Casino Royale

[ChrisII]

With Judi Dench confirmed reprising her role as M, it seems unlikely the film will take place before "Dr.No" but instead will be a sequel to "Die Another Day" and the other nineteen Bond films.
It's made quite clear by dialogue in "Goldeneye" that Dench's M is a new M....so if she's in it, this film would presumabely take place during or after the Brosnan era.
However, the Bond series has always had a loose continuity of sorts ( There have after all been six Bonds, and, Moore's last few films aside, he hasn't really aged since the 60s!) .
Although I suppose one could argue that Judi might play "M" before she became M...but she's noticeably older than she was in "Goldeneye" so that might not work out.
BTW apparentally the film will start filming in January, although a Bond girl and villain, as well as a new Moneypenny, have yet to be cast.

[Buzz Dixon]

There is no hard and fast continuity in the Bond films. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE refers to events in DR. NO, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE referenced the Connery Bonds, and Bond's short marriage to the Countess Teresa is referenced in several films after that, but there is no linking continuity. Each film is intended by the producers as a stand alone adventure and may be watched in any order.

[tricksterpup]

hmm. for a second I thought this thread was referring to the movie with Woody Allen as Jimmie Bond, Peter Sellers as the James Bond in the films and David Niven as the real James Bond. Yes folks, if you havent seen it, its a comedy with James Bond as 007.

[ChrisII]

There are some links here and there; recurring characters for one; not only M, Q and Moneypenny but also recurring characters such as Bill Tanner (Who appeared in two Moores and two Brosnans) Robinson, Tchachovsky(sp?) Jack Wade, Felix Leiter, General Gogol, Fred Gray and of course Blofeld...

[Hi-Fi]

and of course Blofeld...

and his cat. don't forget his cat.

[Buzz Dixon]

Forget both Blofeld and his cat. Producer Kevin McClory owns the rights to all characters created for THUNDERBALL, and THUNDERBALL was the Bond novel where Blofeld was introduced.

It's a long and involved story, but essentially McClory, screenwriter Jack Whittingham, and Ian Fleming collaborated on an unsold spec script called JAMES BOND OF THE SECRET SERVICE in the 1950s. Fleming turned it into THUNDERBALL the novel and sold it with all the other Bond film rights (save CASINO ROYALE) to Saltzman & Broccoli's Eon Productions. McClory sued and won the rights to remake THUNDERBALL as many times as he wished, which he did with NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN. Eon Productions can no longer use Blofeld or SPECTRE without McClory's permission so they've written them out of the series for good.

[Crowley]

Billie Piper is rumored to be a possible new Bond girl...

[ChrisII]

^Along with Angelina Jolie and Cecile De France.

Piper still has commitmants to DOCTOR WHO, though, although I'm not sure if there would be a break in the filming for her to work...if she does do CASINO though, that's two British franchises she's been in with constantly changing lead actors.... ( Former Bond girls Honor Blackman and Catherine Scheill have also made WHO appearences).

[Jared]

Forget both Blofeld and his cat. Producer Kevin McClory owns the rights to all characters created for THUNDERBALL, and THUNDERBALL was the Bond novel where Blofeld was introduced.

It's a long and involved story, but essentially McClory, screenwriter Jack Whittingham, and Ian Fleming collaborated on an unsold spec script called JAMES BOND OF THE SECRET SERVICE in the 1950s. Fleming turned it into THUNDERBALL the novel and sold it with all the other Bond film rights (save CASINO ROYALE) to Saltzman & Broccoli's Eon Productions. McClory sued and won the rights to remake THUNDERBALL as many times as he wished, which he did with NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN. Eon Productions can no longer use Blofeld or SPECTRE without McClory's permission so they've written them out of the series for good.

SPECTRE the organization was in Dr. No. Could they do a Bond movie with the organization but not Bloefeld?
And I doubt they'd redo Bloefeld anyway, after the Austin Powers movies.

[Cyke]

I miss Felix Leiter.

[Bruce Wayne Jr.]

I miss Felix Leiter.

Yeah, me too. It was nice to see Bond's de facto sidekick show up every now and then. It's too bad he was cut down (figuratively, literally :() in License to Kill, but the focus on Bond's reaction made for a nice change of pace and made Leiter's last appearance significant.

Damn McClory, but I love how the first seven movies, featuring Connery (save one) and SPECTRE, wrap up to make a nice little epic within the series. It would have been perfect if only Bond had done away with Blofeld definitively in Diamonds Are Forever.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

SPECTRE the organization was in Dr. No. Could they do a Bond movie with the organization but not Bloefeld?
And I doubt they'd redo Bloefeld anyway, after the Austin Powers movies.

When they made Dr.No, both Bloefeld and SPECTRE were lifted from the Flemming/McClory 007 script and replaced the Soviet SMERSH, so neither idea can be used again.

Probably for the best, best to come up with new villains each movie. If Bond was fighting the same baddie over and over again, he'd begin to look a tad ineffectual...like most super-heroes.

[ChrisII]

I sort of meant recurring characters from the series as a whole, not just ROYALE....

[Cyke]

Yeah, me too. It was nice to see Bond's de facto sidekick show up every now and then. It's too bad he was cut down (figuratively, literally :() in License to Kill, but the focus on Bond's reaction made for a nice change of pace and made Leiter's last appearance significant.

Indeed. Licence to Kill remains as one of my all time favorite Bond flicks.

Which makes Leiter's mauling in the flick that much more significant :(

[David O Burcham]

hmm. for a second I thought this thread was referring to the movie with Woody Allen as Jimmie Bond, Peter Sellers as the James Bond in the films and David Niven as the real James Bond. Yes folks, if you havent seen it, its a comedy with James Bond as 007.

I heard that they had them on the run with guns and knives, and that they were fighting for their lives.