THE STORY OF JAMES BOND SERIES

The James Bond series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections

Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have written authorized Bond novels or novelizations as follow

Kingsley Amis

Christopher Wood

 John Gardner

 Raymond Benson

 Sebastian Faulks

 Jeffery Deaver

William Boyd

Anthony Horowitz

Fleming based his fictional creation on a number of individuals he came across during his time in the Naval Intelligence Division during World War II, admitting that Bond "was a compound of all the secret agents and commando types I met during the war

The character has also been adapted for television, radio, comic strip, video games and film

 The films are the longest continually running and the third-highest-grossing film series to date, which started in 1962 with Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as Bond. As of 2015, there have been twenty-four films in the Eon Productions series

The most recent Bond film, Spectre (2015), stars Daniel Craig in his fourth portrayal of Bond; he is the sixth actor to play Bond in the Eon series

The Bond films are renowned for a number of features, including the musical accompaniment, with the theme songs having received Academy Award nominations on several occasions, and one win

Other important elements which run through most of the films include Bond's cars, his guns, and the gadgets with which he is supplied by Q Branch

The films are also noted for Bond's relationships with various women, who are sometimes referred to as Bond girls

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James Bond CARS

"Bond's car was his only personal hobby. One of the last of the 4,5 liter Bentley's with the supercharger by Amherst Villiers, he had bought it almost new in 1933 and had kept it in careful storage through the war. Bond drove it hard and well and with an almost sensual pleasure. It was a battleship-grey convertible coupe, which really did convert, and it was capable of touring at ninety with thirty miles an hour in reserve

- from Casino Royale, Ian Fleming

Vehicles have played an important role throughout the series of James Bond novels and films

Q branch - a division of the British Secret Service which provides equipment to field operatives has given Bond a wide variety of vehicles with which to evade his enemies

Among the most noteworthy gadgets, Bond has been equipped with various vehicles that have numerous modifications to include expensive weapons systems, anti-pursuit systems, alternative transportation modes, and various other functions

Bond actor Daniel Craig voted the Toyota 2000GT as his favourite Bond car of all time

In the early Bond stories Fleming gave Bond a battleship-grey Bentley 4½ Litre with an Amherst Villiers supercharger. After Bond's car was written off by Hugo Drax in Moonraker, Fleming gave Bond a Mark II Continental Bentley, which he used in the remaining books of the series







 During Goldfinger, Bond was issued with an Aston Martin DB Mark III with a homing device, which he used to track Goldfinger across France. Bond returned to his Bentley for the subsequent novels

Bond's most famous car is the silver grey Aston Martin DB5, first seen in Goldfinger; it later featured in Thunderball, Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale and Skyfall. The films have used a number of different Aston Martins for filming and publicity, one of which was sold in January 2006 at an auction in the US for $2,090,000 to an unnamed European collector

The Bond of the films has driven a number of cars, including the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, during the 1980s, the V12 Vanquish and DBS during the 2000s, as well as the Lotus Esprit; the BMW Z3, BMW 750iL and the BMW Z8. He has, however, also needed to drive a number of other vehicles, ranging from a Citroën 2CV to a Route master Bus, amongst others

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James Bond Music

The James Bond film series has had numerous signature tracks over the years, many of which are now considered classic pieces of film music

 ,The best known of these pieces of music is James Bond Them has featured in every Bond film since Dr. No, released in 1962

The James Bond Theme was written by Monty Norman and was first orchestrated by the John Barry Orchestra for 1962's

Other instrumental pieces, such as the "007 Theme" or "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", and various songs, such as Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger", Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die" or Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better", Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only" and Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill" have also become identified with the series

Several of the songs produced for the films have been nominated for Academy Awards including Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die", Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better", Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only" and Adele's "Skyfall

The top 10 James Bond themes, as of September 2015

 Nancy Sinatra - “You Only Live Twice” - 1967 

 Alicia Keys featuring Jack White - “Another Way to Die” - 2008 

 Madonna - “Die Another Day” - 2002 

 Sheena Easton - “For Your Eyes Only” -1981 

 Shirley Bassey - “Diamonds Are Forever” - 1971 

 Sheryl Crow - “Tomorrow Never Dies” - 1997 

 Tom Jones - “Thunderball” - 1965

Garbage - “The World Is Not Enough” - 1999

 Paul McCartney and Wings - “Live and Let Die” - 1973

 Duran Duran - “A View to a Kill” - 1985

"Writing's on the Wall," Smith's self-penned track for the movie Spectre, has reached the top spot in the U.K. music charts, the singer's fifth No. 1 overall

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007 TIMELINE

1900s

1908

• May 28: Ian Fleming is born in Mayfair, London, to Valentine and Eve Fleming (Christopher Lee, who would play Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun, was his cousin).

1950s

1952

• February 17: To distract himself from his forthcoming nuptials, Fleming starts writing Casino Royale at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica.

• March 18: Fleming finishes work on the script and shows it to an ex-girlfriend, Clare Blanchard, who advises him not to publish it at all, but that if he does so, it should be under another name.

• March 24: Ian Fleming marries Ann Charteris in Jamaica.

1953

• April 13: Fleming publishes his first novel, Casino Royale, establishing the character of James Bond. It was a success and three print runs were needed to cope with the demand.

1954

• April 5: The second Bond novel, Live and Let Die, is released.

• October 21: An hour-long television adaptation of Casino Royale is aired as an episode of CBS's dramatic anthology series Climax Mystery Theater.

1955

• April 7: Fleming's third novel, Moonraker, is published.

1956

• Moonraker is retitled Too Hot to Handle for its release in the U.S.
• March 26: Fleming's fourth novel, Diamonds Are Forever is published.

1957

• April 8: The fifth Bond novel, From Russia with Love, is published. Fleming toys with the idea of killing off the James Bond character, unsure of whether he should write another Bond novel or not.

1958

• March 31: Fleming's sixth novel, Dr. No, is published. The novel was originally a screenplay written in 1956 for what would have been a television show entitled Commander Jamaica. It marks the first appearance of both Major Boothroyd and Bond's signature weapon, the Walther PPK.

• Summer: Fleming and his friend, Ivar Bryce, begin talking about the possibility of a James Bond film.

• Autumn: Bryce introduces Fleming to a young Irish writer and director, Kevin McClory, and the three of them, together with Fleming and Bryce's friend Ernest Cuneo, form the partnership Xanadu Productions.

1959

• March 23: Goldfinger, the seventh novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series is published.

• May: Fleming, Bryce, Cuneo and McClory come up with a story outline based on an aeroplane full of celebrities and a female lead called Fatima Blush. Over the next few months there are ten outlines, treatments and scripts.

1960s

1960

• American copies of Moonraker are reverted to the original title.

• January-March: Fleming writes the novel Thunderball at Goldeneye, based on the screenplay written by himself, Whittingham and McClory.

• April 11: A collection of short stories by Ian Fleming are published under the title For Your Eyes Only.

1961

• March 17: In an article in Life Magazine, US President John F. Kennedy lists From Russia, with Love as one of his ten favourite books.

• March 26: Thunderball, the eighth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series is published. Notably, it introduces Bond's nemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

• Ian Fleming sells the film rights to his novels to Harry Saltzman.

1962

• Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli co-produce the film version of Dr. No. Sean Connery is cast as Bond, and the film is an instant success.

• April 16: The Spy Who Loved Me, the ninth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series is published. It is the shortest novel in the series, and is told from the first-person perspective of a woman named Vivienne Michel, rather than the third-person used in the other books.

1963

• April 1: On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the tenth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series is published. It is the first Fleming novel published after the release of the film Dr. No.

• October 10: The film version of From Russia with Love is released. Notably, it is the first time the character of Ernst Stavro Blofeld appears on screen.

• November 19: McClory takes Fleming to court over the publication of Thunderball, suing him for plagiarism. They settle out of court. McClory gains the literary and film rights for the screenplay, while Fleming is given the rights to the novel, although it has to be recognised as being "based on a screen treatment by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham and the Author".

1964

• March 16: You Only Live Twice, the eleventh novel (and twelfth book) in Ian Fleming's James Bond series of stories is published. It is the final Bond novel to be released in Fleming's lifetime.

• August 12: Fleming dies of a heart attack in Canterbury, Kent, England.

• September 17: The third Eon Productions film Goldfinger is released.

1965

• April 1: The Man with the Golden Gun, the twelfth novel (and thirteenth book) of Ian Fleming's James Bond series is posthumously published. It is the first and only novel published after Ian Fleming's death.

• February 16: Filming commences the fourth Eon Productions film Thunderball after producers Broccoli and Saltzman agree with McClory to cinematically adapt the novel. The joint production stops McClory from making any further versions of the novel for a period of ten years following the release of the Eon-produced version.

• December 9: The fourth Eon Productions film Thunderball is released.

1966

• Octopussy and The Living Daylights, a collection of Fleming's short stories, is published. It is Fleming's last publication.

1967

• April 13: The unofficial James Bond satire Casino Royale is released.

• June 12: The fifth film in the Eon film series, You Only Live Twice, is released.

• July 29: It is officially announced that Sean Connery is leaving the role of James Bond.

1968

• September: George Lazenby is cast as Connery's replacement.

• March 28: Colonel Sun - the first continuation James Bond novel published after the death of Ian Fleming - is published by Glidrose Productions and written by Kingsley Amis under the pen name of Robert Markham.

1969

• November: George Lazenby steps down from the role as James Bond following advice that the Bond series was outdated, and unresolved disputes with Broccoli and Saltzman.
• December 18: The sixth film in the James Bond film series, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, is released.

1970s

1971

• Dec 14: The seventh film in the Eon Productions film franchise, Diamonds Are Forever, is released.

1973

• June 27: The release of Live and Let Die. It is the eighth film in the James Bond film series, and the first to star Roger Moore as Bond.
• Non-Canon continuation novel James Bond: The Authorized Biography of 007 is published.

1974

• December 19: The release of The Man with the Golden Gun. It is the ninth official James Bond movie.

1975

• After suffering troubling financial disputes, his wife's diagnosis of terminal cancer, and depression, Harry Saltzman sells his 50% stake in Danjaq, LLC, the parent company of Eon Productions, for £20 million.
• Kevin McClory first announces that he is remaking Thunderball under the title Warhead. The concept would remain in limbo before eventually being replaced by the Never Say Never Again project.

1976

• December 5: The 007 Stage - one of the largest silent stages in the world - is officially opened atPinewood Studios in a ceremony attended by former British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson.

1977

• July 7: The release of The Spy Who Loved Me. It is the tenth official James Bond movie.

1979

• June 26: The release of Moonraker. It is the eleventh official James Bond movie.

1980s

1981

• After his previous failure to begin production of Warhead, Kevin McClory finds a production company set up by a top Hollywood lawyer and announces a new project. Again, it would be a remake of Thunderballstarring Sean Connery. It would become Never Say Never Again.

• June 24: The release of For Your Eyes Only. It is the twelfth official James Bond movie.

1983

• June 6: The release of Octopussy. It is the thirteenth official James Bond movie.

• October 5: A newly discovered asteroid is named 9007 James Bond in honour of Ian Fleming.

• October 7: The unofficial James Bond film and remake of the 1965 film Thunderball - Never Say Never Again - is released by Warner Bros.

1984

• June 27: The 007 Stage is burnt to the ground towards the end of filming of Ridley Scott's Legend.

1985

• January: After being rebuilt, the 007 Stage is reopened with the new name, "Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage".

• May 24: A View to a Kill, is released in the USA. It is the fourteenth entry in the James Bond series of films made by EON Productions, and the last to star Roger Moore.

1986

• December 11: Prince Charles and Princess Diana visit the set of The Living Daylights to meet the new James Bond, Timothy Dalton.

1987

• July 31: The Living Daylights is released in the USA, featuring Timothy Dalton as 007.

1989

• July 14: Licence to Kill is released in the USA. This would be Timothy Dalton's second and final portrayal of James Bond.

1990s

1990

• MGM/UA is sold to Pathé Communications. Danjaq, the Swiss based parent company of Eon, sues MGM/UA and its new chairman to protect the TV distribution rights of the series from being devalued. These legal disputes engendered a several year hiatus in the series.

1993

• May: MGM creative affairs VP Elizabeth Robinson announces in Variety that work on the 17th 007 movie has resumed with writer Michael France penning a fresh script.

1994

• April 12: Timothy Dalton announces that he would not be returning as James Bond.

• June 8: Pierce Brosnan is introduced to the world as the new 007.

1995

• November 17: GoldenEye, the 17th Bond film and the first to star Pierce Brosnan, is release in the USA.

1997

• October 13: Kevin McClory and Sony Pictures Entertainment Company (SPE) announce their intention to remake Thunderball for a second time. The rumored title would be Warhead 2000.

• December 19: Tomorrow Never Dies is released in the USA. It is the first Bond film to be release after the death of Albert R. Broccoli in 1996.

1999

• March 30: Kevin McClory's Warhead 2000 AD project is officially terminated after Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer obtains the film rights to Casino Royale from Sony Pictures Entertainment for $10 million in the out-of-court settlement of a law suit.
• November 19: The World Is Not Enough, the 19th film in the official James Bond series, is released in the USA.

2000s

2002

• November 20: The twentieth Eon film, Die Another Day, is released. It was the last film starring Pierce Brosnan.

2004

• July: Pierce Brosnan announces that he is leaving the role, stating "Bond is another lifetime, behind me".

2005

• June 21: The quote "Bond. James Bond," is declared as the 22nd greatest film quote of all time by theAmerican Film Institute.

• October 14: Eon Productions officially name Daniel Craig as the sixth actor to portray 007, taking over from Pierce Brosnan.

2006

• November 14: The twenty first official film, Casino Royale, is released starring Daniel Craig as 007. This version is a reboot of the 007 franchise.

2008

• October 29: The twenty-second official film, Quantum of Solace, is released. The film picks up right where the 2006 film Casino Royale leaves off, with Bond avenging the death of Vesper Lynd.

2010s

2010

• Skyfall, then known by the working title Bond 23, was suspended throughout 2010 because of MGM's financial troubles.
• December 21: Bond 23 resumes pre-production.

2012

• October 23: Skyfall is premiered in London, becoming the twenty third Eon James Bond film.

2015

• October 26: Spectre has its official premier at the Royal Albert Hall in London. It becomes the twenty fourth James Bond film.

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Sean Connery

Sir Thomas Sean Connery born 25 August 1930) is a retired Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards (one of them being a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award) and three Golden Globes (including the Cecil B. DeMille Award and a Henrietta Award). He was knighted by Elizabeth II in July 2000, and received the Kennedy Center Honors in the US

James Bond: 1962–71, 1983

Connery's breakthrough came in the role of secret agent James Bond. He was reluctant to commit to a film series, but understood that if the films succeeded his career would greatly benefit. He played the character in the first five Bond films: Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), and You Only Live Twice (1967) – then appeared again as Bond in Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and Never Say Never Again (1983). All seven films were commercially successful. James Bond, as portrayed by Connery, was selected as the third-greatest hero in cinema history by the American Film Institute

Connery's selection as James Bond owed a lot to Dana Broccoli, wife of producer "Cubby" Broccoli, who is reputed to have been instrumental in persuading Cubby that Sean Connery was the right man. James Bond's creator, Ian Fleming, originally doubted Connery's casting, saying, "He's not what I envisioned of James Bond looks", and "I'm looking for Commander Bond and not an overgrown stunt-man," adding that Connery (muscular, 6' 2", and a Scot) was unrefined. Fleming's girlfriend told him that Connery had the requisite sexual charisma, and Fleming changed his mind after the successful Dr. No première. He was so impressed, he created a half-Scottish, half-Swiss heritage for Bond in the later novels

Connery's portrayal of Bond owes much to stylistic tutelage from director Terence Young, polishing the actor while using his physical grace and presence for the action. Lois Maxwell, who played Miss Moneypenny, related that, "Terence took Sean under his wing. He took him to dinner, showed him how to walk, how to talk, even how to eat."[44] The tutoring was successful; Connery received thousands of fan letters a week, and the actor became one of the great male sex symbols of film

During the filming of Thunderball in 1965, Connery's life was in danger in the sequence with the sharks in Emilio Largo's pool. He had been concerned about this threat when he read the script. Connery insisted that Ken Adam build a special Plexiglas partition inside the pool, but, despite this, it was not a fixed structure and one of the sharks managed to pass through it. He had to abandon the pool immediately

Connery was forced to wear a toupee during each of the Bond movies because he had started balding at the age of 21. This didn't prevent Connery from being cast in roles, although it became more noticeable in his later years

In 2005, From Russia with Love was adapted by Electronic Arts into a video game, titled James Bond 007: From Russia with Love, which featured all-new voice work by Connery as well as his likeness, and those of several of the film's supporting cast

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George Lazenby

George Robert Lazenby /ˈleɪzənbi/ (born 5 September 1939 is an Australian actor and former model, best known for portraying James Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service when he was 29

James Bond 1969

In 1968, after Sean Connery quit the role of James Bond, producer Albert R. Broccoli first met Lazenby when getting their hair cut at the same barber.[8] He later saw him in the Big Fry commercial and felt he could be a possible Bond, calling him in for a screen test

Lazenby dressed for the part by sporting several sartorial Bond elements such as a Rolex Submariner wristwatch and a Savile Row suit, which had been ordered, but not collected, by Connery. Broccoli offered him an audition. The position was consolidated when Lazenby accidentally punched a professional wrestler, who was acting as stunt coordinator, in the face, impressing Broccoli with his ability to display aggression. Director Peter R. Hunt later claimed

We wanted someone who oozed sexual assurance, and we think this fellow has that. Just wait til the women see him on screen ... I am not saying he is an actor. There is a great deal of difference between an actor and a film star. Didn't they find Gary Cooper when he was an electrician

In July 1969 Lazenby returned home to Queanbeyan to see his parents. He said he had 18 films to consider. "But it's all commercial rubbish, such as the guy getting the girl at the end of the Battle of Britain", he said. "I'll just have to wait and see At this stage Lazenby said he intended to make the next Bond film, The Man with the Golden Gun

In November 1969, prior to the release of the film, Lazenby announced that he no longer wished to play the role of James Bond due to his conflict with the film's producers,[dubious – discuss] about whom he said, "They made me feel like I was mindless. They disregarded everything I suggested simply because I hadn't been in the film business like them for about a thousand years

His co-star Diana Rigg was among many who commented on this decision

The role made Sean Connery a millionaire. It made Sean Connery ... I truly don't know what's happening in George's mind so I can only speak of my reaction. I think it's a pretty foolish move. I think if he can bear to do an apprenticeship, which everybody in this business has to do – has to do – then he should do it quietly and with humility. Everybody has to do it. There are few instant successes in the film business. And the instant successes one usually associates with somebody who is willing to learn anyway

Rigg was also quoted as saying, "I can no longer cater for his obsession with himself. He is utterly, unbelievably ... bloody impossible

"I draw a veil over the chap", said Desmond Llewelyn (who played Q in 17 Bond films). "How can you expect someone who's never acted before ... to take on a leading role

Lazenby grew a beard and long hair. "Bond is a brute", he announced. "I've already put him behind me. I will never play him again. Peace – that's the message now.

"I much prefer being a car salesman to a stereotyped James Bond", he said. "My parents think I'm insane, everybody thinks I'm insane passing up maybe millions of pounds. Nobody believed me. They thought it was a publicity stunt. But it's just me doing my own thing

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Roger Moore

Sir Roger George Moore KBE (born 14 October 1927) is an English actor. Moore played the British secret agent James Bond in seven feature films between 1973 and 1985; he remains the oldest actor to have played the character. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Moore worked as a model and made several appearances in minor films and television dramas before finding more substantial roles in the television serials Ivanhoe (1958–1959), The Alaskans (1960–1961) and Maverick (1961). Moore's most significant television work came with his portrayal of Simon Templar in The Saint from 1962 to 1969 and his starring alongside Tony Curtis in the television drama The Persuaders 1971

 James Bond 1973–1985

Because of his commitment to several television shows, in particular the long-lasting series The Saint, Roger Moore was unavailable for the James Bond franchise for a considerable time. His participation in The Saint was not only as actor, but also as a producer and director, and he also became involved in developing the series The Persuaders!. Although, in 1964, he made a guest appearance as James Bond in the comedy series Mainly Millicent,[13] Moore stated in his autobiography My Word Is My Bond (2008) that he had neither been approached to play the character in Dr. No, nor does he feel that he had ever been considered. It was only after Sean Connery had declared in 1966 that he would not play Bond any longer that Moore became aware that he might be a contender for the role. However, after George Lazenby was cast in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Connery played Bond again in Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Moore did not consider the possibility until it seemed abundantly clear that Connery had in fact stepped down as Bond for good. At that point Moore was approached, and he accepted producer Albert Broccoli's offer in August 1972. In his autobiography Moore writes that he had to cut his hair and lose weight for the role. Although he resented having to make those changes, he was finally cast as James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973)

Moore played Bond in Live and Let Die (1973); The Man with the Golden Gun (1974); The Spy Who Loved Me (1977); Moonraker (1979); For Your Eyes Only (1981); Octopussy (1983)and A View to a Kill (1985)

Moore is the longest-serving James Bond actor, having spent 12 years in the role (from his debut in 1973, to his retirement from the role in 1985), having made seven official films in a row. Moore is the oldest actor to have played Bond – he was 45 in Live and Let Die (1973), and 58 when he announced his retirement on 3 December 1985

Moore's Bond was very different from the version created by Ian Fleming. Screenwriters like George MacDonald Fraser provided scenarios in which Moore was cast as a seasoned, debonair playboy who would always have a trick or gadget in stock when he needed it. This was designed to serve the contemporary taste of the 1970s. Moore's version of Bond was also known for his sense of humour and witty one liners, but also a skilled detective with a cunning mind

In 2004, Moore was voted 'Best Bond' in an Academy Awards poll, and he won with 62% of votes in another poll in 2008. In 1987 he hosted Happy Anniversary 007: 25 Years of James Bond

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