More Screentests Planned For New 007

It looks like the excitement generated over the “final four” may have been premature.

MKKBB and CBn’s own sources have confirmed that Martin Campbell will head back to England to conduct yet another series of screentests in search of a new James Bond for Casino Royale, the 21st James Bond film due for release in late 2006.

Campbell is now dividing his time between final post-production work on The Legend of Zorro in L.A. and pre-production work on Casino Royale in England. Preparations for these new tests began last month.

So who will be tested?

As first reported in the CBn podcast, one person who is back in serious contention is Layer Cake star Daniel Craig.

Craig’s Bond candidacy has been somewhat mysterious. Craig was “announced” as Bond by the worldwide news media in April of this year. Even CNN reported this as fact. But when CBn tried to investigate the Craig question, we were told Craig was not in the running. Craig later said he was offered the part by the studio (then MGM) but not Eon. Last week the Hollywood Reporter wrote that Barbara Broccoli liked Craig, but Michael G. Wilson did not.

But now reliable sources are telling CBn that Craig is very much back in the Bond #6 race and will be screentested. Despite Craig being 37, Eon is still committed to the concept of Casino Royale portraying an early mission in 007’s career. Screenwriter Robert Wade confirmed this last week by saying, “It is the story that shows what formed his character.”

Fresh rumours that Eon may go back to Pierce Brosnan were shot down by the actor himself. “I won’t be part of the next James Bond,” said Pierce at a press conference for his new film, The Madator. “All the rumours that have been going around for the last few months about me being part of Casino Royale or not are just rumours, nothing more.”

Reports that the difficulty in finding a new 007 might delay the production of Casino Royale are, as yet, only speculation. While it’s true that some aspects of the production are lagging behind, other departments are moving forward on schedule, with the possibility of Italy substituting for the problematic South African locations.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest news on Casino Royale.

To discuss this news visit this thread on the CBn Forums.
Thanks to “dinovelvet”

Related Articles:

• Craig’s ‘Casino’ Connections
• ‘Casino Royale’ Casting Clues
• Sources: Eon, Sony Considering Young Bonds
• LICENCE REVOKED

CBn Reviews 'The Spy Who Loved Me'

Over the last several months, members of the CBn Forum have been reviewing all the James Bond 007 films in the “Countdown Threads“. If you wish to join in on the forum discussion all you have to do is register. Now here are some selected reviews, varying in opinion, of The Spy Who Loved Me…

‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ by Turn

‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ litho by Jeff Marshall

Yup, another film considered a “classic” by Bond fandom I just don’t enjoy as much as others. I’ve tried. I think part of my lack of enthusiasm for this film was I never saw it in the cinema, but caught it when it premiered on television. Moonraker, which is the same film in a lot of ways, I saw before and thoroughly enjoyed.

I agree with author John Brosnan (James Bond in the Cinema) who said The Spy Who Loved Me is basically a greatest hits package of past Bond films. Not that this is the first time things have been repeated, just nothing any better than before. I could go a step further and call it a remake of You Only Live Twice, but no real need to. Everything is big, there’s some great stunts and a few interesting characters. But it just doesn’t hook my interest that well for whatever reason.

Stromberg gets my vote for least interesting/threatening villain of the series. He has a cool voice, but all he does is push buttons, give orders and make threats. Jaws is okay, but no Oddjob. It would have been better if they’d taken time to develop Naomi, Stromberg’s pilot. That wink she gives Bond is one of the film’s highlights. Anya is okay, pretty middling on my scale of Bond women.

If only I’d seen this on that summer day in 1977 rather than seeing a Cincinnati Reds baseball game. I remember absolutely nothing about that game.

‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ by Hrabb04

After the failure of The Man With The Golden Gun, the Bond people were scared. With Sean Connery threatening to come onto the scene and show them how it was supposed to be done with Warhead, they had to come up with something fast.

So, they remade You Only Live Twice. Not a bad idea, really, since it’s one of the better ones, so you have to give them credit for ripping off a good one.

Roger has some decent moments where he actually acts. It’s like they put a gun to his head and made him take things seriously. His scene with Sandor on the roof and then where he confesses to Anya that he killed her lover are good. His overkill of Stromberg is not. They tried too hard with that one. There are only a few actors who can get away with scenes like that, and Roger Moore is not one of them. This one is also the one where the stuntmen really start stepping in for the little things. Spot Martin Grace as Bond in the fight at the Pyramids.

This is the first of the Herman Munster movies–ie, Jaws–and he ruins every scene he is in. If I want the Roadrunner and Wiley E Coyote, I’ll watch them. This is Bond. There is no reality for this character here. You don’t care about him, you don’t believe in him. He’s an embarrassment.

Plusses: Stromberg, Anya, the title song.

I really do like Bond. I just don’t like Roger Moore as Bond.

‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ by tdalton

Roger Moore’s first “true” Bond film after the decent Live and Let Die and the downright awful The Man With The Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me is a great Bond film with great set pieces and interesting characters. Roger Moore finally comes into his own as Bond here, and it’s just in time as the producers and writers have finally handed him a decent script with which to work.

Unfortunately, though, the script could have been much better had Cubby Broccoli and MGM not had to battle longtime nemesis Kevin McClory over the rights to the SPECTRE organization and the Blofeld character. SPECTRE and Blofeld were originally scheduled to appear as the main villian(s) in this film, and this would have brought closure to the Blofeld saga, and not have reduced our “closure” to a teaser sequence in For Your Eyes Only where Bond drops “Blofeld” down a smokestack.

Curt Jergens plays Stromberg, the criminal mastermind who replaces Blofeld in the main story. While Stromberg’s scheme is quite unrealistic, as is his undersea lair, it still makes for a very captivating Bond film, even though it’s not a “classic” in the sense of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service or Moore’s much better For You Eyes Only.

Jurgens plays Stromberg very well, although the character seems to be lacking a certain something. He doesn’t seem quite as menacing as he should be. He does, however, leave some of the menace to his henchman, Jaws, who is portrayed perfectly by Richard Kiel.

Barbara Bach’s Agent Anya Amasova is a very respectable Bond girl, and one of the few Bond girls that has ever been able to truly hold her own alongside Bond. She is beautiful as well and is probably the second best Bond girl up to this point in the series (behind Tracy in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service).

Marvin Hamlische’s score is not as good as the John Barry scores of the past, but it is serviceable and does not take anything away from the film. Carly Simon’s “Nobody Does It Better” is the perfect Bond theme, enough said.

‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ by Genrewriter

Like the rest of my top ten, this is very subjective. Moore is terrific as Bond, maybe his most balanced performance as the character and Barbara Bach is a great Bond Girl. Curt Jurgerns has always been a favorite of mine and Richard Kiel is spot-on as Jaws. The sets and acvtion are amazing but really the only demerit I can give this one is the strong sense of deja vu one gets while watching it. Still, an excellent Bond film in every way imaginable.

‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ by Janus Assassin

First of all… this is Roger’s best film. After The Man With the Golden Gun, the Bond series needed a boost and boy did it ever.

Roger gives his best performance in this film. It starts out with an awesome ski chase scene down some mountains in Austria. Roger looked just the right age in this film.

The storyline is one of the series best. Bond and Anya going after the submarines, tracking them from Egypt to Sardinia. The big gun fight towards the end in the Liparus was the first actual gunfight in the Moore era.

Why this is in my top 5. Simple, it is an excellent Bond film. But it would be higher. The only part I didn’t like was Stromberg’s demise. Bond went right up and shot him. It would have been cool to see Stromberg get eaten by the shark.

‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ by DLibrasnow

The top 4 of my Bond rankings are a very fluid thing, Depending on my mood, the mix of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, A View To A Kill, The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only can fall in any order. It’s particularly hard to distinguish between On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and The Spy Who Loved Me, not because they are very similar, but that they are so different with elements I love about both of them. They have the two most beautiful (in my opinion anyway) Bond girls in Barbara Bach and Diana Rigg and involving and intriguing plots with a solid villain. That really is where comparisons end because Lazenby’s entry is firmly placed in reality whereas the 1977 Moore entry is a fantasy adventure across continents.

So, sliding into the number two spot today is The Spy Who Loved Me. My favorite 007 actor Roger Moore saving the world for the first (but not the last) time. The movie really has it all and we learn before the main titles that this is going to be a very different 007 movie from the ones that preceded it. In 1977 audiences rose to their feet to cheer what is still one of the most amazing stunts in motion picture history. Accompanied by a disco beat (that I like) Bond leaves the cabin of one of the EON series’ sexiest femme fatales, is pursued by Russian assassins and then ski’s off a mountain-top, apparently to his death. But no a parachute opens and our hero glides effortlessly across our screen and into the waiting hands of the main titles – perfect.

I’ve never been a fan of Bond in the main titles and this is unfortunately the one that started this trend. My favorite main title sequences are those in which 007 does not appear.

The sequence at the submarine base introduces us to a couple of recurring characters, first is Minster Frederick Gray and then Admiral Hargreaves (who would later be promoted to the position of M). These are two welcome additions and Gray’s appearance in particular would help the series four years later when the series lost Bernard Lee.

We also are introduced to Gen. Gogol as head of the KGB. Gogol would return in each of the successive movies until 1987’s The Living Daylights when actor Walter Gotell’s health had deteriorated to such an extent that his part was rewritten to a mere cameo, while the chunk of his scenes went to John Rhys-Davies.

What follows is a mix of action (the car chase, battle inside the Liparus and train fight stand out), drama (confrontation in the hotel room in particular) and Moore getting to be ruthless (dispatching Sandor from the rooftop – “What a helpful chap.”) Of course any review of the movie would be remiss not to mention the introduction of Jaws.

A character destroyed two years later, here Jaws is a killing machine who, although clumsy, does not think twice about murdering his prey.

Many fans are admirers of Caroline Munro in this picture. For me, the main thing I like about her appearances are the looks it illicits from Bach’s Amasova – are those flickers of jealousy?

Really, everything comes together perfectly, the perfect girl, some of the best action and drama, great locations and all the while Moore’s great humor, it is in this movie that he delivers one of my all-time favorite 007 lines – “All those feathers and he still couldn’t fly!”

‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ by Qwerty

“It’s Bond and Beyond!”

You don’t get any better than The Spy Who Loved Me in my opinion when it comes to James Bond films. It pretty much has it all. Roger Moore is on top of his game as British agent James Bond, the bond girl Anya Amasova is a terrific ally and partner to Bond along the assignment, there is a collection of interesting villains, plus great locations, witty lines, a magnificent plot, and just an overall feel that makes this film a standout in the series.

It’s often that this is the Roger Moore film singled out as being the best, and is the actor’s favorite also as many fans know.

If Roger Moore was getting settled into the role in Live And Let Die and The Man With The Golden Gun, then The Spy Who Loved Me is where he is in his prime. His age matches well with the character and the performance is very, very engaging. He really seems to be enjoying the film and it works well in the end.

Barbara Bach’s Anya Amasova was a change from some Bond girl’s in that she took more of an active role as being a partner alongside Bond. The chemistry between both characters is good, and having Bond kill her lover, Sergei, in the pre-credits sequence was an inspired idea, as it leads to a good conclusion for Bond and Anya.

Jaws, Karl Stromberg, and Naomi make up an all around good collection of villains for the film. Jaws is simply one of the most well known villains to Bond fans and non-Bond fans alike. I remember rewinding the scene where he uses his teeth to undo a lock in the first half of The Spy Who Loved Me the first time I saw the film. Naomi’s playful wink to Bond before attempting to gun him down is also one of the best moments in the series. Period.

Carly Simon’s Nobody Does It Better is also one of those songs that both Bond fans and non-Bond fans know of well. It just works. And who can forget Bond 77?

It’s two hours of pure excitement, adventure and just everything James Bond. It really is the best.

‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ by Scottlee

A mammoth, big-budget, well filmed, well cast Bond extravaganza that never ceases to entertain. This one has it all and more. From the opening ski jump to the sheer laughter invoked by Bond and Anya being caught in bed at the end, this film is a timeless gem. It has a classic, intriguing villain in Jaws, some absolutely gorgeous women (Bach and Munro), a great Bond car, a catchy soundtrack, beautiful locations (Epypt? Italy? Swoon), tense moments (Bond and Anya tailing Jaws on foot), great comedy that really comes off (“When one is in Egypt….”), and a peak-of-his-career performance from Roger Moore, who proved many people wrong with this film.

'Blood Fever' Set to Spread Like Wildfire

You caught the bug with SilverFin.
Now feel the Fever…

– UK proof tagline

In January 2006, Young Bond will return… and odds are, everyone in the UK will know about it.

Proof copies of Charlie Higson’s next novel, Blood Fever, have begun to circulate, revealing details of a huge marketing push behind the second Young Bond adventure.

Fans can look forward to an epic £120,000 marketing campaign to promote the new novel. In what is a first for the literary James Bond, a “high-impact” television advertising campaign will play a role in the promotion of Blood Fever.

In addition, an all-new Young Bond mobile phone game will be released to coincide with the launch of the book. Charlie Higson will also appear at festivals and events across the UK to promote Blood Fever.

Sales of Higson’s first Young Bond novel, SilverFin, which the Blood Fever proof’s blurb puts at 120,000 and counting, were boosted by a £50,000 advertising blitz throughout the UK earlier this year.

Blood Fever sees Young Bond off to Sardinia, where he crosses paths with a mad Italian count bent on restoring the Holy Roman Empire.

As with SilverFin, Blood Fever will only be released in the UK as a paperback. The new book will hit shelves in the UK on 5 January, 2006.

Pre-order Blood Fever now at Amazon.co.uk.

Discuss the impending Young Bond promotional onslaught in this thread on the CBn Forums.

Related stories

• The Charlie Higson CBn Interview
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• Young Bond Book 2 is ‘Blood Fever’

Robert Wade Talks Haggis' 'Royale' Rewrite

In an interview with James Bond screenwriter Robert Wade, screendaily.com today confirmed Oscar nominee Paul Haggis has joined Casino Royale‘s crew to rewrite the film’s script. The trade revealed Haggis will do a three-week script polish on the second draft of the script before the January 2006 shoot.

“What I can say on behalf of me and [co-writer] Neal [Purvis] is that we completed all the work we were contracted to do on Casino Royale,” Wade said. “It has taken us a year-and-a-half.”

“Everything is written, including the structure – it just needs a polish. If you can bring in a hot talented writer to polish it then great; it is normal on this size of movie. I am sure Paul Haggis will do a great job.”

Wade also spoke about adapting Fleming’s first James Bond novel (the writing duo’s previous two Bond scripts have been original storylines). “It’s been different really. There is good solid material but it is set around a game of cards and very contained. We are writing it as he has grown to be now and there are expectations we have to meet. A lot of it is our own material.“

“It is quite different: it is the story that shows what formed his character. It’s great to be asked to adapt that and show it in a modern context.”

Asked whether the writing team would return for the 22nd Bond film, Wade responded, “As usual we are not allowed to talk about it.”

Casino Royale is set to be released in 2006.

Discuss this latest news in this thread on the CBn Forums.
Many thanks to CBn Forum Members ACE and SecretAgentFan for the tip-off.

Related stories

• Paul Haggis to Rewrite ‘Casino Royale’

'Casino Royale' Casting Clues

Fresh off their scoop linking Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis to Casino Royale, The Hollywood Reporter today sheds light on who we may expect on-screen in the next James Bond flick.

According to the trade, key stakeholders met in London in November to discuss who will slip into 007’s tux, but reached an impassé. Nine months on, a Sony spokesperson has said, “there is no pending announcement”.

According to the trade’s sources, Bond producers and four-time 007 Pierce Brosnan reached a stalemate when it came to Brosnan’s salary demands (which one Sony executive reportedly described as “usurious”). Thus, producers were left with the hunt for a new James Bond.

The trade writes of differences of opinion between Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli concerning the casting of the sixth actor to play the superspy. Broccoli reportedly liked Layer Cake star Daniel Craig, but Wilson did not. Broccoli thought X-Men‘s Hugh Jackman was not masculine enough. Phone Booth‘s Colin Farrell was “too much of a bad boy”, Ewan McGregor was deemed too short and Eric Bana simply wasn’t good-looking enough.

Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn was also approached to direct Casino Royale, possibly with Craig as Bond. “They loved him more than me,” Vaughn said. “I would have nailed Bond.”

Director Martin Campbell, meanwhile, has his own opinions on reinventing the series, and is reportedly on the hunt for an unknown. That, however, did not stop him from approaching Clive Owen (whom he directed in Beyond Borders), who, with offers currently flying in, was not interested in playing Bond. Campbell was also keen on Nip/Tuck‘s Julian McMahon, whose representatives requested he turn down a screentest.

A Sony spokesperson also denied 47-year-old Ewan Stewart had ever tested for the role. Stewart, along with Henry Cavill, Alex O’Lachlan and Goran Visnjic, was touted by the media as one of the so-called “final four” candidates. The other three, however, have all screentested for the role (Visnjic spent 10 days in London with a dialogue coach prior to his test).

Bend It Like Beckham‘s Jonathan Rhys Meyers also denied ever being approached. “It’s not reality for me at the moment.”

And in light of all that, industry insiders such as casting agent, Debra Zane and The Complete James Bond Encyclopedia author Steven Jay Rubin feel Pierce Brosnan should have never been dropped in the first place.

One unnamed former Bond marketer said although the franchise needs to be updated, “the danger of going too young to broaden the appeal is that you alienate the core, which is males over 25. He has to wear the suit well, as Brosnan did. You can’t lose sight of the core.”

Be sure to read the full article for all the industry opinion on Bond #6.

The article also sheds new light on the supporting cast for Casino Royale. Whilst Dame Judi Dench has always been set to reprise her role as M, John Cleese is reportedly also tied to the film. Cleese has been quoted in the past as saying the character of Q was not in early drafts of Casino Royale. The search for a new Miss Moneypenny is also underway.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest news on Casino Royale.

Where now? Discuss this latest evidence in this thread on the CBn Forums.
With thanks to CBn Forum Members SecretAgentFan and crashdrive for the tip-off.

Related stories

• Brosnan Burns Bond Bridges
• Names on “Bond Shortlist” Revealed?
• “The list has been whittled down to four.”
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The CBn Dossier, August '05

Welcome to the August 2005 CBn Dossier, a wrap-up of all the 007 news and rumours for the month. In this month’s column, we’ll be examining the never-ending rumours and news of Casino Royale, the current status of the upcoming videogame, From Russia With Love, the adult Bond novel announcement and release information for Charlie Higson’s Young Bond book series. Plus the news of Titan tackling Colonel Sun next for their comic strip adaption releases, the news that Roger Moore will be recording commentaries for the upcoming 2006 DVD’s and much, much more.

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

Enjoy.

All Things Casino Royale

Since the news of the James Bond contenders being “whittled down to four”, there has been discussion pertaining to all of the four contenders, but still no official announcement of who 007 #6 will be. One of the four contenders, Alex O’Lachlan confirmed the news that he was one of the four actors who performed an audition for the main role in Casino Royale, saying, “I’m spinning out of my brain about it, I flew to London, stayed on Piccadilly and was looked after beautifully. [I was] fitted out at Hugo Boss for a tuxedo, had my hair cut and filmed two scenes.” He says a final decision was expected in 20 days, which worked out to be late August. Hmm…

Other news pertaining to Casino Royale is that Oscar-nominated screenwriter Paul Haggis has been reportedly announced to be rewriting the screenplay crafted so far by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. Haggis’ past work includes the acclaimed Million Dollar Baby as a screenwriter and 2005 sleeper hit Crash, which marked his directorial debut.

Meanwhile, there is also news that Eon Productions may have difficulty in securing their planned locations in South Africa, which was confirmed by Michael G. Wilson as a shooting location. While locations doubling for others is no new thing for the Bond films, many fans long for a time when the shooting location featured in the film is the actual location featured in the story. We can hope…

Finally, we move onto Pierce Brosnan and the endless rumours that he’ll be back as Bond, despite all else said and all other news. Brosnan telling the public that he’s done bonding with the 007 franchise is nothing new, but this time, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he went to further extents to explain that it really is all over, lashing out at the producers, one-liners, image, and more related to the cinematic 007:

“It never felt real to me, I never had complete ownership over Bond. Because you’d have these stupid one-liners ? which I loathed ? and I always felt phony doing them. I’d look at myself in the suit and tie and think, ‘What the heck am I doing here?’.”

Two things to note about Brosnan’s interview was him citing the producers (currently Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson) as “the most frustrating thing about the role: [the producers] play it so safe. The pomposity and rigamarole that they put directors through is astounding,” as well as Brosnan’s wish for the project to someday film Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale – something he won’t be apart of now.

Literature

Starting off the month, members of the Blades Library Book Club started reading Ian Fleming’s The Spy Who Loved Me. You just have to be a CBn member and add your name to the sign-in thread to join in! Also, the CBn “Looking Back…” series continued with John Gardner’s Death Is Forever, Never Send Flowers, and SeaFire.

The big news this month is by far the announcement that Ian Fleming Publications (IFP) is planning an adult James Bond novel in 2008, 100 years since the birth of the creator of 007, Ian Fleming. Names such as Lee Child, John le Carré, and past Bond author John Gardner have been mentioned, with Gardner ruling himself out. This would be the first time fans would be seeing an adult Bond continuation novel since Raymond Benson’s The Man With The Red Tattoo, which was released in 2002. This will without a doubt be one of the most followed stories in the upcoming months!

Keeping up to date with the recent Young Bond series by author Charlie Higson, a Large Print edition of SilverFin is now available for pre-order on Amazon. (And in the words of CBn’s zencat, pre-ordering these editions is a must.) The SilverFin audiobook will also be available in the US (in March 2006) according to a listing on amazon.

If keeping up with SilverFin wasn’t enough, Higson’s second Young Bond novel, Blood Fever is appearing up for bid on eBay in the advanced/uncorrected proof copy format. The novel won’t be published until 5 January 2006. Not to mention the release of “essential information” on Amazon.de on Blood Fever: “a Mediterranean mystery, one kidnapped girl – feisty, blond, superfit Amy Goodenough, sister of James’ best friend Mark, one villainous pirate – Zoltan Magyr, mysterious Latin-speaking men lurking near Eton, and one fast car.” Sardinian bandits and an Italian Count trying to restore the Holy Roman Empire also play a major part in the novel.

In the illustrated 007 department, there comes news that Colonel Sun and River Of Death will be making up the next highly anticipated release from Titan Books in December 2005. The most recent collection, The Spy Who Loved Me was released on the 26th of August. Be sure to read Red Grant’s review of the collection on the CBn main page.

CBn: Bond At Its Best

Two new CBn Podcasts were also made available on the mainpage, the first covering the 007 news in July, and the second featuring an interview with CBn’s own, Paul Dunphy. The CBn Podcast now has over an amazing 1500 listeners. Be sure to check them both out! How the Podcast works can be read here.

CBn wishes to congratulate CBn member thuffner for winning the CBn Remington Steele DVD competition. Congrats!

I was also able to interview author Michael Di Leo on his book, The Spy Who Thrilled Us: A Guide To The Best Of Cinematic James Bond. Check the book out if you haven’t already, it is available on the US and UK amazon websites. Read the CBn Interview here.

From Russia With…Connery, Bedingfield, Menounos, and more

August brought more news, screenshots and information centering around the upcoming EA videogame, From Russia With Love. It was officially announced by EA that Maria Menounos will be starring in the game as ‘Eva’, Red Grant’s henchwoman – a character not featured in the original novel or film. Natasha Bedingfield is also confirmed to appear in the game as original character Elizabeth Stark, the British Prime Minister’s daughter. Bedingfield previously performed the end-title song for the previous EA installment, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent

Both are “honoured” to be starring alongside Sean Connery – lucky guy.

The From Russia With Love cover art was revealed and confirmed to CBn to be “99% final”. James Bond and Tatiana Romanova are featured prominently on the cover. The videogame’s release date is 28 October in the UK and 1 November in the US according to Amazon.

Be sure to check out the CBn Exclusive screenshots as well.

Sir Sean & Sir Roger

CBn wishes a happy birthday to Sir Sean Connery, who celebrated his 75th on 25 August 2005.

There also came the terrific news that Sir Roger Moore is planning to record DVD commentaries for all of his seven James Bond films in time for their release in late 2006. Things are shaping up nicely for these 2006 DVD releases. Keep watching CBn for all further reports.

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, 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

Paul Haggis to Rewrite 'Casino Royale'

The Hollywood Reporter today writes Oscar-nominated screenwriter Paul Haggis has been tapped to revise the script for the upcoming James Bond film, Casino Royale.

Haggis, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby, has been reportedly recruited to rewrite the film’s script, which was penned by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (and based on Ian Fleming’s first 007 novel of the same name). Haggis’ credits also include the critically-acclaimed 2005 flick, Crash, which he wrote and directed.

Haggis has no fewer than four films currently in development (not counting Casino Royale), including the Clint Eastwood-directed Flags of our Fathers.

The writing duo of Purvis and Wade previously penned the scripts for The World Is Not Enough (which was rewritten by Bruce Feirstein), Die Another Day and the ill-fated Jinx spin-off film.

With Casino Royale scheduled to lens in January 2006, only director Martin Campbell and cinematographer Phil Meheux signed on, and an unfilled tuxedo hanging in the offices of Eon Productions, the clock is ticking.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest news on Casino Royale.

What do you think of this ‘Million Dollar’ screenwriter joining 007’s latest mission? Share your thoughts in this thread on the CBn Forums.
Many thanks to CBn Forum Members Arbogast777 and dinovelvet for the tip-off.

UPDATE (31 Aug, 2005): screendaily.com today confirmed Paul Haggis will do a three-week script polish before Casino Royale‘s January 2006 shoot. Robert Wade has also spoken out about the script changes. Read the full story here.

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• Baird May Board ‘Casino Royale’
• Phil Meheux to Lens ‘Casino Royale’
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'The Moneypenny Diaries' Cleared for Release

The mystery of The Moneypenny Diaries has intrigued James Bond fans since the novel’s Amazon.co.uk listing was uncovered earlier this year. Now, Times Online reports Ian Fleming Publications (IFP) has given publisher John Murray the green light to proceed with the novel’s publication.

Earlier attempts by CBn to get to the bottom of the Moneypenny Diaries mystery had proven fruitless, with IFP appearing to be unaware of its existence. As the book’s planned 10 October 2005 release neared, IFP have given their approval for the publication of the book, which is edited by one Kate Westbrook. The book is the first in a trilogy of novels.

“There has always been conjecture that James Bond novels may not have been strictly fictional and we have therefore read Westbrook’s book with a great deal of interest,” said IFP managing director Corrine Turner. “We always take protection of our intellectual property seriously and, in normal circumstances, would have stopped this book. However, after detailed negotiations with John Murray we have reached an agreement to allow this project to receive the public attention it deserves.”

Like John Pearson’s James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007, the hook here is that Miss Moneypenny (whose first name, the book reveals, is Jane) was a real person who played a key role in the build-up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. In fact, the book’s “true story” approach reportedly caused quite a stir, forcing John Murray’s managing director, Roland Philipps to admit the novel is fiction.

“It’s a spoof,” confessed Philipps. The publisher had reportedly strongly maintained the book was fact as Times Online worked to solve the mystery last week. Philipps had previously suggested the book would rewrite history of the Cuban Missile Crisis, revealing Britain to have a much larger role in the global event than previously thought.

“If this is fiction then it is very hard to tell the difference between fact and fiction,” said IFP’s Corinne Turner. “It’s very well put together. We were certainly led to believe by the publishers that there was a real Miss Moneypenny.”

The Moneypenny Diaries sheds new light on the lustrous world of 007. Purporting to use the name James Bond as a pseudonym for a genuine intelligence officer, the new novel tells the stories of ultra-secret operations that Fleming could not disclose. When Moneypenny “died”, her diaries were left to the new book’s editor, Kate Westbrook.

Yet, it seems Westbrook herself does not exist either. Times Online went to Trinity College, where Westbrook is purportedly a staff member (according to the publishers’ notes). The College, however, denied that a Kate Westbrook has ever worked there. The literary agent behind the book, Gillon Aitken, has confessed that Westbrook may be a pseudonym. “The author is, though, an academic at Trinity and she will be named when the book is published,” Aitken said.

From the dustjacket of The Moneypenny Diaries:

“My heart breaks for James..” – so begins the explosive, true, private diary of Miss Jane Moneypenny, Personal Secretary to Secret Service chief M. and colleague and confidante of James Bond.

From her colonial childhood in Kenya to her death in 1990, Jane Moneypenny led an extraordinary, clandestine life. Positioned at the heart of British intelligence she had a ringside seat at the political intrigues that shaped world history. But, contrary to popular belief, she was not simply a bystander while James Bond saw all the action. As her diaries make startlingly clear, Miss Moneypenny played a central role in the build-up to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the threat of all-out nuclear war.

But a life of espionage has personal as well as political ramifications. For Jane Moneypenny, the price was high. Romantic relationships with outsiders were necessarily built on lies – sometimes on both sides – and you could not trust the motives of anyone. The impact of Jane Moneypenny’s career on her emotional life was even more profound as, with her access to classified information, she began to investigate the mysterious circumstances of her father’s presumed death while in service.

Guarding so many secrets and with no one to confide in, she found herself breaking the first rule of espionage. Unbeknownst to anyone, she kept a diary. This became an outlet for her innermost thoughts and, despite the risk of discovery, for state secrets. It should never have been made public…

Hardcover 240 pages
Publisher: John Murray
ISBN: 0719567408

The Moneypenny Diaries is set for release on 10 October 2005. It will be available for purchase at Bond and Beyond and Amazon.co.uk.

Some questions answered, more questions raised. Discuss this news in this thread on the CBn Forums.
With thanks to CBn Forum Member K1Bond007 for the tip-off.

Related Links

• ‘The Moneypenny Diaries’ Declassified
• ‘TWINE’ Large Print Edition Coming in July

New Adult James Bond Novel Coming in 2008

Scotsman.com have today scored a major scoop with the news that Ian Fleming Publications (IFP) are planning to commission a one-off adult James Bond novel to celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth in 2008.

Following the success of Charlie Higson’s Young Bond series (Book 2, Blood Fever is to be released in January 2006), IFP are keen to commission a big-name author to pen the new novel.

“We are still in the planning stages, but at the moment the idea would be to have it done by an established author – potentially a big name,” said Zoe Watkins of IFP. “The literary Bond is something we want to focus on and any work would have to be in keeping with the literary aspects of the books. If it was successful there could be scope for further novels.”

According to Ms Watkins, the new novel will be far removed from the gloss of 007’s cinematic incarnation, marking a return to the dark and complex nature of Fleming’s early works.

Scotsman.com reports the early favourites to be approached to pen the new novel include Lee Child (Killing Floor), Frederick Forsyth (The Day of the Jackal) and John le Carré (The Tailor of Panama).

John Gardner, who penned 16 James Bond novels throughout the 1980s and 1990s (including two novelisations) has ruled himself out for taking on the new project. “Sorry, but for me Bond is very much in the past. No more comments, no more interviews.”

The adult literary James Bond went on hiatus in 2002, following the publication of Raymond Benson’s The Man With The Red Tattoo and the novelisation of Die Another Day. Earlier this year, Penguin released the first in a series of five novels by Charlie Higson, focussing on Bond’s time at Eton in the 1930s.

The article also gives a few more hints as to the storyline for Higson’s upcoming book, Blood Fever. The new novel will see the teenage Bond encountering a group of Sardinian bandits and a maniacal Italian count hellbent on restoring the Holy Roman Empire.

Head on over to Scotsman.com to read the whole article, in which a range of Bond aficionados – including Bond historian Graham Rye – share their thoughts on where the literary 007 should go from here.

How do you think the true literary Bond should make his comeback? Share your thoughts and ideas in this thread on the CBn Forums.

Looking Back: SeaFire

In September 1994, John Gardner’s thirteenth original James Bond 007 novel, SeaFire was published. This Gardner Bond novel proved to be the author’s penultimate novel in his run as continuation author for the series. CBn takes a look back at SeaFire with release dates, publication blurbs, trivia, and forum reactions.

UK First Edition Hardback

A new Double-O Section has risen from the ashes of the old British Secret Service. Now, the entire organisation has been split up and the Double-O section reports to a small government committee called MicroGlobe One. Gone are the days when James Bond was answerable only to M. Gone also is the old licence to kill, for the new section’s targets are not individuals but large corporations. Gone is the automatic pistol, replaced by the pocket calculator.

But weapons are reinstated when Bond is put on the trail of the self-made billionaire, Sir Maxwell Tarn, whose business empire spans the globe, and whose activities appear to include illegal dealing in weapons on a grand global scale.

With the shrewd assistance of Flicka von Grusse, 007 follows a maze of trails from London to Spain, Israel and Germany. But they are on board Tarn’s floating laboratory off the coast of Puerto Rico when their own prey becomes their captor. There, Bond and Flicka realise their misstep has placed them squarely in the audience to a deadly experiment that will trigger ecological disaster of global proportions.

The fate of the oceans, not to mention their own lives, lies in stopping Tarn before his cache of deadly weapons destroys much more than a few pristine islands in the Caribbean.”

John Gardner proves once again his skills as a master story-teller in this latest 007 superadventure.

UK First Edition Hodder & Stoughton Hardback

Trivia

• The US paperback of Never Send Flowers, the previous John Gardner James Bond novel, included a teaser for SeaFire, citing the upcoming villain as Sir Maxwell Lustig. However, the villain came to be known eventually as Sir Maxwell Tarn.

Release Timeline

• 1994: 1st British Hodder & Stoughton Hardback Edition
• 1994: 1st American Putnam Hardback Edition
• 1994: 1st British Bookclub Hardback Edition
• 1995: 1st American Berkley Paperback Edition
• 1995: 1st British Coronet Paperback Edition
• 1996: 1st British Chivers Large Print Hardback Edition

Relationship to the film series

• SeaFire: Bond rides a high-powered motorcycle along the ramps and roofs of Roman ruins.
• Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) – Bond rides a high-powered motorcycle along the ramps and roofs of a Vietnamese village.
• SeaFire: The villain uses para-hawks to attack Bond.
• The World Is Not Enough (1999) – The villain uses para-hawks to attack Bond.
• SeaFire: The climax involves the use of a stolen Russian mini-sub in the Caribbean.
• The World Is Not Enough (1999) – The climax involves the use of a stolen Russian mini-sub in the Black Sea.

Forum Reviews

Large Print Edition

Tried punching through this one last night to no avail.

The story’s not so bad, it’s implausable that SIS could possibly be that incompetent to not know anything about Tarn’s dealings when he seems to have the drop on them.

The Microglobe One story arc should never have been put forth, and the Two Zero section really sees a ordinary civil servant basically filing through papers and meeting with a general assembly. Bond’s part in all of this could be done by any average civil servant with a university degree.

The character of Bond itself really is a joke. It shows that Gardner either, A: didn’t really know or care all that much about Fleming’s Bond, or B: chose to throw everything out about Bond and remould the character.

The Bond in SeaFire really is an upper class, or trying to be snob. The dialogue between him and Flicka in particular reads nothing like Fleming’s novels. It’d be fine if it was a novel, with any lead character. It isn’t however what I believe a Bond novel should be, or aim to be. He’s certianlly got Fleming’s character throughout his 12 novels wrong.

I also had trouble with the action sequences, for a former Royal Marine Gardner’s work lacks suspence, and there are no real insights into Bond’s thoughts or opinions throughout the entire novel.

CBn Forum member 1q2w3e4r

Microglobe One is probably the stupidest idea that Gardner ever had for the Bond series. I hated the idea. I’m also not a fan of Freddie, or Flicka, or whatever he’s calling her in this book. Bond girls, in my opinion, should not continue on book to book. Gardner really shouldn’t have been let anyway near the Bond series.

CBn Forum member Brendan007

US Proof

I think it is a good Gardner book. I don’t like Bond being chief of “00” section and MI6 becoming “Micro Globe One” with a comitee directing it, nor Bond living for more than one year with the same girl (Flicka). That is too far from our usual Bond.

But I like the plot, the characters, and especially the action scenes. The motorbike chase is cool, and the climax with parahawks is great.

CBn Forum member Cesari

It is the politically correct 90’s, Europe has been reunited, and James Bond is engaged to be married! To top it all off, Bond’s MI6 has been turned into a mangled committee called MicroGlobe One. While this is a huge change for Fleming’s Cold War creation it is necessary and just that things would change. SeaFire was a fast and excellent read. The villain was highly entertaining, and there were many turns in the story I did not see. For once the usual traitor was figured out early into the story and the story wasn’t based on one of the few plots Gardner likes to rehash. The book played like a Bond film with great action, the return of old faces, and a storyline less predictable than most.

CBn Forum member chronicliar

US First Edition Hardrback

I’ve always thought it was a slightly curious book; a lot of build up about the neo-Nazis and then the denouement takes a complete left turn and really has nothing to do with all of that. Seems a bit curious that if one cleans away an oilslick one somehow achieves political power. The two aspects don’t gel very well – oil and water indeed. Perhaps that’s the subtle joke in the construction of the book. Perhaps a little too subtle (i.e. non-existent…)

I think it exemplifies what others have noticed about some – not all – of the Gardners; no real working through to an ending.

Some interesting characters introduced at the end, as far as I recall – the practically savage woman who tortures thingy – but oddly a lot of that is kept “offscreen”; slightly out-of-focus. Even odder considering that some of the book is extremely violent.

It’s OK but I’d be cautious to describe it as anything other than middling Gardner. As a typical example of the Gardner Bond – clumsy sex, globetrotting, twist and countertwist and a stripping away of some of the myth (Two Zeros? Bedford Square?) – it’s probably the most “conventional”. It’s not unenjoyable, and it’s a pleasant enough read and considerably more appealing than some of the update novels (Brokenclaw for example) but I’m not too sure what it really achieves.

CBn Forum member Jim

I think this is much better than Gardner’s “recent” work (pre-SeaFire.) This one had my interest throughout. I guess it’s not his fault, though, that he’s starting to repeat his villains’ motives. Yet another guy who wants to be the next Hitler. It was a well-told story, however.

CBn Forum member Jriv71

US First Edition Paperback

For various reasons, MicroGlobe One came across to me as one of Gardner’s more interesting, if annoying, elements of realism in his Bond mythos. It was a means of shifting the formula around, putting Bond up against an institutional foe of sorts at the same time he was battling a true villain, and adding some real world flavor to the proeedings.

Granted, it’s been quite some time since I last read SeaFire. I hesitate to comment much on the plot and characters until I’ve read the book again. While I don’t recall the storyline very well, however, the action packed climax of the novel is burned into my mind. Pun intended. Max Tarn’s brutal death at the hands of a ruthless James Bond is fairly unforgettable, as is the state in which Bond finds his latest true love at the book’s end. Gardner’s world of 007 was, at times, certainly darker.

CBn Forum member MicroGlobe One

Again, like the previous Never Send Flowers, here is one of the late John Gardner novels that I really enjoyed reading. The action (and the book as a whole really) has a swift pace, and this was one of the Gardner novels I read through in the shortest amount of time.

Sir Maxwell Tarn stands out as one of the more interesting and generally better Gardner villains in my opinion, as well as the case for Flicka. Terrific finale, made me want to start Cold right away.

CBn Forum member Qwerty

UK First Edition Paperback

This isn’t among my favorite Gardner books. My main problem is that it doesn’t seem to be evenly paced. Throughout the whole book it seems like Bond is talking with MicroGlobe One, then goes off on a little mission, and returns to MicroGlobe One for a debriefing and another little chore to go on. I find it rather slow moving anytime I read it. Everything after Felix comes into the story is great, though. In my opinion, however, it has some really well written action scenes and Maxwell Tarn is a vile villain. Nice cliffhanger ending leading up into his last one.

CBn Forum member RossMan

It is one of the better Gardner books. Some great action and a few standout moments. Great climax too. MicroGlobe One, fiancée Flicka as Bond’s partner –yes, highly unconventional ideas for 007, but these ideas seemed to perk up Gardner and thus the book felt fresh. I remember feeling perked up myself about the series when I first read it. And a cliffhanger ending is always welcome (if for no other reason that it assures there will be another book).

CBn Forum member zencat

To discuss ‘SeaFire’ visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

The Looking Back at John Gardner Series:

• Licence Renewed
• For Special Services
• Icebreaker
• Role Of Honour
• Nobody Lives Forever
• No Deals, Mr. Bond
• Scorpius
• Licence To Kill
• Win, Lose Or Die
• Brokenclaw
• The Man From Barbarossa
• Death Is Forever
• Never Send Flowers
• SeaFire
• GoldenEye
• COLD

Related Articles:

• “THE SILVER BEAST”
• “Déjà vu, Mr. Bond?”