Former James Bond continuation novelist (1996-2002) Raymond Benson has been hard at work on his new book: The Black Stiletto.
The Black Stiletto cover
Could Martin Talbot’s elderly, Alzheimer-stricken mother really have been the Black Stiletto? When Martin discovers several volumes of diaries hidden by his mother Judy he is stunned beyond all imagination. His mother, the underground heroine of yesteryear? Could it be true? Talbot is filled with doubt and disbelief. But the reappearance of one of the Stiletto’s old enemies with a thirst for merciless revenge makes the story more than real and could imperil the life of not only the Stiletto, but her son and granddaughter as well.
The book’s media-stocked website, www.TheBlackStiletto.net, is freshly launched; featuring video, photos, and illustrations of the mysterious crime-fighter. The site also includes praise from Jeffery Deaver, author of the new James Bond novel Carte Blanche.
Visit the web-site and check out the book trailer for everything you need to know before diving into the pages of The Black Stiletto!
The Black Stiletto will be released on September 5, 2011. In fact you can already pre-order the hardcover on Amazon.com where an E-book will later be made available. Also “Like” The Black Stiletto on Facebook.
Everyone’s thought of trying it, but few take the plunge to watching the entire James Bond movie collection in a row with almost no stops.
My girlfriend (CBn’s Athena Stamos) and I decided that her birthday would be a great excuse to finally give it a try: 25 movies (including the three “non-canon” entries) over the course of three days. We would watch them all in chronological order and only stop for a few hours of sleep in between each day. There would be no escape, for us at least. We invited our friends and fellow LA Bond fans, keeping an “open door” policy so that guests could come and go as they wished. We made a Facebook event with the schedule so that the more casual fans could decide when they’d like to show up. All in all we had over 30 people attend throughout the event. We also had a webcam so those who couldn’t make it would be able to “join” us.
To shake things up, we introduced an Olympics-style ratings system in order to answer that immortal question: Which Bond movie is the best of all? We printed out score cards, 0 through 10 (10 being perfect). After each film each audience member gave a score to the movie they just watched. It didn’t matter if they were Bond veterans or rookies (we had plenty of both), everyone’s score counted the same. The rankings were then averaged and inserted into our time-lapsed video.
You can see results below in the video we put together:
Bondathon Poster
For a Bond fan, the biggest reason for watching a Bondathon is that it forces you to reconsider your opinion of each film. Watching them in order, with an audience, on a new format (like Blu-ray) can all change how you view each film. Movies that you previously dismissed might surprise you, and old favorites might not hold up so well. Some observations about the films and the event:
The shock of our Bondathon was how well Never Say Never Again held up. Many of us, myself included, have always ranked it near the bottom. But watching the film, none of us could figure out why. Perhaps the languidness of Thunderball was still fresh in our memories, perhaps it was the excitement of seeing Sean Connery again after so many Roger Moore films, but no one could stop smiling. It’s still not a perfect film, as everyone agreed that the ending runs out of steam and that the music leaves a lot to be desired. But there were so many applause-worthy Bond moments that it got a big score. Even the dated elements -The wink at the end, the video games, the leotards- only added to the charm and entertainment.
Films that followed very high-scoring films suffered more than expected. On their own, flicks like Diamonds Are Forever seem to play much better. Whereas here, following the majesty that is On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, it seemed like a U-turn in the wrong direction towards goofier, lighter fare.
When you watch all the films in order without stop, you’ll find your patience wearing thin for the slower films. A Bondathon only highlights problems in pacing and plotting. This at least partly explains how Casino Royale (1967), Thunderball, A View To A Kill, and The Man With The Golden Gun got ranked on the low end.
The series has amazing changes in tone, but none is as big as the switch from Die Another Day to Casino Royale (2006). When you go from the villain in the robo-suit fighting Bond on a jet liner that’s been inflamed by a space mirror-laser, to a gritty noir scene of an assassination in an office, you can’t help but think this is the biggest change in tone of the series (and all for the better, judging by the scoring). Casino Royale (2006) was also one of the few films that had the power to bring the audience to complete silence (the end of OHMSS had a similar effect).
Overall, it was a wonderfully memorable weekend, and I would highly recommend a Bondathon for those crazy enough to host one. When you’re done, you’ll feel like a member of an exclusive club of die-hards. It’s a great way to catch up with friends, swap opinions with fellow fans, and expose people to the fantastic world of 007.
We’ve known James Bond would be back in a Bentley for his upcoming literary reboot novel Carte Blanche, but now there’s a press release with a number of good pictures. All the pictures are of Jeffery Deaver in or outside of Bond’s new Bentley Continental GT from his time in Dubai. Full press release below.
Press Release
BOND GIVES BENTLEY CARTE BLANCHE
Bond is back, and as ever he is sporting the best in luxury cars. In the pages of Carte Blanche,the new James Bond book by international best-selling author Jeffery Deaver, the fictional British spy has continued with his classic preference of luxury sports car by selecting the breathtaking new Bentley Continental GT as his transport of choice.
Carte Blanche is due to be published by Hodder and Stoughton in the UK on May 26, a few days before the anniversary of Fleming’s birthday. It has been commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.
The book is partly set in Dubai, which is where the author and the new Bond car have been spotted, outside the InterContinental Hotel in Dubai Festival City. Bond’s new Continental GT certainly suits his character, with a fabled 6.0-litre, W12, twin-turbo engine capable of producing 567 bhp and 516 lb-ft of torque.
While James Bond’s new car may be better suited for a secret agent in understated tones, the author of the book admired a less inconspicuous model. Set in stunning white with a blood-red interior, the new Continental GT mixes svelte good looks with power, poise and exceptional prowess. The hand-stitched leather interior contains all the high-tech gadgetry Bond could ever need. And with the famed sound dampening that only lets through the captivating sound of the wonderful engine, the cabin provides a true Quantum of Solace for Fleming’s jet-setting gentleman spy.
Jeffery Deaver sampled the stunning vehicle on his recent visit to the Emirates, where he commented, “I’m really excited about being back in Dubai. It is an inspirational and awe-inspiring city and makes a perfect Bond location-especially for a novel that pushes our hero to new extremes.”
Regarding the book’s title, which was revealed in January, Deaver added: “In the world of espionage, giving an agent carte blanche on a mission comes with an enormous amount of trust and constantly tests both personal and professional judgement. Part of the nonstop suspense in the novel is the looming question of what is acceptable in matters of national and international security. Are there lines that even James Bond should not cross?”
The James Bond of Ian Fleming’s original novels also opted for a Bentley. The world’s most famous spy would choose nothing less than the scintillating performance and second-to-none quality of the classic luxury car.
Jeffery Deaver has written 28 novels and sold more than 20m books worldwide. He is best known for his Kathryn Dance and Lincoln Rhyme books, most notably The Bone Collector, which was adapted for film in 1999, starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Before becoming a full-time author, Deaver was a journalist, like Fleming, and attorney. He started writing suspense novels on the long commute to and from his office on Wall Street. His books are now translated into 25 languages and he lives in North Carolina.
Roger Deakins is one of the most respected cinematographers in the business. He’s one of the best. How respected? He’s been nominated for 9 Academy Awards. True he’s never won one, but that could all change this year. Deakins is up again for his work on True Grit and could very well be headed to Bond 23 for his next project according to an interview with Collider.
[…] when I asked him about what’s coming up next, he said, “I’ll probably do a film with Sam Mendes next.” When I asked him if that meant he was shooting Bond 23, he said, “it might, yeah.”
Deakins has worked with director Sam Mendes before. Recently he worked on Revolutionary Road in 2008.
Curious what films Deakins’ was nominated for?
True Grit (2010)
The Reader (2008)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Kundun (1997)
Fargo (1996)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Bond 23 will be released on 9 November 2012. The film will be directed by Sam Mendes from a script written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. So far Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are the only actors known to be cast.
We’ve known for quite awhile that Raven Software was at one point developing a “stealth-centric” James Bond game. The game was put on hold so that Raven could focus on the Call of Duty brand after Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward imploded last year. After MGM emerged from bankruptcy the greenlight for the next Bond game (assumed to be this one) was said to have been given. According to a new report from Eurogamer, Raven’s Bond game had been in development for 20 months. This isn’t a huge surprise considering the amount of work that was shown in the leaked footage from an animator’s demo reel.
It should be noted that Eurogamer picked up that tidbit from a resume of a Raven Software employee on their LinkedIn account. No where in the CV does it actually mention “James Bond”, rather the game in question is referred to as an “international movie licence”. The resume also says the licence will be using Unreal Engine 3. Although the engine was born out of the first-person genre, it can and has been used with several different other genres. Of note, the engine powered such high profile games as Mass Effect, Gears of War, Batman: Arkham Asylum, BioShock, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine among many others.
The CV specifically says this employee was:
“Involved at highest levels of game design for an unreleased high-profile movie-license action/adventure game using the Unreal 3 engine. Duties include directing a full team of people from different disciplines to design and implement various aspects of the core game as well as specific levels and events in the game. Personal experience scripting and responsible for directing in-game cutscenes as well as implementing some of them”.
Could be their James Bond game or it could be a sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine (or another X-Men game) because to be fair that’s also an “international movie licence”, would likely use Unreal Engine 3 like its predecessor, and was developed by Raven Software too. Of course it’s probably Bond, the previously leaked footage looked like the Unreal engine to me.
More details about the Sony-MGM deal have come to light. Under the deal not only would Sony get the distribution rights to Bond 23, but Bond 24 as well according to the LA Times. Sony will fund half of Bond 23 and 25% of Bond 24. As suspected, the deal also includes theatrical distribution of other MGM films including Dan Bradley’s remake of the 80’s cult classic Red Dawn which has been completed.
Additionally, MGM’s huge library of 4,000 films will be taken over by Sony for home distribution which should include the entire James Bond franchise. Currently those rights are held by 20th Century Fox.
Bond 23 will be released on 9 November 2012. The film will be directed by Sam Mendes from a script written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. So far Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are the only actors known to be cast. According to MGM’s Chapter 11 petition filed in November 2010, Bond 24 should see release in 2014.
We’ve known for quite awhile that MGM wouldn’t be distributing Bond 23 itself. Recent reports linked MGM’s golden egg to Paramount and another to 20th Century Fox. According to Deadline, Paramount has dropped out because they were unwilling to go any lower for the distribution fee and because apparently MGM wanted a piece of another franchise that Paramount didn’t want to give up.
Taking the top spot again is Sony Pictures who is said to be on the verge of sealing the deal. Sony has long sought 007 going back to at least the 90s when they teamed up with Kevin McClory for an attempt at yet another Thunderball remake. They got what they wanted when they teamed up to distribute Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. According to Deadline, Sony’s strategy to win Bond 23 was described at one point as “pleading” and thus have agreed to most of MGM’s demands.
The new deal will likely be a big one. Not only will Sony distribute Bond 23, but they could also get worldwide theatrical rights to other upcoming MGM films and home distribution rights to Bond as well as to other MGM properties. Those home video rights are currently in the hands of 20th Century Fox. Also expect a deal to be announced where MGM will be co-financing a number of Columbia films which should bring MGM some much needed cash flow. The first movie that will likely fall under this deal is David Fincher’s upcoming English adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s novel The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo which also stars Daniel Craig.
One final note is that Freida Pinto from Slumdog Millionaire is mentioned in the article as a potential Bond girl. It’s another rumor anyway.
Bond 23 will be released on 9 November 2012. The film will be directed by Sam Mendes from a script written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. So far Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are the only actors known to be cast.
There’s good reason why the CBn forums have a “tabloid trash bin” thread. We see tons of these casting rumors all the time and almost all of them are nothing more than trash. The latest one comes from The Daily Mail and links Ralph Fiennes to Bond 23. Yeah, Lord Voldemort himself. Could it happen? Maybe? Javier Bardem has already been approached by Eon Productions to play a villain so already this sounds suspect. If true it would mean Bond 23 possibly has more than one villain. Not unheard of. From Russia with Love, Thunderball, and The World Is Not Enough all had multiple main villains. Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace questionably do too as do a number of others. It could be the same villain with just multiple prospects for the job, though the report says ‘no’ to that. This role is described as “darkly complex” – sort of similar to what Bardem was saying.
So why Ralph Fiennes? The sources says:
“the part is one of extreme complexity and only an actor of great ability and dexterity can take it on — and Ralph’s name is top of our list.“
Sounds suspect.
“I’m told a couple of other major names are being courted for roles in the picture.”
For a Bond movie? You don’t say!
At one point Kevin Spacey was spoken to about doing Bond 23, but he was already gearing up to play Richard III, which Mendes is directing at the Old Vic from June 18.
Wait, what? Now, Kevin Spacey. If that doesn’t reek of tabloid trash. Was Fiennes really at the top of the list? And, wait a minute, how does him playing Richard III in 2011 make him ineligible for a movie that doesn’t really start shooting till 2012. Mendes is even directing this so it’s not like there’s a conflict there…. Whatever.
Althougheveryoneisreportingonthis, I think we should have waited for a better source. It could happen. Who knows, but this is why we have that tabloid trash bin.
Bond 23 will be released on 9 November 2012. The film will be directed by Sam Mendes from a script written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. So far Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are the only actors known to be cast.
A post on the CBn forums alerts us to a portfolio for Vincent Shayer who was the lead UI/UX designer at Bizarre Creations until Activision decided to close its doors. In the portfolio are concepts for Blood Stone’s title sequence that never came to be.
Blood Stone Title Sequence concept #1
Although cool looking, it does have more of an Ocean’s 11 vibe to it than Bond, but personally I do like the minimalist look to it. Just like the finished product and Casino Royale this concept also uses silhouettes. The idea for this concept is actually based on the 007 logo.
Blood Stone Title Sequence concept #2
A completely different style, but still holding on to the Casino Royale silhouettes. I like this one too, honestly. It’s called “Oil Dispersion Concept”.
Blood Stone title sequence concept #3
A third style. This one is more akin to The World Is Not Enough (in my opinion). It’s called the “Oil Molecule Concept”.
On the subject of title sequences, I have nothing against MK12. They did a fine job with Quantum of Solace, but I sure hope Daniel Kleinman returns for Bond 23. He always brought a certain style that I’ve always loved.
To see all the images in Shayer’s portfolio (and there are lots more similar concept images to go with the ones above) check out: Vincent Shayer: Portfolio. For the final title sequence check it out here on CBn’s YouTube channel.
It’s been only a couple days since we last posted about Javier Bardem being offered a role for Bond 23, but today the LA Times got a chance to speak with him about this offer. Turns out the role is indeed for the villain of the film. Bardem sat down with director Sam Mendes to talk it over and came away “intrigued” though he wants to read the script first to ensure the material holds up.
“They’re changing the whole thing, the whole dynamic. I’d be playing Bond’s nemesis, yes, but it’s not that obvious. Everything is more nuanced. It’s very intriguing.”
– Javier Bardem
Bardem also talked about being a fan of the Bond series. “I’m a huge fan of the James Bond saga,” he says, “When I was little, I went watching Mr. Connery doing James Bond with my father. Who in the world would think I’d be in one of those movies?”
Bond 23 will be released on 9 November 2012. The film will be directed by Sam Mendes from a script written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. So far Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are the only actors known to be cast.
