Bond fans have been shaken and stirred by the news that Bond 23 – deep into development with Sam Mendes set to direct Daniel Craig – has been postponed indefinitely due to MGM’s financial woes.
But don't fear! Bond is Teflon-coated, and has survived legal disputes as surely as laser beams, pythons and poisonous shoes.
Hell, he’s been officially played by nearly as many actors as a cat has lives.
So we’re taking a chance to take stock of 48 years of Bondage to remind everyone that – as the films always used to put it – James Bond will return.
From Fleming To Film
The James Bond story starts, of course, with Ian Fleming.
Educated at Eton and Sandhurst, Fleming specialised in Naval Intelligence and rose to the rank of Commander during WWII.
He was already sharpening those storytelling skills, as he devised plots and strategies to help beat the Nazis. As Head of 30 Assault Unit, he planned missions for specially-trained commando raids to secure lucrative intelligence.
These experiences formed the basis for a series of novels about a secret agent, which he began to write at the Jamaican estate of the Bond family, whose son James – a natural history writer – provided the character’s name.
Debut Casino Royale was published in 1953, the first of what were to be 14 novels and short-story collections detailing the adventures of 007: suave seducer, deadly killer, and the perfect English hero for the Cold War.
The books’ bustling intrigue and action quickly found their way into other media, when Barry Nelson played Jimmy Bond in an American TV adaptation of Casino Royale.
Then, future Blockbuster presenter Bob Holness asked for a ‘JB’ in a South African radio adaptation in Moonraker. Bigger mainstream appeal came when the novels were serialised as comic strips in the Daily Express.
The big-screen seemed inevitable and, in 1959, Fleming began writing an original Bond screenplay with producer Kevin McClory. Their project would be abandoned but later form the basis of Fleming’s novel Thunderball, two film adaptations and no small amount of legal dispute.
Finally, in 1961, EON Productions, made up of entrepreneurial producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, purchased the rights to the series - bar Casino Royale - and secured United Artists as distributor. All they needed now was the right man to play 007.
Comments
davebau
Apr 28th 2010, 7:38
The information on how Bond got his name is wrong. It came from the name of an author of a bird watchers book. And the name of the estate is Goldeneye, which Flemming owned.
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blade32
Apr 30th 2010, 13:24
daniel craig as bond is dull dull dull. bond movies should be spy + mild comedy + gadets, not jason bourne style muscle. bring back pierce i say!! and get tarantino in too!
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Illustratedman
Apr 30th 2010, 15:59
Here we go with that Monty Norman c**p! Wiki: Norman is famous for writing the music to the first James Bond movie Dr. No, and has been credited with writing the "James Bond Theme," the signature theme of the James Bond franchise. Norman has received royalties since 1962 for the theme, but it was arranged by John Barry after the producers were dissatisfied with Norman's music. Barry claims that he actually did write the theme, but nevertheless, Mr. Norman won two libel actions against publishers for claiming that Barry was the composer, most recently against The Sunday Times in 2001. During the trial, Barry testified on the stand that he had, in fact, composed the The James Bond Theme, but that Norman was contractually obligated to receive credit for the score.
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Chrissie1954
Apr 30th 2010, 18:18
I agree with Blade 32. I can't stand what they've done with Bond now. Craig is a good actor but it's just NO FUN anymore - Bond was always about going to the cinema and waiting for the opening scene, the fast cars, the gadgets and the quips. It's just like any other spy movie now and it sucks.
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