In the 2006 movie Casino Royale, commander Bond starts his first mission as a double “0” agent at the age of 37. I always wondered what do James do in between dangerous missions and how many missions he had left in him since he comes so close to death in every adventure. Does he retire his double “0” status after several missions (just like the actors who play Bond) Since the final chapter hasn’t been written for Bond, how would the end come for James. Would he go out in a blaze of glory by Continue reading “The End For Bond?”
The Family Bond
Which actor, who played James Bond had family members playing 007 like characters in other movies? If your a radical Bond fan, like myself, you might have guessed it already but for the casual Bond fan I thought this would be pure fun to bring up.
Enterprising filmmakers and TV producers around the world have capitalized on the Bond theme and persona of the characters who played James Bond. Unfortunately, there are just so many Bond’s to go around and most of the actors who portrayed Bond are old enough to be today’s James Bond grandfather (actually that would be an interesting set up for a future movie!).
During the 1960’s there was a wave of Bondmania. Dean Martin drank his way through four spy spoofs, giving a new meaning to Continue reading “The Family Bond”
Who Should Play The Next Bond Super Villain?
Even though it is rumored that Michael Sheen will play the super-villain archenemy of James Bond, there is still time for Broccoli and the producers to choose another actor to play Blofeld.
We would like to know which actor you would like to see as the new Blofeld. If you can think of any please feel free to add them in comments.
Blofeld appears or is heard in three novels: Thunderball, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and Continue reading “Who Should Play The Next Bond Super Villain?”
The Rebel Bond
George Robert Lazenby’s fame as 007 was fleeting – he starred in only one film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, before Sean Connery returned – but the story of how this ‘Aussie’ landed the most coveted action role in cinema is legend.
Lazenby’s childhood was spent skiing and stock car racing, both of which he excelled at. After school he worked as a mechanic and used car salesman before serving in the Australian Special Forces as a sergeant and martial arts instructor in several black belt disciplines.
In 1964 Lazenby left Sydney for a new life in Continue reading “The Rebel Bond”
From Beijing With Love
James Bond parodies have become a staple from the very beginning. On almost every continent there is either a James Bond knockoff or a parody of some sort. Some are hilarious (Austin Powers movies come to mind) and some were so bad we wish we could forget them but there are a few that are so camp they become instant classics (Our Man Flint).
Hong Kong’s top comedian Stephen Chow might have created the latter with From Beijing With Love.
Stephen Chow is famous for creating comedies with his special brand of double innuendos, puns and a wink at popular movies from the West and East. The breakout movies he directed Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Shuffle gave him super Continue reading “From Beijing With Love”
James Bond Spin-Offs
In 2002, the character, ‘Jinx’ in Die Another Day was picked to be a spin-off vehicle for Halle Berry. Bond film producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson were very excited about developing a possible series of movies with the character. In 2002, Broccoli was quoted in EW as saying ”Basically, we’re looking for any excuse to spend more time with Halle, ”We just loved working with her.”
At first, Berry wasn’t quite sold on the idea of playing Jinx in Die Another Day. Fortunately, after reading the script and saw that her character was a strong ‘Bond Girl’ with an agenda and a mission equal to Bond, she jumped on board.
Unfortunately, in 2003 MGM pulled the plug on a possible spy spin-off from the Bond franchise. Barbara Broccoli was reportedly very upset by MGM’s move and her spokesperson later said that “there were creative differences” but rumors persist that the real reason Continue reading “James Bond Spin-Offs”
The Favored Bond?
No matter how you feel about Timothy Dalton as James Bond, he was actually the most sought out actor to play Bond during most of the franchise’s history. Some Bond fans dismiss him as a Shakespearean actor who got lucky by being available at the right time. In reality he was asked to play Continue reading “The Favored Bond?”
The Real James Bond
Even though most Bond enthusiast know that James Bond is loosely based on Ian Fleming’s own stint in the Naval Intelligence Division as a commander with the codename 17F, he also decided to include some of the exploits of the first well known super-spy Sidney Reilly.
Sidney G. Reilly 1873-1925, also known as the “Ace Of Spies” worked for many British services including Scotland Yard, The British Secret Service Bureau, The Secret Intelligence Service and MI1 (later known as MI6). But unlike the character James Bond, who was crafted after him, his loyalty did not lie with the British Empire alone.
Reilly is allegedly known to have spied for at least four other nations as well as becoming a war profiteer.
His life is shrouded in legend. Since some of the escapades his friends and biographers wrote about were sensationalized, I’ll try to stick with most of the known facts. Continue reading “The Real James Bond”
An American James Bond?
There have been several Americans who were considered to play in the first James Bond movie Dr. No. The most interesting pick from the creator of James Bond, was Steve Reeves from the famous Hercules movies of the late 50’s and early 60’s. Even though now we probably can’t imagine him being a suave slim British super spy, he was the most sought after actor of his time and had a fan mail base of over 2 million worldwide. The producers and Ian Fleming offered Reeves Continue reading “An American James Bond?”
Cary Grant As James Bond?
Apparently the producers of the James Bond films originally approached Cary Grant about playing the role of Britain’s 007 agent. Cary declined the role because he didn’t want to be tied to a film series. Some say he turned down the role of James Bond in Dr. No (1962), believing himself to be too old at 58 to play the character. Even though Grant was 59 at the time he filmed the romantic thriller Charade in 1963. The role went to Sean Connery starting with Dr. No in 1962. Fleming wasn’t entirely happy with the choice. “He’s not exactly what I had in mind,” said Fleming.
Ian Fleming also vetted Roger Moore to play James Bond in 1962 but he Continue reading “Cary Grant As James Bond?”