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James Bond News
Limited Edition Replica Golden Guns to be Released
Posted June 21st, 2010
The online collectibles store Factory Entertainment has created two officially licensed limited edition replicas of the golden gun that appeared in The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974. The million dollar per shot pistol used by Francisco Scaramanga, has been recreated as a 1:1 scale exact replica.
There are two editions of the gun, the regular edition, and the Dual signature edition that includes a numbered plaque signed by both Christopher Lee, who played Scaramanga, and Roger Moore, who of course played James Bond. Both editions are plated with 18 carat gold, and can be dissembled into five parts, including the bullet.
The company did extensive research into the original prop, talking with the original designer as well as the main cast of the film, and treading through the EON archives. The replica is officially licensed by Danjaq LLC and EON Productions. The regular edition is limited to 1000 guns, and the dual signature edition is limited to 400.
Goldeneye 007 to be Remade for the Wii
Posted June 16th, 2010
Everybody's favourite first person shooter for the Nintendo 64, Goldeneye 007, is going to be remade as a Wii exclusive title. Originally released in 1997, Goldeneye's revolutionary gameplay, split screen multiplayer deathmatch, and great control system became an instant hit. It went on to become the 3rd best selling game for the N64, with over 8 million copies.
The remake will see Daniel Craig replacing Pierce Brosnan, and a modified story by Bruce Feirstein, who wrote the screenplay for the original Goldeneye film. Bruce also scripted Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, and the games Everything or Nothing and From Russia With Love, so the plot will be top notch.
Unfortunately the original developer, Rare, won't be involved in the remake. It will however be handled by the British game studios Eurocom, who made James Bond Jr. for the NES and SNES, The World is Not Enough for the N64, and 007: Nightfire for the PS2 and xbox.
Aston Martin DB5 Designer Dies
Posted March 15th, 2010
Harold Beach, the designer of one of the most famous and important cars in film history, the Aston Martin DB5, died late last month. His career in the industry spanned through Rolls Royce, Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Bently, and reached its peak at Aston Martin. He worked his way up through chief designer, chief engineer and technical director.
In 1956 Beach designed the DB4 chassis that was the foundation for the Aston's super lightweight aluminum body. He designed many parts of the vehicle including the wing-side vents, that became an icon of Aston Martin designs. He also did road testing on his hour drive to work at the plant in Bukinghamshire.
The DB5 was essentially the 6th series of the DB4, with an upgraded engine. Its appearances in Goldfinger and Thunderball in the mid 60s launched it to international fame, winning continuous awards for the Best Car in the World. James Bond preferred Bentlys in the novels, although he did drive an Aston Martin DB Mark III in Goldfinger. Harold Beach had an involvement with both of these car makers, and is a legend in the industry.
Judi Dench to Write an Autobiography
Posted March 12th, 2010
Dame Judi Dench, who has played M in the last six James Bond films, is set to write her autobiography, which is rumored to be released later this year. This long awaited book will chronicle her lengthy career in almost 100 films and TV shows, as well as her personal life with husband, and fellow actor, Michael Williams.
With a tentative title of And furthermore, the biography will be co-written with John Miller and published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, who paid somewhere in the 6-figures for the rights! At 75 years old, Judi is still going strong, and will appear again as M in next years James Bond film.
Bond 23 In Production
Posted May 25th, 2009
In a recent interview with The Sun, Michael Wilson stated "We have started work on the new film, which I can't say anything about. Daniel Craig is very keen to get going." So there you go, after a few breaks and delays, Bond 23 is in production.
Wilson also commented on possible candidates for the Bond 23 theme song. "I would love to get Duffy to sing the next tune. I think she is wonderful. Amy Winehouse would be good too."
The image on the right is only a speculative guess at the next title, as it's an original Fleming short story title. The title was supposedly going to be used for Timothy Dalton's third film, but when he left the role, it was scrapped, and Pierce Brosnan and Goldeneye took its place.
Pierce Brosnan Turns 56
Posted May 17th, 2009
Happy Birthday Pierce! That's right, Pierce Brosnan has turned 56 today. Pierce played James Bond four times, in Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day, and is the only Irish actor to have played 007 so far.
Pierce has had a wonderful and varied career, and although he played James Bond fantastically, true fans will remember him better as master sleuth Remington Steele. Pierce has also had memorable roles in Mrs. Doubtfire, The Thomas Crown Affair and After the Sunset, among many, many others.
GoldenEye Voted #1 Film Based Video Game
Posted May 17th, 2009
The Independent recently ran an article on the best 10 video game adaptions of films. No surprise at all that Goldeneye got the #1 position, beating out Indiana Jones, Die Hard and even Star Wars.
Over a decade since it's release, Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64 is still one of the best shooters ever made, and definitely the best adaption of a film ever made. Developer Rare was the gaming studio in the 1990's, and Goldeneye was one of their best productions, with the possible exception of Donkey Kong Country.
Final Cover Art Revealed for The Girl Machine
Posted May 15th, 2009
We announced last month that The Girl Machine James Bond comic collection had been delayed. We now know that the delay was caused by a last minute change in the cover art.
The Girl Machine hasn't been seen since it's original syndication in The Daily Express between June 19th and December 3rd of 1973. The collection includes the three stories The Girl Machine, The Nevsky Nude and Beware of Butterflies.
The stories for the comics were written by Jim Lawrence, who has been on the team for over 30 years. He started doing them in 1966 when he replaced several other authors, working from Ian Fleming originals. If you were to count all the separate stories he has written, you'd find that it is more than any other James Bond author in any field.
James Bond Ian Fleming Collection In Large Print
Posted May 13th, 2009
Ian Fleming's thirteen James Bond Novels and short story collections, from Casino Royale through Octopussy and The Living Daylights, were re-released in Large Print in July of last year with beautiful covers. I found the link through fellow Bond site Commanderbond.net, and was amazed at the stylistic, but clean designs.
Check out this blog post for all the covers. They really are quite well done, and unlike a lot of other issues, the covers have the same overall style and fit together well, while still offering varying and interesting designs.
Artist Michael Gillette had a few tales about their creation:
Well, the format was very restrictive, but within that I had a fair bit of freedom. Occasionally there was a specific instruction, but not too often. The Bond Estate won't allow nudity, so that's why there are so many backs! No nipples for sure. Penguin and Jon were very supportive of the way I took it.
Daniel Craig: I'll keep doing Bond until my knees go
Posted May 5th, 2009
Daniel Craig recently had an interview with The Independent, where he discusses in length his intentions to stay with Bond.
Now Craig has been left with an interesting quandary: how does a respected actor -- who has worked with directors of the calibre of Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes -- avoid being pigeonholed as 007? After Casino Royale, he delivered a three-pronged answer, delving into fantasy (The Golden Compass), sci-fi (The Invasion) and melodrama (Flashbacks of a Fool). Were it not for the fact that the first disappointed, the second was a dud and the third sank without trace, this might have been a good move. But Craig claims he's no career strategist. "I'm not looking for stuff that's the antithesis of a Bond movie just because I think that's what I should do," he says.
Roger Moore's Autobiography Released in Paperback Today
Posted April 30th, 2009
Roger Moore's Autobiography, which was originally released in hardcover in last September, is now out in paperback. My Word is My Bond is a Sunday Times Bestseller, and has received extremely positive reviews all around the board. You can pick it up half price on amazon.co.uk, but it won't be released in some countries until May 7th.
Don't forget that Roger Moore is currently reading his autobiography on Radio 2, as we mentioned last month. It started last friday, but it's ongoing for six weeks, and can also be caught online at Radio 2.
One of the most recognizable big-screen stars of the past half-century, Sir Roger Moore played the role of James Bond longer than any other actor. Beginning with the classic Live and Let Die, running through Moonraker and A View to a Kill, Moore brought his finely honed wit and wry charm to one of Hollywood's most beloved and long-lasting characters.
Sir Roger Moore the Happy Hypocondriac
Posted April 28th, 2009
I came across a rather bizarre but nevertheless interesting article today on Roger Moore, all about the many health problems he has gone through in the past. The article was published in the daily mail a few weeks ago, but can be found online at Roger Moore's Official Site.
The article obviously has a somewhat sad tone, but with all the quotes littered throughout, Roger Moore's great sense of humour lifts it up. An interesting read, and definitely quite different from the usual.
However, the action hero and death defying-007 could not be more at odds with Sir Roger who, unlike most men, is refreshingly candid about his health - or lack of it - and even thanks some 18 doctors - 'just half of the number who have kept me going' - in his autobiography. 'I was going to call it Out Of The Bedpan,' he joshes.
The Girl Machine James Bond Comic Collection Delayed
Posted April 28th, 2009
The Girl Machine comic book collection that we announced a few months ago, has now been delayed until July 21st, 2009, a month past it's originally planned release date. We're not sure why it's delayed yet, but I suspect it may be for quality reasons, since it hasn't been published since it's original syndication, it can be hard to track down good quality archives to scan.
The stories for the comics were written by Jim Lawrence, who has been on the team for over 30 years. He started doing them in 1966 when he replaced several other authors, working from Ian Fleming originals. If you were to count all the separate stories he has written, you'd find that it is more than any other James Bond author in any field.
Olga Kurylenko is the 38th Sexiest Women Alive
Posted April 24th, 2009
We reported earlier this month that Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton had been nominated as part of FHM Magazine's Top 100 Sexiest Women poll. We also said that we expected at least one win, and we came through with it.
We're pleased to announce that Olga Kurylenko made the list, coming in at #22, which is quite a jump from her previous position of #38 in last years polls. The results were tallied up from over 10 million votes from the public, which is often a more accurate method when compared to a small selection of judges.
James Bond to be Part of The Real Story TV Show
Posted April 23rd, 2009
An upcoming TV series The Real Story will be examining the true history and background of famous adventure tales, including The Untouchables, The Amityville Horror, Escape From Alcatraz, Indiana Jones and of course, James Bond.
It is scheduled to air this August, but we won't see the James Bond part of the series until July. The press release follows:
Casino Royale Poker
James Bond has always been a great card player. In order to adjust to modern times, the card game of Casino Royale is Texas Hold'em poker, rather than Baccarat or Chemin de Fere. Bond keeps his aggressive style of play though, regardless of which game he plays.
Producer Michael Wilson explained why the shift was made to a more exciting game:
Casino Royale when it was written by Fleming involved a Chemin de Fer game in the South of France and that was a big stakes game in those days. Today the big stakes game is Texas Hold'em. It's not unreasonable for ten, twenty million dollar pots to be seen. So, when we came to think about what the game would be, Chemin de Fer didn't seem appropriate but Texas Hold'em was.
Casino Royale was a real test of poker skill. Poker can also be played online at an online casino, in fact it's much more convenient because you can play from the comfort of your home.
View more news in the James Bond News Archive.