Casting Agency Dispels Certain Bond Girl Rumours

With screentests with Daniel Craig currently taking place and the lists of hopeful Bond girl candidates narrowing down, rumours and reports on who has made it and who hasn’t are flooding the local news in Mexico and surrounding Latin America.

After the recent announcement by Mayrín Villanueva’s husband on a Mexican television show claiming that she landed a role in the James Bond film, the agency who represents Bond 22‘s casting agent Carla Hool in Mexico made a statement to dispel some of the rumours.

According to reports Esmas.com and Blog-mexico.com, representative Ricardo Hernandez said ‘the entire casting process was confidential and the recent statements by some actresses do not have foundation.’

‘Since some actresses have taken it upon themselves to make false statements regarding the casting process and therefore create unsubstantiated news, I see it is necessary to deny several of these affirmations.’

While Mayrín Villanueva and other Bond girl candidates were not specifically mentioned in the statement, Hernandez says that some of the actressses who made the initial casting were not called back again due to ‘poor performances and a weak command of the English language.’

‘It does not seem right to us that someone who had the opportunity to belong in a foreign film and was invited to cast for a role should give up on this chance in order to become more famous.’

Keep watching CBn for all the latest Bond 22 coverage as the Bond girl casting continues.

'007 Holiday Action' James Bond Marathon On Spike TV In December

As in the past, Spike TV will once again be kicking off their holiday James Bond 007 marathon in December, starting on the 17th. ‘Settle in with Spike TV for the holidays with two James Bond movies a day, every weekday morning.’ The full schedule (all times are EST):

‘007 Holiday Action’ James Bond Marathon

• Monday, 17 December
• 9 AM – From Russia With Love: James Bond willingly falls into an assassination ploy involving a naive Russian beauty in order to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by SPECTRE. Starring Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi and Pedro Armendariz.
• 11:30 AM – Diamonds Are Forever: Agent 007 goes to Las Vegas to investigate the disappearance of diamonds in transit and discovers the involvement of his archenemy, Blofeld. Starring Sean Connery as Bond and Jill St. John as Bond Girl Tiffany Case.

• Tuesday, 18 December
• 9 AM – Dr. No: James Bond’s investigation of a missing colleague in Jamaica leads him to the island of the mysterious Dr. No and a scheme to end the US space program. Starring Sean Connery, Ursula Andress and Joseph Wiseman.
• 11:30 AM – For Your Eyes Only: Agent 007 is assigned to hunt for a lost British encryption device and prevent it from falling into enemy hands. Starring Roger Moore as Bond and Carole Bouquet as Bond Girl Melina Havelock.

• Wednesday, 19 December
• 9 AM – Licence To Kill: James Bond leaves Her Majesty’s Secret Service to stop an evil drug lord and avenge his best friend, Felix Leiter. Starring Roger Dalton, Carey Lowell and Robert Davi.
• 12 PM – The Spy Who Loved Me: James Bond investigates the hijacking of submarines carrying nuclear warheads with the help of a KGB agent whose lover he killed. Starring Roger Moore, Barbara Bach and Curt Jurgens.

• Thursday, 20 December
• 9 AM – The Man With The Golden Gun: James Bond is led to believe that he is targeted by the world’s most expensive assassin and must hunt him down to stop him. Starring Roger Moore, Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland.
• 12 PM – You Only Live Twice: Agent 007 and the Japanese secret service ninja force must find and stop the true culprit of a series of spacejackings before nuclear war
  is provoked. Starring Sean Connery, Akiko Wakayabishi and Mie Hama.

• Friday, 21 December
• 9 AM – Moonraker: James Bond investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle and discovers a plot to commit global genocide. Starring Roger Moore, Lois Chiles and Michael Lonsdale.
• 12 PM – Goldfinger: Investigating a gold magnate’s gold smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve. Staring Sean Connery, Honor Blackman and Gert Frobe.

• Monday, 24 December
• 9 AM – Never Say Never Again: A SPECTRE agent has stolen two American nuclear warheads, and James Bond must find their targets before they are detonated. Starring Sean Connery, Klaus Maria Brandauer and Max von Sydow.
• 12 PM – The World Is Not Enough: James Bond uncovers a nuclear plot when he protects an oil heiress from her former kidnapper, an international terrorist who can’t feel pain. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau and Robert Carlyle.

• Tuesday, 25 December
• 9 AM – A View To A Kill: An investigation of a horse-racing scam leads 007 to a mad industrialist who plans to create a worldwide microchip monopoly by destroying California’s Silicon Valley. Starring Roger Moore, Christopher Walken and Tanya Roberts.
• 12 PM – GoldenEye: James Bond teams up with the lone survivor of a destroyed Russian research center to stop the hijacking of a nuclear space weapon by a fellow agent believed to be dead. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean and Izabella Scorupco.

• Wednesday, 26 December
• 9 AM – Live And Let Die: 007 is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate armed with a complex organization and a reliable psychic tarot card reader. Starring Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto and Jane Seymour.
• 12 PM – Tomorrow Never Dies: James Bond heads to stop a media mogul’s plan to induce war between China and the UK in order to obtain exclusive global media coverage. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce and Michelle Yeoh.

• Thursday, 27 December
• 9 AM – The Living Daylights: James Bond is living on the edge to stop an evil arms dealer from starting another world war. Bond crosses all seven continents in order
  to stop the evil Whitaker and General Koskov. Starring Timothy Dalton, Maryam d’Abo and Jeroen Krabbe.
• 12 PM – Octopussy: A Faberge Egg found with a murdered British agent puts Bond on the trail that leads to a plot to kill thousands to weaken NATO defenses in
  Europe. Starring Roger Moore, Maud Adams and Louis Jourdan.

• Friday, 28 December
• 9 AM – For Your Eyes Only: Agent 007 is assigned to hunt for a lost British encryption device and prevent it from falling into enemy hands. Starring Roger Moore as Bond and Carole Bouquet as Bond Girl Melina Havelock.
• 12 PM – Thunderball: James Bond heads to The Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by SPECTRE agent Emilio Largo in an international extortion scheme. Starring Sean Connery, Claudine Auger and Adolfo Celi.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest James Bond news.

French 'Double Or Die' ('Poker Fatal') Released Today

Back in June of this year, CBn reported that Double Or Die, Charlie Higson’s third Young James Bond novel, was due to be released in France under the title Poker Fatal.

The Young Bond Dossier reports today that this Young Bond novel has now been released. Cover artwork is based off the UK paperback design.

Bond fans can order Double Or Die (Poker Fatal) at amazon.fr. As with the previous releases of SilverFin and Blood Fever, this French edition of Double Or Die is published by Gallimard Jeunesse.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest Young Bond and literary 007 news.

Bond Girl Casting Buzz For 'Bond 22'

Reports are circulating that the Bond girl casting for next year’s Bond 22 is heating up with screentests of the favourites currently taking place.

According to a source for The Daily Mail, Daniel Craig is now getting involved with the casting process, after having previously supporting Eva Green for the role of Vesper Lynd in last year’s Casino Royale.

‘Daniel campaigned for Eva Green to do Casino Royale and is having a similar input in the casting of the next film,’ the report states.

Additionally, Bond 22 will reportedly feature four Bond girls and Craig is having a difficult time in helping to choose those best suited for the roles.

‘There’ll be four girls, all of whom will look Latin-American as much of the film is set in Panama, and Daniel is having a hard time choosing between those screen testing.’ The New Zealand Herald notes that Brazilian actress Cleo Pires and Israeli actress Moran Atias are two of the top frontrunners.

According to local reports from Brazil, Juliana Paes, Rita Guedes, Guilhermina Guinle join Pires and Atias as the other favourites for the roles.

The report states that casting agents Kate Dowd and Carla Hool have been testing possible candidates since late 2006 in Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and Argentina. A representative from the Nossa Senhora do Casting company said they were ‘betting the ace cards on Juliana [Paes] and Cleo [Pires].’

Keep watching CBn for all the latest coverage as the Bond girl casting heats up.

'A Fan With A View': A 'Casino Royale' Premiere Perspective

A Fan With A View

Written by Mark Witherspoon | Photographs by Ajay Chowdhury

Consider me strange but there is nothing quite like (literally) soaking up the atmosphere a Bond premiere as a spectator: hanging around the West End of London (usually in the rain), leaning over the crash barriers and getting in the way of the world’s press! Sure, I could be tuxed up and make a generous donation to charity and watch the film catching a glimpse of the latest 007 or his leading ladies but there is a grass roots’ excitement in being part of the crowd! Since The Living Daylights premiered on 29th June 1987, I have always taken the day off work and loitered around the venue to sample the electric energy of a Bond-starved crowd. Although these days movie premieres are as common as pigeons in London, nobody does it better than Bond: they arguably helped create the whole celebrity film premiere on the scale we now see.

14th November 2006 and yet again I find myself wandering around Leicester Square in the rain, but this year it’s different: a new 007 and a new studio (Sony); the whole night is either a PR department’s nightmare or dream come true. Demand for tickets for the premiere has been higher then ever before, so much so that Sony have put on three simultaneous screenings in the three main West End cinemas: The Odeon Leicester Square is hosting the main premiere with the Queen and Prince Philip and cast and crew in attendance; the Empire has a Sony charity screening; and opposite at the Odeon West End is another charity screening for various celebrities and members of the public.

I arrive around midday and because of heavy rain I’m not sure if I want to stand around all day in the wet. The only thing I’ve brought with me is my camera and a packet of Casino Royale playing cards. For now nobody is allowed to enter the garden in the square and fans are told to queue around the outside while the area is prepared for the evening. The hours tick by slowly and I find it amusing when a bunch of Bond fans (myself included) start cheering at the simplest things, like posters and bunting being tied to a tree by a man in a cherry picker crane!

We spend most of our time working out where we will be positioned, so at around 5pm when the gates are opened it’s like a cattle stampede – we all run to the front of the barriers with everyone pushing and shoving like fans at a Bon Jovi concert. Soon afterwards the soundtrack to Casino Royale starts playing on huge speakers positioned in and around Leicester Square, just across from us I can see a stage with the latest Aston Martin positioned on it. Several members of the press come over to talk to myself and my friend, Joe Story – mainly thanks to the home-made sign Joe has brought, saying ‘BLONDE BUT STILL BOND! GOOD LUCK DANIEL.’ They are interested in our opinions on Daniel Craig as James Bond. Joe ends up making the front page of the next day’s London Times.

Just before 6pm Daniel Craig arrives to the sound of the James Bond theme tune. He steps out of his chauffeur driven car and the crowd goes wild. It’s so noisy, I think Aerosmith are playing Wembley – the atmosphere is fantastic! It’s obvious that Daniel Craig has turned up first so that he has time to spend at least two hours with the press, doing interviews and has some ‘Tom Cruise-style’ fan time. He does it very well indeed.

Many Bond stars from the past and present are here to attend the main premiere screening in the Odeon, including Mad Mikkelson, Eva Green, Dame Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Ken Adam, Sébastien Foucan, Giancarlo Giannini, Rick Yune, Maryam D’abo, Michelle Yeoh, David Arnold, Phil Meheux, Richard Branson, Anthony Waye, Vijay Amritraj, Lindy Hemming, Terry Bamber, Chris Corbould, Tom Pevesner, and of course Martin Campbell, Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Other stars like avowed Bond fan, Jay Kay of Jamiroquai also show up.

Mads Mikkelsen spends a long time with the fans and is quick to come over to us. He is very pleasant, if slightly intimidating in a Kevin Spacey-like manner, and I can see why the producers chose him for the role of Le Chiffre. Daniel is besieged by the worldwide press gathered in a pen and on the red carpet. At one point it finally looks like he’s coming our way his way when one of the PR ladies mentions yet another interview for TV. ‘Make them wait!’, he says firmly. Great!. He spots Joe’s banner and marches across the red carpet towards us shouting out ‘What’s that?’, then laughs as he realises what it says and that Joe is on his side! He signs as many, photos, banners and posters as he can in the few minutes he spends with us and I manage to get a few semi decent photos. He signs one of my Casino Royale ace card and tells me ‘Don’t play poker it’s bad for your health!’ before heading off to the main stage to join other members of the cast and crew for more interviews. By the end of the evening, I have a full set of signed aces. Ace!

Finally I meet with friends for a drink then settle down in the Odeon for the first public late night screening. It might be a cold wet late night but there’s no way I’m going to miss this performance!

---

MARK WITHERSPOON is a graphic designer and lives in the UK. He is the founder of The Fridge Club and is a contributing writer to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang magazine. Ajay Chowdhury is the editor of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang magazine.

Text © 2007, Mark Witherspoon. All rights reserved.
All photographs © 2006, Ajay Chowdhury. All rights reserved.

The full version 9 page, 78 picture article on the Casino Royale Royale Film Performance preparation, premiere and party and exclusive photographs appear in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang #4
The publication of the James Bond International Fan Club
http://www.007.info/ClubMagazine.asp

Miss Moneypenny's Diaries Find A US Publisher

Samantha Weinberg’s James Bond spin-off series, The Moneypenny Diaries, will finally make its leap across the pond to coincide with the Ian Fleming Centenary celebrations.

The first instalment, Guardian Angel, will be published as a hardcover edition in the United States under St. Martin’s Press’ Thomas Dunne Books imprint. The novel will be released on 13 May 2008, retailing for US$23.95 and is currently available to pre-order on Amazon.com.

Guardian Angel was first released in the UK on 10 October 2005, and has since been followed by 2006’s Secret Servant and next year’s Final Fling, which will conclude the metafictional saga.

The first volume of diaries cover the period revolving around the Cuban Missile Crisis and the role Jane Moneypenny secretly played. In the present day, her neice, Kate Westbrook, begins to discover the mysteries hidden within Miss Moneypenny’s diaries.

St. Martin’s Press publish a range of leading authors, including Dan Brown, Robert Ludlum and Frederick Forsyth. The Thomas Dunne Books imprint specialises in suspense and mainstream novels.

CBn will bring you cover art as soon it emerges.

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

Cover Art For 'James Bond: The Authorised Biography' Paperback Reprint Revealed

K1Bond007 today highlights Amazon.co.uk‘s updated listing for next year’s UK paperback reprint of John Pearson’s James Bond: The Authorised Biography Of 007 (like the recent UK hardback reissue, Of 007 has been dropped from the book’s title).

In particular, the listing now features the saucy cover art that will adorn Arrow Books’ paperback edition, due out on 1 May 2008. Curiously, the cover features a quote from a recent Daily Mail review, which was largely critical of the book.

First released in 1973, the book was reissued earlier this year by Century in a hardback edition. The metafictional novel purports to reveal the “true” story of Ian Fleming’s famous spy.

The website also notes that Amazon.com‘s US listing for the book, which was recently pulled from the site, has since reappeared with a release date of 27 November 2007. The US site also lists a paperback edition to be released on 24 June 2008. However, both share the same cover art and ISBNs as the UK editions, which suggests the US listings merely advertise the UK editions being released in the United States.

Keep watching the new-look CommanderBond.net for the latest literary James Bond news.

David Arnold Discusses James Bond In Audio Interview

The name’s Arnold, David Arnold. Stage & Screen Online has posted online a two-part interview recorded this month with the composer best known in the 007 community for his work on the past four James Bond films.

Totaling over 70 minutes in length, the first part of the interview with Tommy Pearson (which runs for 43 minutes) centers on Arnold’s beginnings and early student films with director Danny Cannon. His pre-Bond work, including Stargate, Independence Day and Godzilla.

Part two (29 minutes) focuses on Arnold’s association with James Bond. Arnold discusses how the popular Shaken & Stirred project came about as well as John Barry’s reaction to it.

Arnold then goes on to explain his process for creating the music in his debut Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies, which he summed up as ‘a love letter to all things that are great about James Bond music.’

The World Is Not Enough (‘…a lot to live up to with a 17-minute opening pre-title sequence’) and Die Another Day (‘both the film and the music reached the zenith…’) follow.

‘I wanted to make a song and a sound that reflected the way that Daniel Craig was [James Bond],’ says Arnold while explaining what was so different about Casino Royale. ‘I wanted it to sound the way that he looks and he is. He hadn’t become James Bond yet, so why have the James Bond theme? Why would we be ahead of him?’

Tons and tons of other details on 007 are discussed, including the differences between the spectacle of Die Another Day and Casino Royale as well as the fact that Arnold provided the music for all the screentests for the Bond #6 candidates.

And what about Bond 22? ‘I haven’t seen the script yet, but I met with the director, Marc Forster, and we had a very brief chat … in a way, I feel that this next one is the toughest one yet. It was much easier following up Die Another Day with a film where the general media response [regarding Craig’s announcement as the new 007] was “he’s not going to work…”. Following up something as commercially and critically successful as Casino Royale is a much tougher job. I think expectactions are much higher now.’

Head on over to Stage & Screen Online to listen to the complete two-part interview with David Arnold. The interview is also available to download as an MP3 file.

Part three, focusing on Arnold’s work on Stoned, Venus, Amazing Grace and Hot Fuzz, will be available next week.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest James Bond news.

Dutch Cinema Melkweg Presents James Bond Marathon In January '08

Excellent news for all the James Bond fans in The Netherlands. 007nl.com reports that the Dutch Cinema Melkweg in Amsterdam is planning a major marathon of classic 007 films throughout January 2008.

Starting on 3 January with Sean Connery’s debut in Dr. No and finishing on 23 January with Roger Moore’s final performance as James Bond in A View To A Kill, the full schedule includes:

• Thursday, 3 January: Dr. No (19:00)
• Friday, 4 January: From Russia With Love (19:00)
• Monday, 7 January: Goldfinger (19:00)
• Wednesday, 9 January: Thunderball (19:00)
• Thursday, 10 January: You Only Live Twice (19:00)
• Friday, 11 January: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (19:00)
• Monday, 14 January: Live And Let Die (19:00)
• Tuesday, 15 January: The Man With The Golden Gun (19:00)
• Thursday, 17 January: The Spy Who Loved Me (19:00)
• Friday, 18 January: Moonraker (19:00)
• Monday, 21 January: For Your Eyes Only (19:00)
• Tuesday, 22 January: Octopussy (19:00)
• Wednesday, 23 January: A View To A Kill (19:00)

The Melkweg is located at Lijnbaansgracht 234a, 1017 PH Amsterdam, The Netherlands. For travel directions, ticket information, or any other details, visit the official website (or visit the english section of their website here).

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

'James Bond Collection' Of Vehicles At Cars Of The Stars Museum

A new report has been posted at Easier.com spotlighting the James Bond collection of vehicles at the Cars of the Stars Museum, located in Keswick, UK.

While by no means a brand new attraction (the museum’s Bond collection has featured at past events, such as Memorabilia and “Classic Cars Live!”), the fact that the museum continually rotates which vehicles will be on display means that there is always something new to check out at every visit.

Die Another Day‘s Aston Martin Vanquish, the Ford Mustang Mach-1 from Diamonds Are Forever and the Cagiva motorcycle ridden by Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye are a few of the vehicles that have recently been on display.

The impressive full listing includes:

• Dragon Tank – Dr. No
• Fairey Huntress Speed Boat – From Russia With Love
• Aston Martin DB5 – Goldfinger / Thunderball
• BSA Rocket Firing Motorcycle – Thunderball
• Toyota 2000GT – You Only Live Twice
• Aston Martin DBS – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
• Ford Mustang Mach-1 – Diamonds Are Forever
• Kawaski Z900 motorbike and sidecar – The Spy Who Loved Me
• Lotus Esprit S1 – The Spy Who Loved Me
• Lotus Esprit (submarine) – The Spy Who Loved Me
• Lotus Esprit Turbo (1) – For Your Eyes Only
• Lotus Esprit Turbo (2) – For Your Eyes Only
• Tuk-Tuk Taxi – Octopussy
• Renault 11 – A View To A Kill
• Aston Martin V8 Volante – The Living Daylights
• Aston Martin DB5 – GoldenEye
• Cagiva Motorcycle – GoldenEye
• General Ourmov’s Black Volga – GoldenEye
• Aston Martin Vanquish – Die Another Day

The Cars of the Stars Museum is located at Standish Street, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5LS, England. Phone details follow:

Tel : Museum 017687 73757
Tel : Office 017687 72090
International +44 17687 73757
Fax : 017687 72090

If you are planning on attending, but wish to know which vehicles will be on display, the museum is always happy to confirm for those who call ahead. They are open from 10:00AM – 5:00PM seven days a week. Admission costs are £4 per adult and £3 per child. For any other information, visit the official website.

Stay tuned to CommanderBond.net for all the latest James Bond coverage.