JAMES BOND
NEWS

7 January 2021
Michael Apted, who directed Pierce Brosnan's third James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999), has died at the age of 79.

Born in Aylesbury on February 10, 1941, Apted began his career at Granada Television in Manchester. One of his first assignments was researcher on the ground-breaking documentary series Seven Up! (1964), which charted the lives of fourteen British children from a range of socio-economic backgrounds. Apted then directed the eight subsequent series which returned to the children every seven years. The last series 63 Up was broadcast by ITV in 2019. Apted also directed several episodes of the long-running Granada soap opera Coronation Street, and two episodes of the popular Yorkshire Television children's series Follyfoot (1971-73), which featured Desmond Llewelyn as Colonel Maddocks, owner of Follyfoot Farm.

Michael Apted's feature film debut was Triple Echo (1972) starring Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed. Apted then alternated work on TV and film with character-based dramas including Agatha (1979) starring Vanessa Redgrave, Dustin Hoffman and Timothy Dalton, Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) starring Sissy Spacek, Gorky Park (1983) starring William Hurt and Lee Marvin, and Gorillas in the Mist (1988) starring Sigourney Weaver as naturalist Dian Fossey.

Michael Apted was therefore an unusual choice when he was approached to direct The World Is Not Enough (1999) in August 1998. Having agreed to direct, Apted also had some input at the scripting stage and made many suggestions that were ultimately incorporated into the final uncredited rewrite by Dana Stevens (Apted's then wife). Most of the changes focussed on the strengthening of the character of Elektra King played by Sophie Marceau. In June 1999 Michael Apted was reunited with Follyfoot star Desmond Llewelyn (1914-1999) for his three-day shoot in Q's lab, which was the final appearance in the series for the much-loved actor. At the time of its release The World Is Not Enough became the highest-grossing James Bond film to date, taking over $350-million at the box-office.

In addition to his television and feature film work Apted also continued to direct documentaries including The Official Film of the 2006 FIFA World Cup narrated by Pierce Brosnan.

4 January 2021
American Actress Tanya Roberts, who played Stacey Sutton in A View To A Kill (1985), has died at the age of 65 - a day after her agent and partner prematurely announced the news.

Born Victoria Leigh Blum in New York City, Roberts began her career as a model in TV advertisements, and started acting in off-Broadway plays in the late 1970s. In 1980 Roberts was chosen from some 2,000 candidates to replace Shelley Hack in the fifth season of the popular US television series Charlie's Angels. The show ultimately suffered from low ratings and was cancelled in June 1981. Roberts then starred in the adventure fantasy film The Beastmaster (1982) which she promoted with a PLAYBOY pictorial in the October issue. Roberts followed this by playing the secretary to private detective Mike Hammer (played by Stacy Keach) in the television movie Murder Me, Murder You (1983), although she declined to appear in the follow-up series to work on Sheena: Queen of the Jungle (1984), which proved to be a critical and box-office disaster. Tanya Roberts then appeared as geologist Stacey Sutton in A View To A Kill (1985) opposite Roger Moore in his final James Bond film. After appearances in several more forgettable US films Tanya Roberts played the recurring role of Midge Pinciotti in three seasons of the popular US television period sitcom That '70s Show (1998-2000). She later appeared as a special guest in seasons 6 & 7 (2004), before leaving the series to look after her terminally ill husband Barry.

31 December 2020
Congratulations to Roger Deakins who has been awarded a Knighthood in the New Years Honours List 2021.

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said: “Roger is truly a great visionary of our time. His cinematography always brings depth and humanity to the screen. His uncompromising commitment to the work is unparalleled, he is a wonderful collaborator. We feel incredibly privileged that he created the stunning visual identity of Skyfall. Many, many congratulations to a great master.”

Roger Deakins was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA for his cinematography for Skyfall (2012).

Still available: 007 MAGAZINE ARCHIVE FILES - Skyfall

18 December 2020
Peter Lamont the noted set decorator, art director, and production designer most famous for working on 18 James Bond films from Goldfinger (1964) to Casino Royale (2006), has died at the age of 91.

Lamont began his career as a draughtsman on such films as The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), then as set decorator on This Sporting Life (1963); and later as art director for the first time on Sleuth (1972) working with production designer Ken Adam. In this capacity he worked on Live And Let Die (1973), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), before getting his first ‘production designer’ credit on For Your Eyes Only (1981).

Peter Lamont's first James Bond assignment was Goldfinger (1964) on which he worked uncredited as a draughtsman, later progressing to the position of set decorator on Thunderball (1965) [also uncredited], You Only Live Twice (1967), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Throughout his 60-year career, Peter Lamont was nominated for three Academy Awards for his work on Fiddler on the Roof (1971), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Aliens (1986); finally winning the Oscar as production designer for Titanic (1997).

007 MAGAZINE REDUX • EDITION – Issue #29 featuring an exclusive interview with Production Designer Peter Lamont

17 December 2020
Three-time James Bond film actor Jeremy Bulloch has died at the age of 75. After drama school Bulloch's first notable film appearance was in the 1963 Cliff Richard musical comedy Summer Holiday. Small roles in British films and television series followed, including BBC TVs long-running Doctor Who with appearances opposite William Hartnell (The Space Museum 1965); and Jon Pertwee (The Time Warrior 1973).

Jeremy Bulloch's first James Bond film appearance was as HMS Ranger Crewman Andrews in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). His next film role would be the one for which he will be best remembered - the bounty hunter Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back (1980). The actor also played an imperial lieutenant [uncredited] and is the only time Bulloch's face was seen in the series until his appearance as Captain Colton in Revenge of the Sith (2005). Bulloch's face was hidden by a mask whilst playing Boba Fett, and he was also re-voiced along with many of the other British actors in the Star Wars films. Bulloch returned to the James Bond series in 1981 to play ‘Q’s assistant Smithers in For Your Eyes Only. The character is named in the film but his performance went uncredited. Bulloch reprised the role in Octopussy (1983), this time credited as Jeremy Bullock. The same year Bulloch also returned to the role of Boba Fett in Return of the Jedi. Although the character is killed in the film, Bulloch played the role several times more in Star Wars related spin-offs and short films.

Writer Ian Fleming queried Hitler's intentions in a 1938 letter to The Times. A year later, he joined as a special correspondent before working for Naval Intelligence during the war. It wasn't until 1952 that he brought James Bond to life in CASINO ROYALE, creating an iconic character.

READ THE LETTER

20 James Bond films are now available to legally stream for free on YouTube. From Sean Connery’s debut in Dr. No (1962) to Pierce Brosnan’s penultimate outing The World Is Not Enough (1999), that’s almost every official 007 movie except for the Daniel Craig era. MGM have removed the paywall for the time being on their official YouTube account. This offer is currently only available to those streaming inside the US, and the films will include advertisements.

Sean Connery's 1983 comeback as James Bond in Never Say Never Again is also included in the collection.

WATCH THE FILMS

Paul O'Grady's Great British Escape Current viewing figures: 4 million
Episode 4: Wednesday, December 2 - 8pm ITV
Ian Fleming/James Bond in Kent

This episode sees Paul visit places long on his Kent bucket list - iconic spots on his doorstep but where he’s never set foot before, and in the process at one of James Bond author Ian Fleming’s old Kentish haunts, The Duck Inn at Pett Bottom near Canterbury, he meets up with 007 MAGAZINE editor & publisher Graham Rye for a chat with tea and vodka.

FULL STORY

24 November 2020
Yaroslav Horak, the illustrator who took over from John McLusky as illustrator of the James Bond comic strip, has died at the age of 93.

Born in Harbin, Manchuria (now North-Eastern China) in 1927, Horak was the son of a Czech father and Russian mother. His family emigrated to Sydney, Australia just before World War II where Horak began his career as a portrait painter, and later illustrator for some of the larger Australian magazine publishers. Horak’s first comic strips were the detective adventure Rick Davis, and The Skyman (a mysterious costumed flyer) in 1948. Horak illustrated many other comic strips in Sydney and Melbourne, before moving to London in 1962. Horak took over from John McLusky (1923-2006) as illustrator for the Daily Express James Bond comic strip from 1966-1977, which then moved to the Sunday Express and Daily Star from 1977-1979. In total Horak worked on 33 complete James Bond comic strips all adapted by American writer Jim Lawrence. In order to bridge the transition between two illustrators, the final few panels of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE in January 1966 also included drawings by Horak, although still bearing the credit ‘Drawing by John McLusky’. The first James Bond comic strip credited to Horak was the final panel of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE published on Saturday January 8, 1966 which lead into the lengthy adaptation of THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN.

Jim Lawrence and Horak would follow the comic strip version of Ian Fleming's final full-length novel with adaptations of the short stories THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS (September 12, 1966 - November 12, 1966), OCTOPUSSY (November 14, 1966 - May 27, 1967) and THE HILDEBRAND RARITY (May 29, 1967 - December 16, 1967). Jim Lawrence (1918-1994) was given permission by the Ian Fleming estate to write new original stories for the comic strip, the first of which was THE SPY WHO LOVED ME which ran from December 18, 1967 to October 3, 1968. Two further original stories The Harpies and River of Death followed before the pair adapted Robert Markham's COLONEL SUN; the final original James Bond novel to be given the comic strip treatment, and published in the Daily Express from December 1, 1969 to August 28, 1970. All subsequent stories were original creations by Jim Lawrence with the majority illustrated by Horak. Four stories drawn by Horak between 1977 and 1979 were syndicated outside the UK before John McLusky returned to illustrate the strip in the Daily Star from 1981-1983. The first of the five Daily Star stories Doomcrack (February 2, 1981 - August 19, 1981) was drawn by Mad Magazine illustrator Harry North. Horak illustrated three final stories in 1983/84 but these were only syndicated outside the UK. All James Bond comic strips illustrated by these three artists have been published in the UK by Titan Books in various compilations, starting with the Jim Lawrence/Horak adaptations of THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN and THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS in 1987.

After a long career Yaroslav Horak retired to Australia. In 2005 007 MAGAZINE Editor & Publisher Graham Rye arranged for Horak to return to the UK, and attend a special signing at The Cinema Store. It was then on to Kettners’ restaurant in Soho where 007 MAGAZINE had sponsored a special reception for Horak, and where he was reunited with his old colleague from The Daily Express, Sydney Jordan, creator and illustrator of space hero Jeff Hawke.

24 November 2020
BBC Radio 4 is re-broadcasting a short season of their acclaimed adaptations of Ian Fleming's novels starring Toby Stephens as James Bond. The season began on Saturday 14th November with a repeat of THUNDERBALL, featuring Tom Conti as Largo and Alfred Molina as Ernst Stavro Blofeld. This was followed on Saturday 21st November by MOONRAKER with Samuel West as Sir Hugo Drax and Katherine Kingsley as Gala Brand. The series concludes with DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER at 14.45 on Saturday 28th November. American actor Stacy Keach takes on the role of Ernie Cureo, with John Standing reprising his role as ‘M’. All three broadcasts will be available for 30 days.

THUNDERBALL
MOONRAKER
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

19 November 2020
IO Interactive is currently developing Project 007 (Working Title)

James Bond will once again be coming to a console and computer screen near you. IO Interactive (Hitman), in collaboration with MGM, EON Productions and Delphi announced today that they are developing the very first James Bond origin story with the working title Project 007. Project 007 will feature a wholly original Bond story exclusively as a video game.

FULL STORY AND TEASER TRAILER

[Update 17 December 2020 - Sold for £356,500 inc. premium]

A 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 convertible, which had a starring role in the classic James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, will be offered for the first time at auction, fittingly at the Bonhams Bond Street Sale on 16 December, following a nut and bolt restoration.

FULL STORY AND MORE IMAGES

Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction - London - 1st & 2nd December, 2020 12:00 PM GMT

Several important James Bond props are included in the live auction including Honey Ryder's (Ursula Andress) conch shell and a set of black-and-white photographs from the first Bond film Dr. No (1962). This unique screen-used item is from the collection of the production's prop master Patrick Weymouth (1910-1981). [sold for £5,500]

Among the other significant props and costumes included in the auction are a grey suit jacket worn by Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever (1971) [unsold], the Hamilton Pulsar P2 2900 LED watch worn by Roger Moore in Live And Let Die (1973) [unsold], Sir Christopher Lee's personal annotated first draft script from The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) [sold for £8,500], Topol's navy double-breasted blazer [sold for £800] and a white jacket worn by his co-star Julian Glover in For Your Eyes Only (1981) [sold for £1,100]. A prop spear-gun used by Timothy Dalton in Licence To Kill (1989) [unsold], the AKS-74U Assault Rifle used by Pierce Brosnan in the pre-credit sequence of GoldenEye (1995) [sold for £6,000], along with his Walther PPK with silencer and holster [unsold] from the same film are also highlights of the auction. Daniel Craig's midnight blue Tom Ford tuxedo [sold for £18,000], and his MI6 training suit from Skyfall (2012) [sold for £15,000] are the most recent costumes featured in the sale. Perhaps the most unusual item in the auction is the Wetbike delivery bag used in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) [sold for £1,700]. Many other lots went unsold.

Icons And Idols: Hollywood - December 3, 2020
Just two weeks after the death of Sean Connery at the age of 90, comes the news that an original Walther PP handgun used by the actor in the first James Bond film Dr. No, is to be sold in the USA by Julien's AUCTIONS.

Lot 1359 - Estimate: $150,000 - $200,000 Starting: $37,500
[Update December 4, 2020 - Sells for $256,000]

The auction will include nearly 600 important artefacts taken out of the vault and production archives of Hollywood's greatest films from its Golden Age to today's box office classics, as well as pieces rarely seen or coming to the auction block for the first time, celebrating the famous and influential from film, television, stage and more. The marquee highlight of the event is the Walther PP handgun used by Sean Connery in the very first James Bond film Dr. No (1962).

FULL STORY AND IMAGES