, the book is now complete.

Mixing a ‘frank account of Connery’s life with an esoteric take on Scotland’s history and culture,’ the 300-page long book will feature more than 400 photograhs from his personal collection.

Included are details on his childhood in a gaslit Fountainbridge tenement, learning golf from Goldfinger co-star Gert Frobe and weekending with Billy Connolly, ‘the funniest man alive’.

Discussing the golf scenes on his third 007 film, Connery says: ‘I began to take lessons on a course near Pinewood and was hooked. Soon it would take over my life. I began to see golf as a metaphor for living.’

Being A Scot will be published by Weidenfeld on 25 August 2008–the same day the former James Bond star turns 78 years old.

‘I’m very excited about this book,’ said publisher Alan Samson. ‘We can’t pretend it’s something it isn’t. It is not a book of titillating revelations about the women in his life, nor will it be sold that way.’

Co-writer Murray Grigor said: ‘The book really reflects the life and film achievements of this extraordinary man. It reflects topics of Scottish culture, high and low.’

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

Win Titan's 'Shark Bait' James Bond Collection

CommanderBond.net is giving forum members the chance to win a a copy of the Titan Books’ Shark Bait James Bond comic strip collection.

In addition to the title story, the Shark Bait collection also includes The Xanadu Connection (originally not syndicated in the UK) and Doomcrack stories. The latter represents the first of ultimately five Bond comic strips serialised in the Daily Star and is the one and only time Harry North served as the artist.

This competition is open to all members of CBn. You must be a registered member of the CBn Forums and answer the following question correctly to be eligible to win. Not yet a member of CBn? Register here now–it is free and only takes a minute!

To enter, fill out the following questionnaire and send a Communiqué/Private Message on the CBn Forums to ‘CBn Competition’ (Subject: CBn Titan) by Midnight EST on 31 March 2008 (simply click on the link in this paragraph).

1.TRUE or FALSE: The forthcoming Titan 007 collection, due for release this June, is entitled The Paradise Plot.

2.What is your CBn Forum Screen Name?

3.What country/state do you live in?

New Interview With 'Quantum' Villains Anatole Taubman And Mathieu Amalric

Anatole Taubman is Elvis in Quantum of Solace

Continuing on from The Insider’s Quantum of Solace set visit from two weeks ago, a newly posted video on their website features interviews with the film’s villains, Mathieu Amalric and Anatole Taubman.

James Bond fans get a first look at Taubman in the film, who is sporting a very different haircut as the main henchman, Elvis.

‘I think this has largely to do with the script,’ said Taubman when asked about the multi-layered villains that will be featured in this Bond film.

When asked if moviegoers will be shocked by what Quantum of Solace brings to the 007 series, Taubman replied: ‘In a positive way. They’ll be very, very surprised. Seriously.’

Mathieu Amalric is Dominic Greene in Quantum of Solace

Mathieu Amalric, who plays lead villain Dominic Greene, also spoke about the film: ‘In Casino Royale for instance, they started something that is quite realistic about the times in which we are living in and I think this film, Quantum of Solace, is continuing in this vein.’

‘What could be a villain today? Maybe it’s somebody you don’t guess is a villain immediately. They’re just like wallpaper. You don’t know where the threads can come from.’

Taubman was also asked about working with Daniel Craig. ‘We just met not long ago,’ he said, ‘but he would be a guy that could probably be a very, very dear best friend. He’s fantastic. Very professional and very modest. Golden at heart.’

Click here to watch the full two-minute video interview online.

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

James Bond's Omega Seamaster Is Back… In Black

Since 1995’s GoldenEye, James Bond has turned to Omega when it came to choosing his timepiece.

In July of this year, Omega will be releasing a brand new limited edition 007 Seamaster Diver 300m watch. A preview photograph can be viewed at Style.com.

Omega will be producing 10,007 of them at the price to be announced.

While many Bond fans are expecting Omega to be back for Quantum of Solace, no official details (including those regarding whether this new limited edition will be featured) have been revealed as of yet.

Much more information follows in this release from TimeGeeks:

James Bond 007 Collector’s Piece Is Back… In Black

OMEGA presents the new version of the Seamaster Diver 300m James Bond which collectors and fans have treasured since 1995.

For the past decade, Her Majesty’s Secret Service agent 007 has been wearing an OMEGA Seamaster watch. Fans of the iconic spy, along with enthusiasts of fine watches, wait in anticipation of each new version of the timepiece.

Their patience will soon be rewarded. OMEGA will be releasing a special update of the incredibly popular Seamaster Diver 300m James Bond watch which has been worn by 007 since GoldenEye.

The James Bond 007 Collector’s Piece is the most elegant version yet and the next step in the evolution of the Seamaster Diver 300m James Bond watches.

Anyone familiar with the classic James Bond’s watch with its trademark blue bezel will be in for some surprises!

Visually striking, the James Bond 007 Collector’s Piece features a polished, lacquered black dial with black gold plated hour markers filled with white Super-LumiNova. The luminous hour and minute hands are also plated with black gold. The watch has a central seconds hand with a red tip and a red “007” logo as a counterweight which rotates in stark contrast to its black dial. Only 10,007 pieces of this exclusive Seamaster will be produced. Paying tribute to OMEGA’s long partnership with the world’s favourite secret agent, it is destined to be an instant collector’s item.

The watch has a distinctive polished and brushed stainless steel case with a diameter of 41 mm. Its specially-designed bracelet is unique to the James Bond watches and is one of the features which makes them immediately recognisable. The watch has a scratch-resistant, anti-reflective domed crystal.

The James Bond 007 Collector’s Piece is not only aesthetically dazzling. James Bond would be disappointed with any technology that wasn’t the most advanced in the world and this watch meets his most exacting demands. It features OMEGA’s calibre 2500 self-winding movement fitted with the revolutionary Co-Axial Escapement, which reduces friction while offering better long-term accuracy, and it has a power reserve of 48 hours. Its free-sprung balance further increases the precision.
The watch is a certified chronometer with functions essential to professional divers. Its screw-in case back (with a “007” medallion) and stainless steel screw-in crown featuring an OMEGA logo ensure water resistance. The watch also has a unidirectional rotating bezel with a distinctive black aluminium ring. A helium escape valve allows helium atoms to escape during decompression, particularly useful for professional divers operating from diving bells. As its name suggests, the watch is water resistant up to 300 metres.

The presentation case is nearly as striking as the watch itself. Crafted from black leather, its black interior calls to mind the lining of the tuxedos which are as synonymous to Bond as the OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300m watches he’s been wearing for more than a decade.

While some of the advanced features will appeal particularly to divers, the James Bond 007 Collector’s Piece will prove irresistible to fans of 007 and to anyone interested in elegant, distinctive, state-of-the-technology watches.

The newest film, Quantum Of Solace, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for EON Productions and directed by Marc Forster, will be released internationally in November 2008. Daniel Craig will reprise his role as James Bond for this 22nd film in the Bond series.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for all the latest James Bond coverage.

US Cover Art For 'The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel' Revealed

The Moneypenny Diaries US cover

Cover artwork for the forthcoming release of Samantha Weinberg’s first novel in her Moneypenny Diaries trilogy, Guardian Angel has been revealed at amazon.com.

As earlier reported on CommanderBond.net, this US hardback edition of Guardian Angel will be published by Thomas Dunne Books (an imprint of St. Martin’s Press) and will retail for $23.95.

The book is set for release on 13 May, in time for the Ian Fleming centenary and the numerous other James Bond-related events and releases scheduled for that month.

Guardian Angel was first published in October 2005 in the UK. Being the first part of the Moneypenny Diaries trilogy, it chronicles the life and adventures of the famous secretary originally featured in Fleming’s Bond novels. This first volume centers around the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Since then, Secret Servant was published in the UK in 2006. The final novel, Final Fling, hits UK bookshelves this May.

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

'The Best Of Bond' Weekend At The Barbican In June

Dr. No

James Bond will be on the big screen at the Barbican this upcoming June.

‘The Best of Bond’, scheduled for 6 and 7 June 2008, will be celebrating the centenary of Ian Fleming with a weekend dedicated to the 007 films. Fans can vote for their favourite, from 1962’s Dr. No to 2006’s Casino Royale, and the top five films will be screened at the Barbican during the event.

In addition, all voters are automatically entered into a free prize drawing to win a pair of tickets to all five of the James Bond film screenings.

Fans will recall that the latest 007 film, Quantum of Solace, began production at the Barbican on the very first day of shooting this past January. Click here (and here) for CommanderBond.net’s exclusive photographs from the shooting.

Vist the official Best of Bond for further information and to vote for your favourite 007 film.

The Barbican Centre is located at Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest on James Bond 007 events happening around the world.

'By Royal Command' is 'a great way to finish off the series'

Following up the announcement of By Royal Command as the title of Charlie Higson’s forthcoming fifth Young James Bond adventure, the author took some time to discuss the novel with the Young Bond Dossier.

Having just completed writing the book last week, Higson said: ‘I have tried to give it some emotional depth. Bond’s choices are not so clear cut. The book asks what is right and what is wrong, and Bond doesn’t always necessarily make the right decisions. It’s a great way to finish off the series, and at the end of it we really feel that James is poised for the next phase of his life.’

The author also revealed that the title is an echo to Ian Fleming’s 1963 novel, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, which saw 007 battling Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the Swiss Alps as well as get married–and widowed–at the conclusion.

Labeling By Royal Command a love story, Higson stated: ‘There is a definite echo … there is a lot of stuff in the book about the secret service, and it sows the seeds for a lot of what happens in James’s later life. There was always a plan to have this book involve the royal family and as it’s a slightly more grown up book, it has a slightly more grown up title.’

Higson also discussed the fact that this novel marks the conclusion of the Young Bond series, which first began with the publication of SilverFin in 2005.

‘I’ve lived with Bond for a few years now and it’s been great fun,’ said Higson, ‘but writing 5 books back to back is a strange and draining experience. It will be good to take a break and do something else. I am not saying I won’t return to Young Bond in the future, but for now these 5 books will stand as a set.’

‘The graphic novel is out in September (it’s going to be fabulous), and if that does well there will be more to follow, so I hope to be involved with Young Bond in one way or another for many more years to come.’ [CBn Note: It appears that the graphic novel has been delayed to 2 October].

Head on over to the Young Bond Dossier for much more, including some brand new plot details that will feature in the novel.

The By Royal Command hardback is due for release in the UK on 4 September 2008, retailing for £12.99.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for all the latest Young Bond news.

French Canadian And Italian 'Quantum of Solace' Title Translations

When Quantum of Solace was first announced as the title of the 22nd James Bond film, many fans brought up the point that the title may not lend easily lend itself to foreign translations throughout the world.

Now it appears that the first couple foreign titles for this 007 film have been revealed.

According to the official Italian Sony Pictures website, the film will be titled ‘007 Quantum.’

Meanwhile, Buzzline.fr are reporting that the film will be titled ‘Source de réconfort.’ This translation has not yet been confirmed on the Sony Pictures Canada website.

CommanderBond.net will keep you updated as more foreign title translations are revealed.

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

Paul Haggis On Directing A Bond Film

Screenwriter Paul Haggis

Paul Haggis recently spoke to IGN about working on the James Bond films and the possibility that he’d ever get the chance to sit in the director’s chair on one of them.

‘Look what Martin [Campbell] did with Casino Royale, he shot for 120 days, it’s so difficult to do something like that and I’m not sure that I’m up for that Herculean feat. When I’ve made four or five films I’d like to do a Bond film, or something like that.’

‘I love writing Bond, it’s fun,’ continued the Casino Royale/Quantum of Solace screenwriter. ‘I get to be part of a team, who are re-exploring the classic character, reinventing something that I loved when I was young.’

Fans will recall that Haggis was offered to direct Daniel Craig’s second 007 film, but turned it down. Back in July of last year, he said: ‘There are certain things you can write and there are certain things you can direct. I just felt that it takes a big commitment to direct a Bond film. It’s a 120 day shoot. It’s a two year commitment basically to do it. If you do that on top of writing, it’s almost a three year commitment. So I just didn’t want to dedicate that much time.’

Outside of Bond, Haggis most recently directed 2007’s In The Valley Of Elah, a drama starring Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron. His 2004 drama, Crash, won the 2005 Best Picture Academy Award.

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Daniel Craig Given Personal Gym On Bond Set At Pinewood

Daniel Craig has reportedly been given his own personal gymnasium on the Quantum of Solace set in Pinewood Studios in London in order to keep in shape for the 22nd James Bond adventure.

Daniel Craig is James Bond

The Sun reports that the gym includes rings, a trampoline and massage tables for Craig.

‘Daniel is facing a long stint filming the new Bond in Pinewood Studios,’ said an unnamed source at the 007 set. ‘Producers have allocated a soundstage of his own to use as his personal gym.’

‘It is full of freeweights, ropes and rings, as well as a running machine, trampolines and crash mats. He has an adjoining massage room with his own chill-out area where he will have a physio on call.’

‘The stuntmen on the film are all really impressed by Daniel,’ the source continued. ‘He throws himself into training and likes to make sure he is at the peak of physical fitness while filming Bond.’

‘The “crucifixion” move on the rings is regarded as one of the toughest for a male athlete in any sport. It’s the ultimate test of strength and control. Daniel is close to mastering it.’

Back in late January, CommanderBond.net reported that five soundstages were being used simultaneously for the Quantum of Solace production.

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