Swedish Actor Rafael Edholm Reportedly Screentesting For 'Bond 22' Villain Role

Swedish media are currently reporting that actor Rafael Edholm is in contention for a role as one of the villains in next year’s Bond 22.

According to a recent article from the Aftonbladet newspaper, the 41 year-old Swedish actor will reportedly be heading to Hollywood sometime this month to screentest for the role. No further details were given on exactly what villainous role in the film this will be.

007 fans will recall that Goran Visnjic (one of the candidates suggested for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale), was also mentioned as a possible Bond 22 villain earlier this year.

As is the case with most early casting rumours, we’ll just have to wait and see…

Keep watching CBn for all the latest news and details on Bond 22, which hits theatres in November 2008.

Ian Fleming's James Bond Novels To Be Reprinted In France

According to a report from JamesBond-fr.com, Ian Fleming’s original James Bond novels are set to be reprinted in France.

Following up the reprint of Fleming’s Casino Royale last year, the website reports that the author’s second 007 adventure, Live and Let Die is set to be released on 22 November 2007 (click here to view the particularly striking cover design by Sarry Long). Moonraker is scheduled to follow in June 2008.

Reprinted by French publisher Bragelonne, the upcoming editon of Live and Let Die will once again be translated by Pierre Pevel, as was the case for last year’s reprint of Casino Royale.

Visit JamesBond-fr.com for further details on these upcoming James Bond novel reprints.

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

The Queen Gets Sneak Peek At 'Bond 22' Set

BBC News reports the Queen became one of a select few to have scored a glimpse at sets for the next James Bond film, as she opened a brand new entrance at Pinewood Studios today.

As part of the opening, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh received a tour of the world famous studios, including the 007 Stage, which was destroyed by fire last July, before being rebuilt this year. She also met with Pinewood Studios employees, as well as those working on productions being filmed there.

The new Pinewood Studios entrance, which has been under construction since the beginning of the year, resembles the studio’s logo when viewed from above.

Filming on Bond 22 is scheduled to begin within the next two months, but this is the very first confirmation that sets for the film are under construction at Pinewood Studios.

Keep watching the new-look CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date Bond 22 news on the web.

Daniel Craig: Not As Much Bulking Up For 'Bond 22'

Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig isn’t expecting to be quite as buff for next year’s Bond 22 as he was for his debut as James Bond in 2006’s Casino Royale.

The Daily Express cited a recent GQ Magazine article where Craig mentioned that he didn’t think he’d be bulking up as much for his next appearance as 007.

‘I think Barbara is going to have a word about that,’ says Craig, before mimicking a whinier version of himself in conversation with producer Barbara Broccoli:

“‘I’m not going to take my top off.’

‘Yes, you are.'”

Craig adds: ‘We’ll see. There are no plans. Bond might have to take a shower, what can I tell you?’

‘I’m probably not going to bulk up as much as I did last time,’ he says. ‘It was an exercise that worked and I’m very happy we did it.’

Speaking about his upcoming film, the WWII Polish Resistance epic Defiance, Craig adds: ‘A couple of weeks into filming, Simon my trainer will come over and we’re going to get straight back into it, which is the way it goes. The weird life that I live now!’

Keep watching CBn for all the latest news and details on Bond 22, which hits theatres in November 2008.

BAFTA Honours Martin Campbell With Excellence In Directing Award

GoldenEye and Casino Royale director Martin Campbell

According to a report from Variety, two-time 007 director Martin Campbell is being honoured tonight at the BAFTA/LA Britannia ceremony with the John Schlesinger Award for excellence in directing.

Campbell, who introduced Pierce Brosnan to the world of James Bond in GoldenEye and then again with Daniel Craig in last year’s Casino Royale, remembers having second thoughts when he was approached by the producers for Brosnan’s first Bond film.

‘The trouble with directing Bond films — or any of these big commercial movies — is, like actors, you get pigeonholed, so people send you nothing but big, big action movies,’ Campbell says. ‘I did GoldenEye because I had not made a film that had taken [in] a dime, quite honestly.’

‘I was subsequently offered them all after [the massive success that GoldenEye was],’ Campbell says, ‘but the character’s got nowhere to go. You simply have to repeat yourself.’

As fans already know, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who were originally impressed by Campbell’s award-winning miniseries Edge Of Darkness, then approached him once again for Daniel Craig’s 007 debut.

‘The great thing about coming back on Casino is that the guy was a rough diamond; he had flaws,’ says Campbell. ‘He wasn’t even Bond at the beginning of the movie, so at least there was somewhere to go.’

‘We knew he could deliver on all counts,’ says Broccoli. ‘He and Daniel created a new template.’

So what is next for Campbell? In addition to helming the 2008 drama 36 as well as the action thriller Unstoppable, which is due out in 2009, Campbell has spent the last couple of years developing Edge Of Darkness as a film script along with writer Andrew Bovell.

‘You have to show another side of your work, so I’m deliberately trying to choose something character-driven and personal for my next project,’ he says.

Past recipients of the John Schlesinger Award include Anthony Minghella and Mike Newell.

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

Details Of Daniel Craig's New 007 Contract Emerge

Last week, CBn reported that MGM recently signed Daniel Craig for four more James Bond films, after the phenomenal success of last year’s Casino Royale.

Daniel Craig as James Bond

Now, the Daily Mail reports on details of the actor’s new deal. According to the newspaper, Craig’s new contract is based on a sliding salary, which will work on the amount of money each consecutive film earns at the box office and in merchandising. The paper speculates the deal could land the actor as much as £30 million over the decade or so in which the films would be released.

The Daniel Craig era of the 007 franchise is estimated to make MGM hundreds of millions of pounds, according to the paper. The actor’s debut James Bond film made £55.3 million in the United Kingdom alone. The success of Casino Royale prompted the studio to renegotiate Craig’s fee for his first three Bond films, making him Britain’s highest-paid actor.

Daniel Craig’s second James Bond film, the yet-to-be-titled Bond 22, is due out next year. Sony are eying a 2010 release date for Bond 23.

Keep watching the new-look CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date news on Bond 22 and beyond.

'Devil May Care' Now Available To Pre-order From Amazon.co.uk

New James Bond website The Literary 007 reports that the Sebastian Faullks’ upcoming 007 novel, Devil May Care, is now available to pre-order online from amazon.co.uk.

Due out on 28 May 2008 for Ian Fleming’s centenary, this UK hardback edition of Devil May Care runs at 320 pages and will retail for £18.99. What is slightly interesting to note is that Vintage, and not Penguin, is listed as the publisher. As there are several months until the actual release date, we expect this information will change on amazon.

According to Faulks, Devil May Care is set in 1967 when ‘Bond is damaged, aging and in a sense it is the return of the gunfighter for one last heroic mission.’

In addition, Young James Bond fans can now pre-order the UK paperback edition of Charlie Higson’s Hurricane Gold, which also hits book shelves on 28 May. The newest Young Bond adventure will retail for £6.99. Click here for the brand new cover artwork.

• Order the UK paperback edition of Hurricane Gold from Amazon.co.uk

• Order the UK hardback edition of Devil May Care from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the US hardback edition of Devil May Care from Amazon.com
• Order the US audiobook edition of Devil May Care from Amazon.com
• Order the US large print edition of Devil May Care from Amazon.com

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

Paul Haggis Delivers 'Bond 22' Draft Screenplay

The Hollywood Reporter today delivers the news that Paul Haggis turned in his draft screenplay for the 22nd James Bond adventure late last week.

Paul Haggis

The Oscar-winner submitted the script to Sony just days before the looming Writers Guild strike causes Hollywood’s writers to put down their pens, potentially as early as this Thursday. Last week CBn reported Haggis was said to be “ploughing through” the script in order to have it complete in case of a Thursday deadline.

The trade paper claims screenwriters are still frantically compiling scripts for future studio blockbusters, such as The Fast And The Furious 4, G.I. Joe and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The script for Sony’s other major Summer 2008 release, Angels And Demons was also delivered last week.

Last month, Paul Haggis said he was headed to Italy to continue writing the Bond 22 script, while another interview from September hinted the film’s plot had been “tossed out” at some point during development.

Bond 22 was recently revealed to be on the studio’s list of priority projects to get off the ground before any strike takes place.

Keep watching the new-look CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date Bond 22 news on the web.

'Final Fling' To Reveal Final Truths

The excellent new James Bond blog, The Literary 007 today delivers a top scoop – the first plot synopsis for Samantha Weinberg’s The Moneypenny Diaries: Final Fling.

Due out in May next year, Final Fling will contain Jane Moneypenny’s 1964/65 diary entries, which follow on from those in 2005’s Guardian Angel and last year’s Secret Servant.

The synopsis (which contains spoilers, for those who have not read the first two novels) of the potentially controversial plot follows.

Final Fling combines the excitement of a cold war spy thriller with the mystery of a contemporary detective story. In the 1964/65 volume of her private diaries, Jane Moneypenny reports her demotion from the position of M’s secretary as the British Secret Intelligence Service is hit by a series of defection scandals. Facing considerable personal danger, she combines forces with 007 in a resolve to smoke out the mole she is convinced is buried deep in the heart of the Office. But, when Bond is sacked and M is forced into retirement, Moneypenny finds herself on her own…

Forty-two years later, Miss Moneypenny’s niece and heir, Kate Westbrook, starts to suspect that her aunt’s death was no accident. She is sure the clues to what happened lie in the search for the mole. As she pieces them together, however, she realizes that there are significant forces who are determined to prevent her finding the truth.

From the glamour of 1960s Jamaica to the treacherous beaches of the Outer Hebrides, Final Fling reveals just how far people are prepared to go to defend – or betray – their beliefs, and relates the life and death, and surprising final love, of the world’s most famous fictional secretary.

The Moneypenny Diaries: Final Fling will be the last novel in the series.

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

Lago Di Garda To Feature In 'Bond 22'?

The German speaking magazine Gardasee-Zeitung today reports that the Lago die Garda, a throughout Europe famous mountain lake in Italy, could possibly serve as a location for the next James Bond film.

Grand Hotel Fasano

According to the magazine, the opening sequence of Bond 22 will be shot “with the utmost probability” on the eastern shore of the lake. Quoting one of their sources, the magazine claims that parts of the sequence will be filmed in the Locanda Punta San Vigilio, which is the villa of the Italian noodle manufacturer Giovanni Rana. The villa contains a helicopter landing place and a direct stairway to the lake.

Scenes for the film are also to be shot in the Grand Hotel Fasano in Gardone.

Locanda Punta San Vigilio

Lago di Garda is the largest lake in Italy and is located in the north of the country. The lake and its shoreline are divided between the provinces of Verona (to the south-east), Brescia (south-west), and Trentino region (north). The lake is a major tourist destination, with a number of hotels and resorts along its shore.

What seems mostly interesting about this news item is the fact that writer Paul Haggis has stated on several occasions that Bond 22 will begin “two minutes after where Casino Royale ended”. We all know, how, and mostly interesting, where this happened – in a mediterranean-style villa near a lake.

CommanderBond.net will keep you updated with all the latest news and details on Bond 22.