Only one man would use crocodiles as stepping stones… it’s Bond’s escape from Kananga’s farm from Live And Let Die. Filmed at Ross Kananga’s Swamp Safari in Jamaica, it was Kananga himself who performed the stunt across the predators’ backs. “One of them turned around whipped his head around and actually bit the heel of his shoe,” recalled Roger Moore. “If it had been me it would have been my whole leg.”
From Russia With Love Boat Chase
“Ahoy Mr Bond”… This boat chase in From Russia With Love was originally filmed on location in Turkey but director Terence Young felt the boats were moving too slow, so the sequence was reshot in Scotland. Can you tell?
Thunderball Jet Pack Flight
That’s one way to make an exit… 007’s jet pack from Thunderball was built by Bell-Textron and originally designed for the US army – but was deemed too dangerous to use. “You could only fly for 20 seconds, then you ran out of fuel and you had nothing,” said Production Designer Ken Adam.
AMC Hornet Corkscrew Jump
“Ever heard of EvelKnievel?” – Bond. The corkscrew jump in The Man With The Golden Gun was performed by Loren “Bumps” Willert in an AMC Hornet X Hatchback. Two dummies of Bond and Sheriff Pepper were positioned either side of Willert, who was dressed in black so he wouldn’t register on camera. He completed the stunt in one take.
The World Is Not Enough Boat Chase
The World Is Not Enough opens with the longest pre-credit sequence in 007 history lasting 14 minutes and includes Bond in the Q Boat in high speed pursuit down the Thames. The boat’s mid-air barrel roll was performed by stuntman Gary Powell using Vickers air mortars attached to the side of the boat — six cameras captured the stunt.
The Spy Who Loved Me Parachute Jump
Nobody does it better. This iconic opening for The Spy Who Loved Me was captured by second unit director John Glen (who went on to direct five Bond films) and filmed on Mount Asgard in Auyuittuq National Park, Baffin Island, Canada.
Royal Mint James Bond Collection
The Royal Mint has announced the launch of its James Bond commemorative coin and gold bar collection ahead of the release of the 25th James Bond film, No Time To Die. The collection includes a number of Royal Mint firsts – a 7 kilo gold coin, which is the largest coin with the highest face value to be produced in the Mint’s 1,100-year history and the world’s first James Bond bar in gold and silver, featuring all of the 25 official James Bond film titles.
Just one 7 kilo gold coin will be created as part of the James Bond Special Issue range, which also includes 2 kilo gold, 1 kilo gold and 5oz gold and silver coins. As well as the larger coins, the Bond collection also features three additional coin designs which when placed together reveal the 007 motif.
The coins are available at 007store.com
Cary Joji Fukunaga On No Time To Die
“We aimed to do something extraordinary with this one,” Director Cary Joji Fukunaga gives a behind-the-scenes look at No Time To Die.
No Time To Die UK Number One
Billie Eilish’s James Bond theme No Time To Die is Number 1 on this week’s Official Singles Chart, earning Billie her first UK chart-topping single and the biggest opening week of all time for a Bond theme, according to available Official Charts Company records.
No Time To Die, which was co-written/produced by Billie and her brother Finneas, racked up 90,000 chart sales across the past seven days including 10.6 million streams, making it the biggest opening week for a single so far this year.
Own A Daniel Craig Designed Aston Martin
You could own an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera designed by Daniel Craig. In association with Neiman Marcus the limited-edition car is available in a run of seven in inky blue and features a powerful twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12 engine. Each customer will also receive one of only seven limited-edition, all-platinum Seamaster Diver 300M OMEGA timepieces – featuring a unique hand-engraved case back – plus tickets to the world premiere of No Time To Die, the 25th installment in the James Bond series.
With the purchase of each 007 Fantasy Gift, a donation will be made to support the work of the Opportunity Network – an organisation that works with students from historically and systematically underrepresented communities to harness their skills and passions to reach their college and career goals.
Decca To Release No Time To Die Soundtrack
Decca Records, in collaboration with Hans Zimmer, will release the official No Time To Die soundtrack on 27 March. Joining Hans Zimmer on scoring the soundtrack is Johnny Marr who is also the featured guitarist and composer Steve Mazzaro who is score producer.
The soundtrack release for No Time To Die will include an epic, sweeping orchestral version of Billie Eilish’s title track, co-written with her brother Finneas O’Connell.
Decca will also release ‘Bond 25’ in celebration of the release of the 25th Bond film. This album includes brand new arrangements of all 25 iconic title themes, spanning nearly 60 years of cinema, including From Russia With Love, Diamonds Are Forever, Live And Let Die,GoldenEye and Die Another Day, newly recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios.
Royal Mail Reveals 007 Stamps
Royal Mail has revealed images of 10 new stamps being issued to celebrate the James Bond film franchise and the release of the 25th Bond film, No Time To Die.
The stamps take inspiration from six key James Bond films across the decades, with the designs a stylistic tribute to the opening titles from each film.
James Bond is depicted in the following films: Casino Royale (Daniel Craig, 2006); GoldenEye (Pierce Brosnan, 1995); The Living Daylights (Timothy Dalton, 1987); Live And Let Die (Roger Moore, 1973); On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (George Lazenby, 1969); and Goldfinger (Sean Connery, 1964). A further four stamps celebrate some of Q Branch’s iconic vehicles and the films they appear in: the Lotus Esprit S1 Submarine from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977); Little Nellie, the autogyro from You Only Live Twice (1967); the Bell-Textron Jet Pack from Thunderball (1965); and the Aston Martin DB5, as seen in Skyfall (2012).
The stamps are available for pre-order at www.royalmail.com/jamesbond. They’ll be available on general sale from Tuesday 17 March.
