James Bond Monster Box (21-Film, 42-Disc DVD Set) Coming to R1

You’re in luck if you live in North America and haven’t already picked up the new James Bond Ultimate Edition DVDs because the James Bond Ultimate Collector’s Set was just added to Amazon.com. It’s a 42 DVD set of all 21 remastered James Bond films and their bonus discs in ONE GIANT BOX! It’s set for release on 6 November 2007.

It’s not clear whether each Ultimate Edition film will be in a slim case like the four 2006 Ultimate Edition box sets or a standard case like the single disc DVDs from this year. It’s also unclear whether the Casino Royale DVD will have a cover that matches the rest of the Ultimate Edition DVDs. We can hope it matches but the Die Another Day DVD cover did not change when the James Bond Special Edition DVDs were rereleased in 2003.

However, one thing is clear: You’re screwed if you purchased the four Ultimate Edition sets in 2006! One complete set is way better than four mismatched ones, right? Thanks, Eon/MGM/Sony…not!

6 November 2007 is also the Region 1 release date for the Casino Royale: 40th Anniversary Edition. I wouldn’t be surprised if a Never Say Never Again rerelease also comes out this day but it has yet to be announced.

The beautiful James Bond Ultimate Collector’s Set box can be viewed at Amazon.com where you can also pre-order the set for $167.99

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

Thanks to “Jason” for the tip! Discuss the James Bond Ultimate Collector’s Set in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum on the internet.

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'Hurricane Gold' Audiobook Pushed To 27 September

A new release date has been set for the UK audiobook for Charlie Higson’s Hurricane Gold.

This edition of the fourth Young James Bond adventure will now be released on 27 September 2007 (as opposed to 6 September as originally announced) according to the Young Bond Dossier.

Click here to read an excerpt from Higson’s Hurricane Gold, which hits UK bookshelves on 6 September.

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

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

Keep watching CBn for all the latest Hurricane Gold and Young Bond news.

Discuss this Young James Bond news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum on the internet. Thanks to CBn Forum member ‘zencat.’

'Bond 22' Not Based On A Fleming Story

Following a couple of interviews published yesterday, screenwriter Paul Haggis has revealed more details of the script for the next James Bond film as his press junket for In The Valley Of Elan continues.

Most revelatory, the Oscar-winner confirmed to Collider.com that Bond 22 will not be based on any Ian Fleming novel or short story. The script is, however, “steeped in a lot of Fleming’s ideas”.

“It’s something I was really concerned about doing because I liked Casino Royale so much, I had such fun doing it and I just thought I could only fail by trying to do it again. But I’m giving it a shot and it’s an original and it’s not based on any book or short story or anything that Ian Fleming had done. Although, obviously, it’s steeped in a lot of Fleming’s ideas.”

“I’m on page 22. I’m not writing it today because I’m here, but I was writing it up until 8pm last night. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a whole different set of muscles.”

Haggis also reconfirmed the story will pick up “two minutes after Casino Royale” finished, and that the new film would not be jokier in tone.

When asked how much freedom he has in rewriting the 007 scripts, Haggis replied, “Lot of freedom. We work together on the story for a long time then they let me go. Marc [Forster] is also being very supportive and he’s a wonderful director. I’m really happy working with him.”

When asked if plans were afoot to re-adapt Fleming’s previously-filmed novels, Haggis replied, “I don’t know. I’d like to. I think it’d be great. There’s some really terrific books and terrific movies. You’d have to ask them.”

To watch – and listen to – the whole interview, visit Collider.com.

As Bond 22 inches closer, keep watching CBn for all the latest news.

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No 'Hurricane Gold' Young Bond Tour For Charlie Higson

According to a report from the Young Bond Dossier, Charlie Higson will not be embarking on a UK bookstore tour for the release of his newest Young James Bond novel, Hurricane Gold.

Higson, who previously made tours for his first three Young Bond novels, will however be attending the Henley Literary Festival on 22 September as previously reported by CBn. In addition, fans can get a copy their Hurricane Gold signed by the author at Waterstone’s Piccadilly on when the novel is first released on 6 September.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest Hurricane Gold and Young Bond news.

Young Bond 4 – Hurricane Gold

Puffin and Ian Fleming Publications announce that Hurricane Gold is the title of the new book in Charlie Higson’s bestselling Young Bond series, to be published on 6th September 2007.

For the first time in the history of the series, Hurricane Gold will be published in hardback, priced £12.99. The eagerly awaited next instalment will be a special treat for Young Bond fans. In keeping with the theme of the title, it will have a gold cover with luxury debossed lettering and gilt-edged pages.

Hurricane Gold the fourth adventure in a planned series of five, is set in Mexico and on an island off the Mexican coast. A safe haven for criminals, the only way off the island is through the deadly Avenida de la Muerte. It is on this island that James finds himself trapped, among some of the world’s most evil criminals.

The Young Bond books have to date sold over half a million copies combined. The series was launched with SilverFin in March 2005 and was followed by Blood Fever in January 2006 and Double Or Die, published in January this year.

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

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

Discuss this Young James Bond news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum on the internet. Thanks to CBn Forum member ‘zencat.’

Paul Haggis Talks 'Bond 22' & His Vision For 007

Promoting his latest film, In The Valley Of Elah, Oscar-winning screenwriter, Paul Haggis was quizzed by ComingSoon.net about his work on the next James Bond movie.

While he refused to reveal any storyline or location details, Haggis – who is once again polishing a script by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade – did confess, “It picks up two minutes after the last one, and it’s going to be fun.”

When asked about his vision of James Bond, Haggis replied, “My Bond is an actual assassin; when he kills someone, he kills them with a knife, they’re bloody and he pays a price. He denies that he pays a price, but he does. When he sees a woman who witnesses something horrific, and he sees her taking a shower, he doesn’t just go in there and f*ck her, like the old Bond would have done. He sits there with her, and she says, ‘I can’t get this blood from my fingernails.’ So he helps her get the blood from her fingernails; that’s what he does, that’s my Bond. So it’s a different guy; it’s a guy who’s much more like these guys, these heroes [in In The Valley Of Elah].”

Haggis, who also co-wrote the critically-acclaimed Casino Royale, mentioned how rewarding he finds writing the 007 films. “Bond is just pure imagination; you just get to have fun. It’s escapism and it’s fun, but I try to ground him as a human being.”

Haggis also mentioned he aims to keep his Bond as close as possible to Fleming’s original creation. “Yeah, I hope so because I really loved his books and his movies. That stuff was really close to his books, and most of them aren’t.”

The writer denied rumours that Bond 22 would star Carice van Houten. “She’s great, isn’t she – but she’s not going to be in this one.”

“Everyone says they know what the ending is, and they’re wrong. Everyone thinks they know about the Bond girls, and they’re wrong.”

(In an interview with Volkskrant Magazine, van Houten herself denied the Bond girl claims.)

Meanwhile, in a forthcoming interview with CHUD.com, Haggis was asked whether rumours rampant in the British press last month – that Bond 22 would be jokier in tone – were true. “No,” Haggis simply replied, before stating that Bond 22 will be tonally in line with Casino Royale.

Haggis wrote and directed In The Valley Of Elah, which stars Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon. It opens in selected cities on 14 September.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest news on Bond 22.

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New DVD Edition Of 'Casino Royale' To Reportedly Contain Three Discs

After the somewhat bare-bones DVD release of Casino Royale back in March of this year, one question many James Bond fans were asking was what we could expect on the eventual ultimate edition release of the film.

According to sources for CBn, the forthcoming ultimate edition DVD for Casino Royale will reportedly contain three discs–one for the feature film and an additional two for special features.

Back in March, director Martin Campbell discussed the Casino Royale DVD with USA Today and revealed that a commentary would be in store for the next release: ‘Yes, we are doing a commentary. I think [the studio] tends to milk these things [with Bond films]. When I did GoldenEye, I did it with the producer [Michael G. Wilson]. We’ll probably do it with [the producers].’ He also added that 007 fans may see some of the deleted scenes included as well.

More recently, in an interview with Hollywood In Hi-Def, Campbell was asked if he had begun work on any of the special features to accompany the new Casino Royale release: ‘All I’ve done is watch the movie. I’m fascinated by the quality of it. But that’s about as far as I’ve gone. I’m sort of busy at the moment looking at other projects.’

‘Certainly I have to OK the scenes that have been cut out. That’s good. I think people are fascinated by scenes that are cut out and I put most of them back into the disc. I hope there’s going to be an extended documentary because they (documentary film crews) are with us all the time, doing interviews all the way through. The documentary on the existing movie (DVD/Blu-ray discs) is just a little short. I just wanted more…’

While a release date has not yet been revealed, many Bond fans are speculating that the new Casino Royale DVD could come out around the time Daniel Craig’s Bond 22 hits theatres in November 2008.

Keep in mind that this is not to be confused with the upcoming DVD release of the 1967 spoof version of Casino Royale. Click here for CBn’s full coverage of that release.

CBn will keep you updated with all the latest Casino Royale DVD coverage.

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First 'Hurricane Gold' Extract Online

It may still be 12 days from landing on bookshelves in the United Kingdom, but, as The Young Bond Dossier points out, eager James Bond fans can now have a sneak peek at Charlie Higson’s fourth Young Bond novel, Hurricane Gold.

Times Online have published an exclusive snippet from the book, which is the second-last in the highly successful series.

The extract sees James traveling to Mexico with his anthropologist Aunt Charmian, who is hoping to contact a Mayan tribe. The pair have arrived in the small Gulf Coast town of Tres Hermanas, where a carnival is in preparation…

THEY LEFT THE MAIN SQUARE and squeezed into a narrow street that was crammed with people. James had to fall back behind his aunt as they forced their way through the crowds.

Charmian was carrying a large leather saddlebag, her travelling bag, which she always took with her when she went away. It had originally been made for an Argentinian gaucho and was scratched and worn from years of use. It was large enough to carry everything she needed; her purse, a first-aid kit, maps, a compass, field glasses, bottled water, toilet paper and countless other essential items.

As they struggled down the street, James saw a boy of about his own age slip in behind Charmian and keep pace with her. He thought nothing of it until he noticed a small, quick movement. It happened so fast and was so unexpected that at first he wasn’t sure exactly what he’d seen. Had it even happened?

Click here to read the whole extract

Times Online has also published extracts – specifically, the prologues – of the first three books in the series (SilverFin, Blood Fever and Double Or Die), along with an introduction by Charlie Higson. The extracts appear in a handy PDF document, which also includes a competition in which fans can win one of 100 sets of Young Bond novels (including Hurricane Gold).

Young Bond fans have also been promised further Hurricane Gold extracts to appear on the official Young Bond website soon.

Hurricane Gold is due out on 6 September. Meanwhile, keep watching CBn for the latest Young Bond news.

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

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

Discuss the UK audiobook of ‘Hurricane Gold’ in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum on the Internet.

Cover Art For 40th Anniversary DVD Of 1967's 'Casino Royale'

Less than three days after MGM announced the “Casino Royale: 40th Anniversary Edition” DVD, CBn can now bring you cover art, courtesy of Amazon.com.

Notably, the cover omits any references to James Bond or 007, but retains the film’s famous poster artwork.

The “Casino Royale: 40th Anniversary Edition” DVD will be released in Region 1 on 6 November. In addition to a 2.35 anamorphic transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 and Mono audio tracks, the disc will include a whole host of special features:

• Audio commentary with 007 historians Steven Jay Reuben and John Cork
“The Making Of Casino Royale” featurette
• “Bond James Bond” featurette
• “A 3 Ring Circus” featurette
• “More Directors, More Stars” featurette
• “The Big Climax” featurette
• “It’s a Wrap!” featurette

There is no word yet on whether the release will also contain the extras available on the current DVD – namely, an interview with co-director Val Guest, the theatrical trailer and the original 1954 CBS television production starring Barry Nelson.

The disc will retail for $19.98. However, you can pre-order it now for $13.99 at Amazon.com.

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

Discuss this DVD release in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum on the Internet.

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"He's the greatest ever, and deservedly so."

Former James Bond, Pierce Brosnan has finally revealed his thoughts on Daniel Craig’s performance in Casino Royale in an interview with the Daily Mirror.

“He’s the greatest ever, and deservedly so,” Brosnan said simply.

“I’m proud and still honoured that I was part of that legacy, but I thought Daniel was a great choice. I have no regrets – I just would have loved to do the thing myself. I don’t have any hard feelings over it.”

“I thought they had great courage to do what they did, because we were so far down the road with deal making. As far as I was concerned, great, I’d do a fifth, then good night. Because it really does take a toll on you. So, as much of a shock and surprise as it was to get the phone call on that day, in the next breath it was a liberation.”

Brosnan also spoke about the complacency that sets in. “When you have Bond there’s a comfort. You have a responsibility to that character. You live with it too many years. So it was with mixed emotions that it ended. I knew Daniel was toying with the idea so I told him, ‘For God’s sake, go and do it and enjoy it’.”

“You get complacent having a role like that – the luxury of doing one every 18 months. It focused my attention on what I want to do with my career and the choices I want to make. Now I’m out there in the field, what’s going to happen next?”

Brosnan’s Seraphim Falls is released in the UK today. “The Bonds were physically demanding. They were six months of running from pillar to post, but [Seraphim Falls] had an intensity to it. When things went wrong, they went wrong very fast. Luckily, I’ve spent time in the outdoors, camping and finding my way. I read maps – I had training in that early on in my life. I knew it was going to be tough, but that was the challenge.”

To read the full article, head over to Mirror.co.uk.

Keep watching CBn for the latest James Bond news.

'No Human Enemy' By John Gardner Released In UK

No Human Enemy, the newest Suzie Mountford novel by former James Bond author John Gardner has been released in the UK.

Following the 2004 release of Troubled Midnight, No Human Enemy features the author’s lead character in a ‘story spanning feuding families, the terror of Hitler’s new warfare and a final Nazi plot to end the war in their favour.’

No Human Enemy is the fifth novel in John Gardner’s Suzie Mountford series and was published posthumously in the UK. Gardner passed away on 3 August 2007.

‘Exactly a week after the D-Day landings came the secret weapons: the V-weapons, the vengeance weapons, which could not, at first sight, be stopped. It was the beginning of a period which to the war-weary inhabitants of southern England was psychologically much worse than the days of the Blitz. ‘With Allied forces gaining a foothold after the Normandy landings, Hitler unleashes his most vicious weapon of war yet. Indiscriminately, the V-1 flying bomb wreaks unexpected death and destruction on England. When one of these new weapons lands on a Camberwell convent, the Reserve Squad is called in. Together with her boss and secret lover Tommy Livermore, Suzie Mountford is steadily drawn into a complex investigation as the casualties of the rocket attack are not quite what they first appear.In his fifth book of this acclaimed series, John Gardner puts Suzie at the heart of a story spanning feuding families, the terror of Hitler’s new warfare and a final Nazi plot to end the war in their favour.

Order John Gardner’s No Human Enemy from Amazon.co.uk

To discuss this news, visit this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum in the world.

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