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NEWS 2015

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      DECEMBER 2015 - Double Double-O-Seven! George Lazenby at Madame Tussauds, Hollywood
George Lazenby poses with his wax figure during Madame Tussauds Hollywood reveal of all six James Bonds as the temporary exhibit opens in the US.

15 December 2015

George Lazenby poses with his wax figure during Madame Tussauds Hollywood reveal of all six James Bonds as the temporary exhibit opens in the US.

The six James Bond figures appeared at the London attraction in October, before embarking on a tour of Madame Tussauds locations worldwide from 1 December 2015.

The waxworks will be on display at Madame Tussauds Hollywood until 7 March 2016.

      DECEMBER 2015 - Gabriele Ferzetti (1925-2015)
Gabriele Ferzetti (1925-2015)

2 December 2015

Acclaimed Italian actor Gabriele Ferzetti has died at the age of 90.

Although his voice was dubbed by British actor David de Keyser, Bond fans will remember him as Marc Ange Draco in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).

His early career in Italian films lead to an international breakthrough in Michealangelo Antonioni's L'Avventura in 1960. He later played the key figure of railroad baron Morton in Sergio Leone's celebrated Once Upon A Time In The West (1969).

      DECEMBER 2015 - Multi-signed 'GOLDFINGER Portfolio' to be auctioned at Bonhams for charity
Multi-signed 'GOLDFINGER Portfolio' to be auctioned at Bonhams for charity

Multi-signed 'GOLDFINGER portfolio' to be sold in auction at Bonhams in aid of The Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity on 10 December.

The ‘GOLDFINGER portfolio’ Limited Numbered Edition #007 has been signed by a selection of artistes who worked on and appeared in the 1964 film Goldfinger, including: Norman Wanstall, Dubbing Editor – the first person to ever win an Oscar for a James Bond film; Sir Ken Adam – the Oscar winning Production Designer who designed the sets for Dr. No, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Moonraker; Honor Blackman, the inimitable Pussy Galore, Shirley Eaton – whose gold painted corpse Bond discovers in his Miami hotel bedroom; Tania Mallet who as Tilly Masterson falls victim to Oddjob’s deadly bowler hat; Nikki van der Zyl – who famously re-voiced Ursula Andress in Dr. No and other actresses in the Bond series including the film Goldfinger; Nadja Regin – the actress who appears with Sean Connery in Goldfinger’s famous ‘shocking’ pre-credit sequence, and in whose eyes Bond spies an oncoming assailant behind him; and Caron Gardner – the actress who portrayed one of the squadron of femme fatales pilots in Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus. FULL STORY & MORE IMAGES

       NOVEMBER 2015 - 1967 Interview with Sean Connery on his James Bond films

      NOVEMBER 2015 - The black women of Bond tribute
Naomie Harris and Halle Berry

3 November 2015, Los Angeles

The African American Film Critics Association hosted a tribute to the Black Women of Bond at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles. The celebration highlighted some of the actresses who have starred in the James Bond films. In attendance were Naomie Harris (Moneypenny, Skyfall and Spectre), Halle Berry (Jinx, Die Another Day), Gloria Hendry (Rosie Carver, Live And Let Die) and Trina Parks (Thumper, Diamonds Are Forever).

The December cover of Essence Magazine, featuring Spectre’s Naomie Harris was also unveiled.

MORE IMAGES

      OCTOBER 2015 - Would-be Bond: Unseen 1970 James Bond Screentest!
Would-be Bond - Unseen 1970 James Bond Screentest

24 October 2015

During the shooting of Sean Connery’s fifth James Bond film, You Only Live Twice, on location in Japan, there were rumblings that this was to be the star’s final fling as secret agent 007.

With Sean Connery’s departure from the role the producers searched high and low for their new Bond until Australian male model George Lazenby talked his way into the role for the sixth James Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). Although the film was far from being a box-office flop, it didn’t match the returns of the preceding two films; this fact, together with Lazenby’s mercurial personality, and that he decided to walk away from the role after only one appearance as 007, meant for the second time in two years the producers were back to square one looking for a new Bond.

Sometime during 1970, the Bond filmmakers EON Productions began screen testing various likely looking actors for the 007 role.

The identity of the actors screen tested has never been revealed – until now!  

READ FULL THE FULL STORY

      OCTOBER 2015 - Christopher Wood (1935-2015)
Christopher Wood (1935-2015)

17 October 2015

Author and screenwriter Christopher Wood has died at the age of 79. Wood co-wrote the screenplay for The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) with Richard Maibaum, and was the sole-credited screenwriter on Moonraker (1979).

Wood was the first author to write novelizations of Bond films. His novelization of The Spy Who Loved Me, was renamed JAMES BOND, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME to avoid confusion with Ian Fleming's 1962 novel. The plot of Moonraker, renamed JAMES BOND AND MOONRAKER was almost entirely written by Wood, although it does share some similarities with Fleming's 1955 novel.

Christopher Wood was one of the special guests at The James Bond British Fan Club International Convention held at The Wembley Conference Centre in 1982. His memoir entitled James Bond, the Spy I Loved was published in 2006 and recounted his association with 007.

      OCTOBER 2015 - Bond wax works unveiled ahead of Spectre release
Bond wax works unveiled ahead of SPECTRE release

17 October 2015

Madame Tussauds London revealed wax figures of ALL SIX James Bonds, with five completely new wax 007s joining the existing figure of Daniel Craig. To coincide with the release of Spectre, the line-up of Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig will appear at the legendary London attraction for SIX WEEKS ONLY, before embarking on a tour of Madame Tussauds locations worldwide on 1 December 2015.

Created in close collaboration with EON Productions, the set will give fans an opportunity to stand side-by-side with all six Bonds - in the same place, at the same time. Guests are invited to see how they measure up to each 007, pose with their favourite and take a stand out profile picture.  

FULL STORY AND BEHIND-THE SCENES IMAGES

      OCTOBER 2015 - Sam Smith's James Bond theme makes UK chart history!
Sam Smith

2 October 2015

Sam Smith's “Writing's On The Wall” has made history by becoming the first Bond theme to reach number one in the UK.

The track achieved combined chart sales and streams of 70,000 copies - 13,000 ahead of its closest competitor.

Smith said he was “so proud” of the song and being number one was “crazy”. He told BBC Radio 1: “"Out of all the songs I've brought out in my life, I was not expecting this to even chart in the top 10, let alone number one. It's unbelievable.”

FULL STORY

      AUGUST 2015 - Daniel Craig visits the OMEGA factory in Switzerland
Daniel Craig with Stephen Urquhart President of OMEGA

15 August 2015

Daniel Craig has made a special visit to the heart of the Swiss watch making industry for the inauguration of the OMEGA factory in Villeret, Switzerland. The actor who reprises his role as James Bond in Spectre, the 24th Bond adventure, was given a guided tour, as well as exclusive access to the factory’s assembly line. During the visit he was also shown production of the new OMEGA Seamaster 300 “SPECTRE” Limited Edition.   

For OMEGA, Daniel Craig’s visit to Villeret was a momentous occasion. Together with Nick Hayek, Swatch Group CEO, and Stephen Urquhart, President of OMEGA (pictured left), Craig was shown exactly what goes into making OMEGA watches such as the one he wears in Spectre. As an avid collector himself, he was fascinated by the engineering and expertise on show.

FULL STORY & IMAGES

      JULY 2015 - 007 WALK OF FAME opens at Piz Gloria

31 July 2015 - Schilthorn, Switzerland

The world's first 007 WALK OF FAME honours the stars in front and behind the cameras during the filming of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Present at the VIP opening were George Lazenby (James Bond 007), Terence Mountain (Raphael), Sylvana Henriques (The Jamaican Girl), Jenny Hanley (The Irish Girl), Catherina von Schell (Nancy), John Glen (2nd unit director/Editor) and Stefan Zürcher (Production Manager).

FULL STORY AND MORE IMAGES

      JULY 2015 - DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER is the new BBC Radio 4 Ian Fleming drama adaptation
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER is the new BBC Radio 4 James Bond adaptation

25 July 2015
An all-star Ian Fleming James Bond adventure, directed by Martin Jarvis and starring Toby Stephens as 007.

Fleming's fourth Bond novel is especially dazzling. Its dark humour encompasses millions of pounds worth of diamonds smuggled out of British mines in Africa. Responsible? Somebody known as ‘ABC’. James Bond is sent undercover by MI6 to New York to follow the pipeline. Masquerading as a courier he meets enticing, ice-cold, Tiffany Case. She stands between Bond and gang-bosses whose criminal diamond business stretches from Sierra Leone, via London, to the gambling tables of Las Vegas.

Bond infiltrates the mob. Horse-racing scams, a car chase, a rigged card game, pursuit by locomotive - Bond and Tiffany endure all. Eventually flown to West Africa, Bond unmasks the ultimate villain.

Archie Scottney’s dramatisation parades a bizarre collection of mafiosi monsters.

25 July 2015 BBC Radio 4. Listen online after broadcast

      JULY 2015 - New Steelbooks and Blu-ray box-sets announced
Zavvi exclusive Casino Royale Blu-ray steelbook


18 July 2015
Zavvi Exclusive Blu-ray Steelbooks and new 23-film collections announced

As fans prepare for the November 6th release of Spectre, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release an all-new line-up of special edition Blu-rays, DVDs and box-sets on September 14th 2015.

Two never-before-seen featurettes are included with interviews from Bond writers Neal Purvis & Robert Wade. “The Shadow of Spectre” will recount the fictional history of the global criminal syndicate and terrorist organization, “The Story So Far” will provide an overview of Daniel Craig’s first three Bond movies.

FULL STORY

      JULY 2015 - New James Bond comic book series announced for November
Dynamite announces new James Bond series of comic books

6 July 2015

Dynamite proudly announces that fan-favorite author Warren Ellis will be writing the James Bond 007 ongoing comic book series, the first to appear in over two decades. James Bond 007 is scheduled for release in November 2015, featuring interior artwork by Jason Masters (Batman Incorporated, Guardians of the Galaxy).

The news of the high-profile author's involvement with the James Bond 007 series follows Dynamite's announcement of their partnership with Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. (IFPL), the Fleming family company that owns and administers the literary copyright of Ian Fleming's published works, including his fourteen James Bond books. Under their agreement, Dynamite has been granted worldwide rights to publish comic books, digital comics, and graphic novels starring 007. Launching their James Bond 007 line with a writer of exemplary skill and reputation has been a priority for Dynamite, and Warren Ellis' stewardship will guarantee a debut story with all the hallmarks of high-octane action and international intrigue that exemplify the franchise.

FULL STORY

      JUNE 2015 - Patrick Macnee (1922-2015)
Patrick Macnee (1922-2015) Sir Godfrey Tibbett/John Steed in The Avengers

25 June 2015

Actor Patrick Macnee who played Sir Godfrey Tibbett in Roger Moore's final 007 film A View To A Kill (1985) has died in Los Angeles at the age of 93.

Macnee will be best remembered as John Steed in the long-running TV series The Avengers (1961-1969) - co-starring alongside Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg, Linda Thorson, and later Joanna Lumley in The New Avengers (1976-1977). Macnee played Dr. Watson in three TV movies; once opposite Roger Moore in Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976), and again with Christopher Lee in two forgettable outings in the early 1990s. 

Macnee's lengthy career also included small roles in several cult films - Joe Dante's The Howling (1980) and This Is Spinal Tap (1984). A long-time friend of Sir Roger Moore, Macnee appeared with him in The Sea Wolves (1980) and also with former 007 George Lazenby in the 1983 TV movie The Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E.

007 fans will also remember Macnee as the narrator of the ‘making-of’ documentaries which were created for the original Special Edition DVD releases of the James Bond films from 1999-2000. With the exception of A View To A Kill, Macnee narrated 13 titles in the series. He also provided the voice of ‘Invisible Jones’ in the 1998 big-screen version of The Avengers; with future M Ralph Fiennes playing John Steed, and Sean Connery as villain Sir August de Wynter.

      JUNE 2015 - Sir Christopher Lee (1922-2015)
Christopher Lee as Scaramanga in The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)

7 June 2015

Sir Christopher Lee, who played Francisco Scaramanga in the The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), has died at the age of 93.

Born Christopher Frank Carandini Lee on 27 May 1922, the English actor, singer, and author struggled in bit parts before his mime background and imposing height led him to be cast as the creature in Hammer Studios The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), and later the title character in their 1958 version of Dracula. Frequently cast in villainous roles, he also played Fu Manchu in a series of five films in the 1960s. After playing Sherlock Holmes on screen in 1962, he moved away from horror roles with Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) when the famous director invited him to play Mycroft Holmes. This made Lee the only actor to have played both brothers in different films. Following the lead role in his own favourite film The Wicker Man (1973), Lee joined co-star Britt Ekland in The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) playing Bond's nemesis Francisco Scaramanga.

Christopher Lee was also the step-cousin of James Bond creator Ian Fleming, who had suggested him for the role of Doctor No in 1962. Lee found renewed fame later in life with roles in the Star Wars prequels, and memorably as Saruman in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Knighted in 2009 and awarded the BAFTA Fellowship in 2011, he was an iconic figure of the British film industry - a veteran of over 280 films in a career spanning over 70 years.

http://www.007magazine.co.uk/events/events_1996.htm 

Christopher Lee at The James Bond 007 International Fan Club 4th Annual  Christmas Lunch at Pinewood Studios
      MAY 2015 - Goldfinger Unseen - two deleted scenes from the 1964 classic!
Honor Blackman in one of two never-before-seen deleted scenes

31 May 2015

Two never-before-seen Goldfinger scenes discovered in the 007 MAGAZINE Archive!

In the week that saw the announcement of the return of Pussy Galore in the new James Bond novel TRIGGER MORTIS; 007 MAGAZINE editor & publisher Graham Rye reveals his important discovery of two new never-before-scenes cut from the original 1964 film Goldfinger.

FULL STORY AND IMAGES

      MAY 2015 - Julie Harris (1921-2015)
Julie Harris

30 May 2015
Celebrated English costume designer Julie Harris, has died at the age of 94.

Starting her career in the 1940s at Gainsborough Studios and went on to work for the Rank Organisation, until that studio wound down its business in the 1950s. After going freelance, Harris later won an Academy Award for her work on John Schlesinger's Darling (1965). Julie Harris designed the costumes for Carry On Cleo (1964), and The Beatles’ first two films (designing a set of fabulous Indian-inspired costumes for Eleanor Bron in 1965’s Help!), and worked with Bryan Forbes on The Wrong Box (for which she won a BAFTA in 1967), The Whisperers and Deadfall (both 1967). Harris was also costume designer on the 1967 spoof James Bond film Casino Royale [pictured left with Ursula Andress], working with Spanish-born fashion designer Paco Rabanne, who created the ‘Guard Girl’ dresses for the film. Harris later joined the EON Productions series, designing the costumes for Roger Moore's debut film as James Bond in Live And Let Die (1973). Later films included Rollerball (1975) and Dracula (1979).

      MAY 2015 - The new James Bond novel is TRIGGER MORTIS
Anthony Horowitz

27 May 2015

James Bond is back where he belongs... and so is Ian Fleming's Pussy Galore!

Anthony Horowitz's new novel is a thrilling tour de force, sure to delight fans of the original 007 novels and new readers alike. It also features previously unseen material written by Bond's creator, Ian Fleming.

The story begins in the lethal world of Grand Prix and an attempt by the Russians to sabotage a race at Nürburgring, the most dangerous track in Europe. Bond is in the driving seat but events swiftly take an unexpected turn, pitching him into an entirely different race with implications that could change the world.

Anthony Horowitz recreates the golden age of Bond, packed with speed, danger, strong women and fiendish villains, in this brilliantly authentic adventure.

FULL STORY

      APRIL 2015 - Robert Rietty (1923-2015)
Robert Rietti

3 April 2015

Robert Rietty (born Lucio Rietti), has died at the age of 92. Rietty was a prolific actor, director and playwright, but will be best remembered as a consummate voice artist. He completely re-voiced Adolfo Celi [Emilio Largo] in Thunderball (1965) and Tetsuro Tamba [Tiger Tanaka] in You Only Live Twice (1967). He also appeared uncredited as the Chef de Jeu during the casino sequence of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). His first Bond film was Dr. No (1962), in which he re-voiced actor Timothy Moxon [Strangways] and William Foster-Davis as Superintendent Duff amongst others.

Rietty famously re-voiced Jack Hawkins in his final 10 films after the actor lost his voice to throat cancer. Rietty will also be remembered as the voice of ‘Number 2’ in the title sequence for several episodes of the cult 1967 TV series The Prisoner. Also working on Casino Royale (1967) and later appearing as the Italian Minister in Never Say Never Again (1983), Rietty is the only actor apart from Sean Connery to appear in Thunderball and its remake. His acting roles include the Police Chief in The Italian Job (1969) - and a monk in The Omen (1976) alongside Gregory Peck, whose German-speaking dialogue he had re-voiced in The Guns of Navarone (1961).    

Robert Rietty: The Man with a thousand voices

      APRIL 2015 - Classic James Bond returns to the big screen this summer!
Classic James Bond returns to the big screen this summer!

See the Best of Bond back on the big screen at selected Vue cinemas in the UK. Digitally remastered in Sony 4K with exclusive Double Bills of James Bond classics.
Sunday 14th June
Sean Connery – Dr. No & Goldfinger
Sunday 21st June
Roger Moore – Live And Let Die & The Spy Who Loved Me
Sunday 28th June
Timothy Dalton – The Living Daylights & Licence to Kill
Sunday 5th July
Pierce Brosnan – GoldenEye & The World is Not Enough
Sunday 12th July
Daniel Craig – Casino Royale & Skyfall
More details

      MARCH 2015 - THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN PEN by Mark Burgess
The Man With The Golden Pen by Mark Burgess

In this one-man play Michael Chance portrays Fleming as he sets about creating his alter-ego, James Bond.

Written by Mark Burgess and directed by Louise Jameson.

Monday 2nd - Saturday 7th March 2015
Evenings at 7:30pm Saturday Matinee at 3:30pm
Tickets £20 - Concessions £16
Box Office: 020 7287 2875

www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk

“Unlike the four fanciful TV movies produced in the last 25 years about Ian Fleming, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN PEN both entertains and draws the audience into the remarkable mindset of the creator of James Bond, the real Ian Fleming.”

Graham Rye
Editor & Publisher
007 MAGAZINE

      FEBRUARY 2015 - Louis Jourdan (1921-2015)
Louis Jourdan (1921-2015)

14 February 2015

French actor Louis Jourdan has passed away at his California home aged 93.

Jourdan made his Hollywood debut in 1947 with a pivotal role in Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case. He later appeared in the Oscar-winning musical Gigi in 1958, with fellow French stars Maurice Chevalier and Leslie Caron.

After turning down the role of Hugo Drax in Moonraker, James Bond producer and friend Albert R. Broccoli persuaded Jourdan to appear as exiled Afghan Prince Kamal Khan in Octopussy (1983) opposite Roger Moore and Maud Adams.

Louis Jourdan also played the title role in the celebrated 1977 BBC Television production of Dracula. In 2010 he was made an Officer de la Legion d’honneur, France’s highest cultural accolade.

      JANUARY 2015 - Newly restored Goldfinger to premiere at Berlin Film Festival
Goldfinger alternate poster artwork

A newly restored ultra-high definition (4K) version of Goldfinger (1964) will premiere at the 65th Berlin Film Festival in February. Worldwide repertory film distributor Park Circus, in association with EON Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, will be presenting this new restoration in the Berlinale Classics strand.

The international premiere of the digitally restored version will screen in 4K DCP. Responsible for the restoration were EON Productions Ltd. (London), and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (Beverly Hills/CA). Sir Ken Adam, two-time Academy Award winner and production designer of the film - and to whom the special exhibition “Bigger Than Life” is currently dedicated at the Deutsche Kinemathek - Museum für Film und Fernsehen in Berlin - will attend the screening and introduce Goldfinger personally.

Goldfinger
Directed by Guy Hamilton, Great Britain 1964
Saturday, February 7, 2015, 7:30 PM, Haus der Berliner Festspiele

https://www.berlinale.de/en/2015/programme/201520177.html

 


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