Tag: James Bond

James Bond will be back in U.S. theaters in November 2012 with “Skyfall,” the 23rd film in the venerable spy franchise and the third installment starring Daniel Craig as 007. Shooting began Thursday for the film that will mark the film franchise’s 50th anniversary, although the fans who made “Dr. No” a hit back in 1962 might barely recognize the hero in his current taciturn mode. Still, at a news conference in London, director Sam Mendes assured reporters and fans that he will keep the adrenaline pumping in an aging brand that was revitalized with Martin Campbell’s “Casino Royale” in 2006. “It, I think, has all the elements of a classic Bond movie, including, to quell any rumors, a lot of action,”  said the filmmaker, whose credits include “American Beauty,” “Jarhead” and ”Road to Perdition.” The new film will also star Javier Bardem as the villain and brings back Judi Dench as Bond’s ...

James Bond has finally met his match — himself. “Battle of the Bonds,” a six-minute video by Kyle Roberts and Oklahoma City-based film company Reckless Abandonment Pictures, features the British agent in four of his cinematic incarnations with Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. Do four versions of 007 equal 028? Decide for yourself, the short made its online debut this weekend. The short joins a parade of clever fan-made movie parodies and tributes that rack up millions of YouTube hits.  Here’s some of our favorites: “Battle of the Bonds“: The filmmakers, who partnered with The Toy and Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley, Okla., and Speeding Bullet Comics, used more than 5,000 photos of action figures (Bond is too cool to use the word “dolls,” though Barbie does make an appearance as Pussy Galore) to make the video. Several YouTube personalities ...

At our sister blog Awards Tracker, Glenn Whipp has some insight into the search for Daniel Craig’s next nemesis…   Oscar winner Javier Bardem is notoriously difficult when it comes to getting him to commit to a film, but he says he has just been offered a part that will be hard to turn down.  Bardem recently met with director Sam Mendes to talk about playing the villain in the next James Bond film, temporarily titled “James Bond 23” and set for a Nov. 9, 2012, release. The actor, who is Oscar-nominated for his lead work in the Spanish-language drama “Biutiful” and who won in 2008 for another villainous role in “No Country for Old Men,” hasn’t said yes to Mendes — yet. He wants to read the screenplay first. But, judging from the grin on his face when we spoke on Monday, ...

MGM has released a press release that is short and (for fans of 007) sweet… Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions, together with Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, Co-Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., today announced that the 23rd James Bond film will commence production in late 2011 for a worldwide release on November 9, 2012. Daniel Craig will be returning as the legendary British secret agent, with Sam Mendes directing a screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. RECENT AND RELATED Craig: My 007 future is out of my hands MGM woes? Sure, but new Bond film also needs script Clint Eastwood: I was offered Bond role in ’70s 24 FRAMES: Journos invest in “Bond” speculation James Bond is back with martinis…but not the gadgets PHOTO GALLERY: “Bond” girls through the ...

Clint Eastwood is watching the contemporary superhero craze in Hollywood with a bit of generational relief. “Thank God that I didn’t have to do that,” says the the 80-year-old star. The Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker is best known to moviegoers as a cowboy or a cop, but during a recent interview in Carmel, the Hollywood icon said that in the 1970s he was an early candidate to play the Man of Steel. He added that, a few years before that, he was approached with an offer to join her majesty’s secret service in the role of suave spy James Bond. “I can remember – and this was many years ago – when [Warner Bros. President] Frank Wells came to me about doing Superman. So it could have happened. This was when they first started to think about making it. I was like, ‘Superman? Nah, nah, that’s not ...

EXCLUSIVE Daniel Craig is in Western wear these days on the New Mexico set of “Cowboys and Aliens,” but he can’t help but wonder whether he will ever don James Bond’s tuxedo again. “It’s out of my hands,” the British actor said during a break from shooting. “I’m ready and willing, and if I get the call, I’ll be there.” It’s not clear when — or even if — that call will come. The fiscal crisis at MGM has suspended the cinema spy’s license to kill and, as Steven Zeitchik has reported, there may also be some discord among the current creative team about the direction of the next film, which would be the 23rd in the storied franchise. Craig took on the role of 007 with “Casino Royale“ in 2006 and followed it with “Quantum of Solace“ in 2008. The two films pulled ...

Rachel Abramowitz is back on the Hero Complex today with the news that Sam Mendes is poised to become the first Oscar-winning director in the history of the venerable James Bond franchise. Sam Mendes is engaged in discussions to become the next James Bond maestro, potentially making him the first Oscar winner ever to direct England’s suavest spy.  The “American Beauty” director is actually an old friend of Bond leading man Daniel Craig and introduced the actor to wider American audiences by casting him in the 2002 film “Road to Perdition.”  “Bond 23″ already has Peter Morgan, Oscar nominee for “The Queen” and “Frost/Nixon,” scripting moody character turns for 007, alongside Bond screenwriting stalwarts Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. MGM declined to confirm the report.  Of course, Mendes has a bunch of projects also brewing, including the long-gestating film adaptation of the comic ...

During the presidential campaign there was a staggering amount of fanboy imagery and pop-culture crossover. We saw Sarah Palin in “Tales from the Crypt“ and Barack Obama with Vulcan ears. John McCain got his own comic book and we heard political statements (both the heartfelt variety and the winking kind) from the likes of Wonder Woman and Lando Calrissian. Wow, when did the national political scene turn into a comic-book convention? Well, the election is long gone, but politics never really take a holiday — nor do politicos ever tire of drafting Hollywood heroes as symbolic messages and cultural shorthand. Take this new GOP commercial that uses a certain secret agent to take a few shots at Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi…   Feel free to express your thoughts on Pelosi and the GOP in the comments section (don’t ask us what we think, we’re neutral — ...

Welcome to a winter’s day version of Everyday Hero, your roundup of handpicked headlines from across the fanboy universe…. "A-TEAM" GOES TO PLAN B: Way back in August, I sat down with Ice Cube and heard how eager he was to work with Bruce Willis in a remake of "The A-Team" being directed by John Singleton. But the rapper/actor/producer was worried that the writers strike might undermine the effort. Looks like it did, because now Singleton is out and the project is moving forward with a new team that may or may not be interested in Cube taking on the challenge of replacing Mr. T in the role of B.A. Baracus. In the trades today, Michael Fleming has an informative update on the revamped project: "Twentieth Century Fox has assembled a creative team to transform 1980s TV series ‘The A-Team’ ...

As of 5 p.m., Yahoo released a new "Watchmen" trailer, which will play in front of "Quantum of Solace" (and I’m sure some of you will be in the midnight screenings). It starts out with a tinkling theme that reminded me for a moment of "The Godfather" as Rorschach narrates a bit.  More action, more carnage, more powers displayed and a bit more to say about the movie.  The Smashing Pumpkins music for the first trailer was great, and Muse’s background sounds during this trailer are also pretty dramatic. – Jevon Phillips P.S. – And if you want to hear the Muse song in full … RELATED "Watchmen" wants to be the "GoodFellas" of superhero cinema Alan Moore on "Watchmen" movie: "I will be spitting venom all over it" Zack Snyder happy to make "a three-hour advertisement for the graphic ...