Bond In Summer

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From singing the calypso classic ‘Underneath The Mango Tree’ on a beach in Jamaica during Dr. No to driving through the ancient hills of Matera in No Time To Die, James Bond knows how to make the most of the summer. Be it misbehaving beside the pool, exploring landmarks, or just enjoying the jet-set lifestyle, here are ten ways 007 enjoyed the holiday season to the full.

  1. ARRIVING IN STYLE

As seen in: Casino Royale (2006)

On the hunt for the source of a mysterious phone call to terrorist Mollaka (Sébastian Foucan), Bond (Daniel Craig) journeys to Nassau in the Bahamas to pick up the trail. Coming into land in a small, exclusive seaplane, Bond steps off the plane in a light grey, single-breasted suit, a white short-sleeved shirt, and brown suede shoes. After having flown some 4,060 miles from London to the Bahamas, only 007 could look this cool and refreshed.

  1. CHECKING IN THE 007 METHOD 

As seen in: Dr. No (1962)

Investigating the disappearance of agent Strangways (Timothy Moxon), Bond (Sean Connery) travels to Kingston, Jamaica, and takes special care to spy-proof his hotel room, setting little traps to check if anyone has entered. He sprinkles talcum powder on his suitcase as a guide to whether it has been tampered with. He then plucks a hair from his head and places it between a crack in the door to highlight if it’s been breached. When he returns, his ruses have been sprung — later that night, he finds himself in bed with a huge tarantula.

  1. HANGING OUT IN THE HOTEL

As seen in: Goldfinger (1964)

Poolside at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel, Bond (Sean Connery) decides to have fun and games with billionaire industrialist Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe). Suspecting Goldfinger is cheating at his daily card game, steals into his hotel and catches Goldfinger’s assistant Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) reading his opponents’ cards through binoculars. Without Jill’s assistance, Goldfinger loses immediately, much to Bond’s delight. By the way, 007’s fetching blue towelling onesie is essential summer wear.

HIT THE TOURIST HOT SPOTS

As seen in: Moonraker (1979)

Visiting Venice, you have to experience the canals and piazzas, and 007 (Roger Moore) is no exception. Yet when Bond, gently travelling down the canal, is chased by speedboats, he goes into overdrive by starting his gondola’s engine and outpacing his assailants. He later transforms the Q dept Gondola into a hovercraft traversing St. Mark’s Square to the sounds of Johann Strauss. Even the pigeon had to look twice.

  1. A SUMMER ROMANCE 

As seen in: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

“I was always taught that mistakes should be remedied,” says James Bond (George Lazenby) to Tracy di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg). “Especially between friends…or lovers”. As Louis Armstrong’s ‘We Have All The Time In The World’ begins, we are launched into a whirlwind courtship: horseback riding, a walk through beautiful gardens, window shopping for rings, and frolicking on an empty beach. Every holiday romance should be so idyllic.

A DAY AT THE BEACH

As seen in: The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)

Bond (Roger Moore) and high-class professional assassin Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) duel on the beach of Scaramanga’s private, secluded island. Before the pistols-at-dawn style face-off begins, Scaramanga shoots the cork off a bottle of champagne brought by his mischievous manservant Nick Nack (Hervé Villechaize), and then the game is afoot.

  1. DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY

As seen in: Thunderball (1965)

“May I cut in?” says SPECTRE agent Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) to 007 (Sean Connery) on a crowded dancefloor at a beach front nightclub during the local Junkanoo celebrations. “Do you come here often?” deadpans Bond as the couple shimmy, all the while watched by menacing SPECTRE agents. As the drumming builds to a fever pitch, Bond spots a gun peeking through the curtain and, as it fires, he moves Volpe’s body into the firing line, the agent dying in his arms. “Mind if my friend sits this one out?” he says to the assembled guests as he lowers Volpe onto a chair. “She’s just dead.”

A DAY TRIP

As seen in: Die Another Day (2002)

Every holiday needs a day trip, but perhaps not as eventful as 007’s. Looking to infiltrate the Clínica Álvarez, a facility capable of DNA modifying to transform appearances, on the Isla de Los Organos, Bond (Pierce Brosnan) knocks a boorish tourist unconscious and employs him as a fake wheelchair-bound patient to gain access to the island. Following a short ferry trip, Bond enters the facility and fights with Zao (Rick Yune), while the building begins to explode following the handiwork of CIA agent Jinx (Halle Berry). It’s a form of relaxation, but not for everyone.

WATER SPORTS

As seen in: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Trapped on board a US submarine, Bond (Roger Moore) needs a quick way to get to Atlantis, the underwater lair of Karl Stromberg (Curd Jürgens), to save Russian agent Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) before the facility is destroyed. He deploys a Q dept wet bike, a prototype jet ski, to skim across the waves and arrives to rescue Anya before the sub can fire its torpedoes. Fleeing in an escape pod as Atlantis sinks, Bond and Anya take a slow journey home — until they are rudely interrupted by their British and Russian superiors.

  1. TAKING IT EASY

As seen in: No Time To Die (2021)

Having retired from the secret service, Bond (Daniel Craig) is enjoying the easy life, lying low in Jamaica, sailing on his yacht The Happenstance, and catching huge fish for his supper. It’s a lazy way to spend the summer, but given Bond’s history, you know it won’t last.

Ten Unforgettable Desmond Llewelyn Moments

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As portrayed by the inimitable Desmond Llewelyn, Q is a treasured part of the 007 universe. Over the years, he has performed a number of roles for Bond: armourer, supplier of high-tech gadgetry, provider of valuable intel, a useful accomplice in the field and an unofficial father figure. Starting with From Russia With Love in 1963 to The World Is Not Enough in 1999, Llewelyn appeared in 17 Bond films (Q is mentioned in Live And Let Die but never appears), starring opposite five Bonds: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and finally Pierce Brosnan. A famous technophobe, Llewelyn invested the character with charm, warmth and wit; his relationship with 007 was always a highlight of each 007 adventure. Here are ten of his greatest moments.

  • THE INTRODUCTION

From Russia With Love (1963)

When actor Peter Burton proved unavailable to reprise his role as Major Boothroyd in Dr. No, Llewelyn took over the character, now known as Q. In M (Bernard Lee)’s office, Q gives Bond (Sean Connery) a run-through of a standard MI6 attaché case kitted out with a throwing-knife, anti-tampering mechanism with a magnetised tear-gas cartridge (disguised as a tin of talcum powder), fifty concealed gold sovereigns and an Armalite AR-7 Survival Rifle. A legend is born.

  • THE CAR

Goldfinger (1964)

The third 007 film is the first time we see Q in his natural habitat — the laboratory. Walking past a parking meter spewing toxic gas and a test for a bulletproof raincoat, Bond enquires about the location of his beloved Bentley. On M’s orders, Q introduces him to his new ride, an “Aston Martin DB5 with modifications”; bulletproof windscreen and windows, revolving number plates (“valid in all countries”), smokescreen, oil slick, rear bulletproof screen and front wing machine guns. When Q informs Bond that the Aston Martin has an ejector seat, the secret agent suggests he must be joking. “I never joke about my work, 007.”

OUT IN THE FIELD

Thunderball (1965)

Thunderball is Q’s first foray into the field, travelling to the Bahamas to personally furnish Bond (Sean Connery) with his often life-saving apparatus: a modified Geiger Counter Wristwatch, an Underwater Camera, an Underwater Propulsion Unit, a miniaturised Flare Gun, a Radioactive Homing Pill and a miniature Rebreather, gifting 007 four extra minutes of breathing underwater.  Q arrives in a blue Hawaiian shirt dotted with pineapples — while his fashion sense might miss the mark, his gadgetry is always on point. 

  • WORDS OF ADVICE

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

Q attends Bond (George Lazenby)’s wedding to Tracy di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg). He congratulates Bond on his nuptials and, rather than berating 007, offers him some rare praise by admitting, while he thought him previously irresponsible, he now has nothing to complain about — for once. Patting him on the back, Q offers some assistance that is far more meaningful than a gadget.

Q: Look, James, I know that we haven’t always exactly seen… Well, don’t forget, if there´s anything you need…”

Bond: “Thank you, but this time I have the gadgets, and I know how to use them.”

As Bond walks off into married life, Q moves to console a tearful Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell), who has caught the hat flung by a departing 007. Q observes that Bond “never had any respect for Government property.”

CASINO ROYALTY

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Q arrives in Las Vegas to gift 007 (Sean Connery) a Voice Algorithm Recorder for mimicking the voice of Bert Saxby (Bruce Cabot), Blofeld (Charles Gray)’s casino manager — Q reveals he had created a similar gizmo as a plaything for his children the previous Christmas. Yet the Quartermaster’s real triumph comes from using an electromagnetic RPM Controller Ring to manipulate a payout on every slot machine in a Vegas casino. Ker-ching. 

  • THE BOY FROM BRAZIL

Moonraker (1979)

Operating in a Brazilian monastery in Moonraker, Q walks Bond (Roger Moore) around his workshop of gadgets that run the full gamut, from exploding bolas (“Balls, Q?” deadpans 007) to a sleeping man gun turret to a Laser rifle being tested. But Q also shows off the depths of his knowledge, informing Bond that the toxin he found in Venice comes from a rare orchid found only in the Amazon, keeping the mission on track.

HOT AIR BALLOON

Octopussy (1983)

The climax of Octopussy once again puts Q in the thick of the action. He helps Bond infiltrate Kamal Khan’s palace compound by expertly piloting a hot air balloon (decorated with a Union Jack), allowing Bond to crash through a window and give chase to Kamal. But Q isn’t finished there. He navigates the balloon into the compound where Octopussy’s (Maud Adams) all female team are fighting Kamal’s henchmen, bumping into a killer, causing him to miss his shot — an act of heroism that later sees him covered in kisses by the grateful women.

  • DEEP UNDERCOVER

Licence To Kill (1989)

This represents Desmond Llewelyn’s Q’s most extensive mission in the field. 007 (Timothy Dalton) has gone rogue after having his licence to kill revoked, so Moneypenny (Caroline Bliss) insists Q go to Isthmus to support Bond. Under the pretence of being Bond’s uncle, Q arrives at the Hotel El Presidente. showing 007 a range of nifty gadgets: a plastic explosive disguised as toothpaste, a camera that assembles into a signature rifle and a Polaroid camera that unleashes a laser. 

Q spends the night in Bond’s room (“I hope you don’t snore,” quips 007) and proves invaluable assistance, driving Bond to Sanchez’s office and providing him with a detonator (disguised as a cigarette packet) to blow the glass. 

Q also goes deep undercover as a Mexican gardener at Sanchez’s drug factory, using a radio transmitter hidden in a rake to communicate to agent Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell) Bond’s whereabouts. Job done, he casually tosses the rake away. 

CAST AWAY

GoldenEye (1995)

The GoldenEye laboratory scene showcases Q’s showmanship and ingenuity to the max. Bond (Pierce Brosnan) enters the lab and discovers Q in a wheelchair with a plaster cast. “Morning, Q. Sorry about the leg. Skiing?” asks Bond. Q fires a rocket from the cast into a wall and cheekily replies, “Hunting”. 

He introduces Bond to his new gadget-laden car, BMW Z3 (“Need I remind you 007, you have a licence to kill, not to break the traffic laws”), a rappelling cord hidden in a leather belt, an x-ray document scanner and an exploding pen that destroys a mannequin (“The writing’s on the wall,” quips Bond after a demonstration to which Q replies “Along with the rest of him”). 

Bond picks up a baguette, wondering what hidden tech it contains. “Don’t touch that,” says Q. “That’s my lunch!” 

  • A FOND FAREWELL

The World Is Not Enough (1999)

At an MI6 retreat in Scotland, Q introduces Bond to his successor (John Cleese), immediately dubbed R by 007. After R briefs Bond on the BMW Z8, his incompetence at using a ski jacket inflates a sealed sphere, leaving the secret agent and quartermaster alone for the last time.

Bond: “You’re not retiring any time soon, are you?”

Q: “Now pay attention, 007. I’ve always tried to teach you two things: first, never let them see you bleed.”

Bond: “And the second?”
Q: “Always have an escape plan…”

As Q, lowered on a platform, disappears out of sight, it’s a touching goodbye to an unforgettable performer.

Spectre: Limited Edition 2-CD Release

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Introducing the remastered and expanded 2-CD re-issue of composer Thomas Newman’s original motion picture score to Spectre. Part of a limited edition of just 5,000, and exclusive with La-La Records, the James Bond Spectre Soundtrack Double CD Set – 10th Anniversary Expanded Remastered Edition showcases the film’s music with improved sound and never-before-released material. 

Available to pre-order here, shipping late June.

007 First Light Game Launches Globally

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James Bond makes his long-awaited return to gaming in a reimagined origin story, featuring an original theme by Lana Del Rey and David Arnold, an all-star ensemble cast, and cinematic espionage action

007 First Light launches with widespread acclaim, receiving an 89 OpenCritic rating, and an 88 Metacritic rating

IO Interactive, the independent video game developer and publisher behind the HITMAN franchise, and Amazon MGM Studios proudly announce the worldwide launch of 007 First Light. One of 2026’s most anticipated releases, 007 First Light invites players into an original, reimagined origin story of a young James Bond as he earns his place within MI6’s elite training program. 007 First Light is available now on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, on Amazon.com, as well as for PC on Steam and Epic Games Store.

Watch the launch trailer HERE

In 007 First Light, players step into the shoes of 26-year-old James Bond, a promising yet sometimes reckless Royal Navy air crewman recruited into MI6’s rigorous training program for the once revered and newly resurrected, elite 00-Programme. For the first time in video games, fans will be able to experience Bond’s ascent at MI6 from a recruit into a fully-fledged spy, as his sharp instincts, resourcefulness, and heroism propel him through the ranks and into the world of high-stakes covert operations.

Blending IO Interactive’s signature fluid, creative approach to missions with a globe-trotting espionage thriller, players will navigate each mission through infiltration, investigation, and the art of the bluff. Players will be able to choose how to overcome obstacles and challenges through brute force, cunning strategy, or disarming wit. Armed with Q-Branch’s finest gadgets, Bond will travel across breathtaking and dangerous exotic set pieces that capture the elegance, danger, and spectacle synonymous with Bond, ensuring every mission feels like a blockbuster adventure.

“With 007 First Light, we set out to honor the incredible legacy of 007 while creating a Bond gaming experience like no other,” said Hakan Abrak, CEO of IO Interactive. “This is a Bond still finding his footing, one players can grow with on his journey shaped by instincts, intelligence, and the resolve that ultimately build the character’s lasting impact.”

Star-Studded Ensemble Cast

To bring this original narrative to life, IO Interactive has assembled a standout cast. Rising star Patrick Gibson portrays James Bond in this reimagined origin story. He is joined by Priyanga Burford as the formidable M and Lennie James as Bond’s mentor John Greenway, alongside Alastair McKenzie as MI6’s tech wizard Q, Kiera Lester as Miss Moneypenny, and Noemie Nakai as the enigmatic Miss Roth. The ensemble cast also includes acclaimed actress Gemma Chan as the brilliant Dr. Selina Tan and Grammy Award winner Lenny Kravitz as the charismatic and unpredictable Pirate King Bawma. Further enriching the world of 007 First Light are special cameo appearances from Khaby Lame, the globally recognized creator and cultural sensation, alongside beloved British entertainer Jacksepticeye and legendary American streamer Shroud. 

Iconic Sound

No James Bond experience is complete without a signature musical identity. Grammy-nominated artist Lana Del Rey, with legendary Bond film composer David Arnold, co-wrote and performed the game’s official theme song, “First Light“. In a blend of Del Rey’s signature vocals with Arnold’s sweeping orchestration, the track serves as the perfect atmospheric backdrop for Bond’s entry into a world defined by allure, danger, and consequence. The Flight, the UK duo, serves as the composers for 007 First Light’s score, delivering a bold soundtrack honoring the timeless legacy of the franchise’s sound, underscoring the game’s tension, elegance, and momentum. The game’s musical world is further expanded by cameo appearances from Superstar DJ Dimitri Vegas and drum and bass duo Chase & Status, who bring contemporary electronic energy to key in-game moments, with a high-voltage club sequence featuring original music from Chase & Status.

Time-Honored Partnerships

The game will feature the Aston Martin Valhalla supercar, heavily modified with Q-Branch’s latest advancements, for assistance in high-stakes encounters across global locations, alongside a selection of Jaguar Land Rover vehicles and a special Triumph motorcycle that help shape Bond’s journeys on land. Field operations are elevated with Leica’s camera, putting cutting-edge optics in the hands of the world’s most famous spy. In the game, Bond is equipped with OMEGA’s brand new Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph 007 First Light, a gadget-loaded essential that serves as a critical component on his adventure. Completing the look and lifestyle, 007 First Light partners with Orlebar Brown clothing, Coca-Cola, and Herman Miller, bringing the realism and immersiveness of these brands into the experience.

Cutting-Edge Technology

To achieve a new benchmark in visual fidelity, IO Interactive’s proprietary Glacier engine has been supercharged in partnership with NVIDIA. 007 First Light incorporates DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, maximizing frame rates on GeForce RTX PCs and laptops. Path Tracing and DLSS Ray Reconstruction will also be coming to 007 First Light later this summer.

007 First Light is available today on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, on Amazon.com, as well as for PC on Steam and Epic Games Store. A Nintendo Switch 2 version will follow later this Summer 2026. 007 First Light is available in Standard, Deluxe, Collector’s, and Legacy Editions. More details can be found at https://ioi.dk/007firstlightgame.

For more information, please visit the official website: 007FirstLightGame.com or follow IO Interactive on X, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, Facebook, Threads, Reddit, Bluesky, and YouTube. Those interested in additional news can subscribe to IO Interactive’s press page: https://ioi.dk/press and to an IOI Account.  

ABOUT IO Interactive 

IO Interactive is an independent video game developer and publisher with studios in Copenhagen, Malmö, Barcelona, Istanbul, and Brighton. As the creative force behind some of the most talked-about multiplatform video games in the last two decades, IOI is dedicated to creating unforgettable characters and experiences using their award-winning proprietary Glacier technology.

 IO Interactive developed and published a reimagined James Bond origin story with 007 First Light, available now, and is currently developing a new IP under the codename Project Fantasy. For more information, visit: https://ioi.dk.

 ABOUT Amazon MGM Studios

Amazon MGM Studios is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and television content. Original series premiere on Prime Video, which is available to watch on hundreds of compatible devices in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Original films are produced and acquired by the studio for theatrical release and exclusively for Prime Video. Amazon MGM Studios also produces content for MGM+, the premium pay television network.

© 2026 IO Interactive A/S. IO Interactive, IOI, HITMAN are registered trademarks of IO Interactive A/S. 007 FIRST LIGHT (source code and other software and certain audiovisuals only) © 2026 IOI. 007 FIRST LIGHT (audiovisuals), 007 FIRST LIGHT, JAMES BOND, 007 and related James Bond copyrights and trademarks authorized for use by IOI under license from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., exclusive licensee of London Operations LLC. © 2026 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. Developed in association with Delphi Interactive LLC. “PlayStation” and “PS5 logo” are registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment ©Inc. XBOX and Xbox logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license. © 2026 Nintendo Switch is a trademark of Nintendo.

All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

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The Scaramanga Files

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“He has a powerful weapon. He charges a million a shot. An assassin that is second to none,” Lulu’s theme for 1974’s The Man With The Golden Gun — music by John Barry, lyrics by Don Black — provided the perfect introduction to Francisco Scaramanga. Played with elegant menace by Christopher Lee, Scaramanga is a world-class hit man who is defined by his deadly custom-made pistol and his facility as a marksman, which is at least the equal of 007. Here’s the lowdown on one of Bond’s greatest adversaries.

Background: Scaramanga was born into a travelling circus, his Cuban father the ringmaster, his English mother a snake charmer. By the age of 10, the boy was a spectacular trick artist and, as a teenager, became a gunman in the Rio underworld. He was recruited by the KGB and was trained in his deadly trade in Europe. Yet, becoming an “overworked, underpaid” assassin, Scaramanga quit the KGB and became an independent operative in the late ‘50s. As Bond puts it, his current price is “$1 million a hit.”

The High Life: Scaramanga lives the life of a world-class assassin, building an extravagant home on his private island off the coast of southeastern China (part of a deal struck with the Chinese government to carry out assassinations in return). His island includes a solar power plant and a funhouse, which he uses to taunt and tease his various adversaries.

Accomplice: Nick Nack (Hervé Villechaize) is Scaramanga’s mischievous manservant. Nick Nack has multiple roles in Scaramanga’s employ. He is a butler, chief, assailant, and the arranger of various hitmen to come to Scaramanga’s island and kill him, as a way of keeping his boss sharp. Nick Nack also plays a pivotal role in stealing the Solex Agitator (a device that harnesses the sun’s power), a vital component in Scaramanga’s plot to auction off the world’s first solar energy system. As Bond arrives on Scaramanga’s island for a duel to the death, Nick Nack greets 007 with a bottle of champagne — in a moment of bravura, the assassin shoots off the cork — and then officiates over the deadly game.

Love Interest: Andrea Anders (Maud Adams) is Scaramanga’s mistress, but, in reality, is playing a deceitful double cross, sending Bond the golden bullet engraved with 007 to lure him into coming to kill Scaramanga to free her from a life she loathes — 007 takes the bait. Anders helps Bond, firstly by helping him get close to Scaramanga — directing him to the Bottoms Up club — and then by stealing the Solex Agitator. Scaramanga discovers her deception and kills her for betraying him.

Distinguishing features:  A third nipple. 

Weapons: Scaramanga’s weapon of choice is a gold-plated pistol that comprises four seemingly innocent objects: a pen, a lighter, a cigarette case and a cufflink. The single-shot firearm uses a custom-made 4.2-millimetre (.165 calibre) 23K golden dum-dum bullet with traces of nickel. Scaramanga has used the gun to kill gangster Rodney (Marc Lawrence), a British scientist Gibson (Gordon Everett), his own employer Hai Fat (Richard Loo) and even Bill Fairbanks, a 00 agent who was fatally wounded by a bullet in the neck.

Scaramanga’s home also plays host to a solar-powered laser cannon that the killer demonstrates to Bond by destroying the plane 007 arrived in. 

Vehicles: Scaramanga drives a 1974 AMC Matador X Coupé that comes into its own when intelligence officer Mary Goodnight (Britt Ekland) is bundled into the boot by Nick Nack and taken hostage. Bond, driving a commandeered AMC Hornet, gives chase through the busy Bangkok traffic. The chase concludes when the Matador pulls into an aircraft hangar and emerges as fit for flying via a wing attachment and jet engine. With an instrument panel replacing the car dashboard, the Matador soars into the skies — Goodnight gets a shock when she opens the boot to discover she is mid-air. 

Scaramanga also owns a Junk, the ramshackle exterior masking a high-tech interior. Bond steals it to make his escape as Scaramanga’s island is exploding. 

Dress sense: His signature look is a white suit, and he wears a ring with a huge stone on the little fingers of each of his hands. Scaramanga has also been known to wear a black suit, a royal blue tracksuit, and a short-sleeved, light blue shirt, blue flared trousers and white loafers.

Personality: Scaramanga is eccentric, arrogant, ruthless and sadistic. A self-professed gentleman who, like Bond, enjoys the finer things, including his own cordon bleu chef and an expensive wine cellar. He also seems to enjoy oysters served with Guinness and tabasco sauce. The assassin also boasts a sardonic sense of humour, such as following his murder of Hai Fat: “He always did like that mausoleum. Put him in it.”

Killer lines: (On inviting Bond to dinner) “Ours is the loneliest profession, Mr. Bond …So let us spend a few pleasant hours together”. (On killing Andrea Anders) “A mistress cannot serve two masters” (On the profession of murder) “Now, come, come, Mr. Bond. You disappoint me. You get as much fulfilment out of killing as I do, so why don’t you admit it?” (On revealing his lifetime’s ambition) “You see, Mr Bond, like every great artist, I want to create an indisputable masterpiece, once in my lifetime: the death of 007.”

The Final Showdown: Bond takes on Scaramanga on the latter’s private island. It’s a battle between Scaramanga’s Golden Gun and Bond’s Walther PPK, with the former so confident he brags about needing just one bullet compared to Bond’s six. Beginning back-to-back like a classic pistols-at-dawn duel (“it remains the only true test for gentlemen,” says Scaramanga), the two men walk 20 paces, Scaramanga cheating by stealing into the labyrinthine maze of the funhouse. The two men stalk each other until Bond, posing as his own mannequin, kills Scaramanga with a single shot, the famous golden gun dropping from his side.

Location, Location, Location

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In his four-film tenure, Pierce Brosnan’s Bond visited iconic global locations, covering all terrains and temperatures. From sun-kissed beaches to freezing cold snowscapes, the beating heart of an urban metropolis to rugged mountain ranges, Brosnan’s 007 films have used impeccably researched locations to add touches of drama, glamour, romance and danger. Here are some of the best spots the fifth James Bond visited.

GoldenEye (1995)

Switzerland 

The mission: Bond and fellow MI6 agent Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean) infiltrate a top-secret Soviet nerve gas facility in Arkhangelsk, Russia. Bond swallow-dives 640ft on a bungee, firing a piton gun into the facility’s roof and hauling himself down the remaining way. 

The Location: The scene was captured on March 11, 1995, at Verzasca Dam near Locarno, Switzerland, standing in for Russia. The record-breaking 640ft jump was performed by stuntman Wayne Michaels, who bruised his back and legs as winds pushed him into the concrete wall. 

Cuba

The mission: Bond and Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco) travel to Cuba in search of the Goldeneye satellite dish. The pair discover the dish, which is submerged in a lake in the middle of a jungle to avoid detection from spy satellites and aerial reconnaissance. Bond begins to set remote charges, getting captured and brought before a gloating Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean) to buy Natalya time to reprogram the satellites with new codes. 

The Location: The set-piece was shot at the Arecibo observatory (aka National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center) in Puerto Rico. The dish, which is over 1000 metres across, has produced maps of Venus and, in 1974, beamed the Arecibo message, an interstellar radio message conveying information about humanity and Earth into space. Unsurprisingly, the radar radio telescope could not submerge underwater, so Derek Meddings’ model unit created a miniature replica on the backlot of Leavesden studios. 

 

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Russia

The Mission: A terrorist arms bazaar somewhere on the Russian border. Bond has infiltrated the sale to identify arms dealers and terrorists. Against M’s objections, the Royal Navy launch a missile strike, unaware that the terrorists have a military jet packed with two nuclear torpedoes. To avert environmental disaster, Bond steals the Russian plane and escapes, flying through the explosion after the missile impacts.

The Location: On January 20, the crew convened at Peyragude at Balcons de Peyresourde in the French Pyrenees to create the pre-credit sequence involving the arms sale. Chris Corbould’s crew blew up a missile launcher, a helicopter, a truck and a jeep. The cruise missile explosion consisted of 30 smaller explosions to make one big fireball. 

Saigon

The Mission: Bond and Chinese agent Wai-Lin (Michelle Yeoh) are captured and taken to media mogul Elliott Carver’s HQ in Ho Chi Minh City. But, before Carver’s henchman Stamper can torture them, the pair escape by jumping through a window and sliding down a huge banner of Carver. A furious chase begins with Bond and Wai-Lin escaping on a motorbike — at one point, Bond performs a death-defying leap over a helicopter to evade his pursuers. 

The Location: Both the first and second units travelled to Thailand to create Bond and Wai-Lin’s bike chase through Saigon. Action unit director Vic Armstrong opted for a heavy-duty BMW R1 200 C Cruiser to perform the jumps and stunts to add further jeopardy. The unit captured Bond and Wai-Lin’s death-defying leap forty-three stories up the Sinn Sathorn Tower, the jump performed by Mark Southworth and Wendy Leech. 

 

The World Is Not Enough (1999)

London

The Mission: Bond returns the ransom money for Elektra King to her father, Sir Robert King, at MI6 in London. The metallic strip in one of the notes sparks a huge explosion that blows a hole in the wall of MI6 HQ. Spotting an assassin on a boat taking aim at him, 007 jumps into an experimental Q Dept jet-powered boat and gives chase down the Thames, taking shortcuts down narrow streets and through a restaurant, destroying the boat near the Millennium Dome. Escaping in a hot air balloon, the killer escapes in a hot air balloon but decides on self-destruction rather than Bond’s offer of protection.

The Location: This 14-minute set-piece was the longest pre-credit sequence at the time. With the pull of the 007 franchise opening up doors to stage a full-on boat chase in front of the Houses of Parliament,  the action was staged over five weeks from March 29 to May 7 — on the first day, a burst of gunfire provoked a member of the public to call the police, not aware that the police were already present. 

Azerbaijan 

The Mission: Bond meets Elektra King in Baku, Azerbaijan, offering his services of protection. In the Caucasus Mountains, Elektra shows Bond her pipeline, but the pair come under attack from a crew of armed assassins piloting parahawks. Bond sees off the aggressor, sending the parahawks colliding into each other, causing an explosion that initiates an avalanche. 007 saves the day as Bond deploys a rapid-inflating sphere.   

The Location: The second unit shot the parahawks sequence in Chamonix, France. The Parahawks, skidoos suspended from parachutes, were part of the Russian Special  Services Atomic Energy Anti-Terrorist Unit. It was so cold that the cameras were tested in the fridges at Heathrow airport, and the weather disrupted the schedule via overcast skies, avalanche warnings, and diesel freezing in the trucks. 

 

Die Another Day (2002)

Cuba

The Mission: Bond heads to Cuba on the trail of General Zao (Rick Yune), who has been spotted as a patient at the Clinica Alvarez, a clinic that uses DNA-modifying technology that can modify a person’s physical appearance to create a brand new identity. Posing as a bird watcher on a beach, Bond meets Jinx, a tourist who banters with Bond, and the pair spends the night together. The next day, Bond gains access to Alvarez’s clinics and discovers Zao. The pair fight, but Zao escapes, and the clinic catches fire following sabotage by Jinx, who is revealed as a CIA agent.

The Location: With the script demanding sunny climes, the crew headed to Cadiz in Spain as a proxy for Cuba, expecting high temperatures. Instead, they were greeted with rain, wind and cloud cover. Pierce Brosnan hammed it up, sporting a pink hot water bottle, which he described.

Iceland

The Mission: On the invitation of Gustav Graves, Bond goes to Iceland to witness the unveiling of the Icarus project – a diamond-powered satellite with enough power to illuminate half the planet – at Graves’ spectacular ice palace. Reuniting with Jinx, the pair join forces — 007 saves her life from laser torture — as the real purpose of Graves’ satellite is revealed: a huge orbital space weapon transforms solar light into a huge destructive ray. Bond flees the powerful beam in Graves’ ice dragster. Bond returns in his Aston Martin in invisibility mode, taking on Zao in an epic car chase over icy wastes and into Graves’ fortress, the palace melting from the power of the heat ray.

The Location: To shoot the ballet between Bond’s V12 and Zao’s Jaguar XKR, the production found a spectacular lagoon near Vatnajökull, which not only freezes over but is also surrounded by icebergs. Unfortunately, Iceland went through unprecedented warm conditions, causing the lagoon to thaw. The unit looked at alternative locations in Alaska, but the cost was prohibitively high. Then the Iceland location experienced its coldest February for 60 years, and the ice froze to a depth that could host a hot pursuit. Still, the camera car was fitted with floatation devices in case the surface cracked.

Statement from Amazon MGM Studios

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Statement from Amazon MGM Studios: “The search for the next James Bond is underway. While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.”

James Bond Style Icons

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James Bond has a strong claim to be the best-dressed character in movie history. From the well-tailored power suits to super tight rollnecks, from uber-fashionable linen suits to the best towel-wear imaginable (see Goldfinger), 007 has long set the standard for fashion in film. But surrounding the main man are female accomplices, villains and henchmen who allow the costume designers to really cut loose. Here are a cavalcade of characters whose look would be at home on any fashion catwalk or Met Gala staircase. Strike a pose. 

Dr. No

Dr. No (1962)

Costume Designer: Tessa Prendergast

The first on-screen 007 villain, Dr. No’s (Joseph Wiseman) look is perhaps the most influential fashion choice from the whole Bond series. Too busy being a criminal mastermind to worry about choosing a suit and tie, No’s Mandarin-collared Nehru jacket is deeply influenced by the military uniforms and has become an inspiration for many Bond baddies and beyond, from Blofeld to No Time To Die’s Lyutsifer Safin.

Pussy Galore

Goldfinger (1964)

Costume Designer: Elsa Fennell

The head pilot of Goldfinger’s personal air force, Pussy Galore dresses for business and practically, but always with oodles of panache. Be it on board Goldfinger’s jet, wearing a black suit trimmed with, aptly enough, gold, to a purple wrap blouse that belies her skill at judo, her sartorial splendour is always a match for Bond.

Auric Goldfinger

Goldfinger (1964)

Costume Designer: Elsa Fennell

The original hipster, Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe), is a larger-than-life criminal with a dress sense to match. His wardrobe often mirrors his love of gold, clothes swathed in ambers, browns and honeys. But perhaps his most striking look comes when he takes on 007 (Sean Connery) on a golf course, sporting a striking woollen ensemble — a flat cap to put Peaky Blinders to shame, a preppy jacket, plus fours — so classy you could almost forgive him his cheating. Almost.

Tracy di Vincenzo

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

Costume Designer: Marjory Cornelius

From the first moment we meet Tracy di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg), wading out to sea in a gown boasting huge diaphanous sleeves, she is an instant style exemplar. In a film full of bold female fashion choices — also see Blofeld’s Angels Of Death — Tracy is the standout, be it showing off a crisp white gown in a casino or sporting a fedora hat while horse-riding with Bond (George Lazenby). In the film’s poignant finale, she is seen wearing a beautiful daisy-appliqué jumpsuit for her wedding, only to be Mrs. Bond for a tragically short period. 

Solitaire

Live And Let Die (1973)

Costume Designer: Julie Harris

There are not many characters in the James Bond universe who get more colourful costume changes than Jane Seymour’s Solitaire. Her dreamy outfits redefine lavish, from an intricately detailed turquoise jumpsuit to an elaborate red and gold dress to a pink translucent night gown. Being an enigmatic tarot reader, she’s also not afraid to rock a headdress. It’s all incredibly ‘70s but completely unforgettable. 

May Day

A View To A Kill (1985)

Costume Designer: Emma Porteous, Azzedine Alaïa

The bodyguard and lover of crazed industrialist Max Zorin (Christopher Walken), May Day (Grace Jones), oozes flamboyance, especially in her outrageous fashion sense. Created by Jones’ fashion designer friend Azzedine Alaïa. May Day’s signature look includes hooded capes, clingy dresses and touches of leather that were good for any occasion, be it a day at the races or diving off the Eiffel Tower. Iconic. 

Pam Bouvier

Licence To Kill (1989)

Costume Designer: Jodie Tillen

Played by Carey Lowell, a former top model who walked Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein’s runways, Pam Bouvier has a dress sense that might not be the most outlandish but it does include one piece that warrants celebration: a dress that allows the hem to be ripped away, enabling Bouvier to quickly access the gun in her garter or run faster in a chase (the idea came from director John Glen). Utilising 160 fasteners and good old Velcro, the garment is also a thing of beauty, graced with beadwork that took a month of workmanship. Like Pam, it’s organised, efficient, sophisticated.

Xenia Onatopp

GoldenEye (1995)

Costume Designer: Lindy Hemming

“Cruella De Vil meets Morticia Addams” is costume designer Lindy Hemming’s snappy description of Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen)’s look. The Russian assassin’s look is dominated by razor-sharp suits, slinky gothic mini-dresses (black gloves a must), sometimes adorned with icy mirrored accoutrements. On board a military ship in Monaco, she kills two helicopter pilots; her dramatic, wide-brimmed hat covers a multitude of sins (the headwear was designed by Philip Somerville, who also created the striking fur hat worn by Elektra King in The World Is Not Enough’s ski sequences).

Vesper Lynd

Casino Royale (2006)

Costume Designer: Lindy Hemming

“I’m the money”, announces Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), wearing an Alexander McQueen overcoat, to James Bond (Daniel Craig) as she sits opposite him on a train bound for Montenegro. It’s an introduction that could easily describe her expensive, chic wardrobe. The star of the show is perhaps the deep purple Roberto Cavalli gown, complete with a plunging neckline and low open back, that Vesper wears at Casino Royale, designed to distract the other players in the high-stakes poker game. 

Silva 

Skyfall (2012)

Costume Designer: Jany Temime

When it comes to being well-dressed, Silva (Javier Bardem) gives 007 (Daniel Craig) a run for his money. On his introduction in the computer room of the dead city on his unnamed island, he sports a cream, single-breasted silk jacket, a Prada silk shirt, an olive waistcoat and Jeffery-West Marriott Brogue Cricket Chelsea Boots. It’s a well-tailored Mediterranean look that still perfectly conveys the character’s sensitive but unstable sensibility. 

Paloma In Profile

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A pivotal figure in 2021’s No Time To Die, Paloma is Bond’s guide through the colourful nighttime streets of Santiago de Cuba. Played by Ana de Armas, she is a naïve, gauche newbie who turns out to be a resourceful and deadly asset in Bond’s mission. Below is a deep dive, both on-screen and off, into one of 007’s most vibrant allies. Vamos!

THE CHARACTER: Paloma first encounters Bond, working under the auspices of the CIA, at the brightly lit El Nido Bar in Cuba. Bond reminds her of the code words — “Something about a hat? Paris?” — but the inexperienced agent is too preoccupied to care. “I forget things when I get nervous,” she says. “This is the biggest job I’ve ever had.” 

Paloma leads 007 to a downstairs wine cellar and gives him his (Tom Ford) tuxedo. Working from Felix Leiter’s orders, the pair’s mission is to enter a swish SPECTRE party at the Hotel Olympiad to extract the scientist Valdo Obruchev (David Dencik), who had been kidnapped by the organisation from a MI6 Laboratory. 

After Paloma reveals she has only done three weeks of training, further raising Bond’s doubts, the pair stroll into the party and Bond suggests a drink (two vodka martinis, shaken not stirred, naturally). From her lipstick tube, Paloma produces an earpiece (“So I can hear you”) and the pair toast Felix — Paloma downs her drink in one.

Bond and Paloma split up, communicating through the earpieces (“Have you ever been to a party like this?” asks 007. “How do you think I got this job?” replies Paloma). Paloma taps into SPECTRE’s technology, and Bond recognises the voice of Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), whom 007 had imprisoned in Belmarsh prison. Paloma spots Obruchev and starts tailing him. 

The gathering is revealed as a ruse by Blofeld to trap and kill Bond by using nanobot technology, the former surveying the party from Belmarsh utilising his bionic ocular implant. Placing 007 in a harsh spotlight, Blofeld unleashes a mist containing deadly nanobots designed to kill him. But in a further twist, the nanobots have been reprogrammed by Obruchev to ignore Bond and kill only SPECTRE operatives. 

In the melee that follows, Paloma spots Obruchev and, along with Bond, starts to hurry him out of the building, revealing herself to be a crack shot with a gun. Still, their bounty is stolen by rival MI6 agent Nomi (Lashana Lynch), who bungees through the glass ceiling (“May I cut in?”) and bounces out with Obruchev in her arms. 

Bond gives chase while Paloma holds off the attackers with some deadly two-handed gunplay. Soon she runs out of ammunition but keeps Bond safe with a dazzling display of martial arts, kicking over, then shooting her attackers. In the eye of the storm, Bond and Paloma share a quick drink as 007 marvels at her prowess (“Three weeks training? Really?” he asks. “More or less” comes the reply) 

As a refreshed Bond goes in search of Nomi and Obruchev, Paloma steals a classic car. Noticing Obruchev has stepped onto scaffolding to make his escape, she drives the vehicle headlong into the structure, bringing it and the scientist down on her bonnet. Bond arrives and takes Obruchev to Nomi’s plane and an escape route.

THE CREATION: “As a young actress, I looked at Bond Girls like a myth and never thought I could be one, because it was hard to relate to perfection,” de Armas told Mark Salisbury for the Being Bond book. “I was really flattered that Cary, Daniel, and the producers thought of me.”

De Armas, who had previously worked with Craig on Knives Out, was delighted that her induction into the world of 007 meant she could play a three-dimensional character rather than an untouchable icon. 

“When I read the script, I was surprised, too, because Paloma has flaws, she’s not perfect, she’s messy and scared and tipsy and makes mistakes,” de Armas said. “On the other hand, she’s nothing close to the damsel in distress. She’s actually the opposite. She’s there to help James Bond get through the night alive. It’s her territory, and so, at least for the night, she’s in charge. That felt very powerful and very exciting.”

Even if Paloma was a new kind of Bond ally, she still had to invoke the glamour that is the series’ trademark. So, de Armas sported a navy blue, almost backless dress created by costume designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb that served both the story and the character’s high style.

“Paloma is basically earning her stripes,” said Larlarb. “We had discussions about women in these positions, who have to embed themselves in the situation when they’re being called to serve. In the case of Paloma, our introduction to her is at the extravagant SPECTRE party that’s happening in Cuba, which is a black-tie event. So, not to be singled out, she’s basically in this spectacular dress, and does incredible feats in this wisp of a thing. Especially on a franchise like this, it’s important when you turn up the volume, you turn it up really high.”

To portray Paloma as Bond’s partner in punch-ups, de Armas went through two weeks of intensive training, learning to handle weapons and thrive in hand-to-hand combat. The actor called the training “probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done” and, for stunt co-ordinator Olivier Schneider, the character’s fashion sense amped up the difficulty factor to the max.

“I understood she wanted that [a beautiful dress] because it’s her character Paloma and looks fantastic on the screen,” says Schneider. “But for Patrick [Vo], the fight coordinator and myself, it was a nightmare because she could break her ankle at any moment in high heels. And, because of the dress, I couldn’t put any pads on her because she had bare legs. We had to design a fight around all of that. Ana rehearsed very hard to make that happen. It was a pure pleasure doing it.”

When it came time to shoot the sequence, the Cuban born de Armas was wowed by the Cuban street scene recreated on the Pinewood backlot.

“It was really stunning,” she recalled. “I was shocked at the size and scale of the whole thing. It was pretty accurate: the colours, the textures, just the feeling of it.”

Still, she had one reservation, perhaps heightened by her spectacular, if flimsy, costume.

“The only thing that didn’t match was the weather,” she laughed, “but I guess you can’t tell that on camera.” 

The Animals Of James Bond

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Over its 25-film history, the James Bond films have often used animals as a storytelling tool, be it as a threat to 007 (Blofeld’s piranhas in You Only Live Twice), establishing character (Kincaid’s gundogs in Skyfall), adding exotic spectacle (the elephants and tiger seen on safari during Octopussy) or providing comic relief (the St. Bernard who brings Bond a tipple in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service). Here are ten great animal appearances from the 007 menagerie…

Dr. No’s Tarantula

As seen in: Dr. No (1962)

On-screen: Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) instructs Professor Dent (Anthony Dawson) to kill Bond (Sean Connery) with a deadly tarantula. In a tense scene, Bond lies in bed and feels the presence of the arachnid, watching it crawl slowly over his body. When the spider moves off the bed, Bond dramatically bludgeons it with his shoe.

Off-screen: After a plastic spider didn’t work, the team tried a real tarantula, but with a piece of perspex between the animal and the actor — the ruse was abandoned when the camera was constantly caught in the reflection. When director Terence Young decided the spider should be seen moving across 007’s body, Connery steadfastly refused, so stuntman Bob Simmons stepped in.

Blofeld’s Turkish Angora Cat

As seen in: From Russia With Love (1963)

On-screen: Played by a returning Anthony Dawson (but we never see his face), Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s introduction to the series — in a meeting where he hires Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya) to steal the Lektor machine and kill 007 — is also our first glimpse of his now iconic cat, a white, blue-eyed Turkish Angora. The cat later appeared in Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever (wearing a diamond collar), For Your Eyes Only, and Spectre, where the cat jumps on Bond’s lap when Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz) reveals his identity as Blofeld.

Off-screen: The only film that features Blofeld but not his cat is No Time To Die.

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Bond’s Seagull

As seen in: Goldfinger (1964)

On-screen: In the pre-credit sequence, Bond (Sean Connery) approaches a Mexican port from the water as part of a mission to blow up a drug manufacturing complex. He sports a seagull atop his dry suit as a creative means of disguise.

Off-screen: In previous drafts of the screenplay, Bond avoided detection by wearing a dead dog in his head!

Largo’s Sharks

As seen in: Thunderball (1965)

On-screen: Bond (Sean Connery) infiltrates Emilio Largo’s (Adolfo Celi) compound at night, but, trying to make his escape, becomes trapped fighting an assailant under a metallic cover in a swimming pool. 007 kills his attacker but faces a new threat when sharks are let loose from a separate pool. Using his Q Dept. rebreather, Bond stays beneath the surface and opens the hatch allowing the sharks to glide past. He then swims through the tunnel and slips out of the empty pool.

Off-screen: For the shot of Connery watching the sharks swim by, the actor refused to get in the water with the animals, so production designer Ken Adam (once again) employed a plexiglass tunnel so the actor could be kept safe from the sharks. Connery insisted not only that director Terence Young tried the shot out first but also that he stayed inside the pool for the take. During one take, a shark breached the tunnel and ended up nose to nose with the star, meaning that, at one point in the sequence, Connery is clearly not acting.

Emilio Largo was not the only Bond villain to keep sharks. Dr. Kananga (Yaphet Kotto) in Live And Let Die, Karl Stromberg (Curt Jürgens) in The Spy Who Loved Me, and Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) in Licence To Kill all deployed the apex predators for nefarious reasons.

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Mr Wint’s Scorpion

As seen in: Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

On-screen: Ordered by Blofeld (Charles Gray) to kill every link in a chain of diamond smugglers, assassins Mr. Wint (Bruce Glover) and Mr. Kidd (Putter Smith) confront dentist turned diamond smuggler Dr. Tynan (Henry Rowland) in the South African desert. While Kidd feigns a toothache, duping Tynan into staring into his mouth, Wint slips a scorpion inside the dentist’s shirt, the sting killing in seconds. “One of nature’s finest killers, Mr. Wint” says Kidd. “One is never too old to learn from a master,” replies Wint.

Off-screen: The scorpion scene was shot in two ways; firstly with the creepy critter shoved in Tynan’s mouth, as per Ian Fleming’s novel and the screenplay, and then with the scorpion dropped down Tynan’s back. The latter version made the final cut. A scorpion also features in Skyfall when Bond (Daniel Craig), drinking in the Calis Beach Bar, amps up the jeopardy by balancing a scorpion on the back of his hand.  The scorpion used in the film was fully CGI, meticulously modelled from a live Blond Desert Hairy scorpion by the VFX team.

Tee Hee’s Crocodile

As seen in: Live And Let Die (1973)

On-screen: On the hunt for Dr. Kananga (Yaphet Kotto) in Louisiana, Bond is captured and taken to a crocodile farm — a sign warns ‘TRESPASSERS WILL BE EATEN’. Bond is led to a bridge as Kananga’s henchman Tee Hee (Julius Harris) points out Old Albert, the crocodile who severed his arm. As 007 steps onto an island, the bridge starts to retract, leaving Bond stranded as crocodiles start moving in for the kill. Bond uses his magnetic watch to draw a boat towards him, only to find it is tethered to a branch. All looks lost until Bond spots that the crocodiles are lined up like stepping stones, so he skips on top of the reptiles to safety.

Off-screen: The crocodile farm was owned by Ross Kananga, who also doubled for Roger Moore on the stepping stones stunt — in one of the takes, a crocodile tore the heel off Kananga’s shoe. Kananga also inspired the name of Live & Let Die’s chief villain.

Drax’s Reticulated Python

As seen in: Octopussy (1983)

On-screen: Searching for Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale)’s research facility in the heart of a Brazilian jungle, Bond (Roger Moore) follows one of Drax’s accomplices (Irka Bochenko) into a temple and discovers a bevy of beautiful women. Distracted, Bond steps on a rock that tips him into a pond that is home to a reticulated python. The snake wraps himself around 007, attempting to squeeze him to death, until Bond stabs the reptile to death with a hypodermic pen: “I discovered he had a crush on me.”

Off-screen: The underwater sequences were shot by cameraman Lamar Boren in Silver Springs, Florida yet much of the footage shot was deemed unusable as the colour of the real python didn’t match the colour of the fake snake that Roger Moore battled with on set.

Zorin’s Race Horse

As seen in: A View To A Kill (1985)

On-screen: Pegasus is the wonder horse of industrialist Max Zorin (Christopher Walken). After winning at Ascot in the last few seconds of the race, Pegasus becomes frantic but is calmed down by Zorin’s accomplice, May Day (Grace Jones). Suspecting Zorin’s is boosting his steeds through drugs, Bond (Roger Moore), accompanied by trainer Sir Godfrey Tibbett (Patrick Macnee), travels to Zorin’s stud farm in Chantilly, where the pair discover Zorin is using implanted microchips to release steroids, triggered by a riding crop or Zorin’s cane.

Off-screen: The horse racing element of the film was added because producer Cubby Broccoli had a passion for breeding and racing horses, owning an impressive stable himself.

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Sanchez’s Iguana

As seen in: Licence To Kill (1989)

On-screen: If Blofeld’s pet of choice is a cat, Licence To Kill’s chief villain, Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi), is often seen with an iguana on his shoulder. In one moment, the reptile is seen wearing a jewel-encrusted collar, a gaudy signifier of Sanchez’s criminality and decadence.

Off-screen: The character has another animal association: Sanchez uses a stingray tail to whip his mistress, Lupe Lamora (Talisa Soto). The idea was taken from Ian Fleming’s short story The Hildebrand Rarity, where it is used by Milton Krest.

Q’s Cat

As seen in: No Time To Die (2021)

On-screen: Q (Ben Whishaw) is preparing for an intimate dinner when Bond (Daniel Craig) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) interrupt his plans and enlist him to analyse files relating to Project Heracles. Looking around Q’s stylish apartment, Bond notices Q’s hairless Egyptian Sphinx cat and quips, “You know, they make them with hair these days?”

Off-screen: The cats were included as a callback to Q, referencing that he owned cats in Spectre. The cats were placed on set weeks before filming started to allow them to acclimatise and, come the filming, were very well behaved.

Bond By The Sea

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An iconic shot in Bond’s history. Ursula Andress walking out of the sea in Dr. No has reverberated around the series in different ways, being explicitly referenced in Die Another Day and gender-swapped in Casino Royale. Here’s how the 007 films created and paid tribute to a moment of movie magic. 

Dr. No (1962)

The Moment: Ferried by Felix Leiter’s accomplice Quarrel (John Kitzmiller), Bond (Sean Connery) arrives on Crab Key to investigate Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman). The following morning, Bond hears a female voice singing (“Underneath the mango tree, me honey and me…”). His interest piqued, he sees Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress), a beautiful woman with wet hair, wearing a white bikini and a white webbing army belt, carrying a bunch of seashells and dumping them on the beach. 

The Making Of: Producer Cubby Broccoli cast the then 25-year-old Swiss actor Ursula Andress solely from a photo of the actress in a wet t-shirt just two weeks before production. When Andress arrived on set, her costume had not been decided on, so Broccoli called United Artists executive David Picker in New York and asked him to buy three bikinis from Saks Fifth Avenue and send them to Jamaica. 

The shot was captured on February 6 1962, at the privately owned Laughing Waters Beach in Ocho Rios, St Ann, Jamaica, near Fleming’s home, GoldenEye. The shot was witnessed by the author — his first visit to a 007 set — and his wife Ann, who were out for a stroll with poet Stephen Spender and journalist Peter Cornell — the group were forced to dive to the ground to avoid being seen on camera. The song Honey and Bond sing, ‘Underneath The Mango Tree’, was written by the film’s composer, Monty Norman, and sparked a war between the two co-stars. “Sean and I fought a bit trying to get the record player, trying to learn how to sing the song,” Andress recalled. “He used to steal it away from me and I would steal it back. He sings much better than I do. I can’t carry a tune.” In the end, Andress’s singing voice was replaced by German actor Nikki van der Zyl. 

The moment has earned a unique place in pop culture, and in 2001, Andress’s white bikini sold for £41,000 at auction.

Die Another Day (2002)

The Moment: Bond is on assignment in Cuba on the trail of Korean terrorist Zao (Rick Yune), believing him to be staying at a clinic that is changing his facial appearance via DNA-modifying technology. From a seaside resort, Bond surveys the island that plays host to the clinic by posing as an ornithologist with binoculars. His vision is interrupted by Jinx (Halle Berry) — whom we will later learn is a CIA operative — emerging (in slow motion) from the sea and walking up to the beachfront bar “Magnificent view” ventures Bond. “Isn’t it?” replies Jinx. “Too bad it’s lost on everyone else.” Sharing a mojito, it’s the start of a beautiful, if intense, friendship.

The Making Of: On April 3rd, the Die Another Day production team travelled to Cadiz in Spain, which was doubling for Cuba. Expecting sunny climes, the team arrived to rain, wind, and cloud cover with no foreseeable break in the weather. “I was hamming it up with the hot water bottles,” recalled Pierce Brosnan. “It’s pretty pathetic really — sitting there with a big fluffy blue dressing gown and a pink hot water bottle. It’s not very Bond.” 

The inclement elements also delayed the shooting of Jinx jumping out of the water, in a clear nod to Dr. No’s Honey Ryder entrance, which went further than just the action. “We wanted to pay homage to the Ursula Andress bikini,” said costume designer Lindy Hemming, “and we came up with this electric orange, very revealing and sexy bikini, and a very beautifully crafted diving belt made by a company called Whitaker Malem, which fits exactly on the top of her hips at the point where her bikini ends.” In February 2026, Berry revealed that she had kept the two-piece swimsuit for over two decades.

Casino Royale (2006)

The Moment: A beach in the Bahamas. Bond, taking a break from his hunt for bomber Mollaka (Sébastien Foucan), rises out of the twinkly-blue Caribbean sea and, sporting powder-blue, tight-fitting swimming trunks, strides confidently out of the surf and toward the shore. He catches the eye of a beautiful woman dismounting from a horse — we will come to know her as Solange (Caterina Murino), the wife of criminal operative Alex Dimitrios (Simon Abkarian) — and the pair share a moment. It won’t be the last.

The Making Of: It looks a clear-cut homage to the Ursula Andress/Dr No. moment but both screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade and director Martin Campbell claim that paying tribute was not on their mind. “No matter what anybody says, I needed a wide shot,” Campbell told Mark Salisbury. “That’s it. There was no ‘Let’s do a Dr. No shot.’ It was only once the film was shown that that got picked up on but it was entirely accidental in the sense we needed a wider shot of Daniel standing up, coming out of the sea.”

Still, costume designer Lindy Hemming had Andress in mind when thinking about the scene and knew it would be memorable. She went through numerous pairs of trunks with Craig, a selection of looser board shorts alongside a tighter pair of blue trunks — Craig, who’d spent months working out, immediately went for the blue made in Italy by La Perla and labelled GrigioPerla. The trunks later sold for £44,450 at an auction of Bond memorabilia at Christie’s to mark the 50th anniversary of the series in 2012. Dame Judi Dench presided over the bidding and quipped, “All I’m going to tell you is they’re unwashed.”

Co-producer Barbara Broccoli saw immediately the impact of the look on set. “Of course, when we were shooting it and he walked out of the sea, all the women were out of their minds. The men were too. Like Ursula Andress, that image was something men and women could appreciate. Daniel exemplified the kind of man every man would like to be. Strong, powerful and beautiful.”

The moment had PR benefits too. Shooting the moment, a paparazzi photographer snapped Craig coming out of the sea. The image was sold to British tabloid The Sun, and subsequently the image circulated around the world. While the Casino Royale team was initially angered, it served to heighten awareness about the film and transformed opinion on initial, unfair reservations about Craig as Bond.

“In a way, it was the turning point,” said executive producer Anthony Waye. “Daniel Craig had been too blonde and blue-eyed for the media but suddenly he was the perfect Bond.”

Diamonds Are Forever: 55th Anniversary Edition 2-CD Release

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Introducing the remastered and expanded 2-CD re-issue of composer John Barry’s original motion picture score to Diamonds Are Forever. Part of a limited edition of just 5,000, this edition showcases the film’s music with improved sound and never-before-released material. Included within this 2-CD set is the iconic title song “Diamonds Are Forever” by Barry and lyricist Don Black performed by Shirley Bassey in English and Italian. 

Diamonds Are Forever is the seventh James Bond film, released in 1971, and produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. The film stars Sean Connery, after a one picture absence, as 007, and is directed by Guy Hamilton, returning for his second film in the series.

Available to pre-order on 007Store.com, shipping mid-late April 2026.