James Bond didn't need a reboot, but this website did. Its origins were as a site arguing that Pierce Brosnan should be kept on as Bond and calling for a boycott of Casino Royale. However, the consensus on our forum was that this no longer reflected our aims as an online community. This site has acquired a new function. Casino Royale created a sort of herd mentality on other Bond fansites. Those critical of the current orthodoxy on Craig have been made to feel unwelcome on the traditional James Bond forums and most have either left, had their account deleted, or stopped posting altogether. The Daniel Craig is not Bond forum provides a haven where people are free to debate the current direction of the Bond franchise in a democratic fashion.
THIS IS NOT A DANIEL CRAIG HATE SITE. Daniel Craig is not the devil, merely a talented actor who we feel was miscast as James Bond. For some of us, the issue is the fact that he looks so unlike any of the previous actors to play the role or any general conception of James Bond. Others feel that he appears too uncouth compared to the suave Bond we know and love. This was a widespread view when his name was first linked to the part, even from those who mysteriously fell into line when he was cast in November 2005.
Many of us are also unhappy at the decision to "reboot" the series, ignoring the previous 20 Bond films and starting the series again from scratch. We feel this was an unnecessary and cynical move, aimed at expanding the fanbase by disparaging a series of films that we love. Whilst few of us would object to the series changing to reflect audience tastes, Casino Royale and its attendant publicity seemed to send out the message to long term Bond fans that the previous films were all rubbish and you were idiots for enjoying them. Casino Royale set out to be a Bond film for people who don't like Bond films. Well, that ain't us! If this is Bond 2.1, then we preferred Bond 1.0.
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Spyglass Entertainment reportedly nearing deal to run MGM
According to The Wall Street Journal Spyglass Entertainment is nearing a deal to run MGM. Spyglass, which has co-financed such movies as Dinner for Schmucks, Star Trek, and The Sixth Sense, would receive a 4 percent ownership stake in the restructured studio, and creditors would forgive MGM's $4 billion debt in exchange for the bulk of the studio’s new equity. A deal could reportedly be finished as soon as this week, ultimately paving the way for MGM to return to making movies, including the James Bond franchise and Peter Jackson's two Hobbit films.
In two recent interviews Ian Fleming Publications Ltd new hired pen (Jeffery Deaver) let a couple details about of his exciting new James Bond story slip.
Apparently he is going to reboot the book series. An unusual step, discarding Ian Fleming's work, the source of the Bond series and all the success.
An especially Curious move since the last author hired by the Fleming foundation (Sebastian Faulks), mimicked Ian Fleming's style, "writing as him". Going as far as to create a story set immediately after events found in Ian Fleming's last book The Man With the Golden Gun.
Jeffery Deaver new book tentatively titled 'Project X' is as yet unwritten, it remains to be seen how the events he is describing unfold and how well his work is received by Bond fans.
Too radical? Just Right?
We look forward to finding out first hand.
But this novel will be set in the present day, not in the 1950s, and "none of the backstory (of the Fleming novels) exists," he notes.
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"It will be set in present day with Bond a young man who has been away fighting in Afghanistan," he said.
"At least part of the book will be set in London and it will be pretty fast paced.
"I'm not making it with a view to be made in to a film but obviously if it is, that would be great."
James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are reportedly "panicked" about the future of their spy series.
An MGM insider told The Hollywood Reporter: "They're completely panicked that if they go five, six years without a Bond movie, it'll be over. They don't want to kill the golden goose."
Earlier reports alleged Barbara Broccoli wanted Time Warner to buy MGM, but are concerned about a potential MGM takeover by Lionsgate, Spyglass Entertainment, or Summit Entertainment because the studio's entire 12-month production budget is less than the cost of a Bond movie.
The most successful movie franchise of all time is the "Harry Potter" series, which recently edged out another famous Brit: James Bond.
According to Box Office Mojo, the first six adaptations of J.K. Rowling's beloved books have earned a staggering $5.4 billion worldwide, not adjusted for inflation.
The 22 films considered part of the official Bond canon (the 1967 spoof "Casino Royale" and the 1983 out-of-continuity "Never Say Never Again" don't count) have earned an estimated $5 billion globally. But even if the earnings of those two films were included, it still wouldn't be enough to put 007 on top.
If only U.S. box-office totals are counted, then the six-film "Star Wars" saga would be the top draw, with $1.9 billion in receipts, compared to $1.7 billion for the "Harry Potter" movies and $1.6 billion for Bond films. (Worldwide, the "Star Wars" movies have earned $4.2 billion.)
But the box-office receipts may not tell the whole story. When other sources of money such as merchandising are included, then George Lucas' Star Wars universe of Jedi, droids and Wookiees is Hollywood's highest-grossing franchise. In 2005, Forbes estimated the Star Wars Empire had grossed $20 billion from movie tickets, books, games and anything else you could possibly license.
Still, Bond is certainly Hollywood's greatest franchise in terms of endurance and longevity. Since the first Bond adventure, "Dr. No" in 1962, it has thrived for 48 years, although the 23rd Bond picture is reportedly on hold for now.
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN says dream-invading sci-fi thriller Inception, which hits UK screens on July 16, is his ultimate homage to the James Bond films.
The movie features a ski chase and other 007-style action sequences, and the director admitted: "This is absolutely my Bond movie.
"I've been plundering from the Bond movies in everything I've done, forever. I grew up loving them and they're just a huge influence on me."
Speaking in Empire magazine, he said: "When you look at being able to construct a scenario that's only bound by your imagination, I think the world of Bond movies is a natural place for your mind to go."
He said Inception was most like George Lazenby's 1969 Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which was his favourite in the franchise.
Nolan explained: "It's a hell of a movie, it holds up very well. What I liked about is that we've tried to emulate in this film is there's a tremendous balance in that movie of action and scale and romanticism and tragedy and emotion.
"Of all the Bond films, it's by far the most emotional. There's a love story. And Inception is a kind of love story as well as anything else."
In Nolan's new corporate espionage thriller, Leonard DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, a spy whose work stealing ideas and information from people's dreams has made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved.
But then he is then offered a chance at redemption with a job where he won't extract anything but will instead plant an idea.
A battle royal between Casino Royale Productions and Pinewood Studios is coming to a head nicely.
The case involves a fire at the studios, started as oxyacetylene torches were used to dismantle water tanks used in filming Bond flick Casino Royale which Pinewood claims caused £8m worth of damage.
Casino Royale is fighting the claim, but not with fountain pen guns and laser beam watches. Instead it is employing the old-fashioned method of getting in the lawyers. "It is denied," the defence papers state, "that this work was actually carried out by Casino Royale. Casino Royale had engaged First Imperial Services to dismantle the set... First Imperial had subcontracted the dismantling ... to J Male & Son, who had in turn subcontracted the work to Downton Structures.
"It was Downton that was actually carrying out the cutting work."
I've no plans to direct Bond films: Martin Campbell
Martin Campbell, The man behind Bond hits GoldenEye and Casino Royale has had enough of 007 and spy thrillers, at least for the moment. Martin Campbell, who convinced Mel Gibson to come out of self-imposed hibernation for Edge of Darkness, says he is now "excited" about his first superhero movie Green Lantern.
"As of now I have no plans to direct a Bond film. I think I am done with it for now," Campbell told IANS in an e-mail interview from London.
The director, who has worked with both Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, said "Both brought the essence of James Bond and that is what a filmmaker wants at the end of the day. It would be unfair on my part to compare the two.
Rachel Stevens Wants To Be A Bond Girl -But Not With Craig
The former S Club 7 singer is currently working on her new solo album, but would much rather become an actress.
Rachel is currently pregnant with her first child but once she returns to work she has a long list of roles she would like to play. At the top of that list is one of the British spy's sexy lovers.
"I'd absolutely love to be a Bond girl," she gushed. "That would be amazing! I think I'll start spreading that rumour around so that I'm in with a chance. All that action and sexy costumes - it would be so much fun."
However, if she won the role, the 32-year-old singer would not like to share the screen with current Bond actor Daniel Craig. Instead, she wants to star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, who she thinks would make an excellent secret agent.
"My James Bond would have to be Leonardo DiCaprio because he's such a good actor and he's not bad looking either, which helps," she told the British edition of OK! magazine.
The end of May offered a deluge of new reports repeating a National Enquirer story "OH-OH-7!: Daniel Craig's Steamy Gay Kiss". Similar stories were found previously in the L.A. Times and several independent bloggers.
In the month since these allegation first appeared there has been no official response from Craig's handlers.
From MTV News "Daniel Craig Gay? Reports suggest the James Bond actor was caught kissing a man... 16:19, Thursday, 27 May 2010
James Bond star Daniel Craig has reportedly been spotted kissing a 'good-looking guy' in Venice.
According to the National Enquirer, the hunky actor may have been 'outted' as bisexual or even gay as he was allegedly seen with the unidentified man in Roosterfish bar earlier this month.
An onlooker claimed: "It was definitely Daniel Craig, and he was most certainly making out with a guy,"
"Daniel kissed his friend on the lips. It was an open-mouth passionate French kiss. In fact, Daniel held the guy's head in his hands and pull him in for the kiss!"
The witness alleges that as soon as 007 saw that he was being watched, he: "immediately broke away from the guy. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it."
Another source also reportedly saw Craig and his friend stating: "When Daniel and his friend walked in, they looked like any other upscale gay couple checking out the scene. He rubbed Daniel's leg and shoulder while they talked, and Daniel didn't seem to mind."
They continued: "At first, I thought Daniel may have come in with his gay friend to check out the live music. But when they started dancing together, I though, 'This is more than just two friends out for drinks.'"
Craig's reps have not yet responded to the allegations."
MGM announced Monday that the 23rd 007 film is nothing but a pipe dream right now, thanks to the studio's shaky financial situation.
"Due to the continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of MGM and the failure to close a sale of the studio, we have suspended development on BOND 23 indefinitely," Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said in a joint statement. "We do not know when development will resume and do not have a date for the release of BOND 23."
Henry Cavill voted best "alternative Bond" by DanielCraigisnotBond.com
Henry Cavill has been voted the best alternative James Bond in a competition for members of the DCINB Forum.
The competition included most of those actors who were considered for the role of Bond but were not cast.
Ironically the top two alternative Bonds from the last 40 years were the two actors beaten to the role by the woefully miscast Daniel Craig in 2005 - Henry Cavill and Sam Worthington!
Here is the top ten:
10. Richard Burton 9. David Warbeck 8. Jeremy Brett 7. James Purefoy 6. Cary Grant 5. Clive Owen 4. Lewis Collins 3. Hugh Jackman 2. Sam Worthington 1. Henry Cavill
Veteran Hollywood actress Dame Judi Dench is all set to tell her life story as she's penning an autobiography.
The actress, who plays James Bond boss M in the super spy series, has teamed up with publisher Weidenfeld & Nicolson to write the memoir that is titled 'And Furthermore', reports imdb.com.
The memoir will document her lengthy career, as well as her 30-year marriage to actor Michael Williams, who died in 2001 after losing his battle with lung cancer.
The book is expected to hit shelves in October this year
MGM Said to Be Considering a Prepackaged Bankruptcy
MGM Said to Be Considering a Prepackaged Bankruptcy By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED NY Times Published: March 9, 2010
With about 10 days to go before the next round of bids are due, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is still considering other options to help reorganize its almost $4 billion debt load. The options include a potential stand-alone bankruptcy plan, people with direct knowledge of the matter said Tuesday.
MGM put itself up for sale last fall as part of an effort to pay off the debt it took on in a $5 billion leveraged buyout in 2004. Its 4,000-title film library and rights to the James Bond series and "The Hobbit" have attracted the eye of rival studios and private equity firms. But potential buyers have signaled that they were willing to pay only about $1.5 billion or so.
That may lead to MGM considering filing for a prearranged bankruptcy that would involve its creditors taking over the studio in exchange for forgiving their debt, these people said.
MGM has been working on potential alternatives to a sale for some time, having hired advisers like the boutique investment bank Moelis & Company and the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. In August, it hired the restructuring expert Stephen F. Cooper to help lead the company.
While a forbearance agreement MGM has struck with its lenders will expire on March 31, the company is likely to seek yet another extension of that agreement, one of these people said. But the studio must also contend with a $250 million revolving credit facility that matures early next month, this person added.
Any final decision is likely to come after March 31, this person said. An MGM spokeswoman, Susan Arons, declined to comment.
MGM has faced several complications in its efforts to reorganize its debt. Its lender group has about 140 members, led by JPMorgan Chase.
Jetpacks have been the object of desire for gadget aficionados ever since Sean Connery took to the skies with a Bell Rocket Belt in the 1965 James Bond movie, Thunderball.
Since then, a Hollywood obsession with personal flight has seen the likes of Robocop, Iron Man and even R2-D2 take flight with some form of propulsion technology.
It still seems like science fiction, but Martin Aircraft - a New Zealand company founded in 1988 - has turned it into reality with the world's first commercially available solution; the Martin Jetpack.
The device, pictured above, measures a significant 5ft in height, 5ft in length and 5.5ft in width, and weighs nearly 250kg. Designed to strap onto the back of a single person, it can provide an individual with up to 30 minutes of flight time.
14 Feb 2010 There is a new BBC Radio 4 adaption of Goldfinger. It follows the recent Dr. No adaption.
Ian Mckellen is Goldfinger Rosamund Pike (Die Anther Day) is Pussy Galore Toby Stephens returns as James Bond 007
Here's a bit of fun: Radio 4's James Bond adaptations are back at Easter with another instalment complete with a top cast:
"A brand-new radio recording of Ian Fleming's Goldfinger has been produced by Jarvis & Ayres, featuring an all-star cast and scheduled to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 over Easter weekend 2010.
Pierce Brosnan has revealed that he wouldn't mind his old job as James Bond back --and he doesn't know why he was was fired from the role in the first place.
In a recent ABC interview Brosnan stated:
"I was wondering why the door closed on me!,"I thought everything was going so well! You know 'Come back,' they say, 'Come back' and there you go! We won't talk about that."
He says he still enjoys being recognized and called James Bond "They call me out, 'Hey James, hey Bond,' and I wear it with pride," Brosnan said of his fans. "I had the greatest time in my life, making that character, being part of that franchise."
It's the first time Brosnan has revealed his true feelings about no longer being Bond having previously praised his successor Daniel Craig . Back in '04, he told Entertainment Weekly, "Bond is another lifetime .... behind me."
However he has never watched Craig fully in the role "I tried to watch it on a plane once," I thought, OK 37,000 feet, this is a good distance to watch it from. And I watched it and it broke down, and then they fixed it and it broke down again."
Sounds like he wouldn't mind another 007 role himself.
Brosnan's star power on rise with flurry of new films
BERLIN - It's shaping up to be a good year for Pierce Brosnan fans. The 56-year-old actor is in no less than four movies this season - the recent "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," in which he plays a centaur; "The Ghost Writer"; next month's "The Greatest," which teams him with Susan Sarandon; and "Remember Me," with "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson.
He refers to the last two as "bookends."
"In both I'm a grieving father. One is from Brooklyn, a very high-powered businessman and distant from the grief and the death. The other is a mathematician with a wife and a middle-class life, who is desperately coping with the loss of his son," he said.
First up, though, is "The Ghost Writer," in which he plays Adam Lang, a former British prime minister who hires a writer to complete his memoirs, an act which uncovers secrets and a web of deceit.
The thriller won Roman Polanski a Best Director award at the recent Berlin Film Festival.
Aussie Sam Worthington tipped to be next James Bond
* From: The Daily Telegraph * February 15, 2010 6:22PM
FRESH from his success as an intergalactic Avatar, betting agencies are tipping Sam Worthington to slide into James Bond's Aston Martin as the next 007.
The Australian hunk has become favourite, ahead of Will Smith to replace Daniel Craig as the famed British spy on the big screen.
Bill Gordon Designer of Arecibo Radio Telescope Dies
Bill Gordon Designer of Arecibo Radio Telescope Dies Friday, February 19, 2010 8:21 AM
February 18, 2010|By Thomas H. Maugh II LA TIMES
Bill Gordon, who designed a massive radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, arranged funding, shepherded it through construction and was its first director, died Tuesday of natural causes in Ithaca, N.Y. He was 92.
Non-astronomers might not be familiar with the name of the Arecibo Observatory, but film buffs will recognize the massive dish, sunk in a limestone sinkhole in the picturesque hills of the island country and was featured in the 1997 film "Contact" and the 1995 James Bond film "GoldenEye."
We are not a publication that covers sports. I’m aware. But every once in a while the world of movies intersects with the world of sports, creating an awesome experience for everyone involved. Such is the case with South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-Na, who earlier this evening brought the house down at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver with a short program set to a medley of James Bond theme songs. With her exciting, James Bond-cool program, she has propelled herself into 1st place in the women’s competition after the first of two programs. Her 78.5 point score shattered he own world record, leaving the rest of the field in the dust.
Mr White actor Jesper Christensen says Craig Bonds are s**t!
Danish actor Jesper Christensen has dismissed the two rebooted "James Bond" films with Daniel Craig as s**t. Christensen, who played Mr. White in Casino Royale and it's sequel Quantum of Solace attacked the "predictability and quality of the two films he appeared in opposite Daniel Craig".
At the press conference for his new film "The Family" at the Berlin film festival, Christensen said that he is "happy that his interlude as a villain in the James Bond series is over."
"Today, I admit that I regard [Casino Royale] and [Quantum of Solace] as really ****. All the people die in them, so two movies are enough for me."
Barbie has been a childhood favorite for over 50 years, but next month, she will finally come in bikini form, as Mattel plans on releasing three James Bond Girls Barbie Dolls based on the classic film series.
Appropriately, Honey Ryder, the femme fatale played by Ursula Andress in the original 1962 Bond movie 'Dr. No,' is the first up to be released, clad in the white bikini that made Andress the target of every guys' crush. Subsequent Bond girls include Halle Berry's Jinx from 'Die Another Day' and, arguably the least subtle-name ever for a Bond girl, Pussy Galore, as played by Honor Blackman in 'Goldfinger' (in other words: these ladies may not be suitable for kids).
According to the doll's sellers, "What better way to celebrate the long-running film franchise than with this series of dolls depicting the legendary "Bond Girls"!"
Brosnan also revealed that he has never watched Daniel Craig as 007.
"I haven't seen Daniel in the role. I tried watching it on an airplane," he says. "I thought 37,000 feet was a good distance to watch it from and it broke down right at the beginning. The attendant came and changed it and it broke down a second time, so I figured 'OK. The Gods must be saying something . . .' ]
"So I never went near it! I just thought, 'let sleeping dogs lie.' I got the Academy screener for the last one and I turned it on for my boys and I left them to it. I didn't go near it."
The first round of bids for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer turned out a shade better than expected, but the offers aren't close to covering the $3.7 billion that is owed to lenders.
Bids ranged between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion, according to people with knowledge of the situation, and MGM has begun to explore how it could stage a streamlined "prepackaged" bankruptcy as part of the auction.
In all, MGM received interest from more than 10 suitors. Some made actual bids while others expressed interest but haven't submitted offers.
London, Jan 17 (ANI): Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the studio behind the James Bond franchise, could end up getting a Bollywood makeover if a billion-dollar movie deal goes through.
MGM is in a financial crunch right now, and is set to be bailed out by Indian movie giants Reliance Big Pictures, which is owned by tycoon Anil Ambani, 60.
Ambani wants to snap up MGM for a knockdown price of about 1.5 billion dollars, and a source close to him has revealed he wants buy the studio to help his bid to become the world's most powerful movie mogul.
If the deal goes through, Ambani will gain the rights to the Bond movies.
Ambani already owns a stake in Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks studio and has struck deals with Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Jim Carrey and Julia Roberts to develop their films.
"Anil is desperate to become the biggest mover and shaker in world movies and buying MGM is central to that plan," the Daily Star quoted a source as saying.
"Archer": The spy who shoved me FX's animated James Bond parody injects cheap sex and hand-to-hand combat into the workplace comedy Sterling Archer is a square-jawed international spy who's also a bit of a tool. He hates his bossy mother (who is also his boss). He hates his bossy ex-girlfriend (who is also his co-worker and a fellow spy). He wants his mom to listen to him, and he wants his ex to dump her wimpy boyfriend and take him back. Occasionally, he kills people by accident. ("I'll fetch the rug," offers his butler, Woodhouse [George Coe], in a matter-of-fact tone, as if he's merely fetching the morning paper.)
In other words, Archer is just like James Bond, only he's self-centered, ineffectual, hopelessly arrogant and prone to firing his weapons in the middle of a crowded office. In turn, FX's animated comedy "Archer" (premieres 10 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14) is just like a James Bond movie, only it's faster-paced, less realistic, more depraved, more mean-spirited, more violent, and it includes lots of potty humor, dirty jokes and cheap shots at Dane Cook.
Matt Damon has starred as Jason Bourne in two movies but was among the actors considered to be the next 007.
Matt Damon as Bond? First choices for roles intriguing
Matt Damon as James Bond? Will Smith as Captain America? Sean Connery as Obi-Wan Kenobi? Or Gandalf? Nicolas Cage as Superman? Leonardo DiCaprio as Spider-Man? Or Heath Ledger?
They all could have happened if things had gone as originally planned.
For example, Damon was among the actors under consideration to be the next 007 when producers and the studio were unsure whether they were going to radically re-imagine the concept.
Some thought went into an American Bond, and Damon's performance in "The Bourne Identity" (2002) was enough to garner him some consideration for the role.
This was, of course, before Universal Pictures decided to turn the Bourne character and concepts into a franchise.
Mr. Kate Winslet MIGHT Be The Next 007 Director or "CONSULTANT" on James Bond 23
With MGM currently having financial problems and facing a possible sale, all of the studio's projects are in a state of flux, and are proceeding either very carefully or in some cases, not at all. The biggest of them all is definitely James Bond 23, which is controlled by EON Productions and the Broccoli family estate. Because of the situation with MGM, EON is making a cautious move; they're not hiring a director yet (which would move the project into the next stage of finances), but are instead in talks with Sam Mendes (Away We Go, I) to come aboard as a "consultant." That's a sort of wink-wink-nudge-nudge way of saying they want him to be the director, but can't call him that just yet. Sam Mendes is one of the most critically acclaimed directors working today, and he's already worked with Daniel Craig before, on 2002's Road to Perdition. If Mendes does eventually sign on to direct James Bond 23, he will be one of the most high-profile directors to ever direct a Bond movie.
Pre-production has been halted and filming postponed while the future of the Bond franchise hangs in the balance.
The 23rd Bond film was to have been bankrolled by MGM but the Hollywood studio is up for sale in a bid to clear mounting debts.
The 007 blockbusters are a lucrative franchise and could be sold off. "In the words of another great British hero, Antarctic explorer Captain Oates, the next James Bond movie may be some time," said Terence Doyle, editor of British Film Magazine.
Michael G Wilson, who produces the Bond films with Barbara Broccoli, admitted: "We just don't know enough about the situation to comment but we know it's uncertain."
The earliest a new film is likely to go into production is at the end of this year...
