EA Announces GoldenEye 2 for 2004

EA is set to tackle yet another Bond game project, GoldenEye 2 (working title), which is under “Top Secret” Development.

In GoldenEye 2, players will explore the dark side of the Bond underworld, playing an agent who was a candidate for 00 status before being dismissed from MI6 for reckless brutality. Players will join ranks with the legendary super-villain Auric Goldfinger, fighting for control of the world’s greatest criminal organization. The game is under development at EA Los Angeles for multiple console platforms, scheduled for release this holiday season under the EA GAMES brand. More details will be forthcoming at a later date.

“As the #1 console title in the US, Everything or Nothing, EA’s critically acclaimed new Bond game has it all, including original music from Grammy winner Mya and top Hollywood talent such as Pierce Brosnan and Heidi Klum, And we’re not done yet — today we’re announcing that we are developing GoldenEye 2, a game where players become the ultimate villain in the Bond universe.”

– John Riccitiello, EA’s President and COO

“Everything or Nothing’s success continues to showcase the enormous strength of our collaborative relationship with EA and Danjaq. We look forward to continued success with this fall’s release of a new chapter in the Bond saga and the creation of another blockbuster franchise in GoldenEye 2.”

– Travis Rutherford, Senior Vice President of MGM Consumer Products and Interactive.

Cambridge Spies (2003) Starring Toby Stephens

Eric Briggs

I got access recently to a catalog from BBC America, and one of the titles caught my eye… A DVD starring Toby Stephens from Die Another Day. It’s a film called Cambridge Spies which is based on a true story about the most shocking spy story of the 20th Century.

Things have been glossed over, and situations have been elaborated and minor characters invented. Did the spies really have direct access to Klaus Fuchs, the linchpin of the Soviet spy ring in the Manhattan Project? Did they investigate the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War? Were they chums with the Duke of Windsor? Was one of them a relation and close confidant of the Queen Mother? In some cases yes, in some cases I’m not sure.

Cambridge Spies

Episode One: Covers the recruitment of two men at Cambridge University in 1934 to make a cell of four spies: Kim Philby (Toby Stephens), Anthony Blunt (Samuel West), Guy Burgess (Tom Hollander) and Donald Maclean (Rupert Penry-Jones). They are left-wing idealists who would go to great lengths to fight Hitler, including working for Moscow. The highlight of the episode is a chase sequence through Vienna which is very reminiscent of ‘The Third Man’. I don’t like it so much when a program apes a famous cinematographic style so closely, rather than trying to be more original… but it works.

Episodes Two & Three: Cover what the foursome did during the Second World War. I have to say there is less in the series about intelligence being fed to the Soviets, than counter-intelligence between the four trying not to get caught by other British or American spies. A double agent is more valuable for the potential damage he can cause, than for the damage he’s already done. In the second episode Philby gets a chance to assassinate Generalissimo Franco, but if he takes the chance he faces his own death and the deaths of the other spies in the group. If one of them fails or is exposed, the others will also fall.

Episode Four Covers the activities of the spies after the war. They all reach positions of importance… Philby becomes the Head of Counterintelligence at MI5 (in charge of disposing of Russian spies). Blunt becomes a member of the Royal Household and a close confidant of King George and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Burgess and Maclean both get posts at the British Embassy in Washington, DC where their activities are begun to be discovered by suspicious Americans cracking Russian codes Some Russian defectors (such as Igor Gouzenko, who defected to Canada and was secreted at Camp X) also drop hints of a North American spy ring. Burgess and Maclean escape to Russia just ahead of the authorities catching up with them. Philby bluffs his way through interrogation and eventually defects to Russia. Blunt is too close to the Royal Family to be exposed without scandal, and so is invulnerable for a while.

Cambridge Spies is not for children. There are many adult situations. Anyone who does not accept the notion of homosexuality should steer clear as well… Burgess and Blunt are portrayed as gay, which is historically true. But remember that one of the traditional ways of ruining the career of a diplomat or a spy has been to cast his sexuality into doubt. I thought the Adult Accompaniment sequences in the series were well done, not too over the top and also fun.

The dust jacket of the DVD advertises the series stars four of Britain’s most talented young actors. Toby Stephens definitely qualifies ::COOL:: his swagger is dutifully toned down from his performance as Gustav Graves to take on a more complex character. I see Toby Stephens also has a large role in an upcoming film about the Indian Mutiny of 1857 called The Rising. Samuel West has played important roles in the BBC series Longitude and is the son of Prunella Scales, who played Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers. He will play Victor Frankenstein in the upcoming Van Helsing. And he’s been in Horatio Hornblower, Notting Hill for a bit and he was even in a Doctor Who program eleven years ago. Tom Hollander I don’t know much about, but he was in Gosford Park and also Enigma, a film about the WW2 German code machine, directed by Michael Apted (MI-5/Spooks and the film Charlotte Gray with Cate Blanchett, another WW2 spy story.

All four performances were good where they needed to be, but Rupert Penry-Jones’s character of Maclean was the least interesting after the first episode. Maclean is a flawed character; his father is a dying cabinet minister and that’s why the Russians want him. Ironically Burgess and Maclean turn out to be the least effective of the four, because of their personal problems.

The Burgess and Maclean scandal rocked the world of espionage when it broke. Ian Fleming even referred to it in The Man With The Golden Gun. It’s great to see a modern retelling of the story. There’s an hour-long History Channel documentary that goes over the story with a much drier and more factual approach, so the viewer is left with both dramatic and historically accurate evidence. There are also four inserts from BBC TV archives featuring the spies before and after their defections. It’s the best (although only) DVD I’ve purchased this year.

To discuss this overview/review visit this thead on the CBn Forums.
Cambridge Spies‘ can be purchaced on Amazon.com for $31.48 or Amazon.co.uk for £9.99.

Screening of "The Thomas Crown Affair" on March 16th in Los Angeles

There will be a screening of the Thomas Crown Affair (1999) on Tuesday March 16th at 7:30 p.m at the Pacific Arclight Cinema in Hollywood, CA. Pierce Brosnan will then appear after the film with his co-producer Beau St. Clair to discuss the film and its sequel.

For those of you that live in the Los Angeles area tickets can be purchased (They’re going FAST) by going to www.arclightcinemas.com

Actor/Producer Pierce Brosnan & Producer Beau St. Clair Q&A Following “The Thomas Crown Affair”

Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, Denis Leary
Director: John McTiernan
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hr. 57 min.
Genre: Romance/Thriller/Comedy

Golden Globe nominated actor Pierce Brosnan is one of a growing group of A-List stars that actively develop and produce their own material rather than simply wait to see what agents and studios offer them. With producing partner Beau St. Clair his production company Irish DreamTime has created an evocative mix of personal passion projects like critically acclaimed independent feature Evelyn and mainstream, high profile films like The Thomas Crown Affair.

Generally speaking, most remakes end up as disappointingly watered-down affairs simply because the elements that made the original film so memorable prove difficult to replicate, let alone improve on. The Thomas Crown Affair is a welcome exception with many critics proclaiming the 1999 version superior to the 1968 original thanks to the combination of ideal casting, a witty script by Leslie Dixon & Kurt Wimmer and deft direction by action specialist John McTiernan. This version of ‘Affair’ is a sophisticated caper film with a sexy cat and mouse game at its core. Audiences obviously agreed with a worldwide box office of over $100,000,000 and a sequel currently in development.

To discuss this event visit this thread on the CBn Forums.
Special thanks to Ry for this scoop!

John Gardner's New Novel Available for Pre-Order

The latest book by former James Bond continuation novelist John Gardner is ANGELS DINING AT THE RITZ and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com. This is the 3rd book in Gardner’s “Detective Sergeant Suzie Mountford Series.” The other books in the series are BOTTLED SPIDER (2002) and THE STREETS OF TOWN (2003). ANGELS DINING AT THE RITZ will be published by Severn House Publishers on March 15, 2004 in the UK. Severn House will publish the book in the U.S. in May 2004.

Synopsis: August 17th 1942 and the war is the backdrop to DS Suzie Mountford’s investigation into the death of an eminent barrister and his family in London. But within hours the investigation leads the team to Norfolk and the American Air Force personnel stationed nearby.

Mr. Gardner has written an astounding 50 books in his career, including 14 original James Bond adventures and two film novelizations between 1981 and 1996. Mr. Gardner currently lives in Hampshire, England. For more information about John Gardner’s past and present work visit his website.

• Angels Dining at the Ritz (Detective Sergeant Suzie Mountford Series)
• Author: John Gardner
• Hardcover 352 pages (15 March, 2004)
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers
• ISBN: 0727860453
• Category(ies): Fiction

James Bond: Nobody Does It Better

James Bond has been named the world’s most popular film hero ahead of modern rivals such as Batman, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter.

A study of box office figures compiled by Variety, the entertainment magazine, places Britain’s favorite agent in pole position ahead of franchises including Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings. Bond’s on-screen adventures, renowned for their stunning special effects and beautiful women, have now taken more than £2.46 billion at the box office – £500 million more than his nearest rival.

Ian Fleming’s most famous creation, who has been played by five different actors in 20 films, made it to the silver screen 15 years before Star Wars, the second-longest-running fantasy franchise. But not even his worst on-screen enemies could put down his success to longevity. Indeed, his box office lead over Star Wars, his nearest rival, grows considerably when figures are adjusted to take inflation into account. Thunderball, released in 1965, grossed more than £76.7 million at the box office. At today’s rate of inflation, that would be worth more than £429 million.

The Bond series has suffered several lulls but have recently gone from strength to strength, with each new film taking at least £26.8 million more at the box office than its predecessor. By contrast, rival franchises have struggled to maintain their position.

Jane Seymour, who played Solitaire in Live and Let Die in 1973, puts Bond’s success down to the fact that he is “debonair”. She added: “He has a very dark side but his Britishness lets him get away with murder.”

To dicsuss this news visit this thread on the CBn forums.
Thanks to Variety and The Telegraph.

Raymond Benson Says He's Done Writing Stories for James Bond

After writing six original James Bond novels, three short stories, three novelizations, and one book about the James Bond phenomenon –Buffalo Grove author Raymond Benson has hung up the shoulder holster.

“It was equal parts heaven and hell,” Benson said of his seven years as a Northwest suburban Ian Fleming. “I got to travel to places all over the world, and meet people I otherwise would have never met. Overall, it was artistically fulfilling. I’m very proud of what I did.”

Traveling the world. Meeting celebrities like Hugh Hefner and his Playmates. Writing about Britain’s great secret sex symbol. Sounds like a job most guys would give a body part to have. So what’s the down side?

“The books weren’t as successful as I would have liked,” Benson said. “And, it was frustrating to have your hands tied all the time. The publishers didn’t like for me to delve into Bond’s psyche or human characteristics, which I really wanted to do. In ‘Double Shot,’ I pushed the Bond envelope by giving him blackouts caused by something wrong in his brain. They let me do that, but when I wanted to write about Bond’s parents, it was ‘Don’t even go there!'”

Gildrose Publishing in England prints the Bond series. They have temporarily stopped publishing Bond novels.

The Bond experience left Benson with another love-it-and-hate-it dilemma: the fans.

“Dealing with the fans got to be a big concern. The fans tend to be very opinionated, and there are lots of contingents. The hardcore fans are very obsessive and they think they know it all when it comes to matters of Bond. Plenty of them loved me, plenty of them hated me. You couldn’t imagine the cruel and insensitive hate mail I would get. I had to change my phone numbers and e-mail address it got so bad. There were days I wondered why I even bothered to do this.”

Economically, the Bond writing gig paid well, but “it certainly didn’t make me rich,” the author said. “Since Bond, I’m living now like I lived before, just another struggling writer. I’m doing temp work, speaking engagements, hustling for new writing gigs. “I’m not Stephen King or Tom Clancy who can churn out a best seller with just their names. The rest of us have to teach or do something to supplement our incomes.”

Benson does that by teaching classes at Harper College in Palatine, where next fall he will offer “The Films of David Lynch.”

Meanwhile, Benson’s new non-Bond thriller “Face Blind” (Dimensions) has just been published. He’ll be signing copies at 12:30pm on Tuesday, February 24th…

The story concerns Hannah, a New Yorker with a brain disorder that makes it impossible for her to identify facial features.

Benson describes “Face Blind” as a “Wait Until Dark” thrill ride that serves as his official emancipation from Bond.

“This is a great situation,” he said. “I’m my own boss. I can work at home. I can set my own hours. It’s just me and my dog, Spike, my muse. And let me tell you, as cool at it sounds, writing the Bond novels is not worth a body part.”

Driving Miss Moneypenny

Now sit down if you are not already seated, because what I have to tell you all may come as a shock. I have it on pretty good authority that Hollywood is running rather low on film ideas at the moment. Now I can’t divulge the names of my sources, because they aren’t real and I’ve just made them up to impress you, but these sources tell me that studios, producers and writers and in an absolute panic. That’s why established franchises and comic book adaptations are all the rage at the moment. They guarantee reasonable success without having to be especially creative or original. And with ticket sales, DVD sales, rentals, merchandise, video games and TV cartoon series, it means plenty of money in the bank, which can be used to make even more of these films.

In the last few years we’ve seem comics like X-Men, Spiderman, Daredevil and The Hulk brought to life on the big screen, as well as other franchise like Star Wars, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and ofcourse, James Bond. And there’s always talk of Batman and Indiana Jones making a return to movie theatres. Still it could be worse. In the mid-90’s we had that god awful “films based on 60’s TV shows” craze which, in comparison, doesn’t make this current franchise frenzy look so bad come to think of it.

In this current franchise frenzy, studios and producers are always on the lookout for a new franchise to make a film out of. And if they can’t find one or create an original one, they’ll do the next best thing, Spin-off. The Spin-off genre appeared dead until The Rock (do you smell what he’s cooking ? Mmmm, burritos) jump started it again starring in The Scorpion King. When Die Another Day was unleashed upon the cinema going public, there was talk of Halle Berry starring in her own series of Jinx Spin-off films. There was something about the idea of the most undeveloped character in the history of the series getting her own film franchise that appealed to EON, and Purvis and Wade were immediately hired to put crayon to paper and come up with a Jinx script. But the Jinx Spin-off didn’t eventuate, and Ms. Berry went off to do Catwoman instead. Now that doesn’t mean that we’ll never see a Spin-off come from the Bond series, oh no, not at all. It just means that they’ll have to find another character of which to base the Spin-off film on, and I have a few suggestions….

Charles Robinson Crusoe – Discontent with his job as the token black guy of MI6, Robinson makes plans to sell top secret codes to the Russians. He steals a helicopter and makes way for Moscow, then remembering that Russia is no longer a Communist country, changes course and heads for Cuba. But he crash lands and winds up on a uncharted desert island. He meets other castaways and enjoys the paradise lifestyle, until the island is invaded by a Robot Army. The Robot Army challenge the castaways to a game of Basketball, with ownership of the island going to the winner. Worried that the Robots will cheat to win, the castaways bring in the Harlem Globetrotters as ringers to level the playing field. The plan succeeds and the Robot Army is driven off the island, and least for now.

The Goodhead, The Bad, and The Ugly – It’s been 25 years since Moonraker, but finally, CIA Agent Holly Goodhead makes her long awaited return to the big screen. This time she teams up with Nick Nack and Jaws (who provide the comic relief, fighting over which one of them is “The Bad” and which is “The Ugly”. The three of them ride off into the heart of the desert, to foil a villainous plot ripped straight from the headlines involving a hot air balloon, a bottle of Tequila, some African Conflict Diamonds and a three-legged goat.

The Thunderball Run – Auric Goldfinger in his Gold Rolls Royce, Sheriff JW Pepper in his Police Car, Doctor No in his Dragon Tank, and many more of your favourite characters from the Bond series come together to compete in The Thunderball Run, a road race across America and back again. With a grand prize of $1 million cash and a free pass to the National Air and Space Museum, competition is sure to be cut-throat, and there’s bound to be plenty of thrills, spills, and yes, because you demanded it, kills. And in this kind of race there are only two rules: Rule #1 – There are no rules, Rule #2 – No invisible cars allowed.

Driving Miss Moneypenny – The Queen, Prince Charles, and the rest of the Royal Family are tragically killed in a fox hunting incident. Expert genealogists are brought in to determine who is next in line to the throne, and discover that it is none other than Miss Moneypenny. So Moneypenny quits her secretary job at MI6, is crowned Monarch, and moves into Buckingham palace. Queen Moneypenny brings sweeping reform to the Kingdom, booting out Scotland to make way for Bangladesh, selling the Crown Jewels on E-Bay, and hiring James Bond (Pierce Brosnan in a guest appearance) as her chauffeur. At first she enjoys ruling over the common folk, but soon the pressure gets to her and she turns to heroin for relief. And when Bond inadvertently blabs to a gossip columnist about driving her to rehab, the plot thickens.

Until next time,

Freemo

Comments, suggestions, ideas and belated Valentines wishes can be sent to [email protected], or posted in the forums.

Sideshow Unveil Special New Figure

Sideshow Collectibles have unveiled a new 1/4 scale figure of Sean Connery, sculpted by veteran Mat Falls (creator of some of Sideshow’s standard line of Bond figures.)

This new semi-articulated figure boasts stunningly realistic Connery likeness, polystone head and hands, a film accurate tailored costume, and a James Bond gunbarrel base! Retailing at their site for a cool $225, and shipping in the later half of this year (August/September)

Those who are still collecting their superb current and exhaustive line of Bond figures fear not! This special collectible doesn’t make yours obsolete, and the release of the new Goldeneye & Thunderball figures proves the range is steaming ahead in 2004.

Since Sideshow Collectibles obtained the licence to make these figures in late 2002, the range boasts 22 individual pieces each with stunning likeness and attention-to-detail that will make them surefire collectibles in the future and this limited edition Connery figurine is bound to rouse excitement in the hearts of collectors and Bond fans alike.

Feel free to discuss this release in this thread of the CBn Forums.

Eon Says That Brosnan is Bond 'For Now'

Empire Online has spoken with Eon Productions about the rumours that Pierce Brosnan is no longer James Bond. As CBn reported previously, MKKBB as well as our own sources had it confirmed last week that Pierce Brosnan is out.

Eon’s Publicity Manager Catherine McCormack has told Empire Online that ‘For now, Pierce Brosnan is our James Bond. We haven’t made any statement to say he isn’t our James Bond. It’s so difficult to comment, when we don’t have a script or even a start date." The magazine asked if Brosnan still has a contract with Eon, and McCormack said that "He signed an initial three contract deal with us and from then on it’s on a film by film basis. So he hasn’t signed one yet."

CBn’s take:
These statements seem to be very diplomatic. Rumours can be denied or confirmed, so this is essentially a "non-statement". What does "for now" mean? And what about "It’s so difficult to comment…"? If Brosnan is in Bond 21, then he’s in Bond 21. Why not say so?

This statement could contribute to the recent confusion surrounding Pierce Brosnan even more.

Feel free to discuss in this topic in the CBn Bond 21 forums. And thanks to ‘Agent76’ for submitting the news.

MGM & Brosnan Repact

Trade paper Variety reports that MGM has renegotiated its deal with Pierce Brosnan and Beau St. Clair’s production company Irish Dreamtime. The company produced the drama Evelyn in 2002 for MGM’s United Artists division as well as the 1999 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair which starred Brosnan and Rene Russo.

Currently MGM and Irish Dreamtime are developing several Brosnan vehicles at the studio, including The Thomas Crown Affair 2 and the forthcoming action flick Mexicali to star Brosnan and Salma Hayek.

“MGM has been our home for a while now, and we’ve developed great relationships with the production and marketing teams,” St. Clair said. “We’re really pleased to continue our partnership with the studio and look forward to working on more good movies for both MGM and United Artists.”

Brosnan is expected to return for a fifth outing as British secret agent James Bond. The 21st pic in Eon’s spy series is being readied for a November 2005 release. This contradicts what has been reported previously by CBn and major news outlets regarding Brosnan’s return to the role, still no official confirmation or denial of rumours that have been circulating recently, but as soon as we hear more news regarding the negotiations we’ll keep you updated.

Thanks to Variety Online for the news. Please feel free to discuss this news in the CBn Forums.