Although not as much as I probably should, I do contribute to CommanderBond.net. If and when I write further stories or features for CBn, I’ll likely highlight them here like this. Just FYI.
Undoubtedly 2008 is the year of James Bond. There’s so much to celebrate and enjoy. There’s Quantum of Solace coming to the big screen later this year in October/November starring Daniel Craig, there’s Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks, The Moneypenny Diaries: Final Fling by Samantha Weinberg, and By Royal Command by Charlie Higson. That’s just the original content for the year. We’re also getting commemorative stamps, reprints of Fleming’s Bond novels from Casino Royale to Octopussy and The Living Daylights, reprints of Fleming’s non-Bond works (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Diamond Smugglers, and Thrilling Cities), a graphic novel adaptation of SilverFin, Double or Die in the United States, The Moneypenny Diaries in the United States, a video game, a mobile game, a new paperback release of Hurricane Gold, an entire museum devoted to James Bond and Ian Fleming; I could go on and on. This is the year for Bond and Fleming and in the midst of this celebration the Ian Fleming Will Trust made a move that may have been a fairly bad idea. They banned a book due to copyright infringement. Copyright infringement is a very serious problem and I can understand wanting to protect your intellectual property, but it still may have been a bad move for them. Why? Publicity.
Or so it would seem. Picking up on a semi-old story; if you bounce around the James Bond Internet scene, you might have seen a couple reports stemming from Publisher’s Weekly that Hurricane Gold’s sales were definitely helped by the gold cover. Honestly, who doesn’t like shiny things? ;)
The Young Bond Dossier’s coverage asks the question, if gold cover = gold sales, how do you follow that up?
Answer: Silver, duh. Though clearly not as cool as gold, but just as shiny.
Note: Just in case it’s not clear, the artwork is merely a mock up I made in literally 5 minutes time.
I thought Double or Die was going to be a fresh start over here. Not so sure about that anymore. Not specifically due to this news, I’ve just yet to see any real advertisements for the book or any news coverage and it was recently reported that there won’t be any proofs in the U.S. though it probably doesn’t need it. Granted, I’m not the intended audience, but marketing was the main problem I thought SilverFin and Blood Fever had. Lets hope third time is the charm.
When Ian Fleming wrote his James Bond adventures he did so on a routine at his now famous Jamaican seaside villa he dubbed Goldeneye (later inspiring the title for the first Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan – but with a capital ‘e’). Every Bond novel by Fleming was written there and for quite some time the property has been owned and maintained by Chris Blackwell who is now 70 years-old. Blackwell is the son of Blanche Blackwell who at one time had an affair with Fleming (see The Life of Ian Fleming). Still, lately Goldeneye has gone through a number of transitions and consistently makes the headlines for some celebrity going down and spending the night. Like, I don’t know, Johnny Depp or this guy (I’m jealous, by the way).
This week work began to turn the area into a $120 million dollar resort (for the wealthy) that includes 85 new homes that range in price from a mere $750K to $3 million, two restaurants, a health spa, a delicatessen, a supermarket and a watersports center.
Read The Times Online article.
Benson is already hard at work on a sequel, currently titled The Dark Side of the Morgue and his next novel, an adaptation of Metal Gear Solid is due out on May 27th. On the 11th and 12th of April Benson will be attending a James Bond weekend in Lake Garda, Italy and will be in London for a book signing on the 15th.
A little over a year ago, I actually almost moved to Lincolnshire. Whattya gonna do.
The Times Online and the Imperial War Museum have teamed up to offer a sneak “virtual exhibition” preview of the upcoming For Your Eyes Only exhibition. This virtual exhibition offers barebones info on Fleming’s early life, wartime career, and his career as a journalist and author. The Imperial War Museum’s full exhibition opens starting April 17th and lasts till March 1, 2009. Also as a reminder, Ben Macintyre’s book For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond will be released soon on April 7th.
Link: Virtual Exhibition
In other news, the Times Online also threw up a bunch of other articles on Bond today. Top ten lists, actually.
Now we just need a re-design of YoungBond.com. Because it could use one. Or you could just go here.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is certain making a comeback. There’s this, the critically-acclaimed musical and if the rumors are true, a big budget film in the not too distant future.
