The CBn Dossier, January '06

Welcome to the January 2006 CBn Dossier, a wrap-up of all the James Bond 007 news and rumours for the month. In this month’s column, we’ll be examining the constant news and rumours coming in on 2006’s Casino Royale, the many literary James Bond releases including Charlie Higson’s Blood Fever and the upcoming Casino Royale books, the upcoming PSP release of From Russia With Love and much, much more.

This month’s CBn Dossier will be delivered by Devin Zydel.

Enjoy.

‘Royale’ Revelations & Rumours

*** WARNING: SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS ***

Casino Royale is truly on the run now, with new revelations and rumours coming in every day. Starting with casting: German newspaper “Westfälische Rundschau” reports that Ludger Pistor has been cast in a role as a Swiss banker in the upcoming Casino Royale; and apparently, he couldn’t be happier, saying “It’s no joke, I never missed a James Bond movie in the cinema.” Michaël Youn was also reportedly screentested for a villain role in the film that is comparable to the Joker in Batman. “The person … is a little crazy,” says Youn of the character. Additionally, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson told Icelandic newspaper, Visir, that he travelled to London to audition for a henchmen role and meet with the casting agents of the production. Three others have been confirmed by the French press to star in Casino Royale as well: Simon Abkarian, Caterina Murino, and Seydina Balde starring as villain Demetrius, Solonge, and Solari, respectively. The character of Solonge is said to be the girlfriend of the reckless Demetrius, and the character of Solari (matched here with Seydina Baldi) was earlier associated with pop star Seal.

If the big question before was who would play James Bond, then its replacement now is: who will land the role of Bond girl Vesper Lynd? Several names have now been linked to the part, one of the leading ones being Rose Byrne. Initially reported to have landed the role by the Mail On Sunday, the 26-year old Australian actress took part in an bedroom scene audition with Daniel Craig. But the confirmations do not end there… The Sun reported that Thandie Newton of Mission Impossible II and Crash was the “new Bond babe” to “star opposite Daniel Craig in Casino Royale.” Rachael Stirling (daughter of OHMSS‘s Bond girl, Diana Rigg) was also reported to be the favourite for the role of Vesper Lynd. The official announcement has to come soon…

Recently, Sebastien Foucan was hired for a “chase scene … which will unveil the new Bond in the form of actor Daniel Craig. The sequence in question is currently being shot in the Bahamas.” An interesting thing to note is that a CBn forum member mentioned back in May 2005 that a rooftop chase was to be apart of the upcoming Casino Royale. Looks like we finally had a rumour that turned out to be true.

Other news includes a report on the filming in the Bahamas as well as James Bond star Daniel Craig letting it slip that his 007 will not be sporting a tuxedo in Casino Royale, saying: “actually, he doesn’t wear one in this version. I’m not sure if I should tell you that, so there’s a scoop for you.” The other big news is that 007 will be driving an Aston Martin DBS in Casino Royale, a brand new model from the long-time 007 associated car company.

And last, but not least (WARNING: SPOILERS):

IGN’s Exclusive First Look at ‘Casino Royale’

Young Bonding with ‘Blood Fever’

The never-ending release of literary 007 gems that started several months ago continues on. The big release of January was undoubtedly Charlie Higson’s second Young Bond novel, Blood Fever. With author appearances, a Young Bond pin, and the extremely collectible Young Bond trading cards accenting the release, the novel is guarenteed to be successful… and indeed, it is. CBn team members John Cox and Devin Zydel both reviewed Blood Fever and all members are invited to add their own reviews on the CBn Forums. International editions of both SilverFin and Blood Fever are also on the way.

The Ian Fleming classic, Live And Let Die was released in a Large Print edition this month as part of the Thorndike Large Print Famous Authors Series. Additionally, CBn reported that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was next on the list for the Large Print treatment from Thorndike, and will be released on 1 April.

The hard-to-find continuation novel, James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007 by author John Pearson will also be making a return this year. Originally published in 1973, this novel has always been one of the more difficult novels to track down, but will be available to order from Amazon UK come September 2006. It will be reprinted by Century. Additionally, the release of Casino Royale On November 17th, 2006 will bring with it at least two new books for Bond fans: Bond On Set: Filming Casino Royale on 16 October 2006 and an “English Language Teaching” edition of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale in 2007.

Last, but not least: continuation author Raymond Benson’s new original novel, Sweetie’s Diamonds will be released on 2 February of ’06.

From Russia With Love

Even though the console versions have been out for some time now for the newest James Bond video game, From Russia With Love, the Sony PSP adaption is still available to pre-order and will be released on 14 March.

Pre-order ‘From Russia With Love’

• Sony PSP: Amazon US
• Sony PSP: Amazon UK

Aston Martin and Vue Sur Bond 007

January saw the auction of an Aston Martin DB5 which had featured in both Goldfinger and Thunderball. The final sale price was over an incredible £1m. The other big event to look out for in February is Vue Sur Bond 007 – an “unprecedented event that will feature Sir Roger Moore and a host of celebrities and artists who were involved in the filmography of the famous British secret agent… designed and produced to spotlight the contribution of Harry Saltzman,” producer of many of the early James Bond 007 films.

With over 500,000 posts and endless discussion topics, there has never been a better time to join the CBn Forums to discuss Casino Royale and all other Bond topics. Registration is free and only takes a minute. It’s safe to say that as Bond fans, we have alot to look forward to. As always, stay tuned to CBn for daily coverage of all things James Bond.

To discuss this month’s CBn Dossier visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

Related Links

• The CBn Dossier, December ’05
• The CBn Dossier, November ’05
• The CBn Dossier, October ’05
• The CBn Dossier, Special Edition covering ‘Casino Royale’
• The CBn Dossier, September ’05
• The CBn Dossier, August ’05
• The CBn Dossier, July ’05
• The CBn Dossier, June ’05
• The CBn Dossier, May ’05
• The CBn Dossier, April ’05
• The CBn Dossier, March ’05
• The CBn Dossier, February ’05

'SilverFin' Nominated for Edgar Award

Charlie Higson’s first Young Bond novel Silverfin has been nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel of 2005.

The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (the “Edgars”) are named after the Mystery Writers of America’s patron saint, Edgar Allan Poe, and are awarded to authors of distinguished work in various categories of the genre. The annual Awards honour the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television and film published during the year.

The Edgar Awards for 2005 will be presented to the winners at a 60th Gala Banquet on April 27, 2006 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City.

Good luck, Charlie!

Discuss this news in this thread on the CBn Forums. Thanks to DM.

'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' Large Print Coming In April

Great news for literary James Bond 007 fans! Ian Fleming’s eleventh novel, originally published in 1963, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, will be released in a new large print hardback edition from the Thorndike Press Famous Authors collection on 1 April 2006.

Typically released in very limited quantites, and the majority going to libraries make large print James Bond novels sometimes very difficult to track down. Pre-ordering is strongly recommended. Past large print editions have appeared for Raymond Benson’s High Time To Kill, The World Is Not Enough, Doubleshot, Never Dream Of Dying, and Die Another Day, as well as many of the Ian Fleming novels and all of the John Gardner novels with the exception of 1989’s Licence To Kill. Charlie Higson’s SilverFin and Ian Fleming’s Live And Let Die were the most recent large print releases.

There is currently no cover art listed for this new release, but it will most likely be something new as large print releases tend to favor different styles and covers compared to the general hardback and paperback releases. The book can be pre-ordered in the US ($29.95), but is not currently listed on amazon.co.uk.

Don’t miss out and keep watching CBn for further news.

Pre-order On Her Majesty’s Secret Service from Amazon.com

Sebastien Foucan hired for 'Casino Royale'

Sebastien Foucan has been hired to appear in the latest James Bond movie,
Casino Royale,
urbanfreefloor.com reports. "A chase scene is planned which will unveil the
new Bond in the form of actor Daniel Craig. The sequence in question is
currently being shot in the Bahamas."

Foucan is considered as one of the pioneers of a new extreme sport called
"Parkour". According to
Wikipedia, it
is a "physical discipline of French origin in which participants attempt to pass
obstacles in a smooth and rapid manner. Parkour is said to be "l’art du
déplacement", or the art of moving (from A to B), consisting of uninterrupted
forward motion over, under, around and through obstacles (both man-made and
natural) in one’s environment.

Such movement may come in the form of running, jumping, climbing and other
more complicated techniques. The goal of the practice of parkour is to be able
to adapt one’s movement to any given situation so that any obstacle can be
overcome with the human body’s abilities". Parkour was subject of Luc Besson’s
movie Yamakasi – the modern Samurais in 2001, but has gone relatively unnoticed
by cinema audience up to now.

It’s also interesting to hear that the 2nd unit
seems to have started working on the Bahamas already – which actually is nothing
new: The surf scenes for Die Another Day were filmed in December 2001, official
start of shooting was in January 2002.

Funnily enough, in May 2005 a CBn forum member

mentioned a rooftop chase to be part of the script for Casino Royale, but
could not give more information on his sources. So, unlike many other rumours
these days, this one seems actually to turn out true…

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond film produced
by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production
begins shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on 17 November 2006.
Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, it will be filmed in the Czech Republic,
the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

Discuss this news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the internet. Many thanks to forum user “Shrublands” for the alert!

'Casino Royale': Details on Bahamas Shooting

As the "Palm
Beach Post" today reports in its travel column, a
200-year-old mansion in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, is going to feature
in Casino Royale. The villa called "Buena Vista", contains a legendary
restaurant "where waiters in burgundy jackets serve charcoal-broiled lobster and
curried grouper to such illustrious patrons as Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine and
Julio Iglesias".

According to Stan Bocus, who owns the mansion for about 31
years, the old colonial building will be painted to make it look even older when
it is transformed into the embassy, where the new James Bond will take on bad
guys in the upcoming Casino Royale. The article specifies that the “Buena Vista” is going to double for the Liberian Embassy in Madagascar. So are the Bahamas doubling for Madagascar?

It is also said that filming on the Bahamas is not due before February 23. Last month, sources told different news outlets that filming
would commence on January 30 in Nassau. Over the last two weeks, however,
several sources reported that filming starts in Prague, not the Bahamas. There
are also rumours that the 2nd unit already started filming in the insular
state. Hopefully, we will officially know by tomorrow.

The official website of the "Buena Vista" restaurant can
be found here.

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond film produced
by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production
begins shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on 17 November 2006.
Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, it will be filmed in the Czech Republic,
the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

Discuss this news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the internet.

German newspaper: Ludger Pistor in 'Casino Royale'

German local paper “Westfälische Rundschau” reports that popular German TV actor Ludger Pistor has been cast in the role of a Swiss banker in Casino Royale. As no further information is currently available, here’s a translation of the original story:

He’s currently playing the sidekick in “Balko” (a German cop series in which he plays the role of Hauptkomissar Krapp, ed.), but he’ll soon have a partner of a different caliber: James Bond. The Berlin actor confirmed this on request of the Westfälische Rundschau (Saturday edition).

The news came while the actor was on a holiday in India: the production company who currently prepares the filming of Ian Flemings novel Casino Royale made their decision towards the German.

For Ludger Pistor it’s a child’s dream come true: “It’s no joke, I never missed a James Bond movie in the cinema.” Pistor will play “a Swiss Banker. That is quite a bigger role.” In the first version of the movie, this was a main role apart from secret agent 007.

Ludger Pistor hasn’t read the script yet: “I only know fragments of it. I don’t even know if I am on the good or on the bad side. They’re making a secret out of it. And that’s why I wouldn’t say anything about it, even if I knew.”

But he does know that he’ll have to pack his bags: “Shooting will take place in Prague, Italy and the Bahamas. I’ll be in front of the camera for 4 or 5 weeks, but I won’t be shooting all the time.”

Ludger Pistor was born on March 16th 1959 in Recklinghausen. He started his acting career in 1978 at the Max-Reinhardt-Seminar in Vienna, and later continued at the Herbert-Berghoff-Studio in New York. Pistor is a popular TV actor in Germany, best known there for his role as Hauptkommissar Krapp in the RTL cop series Balko, for which he was awarded the “Adolf-Grimme-Preis” (Germany’s highest profiled TV award) for best actor in 1996 and the Deutscher Fernsehpreis in 1999 for best actor in a TV series. He also played in a number of German movies, mostly in comedic roles.

He may be known to an international audience for playing the role of Lagerkommandant Josef Liepold in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, and he also was in Run Lola Run, in which he played Lola’s father (Herr Meier). In addition to that, he can also be spotted alongside Sean Connery in The Name of the Rose as one of the monks.

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond film produced
by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production
begins shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on 17 November 2006.
Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, it will be filmed in the Czech Republic,
the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

To discuss this event visit this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the internet.

Young Bond International Versions

Charlie Higson’s best-selling 2nd Young Bond novel, Blood Fever is due to be released in Germany, again by Arena-Verlag. While the German SilverFin – Stille Wasser sind tödlich (Silent waters are deadly) was published half a year after the original release, the time span for Blood Fever – which will be named Zurück kommt nur der Tod (Only Death Returns) – will be only three months: it will hit German shelves in March. An exact date has not yet been given, Arena is planning a press release for mid February.

The book will be in the same make as Stille Wasser sind tödlich, soft cover with double flaps, embossed and by use of the glittery holographic foil. It will be 352 pages at a size of 14 x 21 cm. Price will be 9,95 Euros, ISBN 3-401-05871-1.

Purchase James Bond: Zurück kommt nur der Tod from Amazon.de.

A final decision wether Arena will also publish the upcoming Young Bond novels #3, #4 and #5 has not yet been made. They were “quite satisfied” with sales figures for SilverFin, but no exact numbers were given. This’ll surely depend on how Blood Fever will do on the German market.

Meanwhile, French fanclub Club 007 France has revealed that publisher Gallimard Jeunesse has purchased the rights for a French release of SilverFin. No exact release date or further details have been given, only that the book will be released “some time in 2006”. Gallimard is no stranger to the world of James Bond: they had published the first French versions of Bond Novels, Diamonds Are Forever (Chauds les glaçons !) in 1957 and Moonraker (Entourloupe dans l’azimut) in 1958.

To discuss this news visit this
thread in the CBn forums.

Vue Sur Bond 007

Bond fans take notice! Starting on 24 February 2006 and continuing through the 26th, the James Bond-themed event, Vue sur Bond 007 will take place in the city of Quebec. The press release follows:

On February 24, 25 and 26, 2006, Quebec City will be spellbound by Vue sur Bond 007, an unprecedented event that will feature Sir Roger Moore and a host of celebrities and artists who were involved in the filmography of the famous British secret agent.

The project was designed and produced to spotlight the contribution of Harry Saltzman, one of the most important producers of this series who also happens to have Quebec roots. The project also aims to raise funds for the 7th edition of the 3 Americas Film Festival and UNICEF through cultural and sports activities. The guest celebrities will take part in these activities.

In addition to Sir Roger Moore, Quebec City will welcome director Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun), actress and Bond girl Britt Ekland (The Man with the Golden Gun) and actor Richard Kiel aka Jaws (The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker).

Honouring the event with her presence is Dame Shirley Bassey, the internationally renowned singer of the theme songs in Diamonds are Forever, Goldfinger and Moonraker. She will perform in Vue sur Bond 007, Le Spectacle, an exceptional concert that will showcase the legendary music from the James Bond films. Under the artistic direction of Steve Barakatt and directed by Pierre Gagnon, the event will take place on February 25 at 8pm at Grand Theatre de Quebec. It will also feature conductor, composer and arranger Nic Raine – a long-time collaborator of John Barry, notably on two Bond films – who will conduct
the Orchestre symphonique de Quebec for this occasion.

A tribute to such artists as Harry Saltzman, the screening of film clips and speeches from guest celebrities are also on the program for this memorable evening. Regular tickets ($60 and $90 + taxes and service charges) will go on sale on November 10 through Réseau Billetech. It is worth noting that the tickets for the first 8 rows – that also give access to a meet-and-greet charity cocktail party with the celebrities before the show – will cost $435 plus taxes and must be purchased through the office of the 3 Americas Film Festival by calling (418) 647-1234 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm) or emailing [email protected].

Also on February 25, from 10am to 1pm, Mont Sainte-Anne will host a ski competition in the style of James Bond chase scenes. Hundreds of people will be able to attend. More information on this activity, including how to purchase tickets, will be provided at a later date.

In addition, movie-goers can make their way to the IMAX theatre at Galeries de la Capitale on February 24, 25 and 26 to watch the first ten James Bond movies with live commentaries from the guest celebrities. These screenings, presented by Loto-Quebec, will be free of charge and offered through a promotion that will be in effect in February 2006. Complete details will be revealed at a later date.

A few private donors will have the privilege of sharing an intimate meal with the celebrities, notably at Chateau Frontenac through a $2000-per-person charity dinner on Friday, February 24 (25 people in total) and at Café du Monde on Sunday, February 26 where brunch is offered at the price of $100 (100 people in total). Those who are interested in these activities can already make a reservation by calling (418) 647-1234 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm) or emailing [email protected].

Restaurants Resto-Club Largo and Panache de l’Auberge Saint-Antoine will also offer their customers the opportunity to dine with the celebrities through their own logistics and reservations.

Vue sur Bond 007 is a unique event organized by the 3 Americas Film Festival, in partnership with
UNICEF, Fairmont le Chateau Frontenac, Resto-Club Largo, Loto-Quebec, Mont Sainte-Anne and
Le Panache – Auberge Saint-Antoine and the Café du Monde – Groupe Restos Plaisirs.

Information is also available on the website at www.vuesurbond007.com and at (418) 647-1234.

To discuss this event visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

Michaël Youn still in the race for 'Casino Royale' villain role?

French actor and comedian Michël Youn may still be in the race for a role in
Casino Royale. In an interview with Belgish newspaper "La
Dernière Heure", he confirmed that he has been screentested for a villain
role.

"I have been screentested", he says. "They found me fitting for the part,
because the person I would have to play is a little crazy. It’s a villain who is
a bit like the "Joker" in Batman, but more serious. Of the 500 actors who have
been screentested worldwide, I made it among the final 5, and I’m very proud of
it…" he pauses for a moment as if he was biting his tongue for having revealed
too much and adds "…even if I don’t make it into the movie."

Youn has been rumoured before to have screentested for a villain role in Casino Royale. It was never quite clear wether it was for Le Chiffre himself or maybe a
secondary villain. After it was reported that French actor Simon Abkarian has
been casted for the role of "Demetrius", it was taken as fact that Youn was out.
But French media have already speculated that Abkarian and Youn had been tested
for different roles, given their different ages and physics (Youn is 31,
Abkarian is 43 years old), so it looks like a confirmation for that.

Michaël Youn ist one of France’s best known comedians. He started his career as
a radio DJ, then was dicovered for TV and became host of the popular "M6 Morning
Fun". In the last few years, he was sucessfully involved in a number of comedy
music and movie projects. His last movie role was the title role in "Iznogoud",
an adaption of the classic French comic.

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond film produced
by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production
begins shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on 17 November 2006.
Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, it will be filmed in the Czech Republic,
the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

Discuss this news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the internet. Many thanks to Tim for the tip-off!

Ian Fleming's 'Live And Let Die' Large Print Now Shipping

Originally slated for a 6 January 2006 release date, the Large Print edition of Ian Fleming’s Live And Let Die is now shipping from Amazon.com. Amazon.co.uk apparently only has a used copy up for sale at this moment.

Typically released in very limited quantites, and the majority going to libraries make large print James Bond 007 novels sometimes very difficult to track down. Pre-ordering is strongly recommended. Past large print editions have appeared for Raymond Benson’s High Time To Kill, The World Is Not Enough, Doubleshot, Never Dream Of Dying, and Die Another Day, as well as many of the Ian Fleming novels and all of the John Gardner novels with the exception of 1989’s Licence To Kill. Charlie Higson’s SilverFin was the most recent large print release.

Don’t miss out.

Order Live And Let Die from Amazon.com

OrderLive And Let Die from Amazon.co.uk