2022 Pioneers Of The Year Honour For Producers

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Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli were honoured by US film industry charity, the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation, last night in Beverly Hills (21 September). The Bond producers were guests of honour at the 2022 Pioneers of the Year Dinner, where they were presented with their award by Daniel Craig and Michelle Yeoh. 

The event has been running for over 70 years and celebrates leaders in the film industry whose career achievements and commitment to philanthropy is exemplary. Alongside philanthropy, the evening was a celebration of the Producers’ cinematic achievements and the franchise’s 60th anniversary. The night also featured a special live set by multi-platinum, GRAMMY, BRIT, Golden Globe and Oscar winning artist/songwriter Sam Smith. 

This year’s event raised $1.5 million for the benefit of the Pioneers Assistance Fund which provides financial assistance to individuals in the motion picture distribution and exhibition community who are encountering an illness, injury, or a life-changing event.

New James Bond Pinball Machines

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Flippers at the ready as Stern Pinball announces the release of a new series of James Bond pinball machines. 

Three new games focus on the Sean Connery 007 films, with elements from Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever, with a Limited Edition fourth model celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the franchise including all 25 films and Bonds, villains and henchmen.

Stern Pinball is the world’s largest and oldest pinball machine manufacturer and makes their arcade-quality games in the USA. We caught up with Lead Designer, George Gomez, Stern’s Chief Creative Officer and EVP to discuss his inspiration for this new era of 007 pinball. 

How did it all start? 

Bond has a history with pinball – there were games in the ‘80s and ‘90s based on Moonraker and GoldenEye. But I wanted to celebrate the original genre-defining films: the movies that built the legend. This is my James Bond. My aunt took me and a buddy to see Goldfinger in 1965 when I was 10: big theatre, marquee lights, red velvet seats. She dropped us off with popcorn and candy money and told us that she had seen it and we would love it. We called her from a pay phone in the lobby after the first showing and told her we’d like to stay to see it again. We did. Cool aunt – I’ve dedicated the game to her in the credit roll.

Tell us about the games.

We’ve created four models including the Pro Edition with a Dr. No design and the You Only Live Twice-inspired Premium Edition. The Limited Edition has Thunderball elements – made in a run of 1,000, and the 60th Anniversary machine is a retro-inspired playfield with just 500 being made.

What can players expect?

We’ve included iconic moments and locations from the films – you can gather gadgets from Q Branch as pinballs get ejected through the roof of a custom sculpted Aston Martin DB5. Break through the Osato Chemicals drop targets to battle SPECTRE at the Bird 1 rocket base. The Premium Edition includes Thunderball‘s jetpack and underwater fight scene… hold your breath on the gravity-defying magnetic jetpack as it transports pinballs across the playfield. Players can also track progress, earn achievements and connect with other machine owners across the world with our Insider Connected system.

The Pro and Premium Editions are available to order now at 007Store.com.

The Sound Of 007 In Concert

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New additions to The Sound of 007 in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 4 October have been announced. Lulu, Chrissie Hynde, Becky Hill, Ella Eyre, Jamie Cullum, John Grant and Paloma Faith will join the previously announced Dame Shirley Bassey, Garbage and Celeste, accompanied by The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Dodd. A special guest from Hans Zimmer has also been confirmed following his work on the soundtrack to No Time To Die.

The concert, created by EON Productions and produced by five-time Bond composer David Arnold, marks 60 years since the world premiere of Dr. No on 5 October 1962. Proceeds from the event will benefit Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy and The BRIT Trust, of which The BRIT School is a beneficiary.

Following the concert, The Sound of 007: LIVE from the Royal Albert Hall, an exclusive recording of the live event, will be available to stream globally on Prime Video as part of the James Bond anniversary celebrations.

A custom Duesenberg guitar signed by Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, David Arnold and the concert artists will be sold by Christie’s to benefit the two charities.

Other 60th anniversary music moments include The Sound of 007, directed by Mat Whitecross and produced by John Battsek for Ventureland, available on Prime Video worldwide from 5 October. This feature length documentary chronicles the music of 007. Taking us from the iconic James Bond theme to Billie Eilish’s Oscar-winning No Time To Die; the documentary will be previewed at the BFI’s James Bond At 60 weekend in London on 1 October. Bond 25, a new Decca Records album of 007 themes reimagined and performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will also be released on 23 September.

60 Years Of James Bond Christie’s Charity Auction

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Sixty Years of James Bond, the official two-part charity auction will see 60 lots go under the hammer to benefit 45 chosen charities: a live sale on September 28th featuring vehicles, watches and costumes from No Time To Die; and an online sale from September 15th until James Bond Day on October 5th, of themed experiences, props and collectibles from all 25 movies.

A free-to-attend, pre-sale exhibition showcasing highlights from Sixty Years of James Bond will take place between September 15th-28th at Christie’s HQ at 8 King Street, London, with limited edition catalogues available to pre-order now.

The headline lot for sale is a silver birch Aston Martin DB5, one of just eight replica stunt cars built for No Time To Die and the only one to be released for public sale. Estimated to fetch between £1.5 and £2 million, proceeds from this sale will benefit The Prince’s Trust in its work with young people and the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund’s support of charities assisting serving and former members of the three Intelligence Agencies and UK Special Forces.

Other vehicles include an SFX version of the Q Jet Boat from The World Is Not Enough, a Land Rover Defender 110 featured in No Time To Die’s stunt scenes and a bespoke 007 Land Rover Defender with the 60th Anniversary logo on the instrument panel.

Standout pieces available to bid on include a Swarovski-encrusted, gold-plated egg in the style of Faberge from Octopussy and Timothy Dalton’s signed tuxedo from Licence To Kill.

The auctions will benefit the following charities:

ACLT, Art Fund, Back Up, BFI Film Academy, Breaking Barriers, British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), British Red Cross, Brit Trust, Carnegie Institute for Science, Evelina London Children’s Charity, Feeding America, Film and TV Charity, Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service, Helen Bamber Foundation, Helen Keller Europe, Intermission Youth, Into Film, John Hopkins Medicine, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, London Screen Academy, Médecins Sans Frontières, MediCinema, National Film and Television School, National Youth Theatre, Nordoff Robbins, NSPCC, Operation Black Vote, Orbis, Papyrus, RADA, Refugee Action, Rosa, Scottish International Education Trust, Scottish Youth Film Foundation, Severn Hospice, Silverlining Brain Injury Charity, Spinal Research, The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund, The Prince’s Trust, The Royal Foundation, The Special Air Service Regimental Association, The Special Boat Service Association, The Special Reconnaissance Regimental Association, The Trussell Trust, TIME’S UP UK, Tusk Trust Limited, UNICEF UK, United Kingdom for UNHCR, Women for Women International, Women in Film and TV (UK).

Find out more at Christie’s. 

GoldenEye 007 Coming To Nintendo Switch Online & Xbox Game Pass

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The iconic Bond video game GoldenEye 007 is to be released for Nintendo Switch Online and Xbox Game Pass.

As first announced during the latest Nintendo Direct broadcast, the Nintendo 64 classic is coming soon to the console’s Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Switch Online service. Microsoft also confirmed news today (September 13) that a 4K resolution remaster is on its way to Xbox’s Game Pass.

Exclusive to the new Switch version of the 1997 title will be online play, allowing 007 fans across the world to take part in the popular four person multiplayer mode together.

The popular game – based on the 1995 film – lets players control Bond through a series of levels following the GoldenEye film story. In multiplayer mode, up to four players can compete in several scenarios based on elements from You Only Live Twice, The Living Daylights, The Man With the Golden Gun and Licence to Kill.

GoldenEye 007 ranks as the third best-selling Nintendo 64 game of all time and is one of the most influential and seminal games of the first-person shooter genre.

James Bond At LEGO’s Flagship London Store

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LEGO and 007 have joined forces for a new exhibit at the model brand’s newly-refurbished flagship store in London’s Leicester Square.

Marking LEGO and James Bond’s respective 90th and 60th anniversaries, the new display in the 805sqm store – now LEGO’s largest in the world – features giant build replicas of 007 icons. Take a look at the super-sized James Bond minifigure and Blofeld’s cat, or get behind the wheel of a life-sized 007 Aston Martin DB5, set up as a permanent visitor photo opportunity for the next few years.

357,954 LEGO bricks were used in the making of the 1,037 kilogram model DB5 and took 1,366 hours – almost 57 days – to build. It’s kitted out with an authentic rotating licence plate, functional headlights and illuminating instruments. 

As part of James Bond’s 60th anniversary celebrations, LEGO has released a new 007 Aston Martin DB5 Speed Champions model. The 298-piece set features a Bond minifigure and a choice of four number plates. Find it at the 007Store now.

Pinewood Studios Honours Sir Sean Connery

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Pinewood Studios has announced that its new sound stage will be named in honour of the late Sir Sean Connery. The purpose-built, 18,000 square foot Sean Connery Stage is one of five new stages opening at the iconic lot.

Sir Sean Connery filmed all six of his 007 movies at Pinewood in Buckinghamshire, from 1962’s Dr. No to Diamonds Are Forever in 1971. Today’s announcement coincides with what would have been the Oscar-winning actor’s 92nd birthday (August 25), and the 60th anniversary of the first James Bond film released in 1962.

Sir Sean’s son Jason and stepson Stephane commented:

“Our family consider it a great honour to have a stage named after Sean. It is fitting, considering the amount of time Sean spent at Pinewood, and we know that he would have been very touched by this privilege.”

What It Takes To Make A Little 007 DB5

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Step aside Q… The latest adaptation of Bond’s faithful DB5 is masterminded by junior car builders The Little Car Company. Made to two-third size and fully drivable – with top speeds of 50mph – the No Time To Die Aston Martin DB5 is a masterclass in engineering. We sat down with the company’s CEO Ben Hedley to find out more.

Can you tell us more about how the Little Car Company came to be?

I was actually approached by Bugatti – they wanted to do an announcement for the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. They already had a $20 million hypercar they were going to announce but they wanted to do something a bit more fun for their 110th anniversary. I’d been involved in the little car area previously and they said “Look, can you help us build a follow up to the original Bugatti Baby from the 1920s?” They had made about 500 of them and they’re now collector’s items, so if you want one, it’s like $100,000. The big change we made is the original ones were designed just for kids. They were half scale, which is actually tiny. They were too small for eight-year-olds. So we looked at whether we could remake them to modern standards. Then also we made a decision to go to 75% scale. We thought “we’re gonna give it some power. It’s gonna be faster.” Rather than try and remake this original 1920s toy. People say they’re toys but they’re not toys. They are the original car just scaled down 25%. They’ve got 50 mph top speeds and they’re not for kids. They’re fast.

How did the idea of creating a James Bond vehicle come about?

When we originally approached Aston Martin and said we’d love to do a DB5, they were just blown away. They couldn’t believe it. They thought we’d bring them a toy and we brought this little car. We were doing the contract and in the back of my mind – as I was a massive Bond fan as a kid – I always thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool to put some gadgets in it? Wouldn’t it be awesome to put some of the Goldfinger stuff in?” Aston Martin thought this could be cool too. But with No Time To Die coming out Aston Martin thought it would be interesting to do it with the modern gadgets. So we got EON Productions on board and they introduced us to 007 Special Effects Supervisor, Chris Corbould. Chris then helped start engineering the car and we created a mini car based on the new movie.

What were the biggest challenges in making the No Time To Die car?

The biggest challenge we had was that we didn’t originally design it to have gadgets in. What wasn’t straightforward was the engineering on it, trying to fit loads of kit in a car that wasn’t designed to have all that kit. But our guys managed to sneak it all in. 

How creative did your team have to be to make it work?

Very creative. You see, the car itself is 66% scale. So that means that when you look at the car, it’s actually only 44% of the area. Then you’re down to a minimum size of about 34% of the volume to play with. Especially with the machine gun mechanisms. You’ve got to have the headlights drop, and then the guns have got to come out and have power for the rotation. Trying to get that in a wheel arch where you’ve got to have a wheel and suspension that’s a challenge. It’s not like a movie car where you can open up the boot and it’s just hidden items and a wire or two: this had to be a finished product. So you still have to have that beautifully lined boot, even though there’s a smoke machine underneath it. You open the bonnet and it’s got to be immaculate and beautiful. We doubled the power to about 25 horsepower, and it’s got a range of about 80 miles of driving. We’ve got a couple of hidden surprises and easter eggs in there as well which we haven’t told people about yet, that the owners will discover over time. 

How do you feel now looking back on fulfilling a dream job?

There was a huge responsibility with the Bond and Aston Martin DB5 legacy; they handed us this sacred cow to develop and recreate. There was a lot of pressure because if we didn’t get it right, we would be tarnishing what is an incredible reputation so I was acutely aware all the way through that this was a very special project you only get to do once in your life. Designing a Bond car with the gadgets and making it work. That is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was brilliant.

Find out more about the car here and at the 007Store.

Bond Vehicles Line Up At Silverstone This Weekend

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Cars from No Time To Die will be in pole position at Silverstone for The Classic over the coming bank holiday weekend, 26-28 August.

Eight vehicles will be on show together for the first time before going under the hammer at the 60 Years of James Bond Christie’s charity auction in September. Topping the bill at The Classic is an iconic Aston Martin DB5 stunt car driven by James Bond in the opening chase sequence in Matera, Italy. It is the only DB5 stunt car ever to be released for public sale and is expected to raise between £1,500,000 and £2,000,000 at auction.

Silverstone has a history with Bond dating back to 1965 when the track was used to film Sean Connery driving an Aston Martin DB5 as part of a Thunderball chase sequence. The DB5 will once again line-up at the circuit alongside seven other No Time To Die vehicles, including an Aston Martin V8 and Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE – used by James Bond – and limited edition Land Rover and Jaguar models driven by Safin’s team.

Get tickets for The Classic 2022 here.

Royal Albert Hall To Host Anniversary Concert

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An unmissable evening of entertainment marking the 60th Anniversary is coming soon to the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Taking place on Tuesday October 4th, The Sound of 007 in Concert will feature the music of some of the most illustrious names in Bond music history. Further artists and designated charity will be announced in due course. 

Dame Shirley Bassey will headline the benefit concert and Garbage will take centre stage to perform their theme to 1999’s The World Is Not Enough.  

Rising music stars will also put their spin on some of the franchise’s soundtrack songs, including Academy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Celeste.  

Produced by EON Productions, The Sound of 007 will be curated by five-time Bond composer David Arnold and will feature the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

Tickets go on general sale at the Royal Albert Hall box office and website from August 1st.

James Bond At 60 Weekend At BFI

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The BFI (British Film Institute) Bond 60th anniversary weekend is on in London. The three-day event features a series of live specials, screenings and appearances.

Taking place from September 30th-October 2nd at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX, the James Bond at 60 weekend kicked off on Friday with an in-conversation event featuring producer Michael G. Wilson and a panel of 007 cast and crew, followed by a screening of Dr. No.

The celebration of six decades of film features a preview of The Sound of 007, a new documentary directed by Mat Whitecross (Oasis: Supersonic, Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams) and produced by John Battsek for Ventureland. The doc chronicles the music of 007 from the iconic Bond theme to Billie Eilish’s Oscar winning No Time To Die. Director John Glen, Maryam D’Abo and Art Malik will also be appearing to discuss their work and Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould will take part in a behind-the-scenes look at the stunts and SFX work of the films.

Among a series of anniversary screenings, the weekend features a triple-bill of Daniel Craig’s three most-recent Bond films on the UK’s biggest cinema screen at BFI IMAX, including a UK first showing of No Time To Die in 3D.

Legendary vehicles from the Bond Archive, including Little Nellie and the Aston Martin V8, are on display outside BFI Southbank, while Stern’s new 007 pinball machines, 007 photo ops and a display of the Little Car Company’s No Time To Die DB5 are inside the foyer.

Tickets are on sale at the BFI website.