DECEMBER 2015 - Double Double-O-Seven! George Lazenby at Madame Tussauds, Hollywood
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)
2 December
2015
Acclaimed
Italian actor Gabriele Ferzetti has died at the age of 90.
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 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
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.
OCTOBER 2015 - 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!
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
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.
OCTOBER 2015 - Sam Smith's James Bond theme makes UK chart history!
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.”
AUGUST 2015 - Daniel Craig visits the OMEGA factory in Switzerland
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.
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).
JULY 2015 - DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER is the new BBC Radio 4 Ian Fleming
drama 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.
JULY 2015 - New Steelbooks and Blu-ray box-sets announced
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.
JULY 2015 - New James Bond comic book series announced for November
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.
British Actor Patrick Macnee, who played Sir Godfrey Tibbett in Roger
Moore's final James Bond film A View To A Kill(1985), has died
in Los Angeles at the age of 93.
Patrick Macnee
will be best-remembered as the urbane secret agent John Steed
[who works for an unnamed branch of British intelligence] in the long-running
ITV television 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 also 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
including
Joe Dante's The Howling (1980) and This Is Spinal Tap
(1984). A long-time friend of Sir Roger Moore, Macnee was
reunited
with him in The Sea Wolves (1980), and later appeared in The Return of the Man
From U.N.C.L.E. as Sir John Raleigh, replacing the late Leo
G. Carroll as the head of U.N.C.L.E. The 1983 American TV movie
also featured a cameo performance by former 007 George Lazenby,
who is seen driving a gadget-laden Aston Martin DB5 with the
licence plate ‘JB’ in a none too subtle nod to his one-off
starring role in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)!
007 fans will
also remember Macnee as the narrator of John Cork's definitive ‘making-of’
documentaries which were created for the MGM Special Edition DVD
releases of the James Bond films 1999-2000. With the
exception of A View To A Kill, Macnee narrated 13 titles
in the series. At the end of his career he 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)
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.
MAY 2015 - Goldfinger Unseen - two deleted scenes from the
1964 classic!
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.
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
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.
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).
APRIL 2015 - 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
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
“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)
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
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
