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Brian Cox Joins James Bond Reality Series ‘007’s Road To A Million' - 24th April 2023

Succession star Brian Cox is trading the cutthroat world of business for the mysterious world of espionage and secret agents in the new Prime Video series 007’s Road to a Million.

As confirmed by Amazon, Cox is joining the James Bond-inspired unscripted reality competition show in the role of The Controller. Described as an “enigmatic character who controls the fate of the contestants,” The Controller is a “villainous and cultured” figure who revels “in the increasingly difficult journeys and questions the contestants must overcome.”

The show will see contestants divided into two-person teams as they’re tested on intelligence, endurance, and heroism on their mission to win £1 million ($1.2M). The teams are also faced with questions hidden in different locations around the world that they must answer correctly to move on to the next challenge.

“He has millions of pounds to give away — up to £1M per couple — but he doesn’t make it easy,” the Amazon synopsis reads. “Whilst he lurks in the shadows, he is watching and controlling everything.”

“I got to see how ordinary people would cope with being on a James Bond adventure,” said Cox, who is best known for playing family patriarch Logan Roy in HBO’s hit show Succession.

“As they travel the world to some of the most iconic Bond locations, it gets more intense and nail-biting,” he added. “I enjoyed my role as both villain and tormentor, with license to put the hopeful participants through the mangle.”

The series takes place in various locations across the globe, many synonymous with James Bond, including the Scottish Highlands (Skyfall), Venice (From Russia With Love, Moonraker, and 2006’s Casino Royale), and Jamaica (Live and Let Die).

007’s Road to a Million comes from Amazon Studios, EON Productions, 72 Films, and MGM Alternative. It is scheduled to premiere exclusively on Prime Video globally later this year.

007’s Road to a Million, TBA, Prime Video

Next James Bond: Cavill and Page neck and neck for 007 role - Decemer 2022

James Bond odds: Norton and Hardy still in the running

Henry Cavill and Rege-Jean Page are locked at the head of the betting in the next James Bond odds.

Ladbrokes have the pair priced at 3/1 apiece, with James Norton now a 9/2 shot ahead of Tom Hardy (5/1), while every other name is currently priced at 8/1 or bigger.

Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “It’s all to play for at the head of the Bond betting right now, with Henry Cavill and Rege-Jean Page 3/1 apiece to play 007 next.”

Bond producer Michael G Wilson revealed in October that the next 007 would be in his thirties and the role would be a “reinvention”.

He said: “We’ve tried looking at younger people in the past. But trying to visualise it doesn’t work. Remember, Bond’s already a veteran. He’s had some experience. He’s a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He’s probably been in the SAS or something. He isn’t some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off. That’s why it works for a 30-something.”

Here we take a look at some of the names linked with the role and their next James Bond odds.

Henry Cavill (3/1)

Cavill initially took over as favourite in June following a flurry of bets prompted by a video posted on his Instagram account promoting No 1 Botanicals’ herbal drinks.

The 39-year-old Superman and Witcher actor is seen leaving a tailors on Savile Row where parked outside is a silver Aston Martin, the car of choice for the British Secret Service agent.

As he looks longingly at the sports car, Cavill says in a voiceover: “Of course, life will always have its sweet temptations, some more tempting than others.”

However, it was recently announced Cavill is quitting his role as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher and is reprising his role as Superman which could scupper his chances of playing the British spy.

He told USA Today: “It is enormously flattering to read those articles that pop up about Bond all the time and who’s the favourite. I enjoy that, of course. But it’s all about how much time I have, and these roles need to be respected and a lot of work needs to be put into them. You can’t just be jumping from iconic role to iconic role with no time to prep for them.”

Rege-Jean Page (3/1)

The Bridgerton heartthrob shot to super stardom with his role as the dashing Duke of Hastings in Netflix’s raunchy period drama.

The 34-year-old Londoner hit the screens in July with the release of the most expensive film ever made by Netflix, The Gray Man starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, a spy thriller directed by the Russo brothers.

Next James Bond Odds: Aaron Taylor-Johnson into 2/1 to replace Daniel Craig as 007 - December 2022

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a big mover in the next James Bond odds market, having been cut from 80/1 to as short as 2/1 with one bookmaker.

Since Daniel Craig stepped away from playing James Bond, there has been so much speculation as to who will replace him in the iconic role of MI6 spy.

Following a supposed “secret” audition, Aaron Taylor Johnson has been slashed in the Next James Bond odds market to as short as 2/1 (best price 7/1).

One insider said: “Aaron went for a screen test to be the next Bond in September and producers and (Barbara Broccoli – head of the James Bond franchise) loved him. He is now one of the front-runners.”

At the start of the month, Taylor-Johnson was a best price 80/1. Despite his big market move, he is remains only the third favourite to land one of film’s biggest roles.

The 32-year-old actor, who featured in Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Godzilla, The King’s Man and more recently Bullet Train, is rumoured to be among the “top choices” for the next 007.

Cavill remains the market favourite

Star of The Witcher and Man of Steel, Henry Cavill is the current favourite at EVS (7/2 available) and has been battling for favouritism with Bridgerton star Rege-Jean Page over the last few months.

Page, currently at best odds of 9/2, received backing from the Russo brothers in July to be successful if he were to take the role.

An ever-present in the market, Idris Elba has drifted to 14/1 having reportedly walked away from talks to become the new James Bond.

OMEGA Announce 60th Anniversary Seamaster Watches

Available in stainless steel and Canopus Gold designs

Two new OMEGA Seamaster watches have been announced to celebrate Bond’s 60th anniversary.

The commemorative Seamaster Diver 300M timepieces are available in two versions; a stainless steel variant influenced by the first-ever OMEGA watch 007 wore in GoldenEye, and a Canopus Gold model with green and yellow diamonds which takes inspiration from Ian Fleming’s Jamaican home and Bond’s inaugural adventure Dr. No.

The stainless steel watch features a blue oxalic anodised dial and bezel, laser-engraved wave pattern and LumiNova finish. The caseback replicates the movies’ iconic opening sequences, with Bond in silhouette and a gunbarrel design.

The 18K Canopus Gold piece is made from natural grey silicon, with each watch featuring a completely unique crystallite dial. The bezel is embellished with green and yellow diamonds in tribute to the Jamaican flag, and the watch comes in a mango tree wooden box, referencing the song ‘Underneath the Mango Tree’ from Dr. No.

OMEGA’s Seamaster Diver 300M 60 Years of James Bond Watches launch January 2023.

*click here for full details

News - James Bond films coming to Prime Video in October 2022

The James Bond films are coming to Prime Video in October.

The streaming service said in a press release Thursday that it will stream all 25 of the James Bond films and The Sound of 007 documentary in honor of the franchise's 60th anniversary.

The titles include From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, The Spy Who Loved Me, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale and No Time to Die, and will be available in the United States, United Kingdom and other select countries.

The Sound of 007 is directed by Mat Whitecross and produced by John Battsek. The film explores the history of six decades of James Bond music, including "the true tales behind the tunes and famous faces who have recorded some of the most beloved soundtracks in cinema."

In addition, Prime Video will stream The Sound of 007: Live from Royal Albert Hall, a recording of the official charity concert at Royal Albert Hall in London, on Oct. 4. The concert will feature guests vocalists performing iconic Bond themes.

Amazon closed its deal to acquire MGM, the home of the Bond franchise, in March.

The most recent Bond film, No Time to Die, was released in October 2021. The movie marks Daniel Craig's fifth and final film as Bond.

Previous Bond actors include Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.

Profile

James Bond 007 is a fictional British agent created in 1952 by writer Ian Fleming, featured in twelve novels, two anthologies, and a film series. After Fleming's death in 1964, subsequent James Bond novels were written by Kingsley Amis (as Robert Markham), John Pearson, John Gardner and Raymond Benson. In addition Charlie Higson has begun to write a series of books detailing the "Young James Bond". In July 2007, it was announced that Sebastian Faulks has been commissioned to write a Bond novel for publication in 2008. Moreover, Christopher Wood novelised two screenplays, while other writers have authored unofficial versions of the character.

Initially famed through the best-selling novels, James Bond is now best known for the EON Productions film series, twenty-one of which have been made as of 2007. The 22nd EON-produced Bond adventure is currently in production. In addition there have been two independent feature productions (a 1967 spoof Casino Royale, and 1983's Never Say Never Again) and one Fleming-licenced American television adaptation of the first novel, aired in 1954. In 1956, Moonraker was also adapted into a South African radio play starring Bob Holness as Bond. The EON Productions films are generally termed as "official" films originating with the purchase of the James Bond film rights by producer Harry Saltzman in the late 1950s.

Away from movies, TV and radio, Bond has also been adapted for many other media, including comic strips and video games.

Creation and inspiration

Main articles: James Bond (character) and Inspirations for James Bond

Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is an agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) (more commonly, MI6). He was created in January 1952 by British journalist Ian Fleming while on holiday at his Jamaican estate, Goldeneye. The hero, James Bond, was named after an American ornithologist, a Caribbean bird expert and author of the definitive field guide book Birds of the West Indies. Fleming, a keen birdwatcher, had a copy of Bond's field guide at Goldeneye. Of the name, Fleming once said in a Reader's Digest interview, "I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, 'James Bond' was much better than something more interesting, like 'Peregrine Carruthers.' Exotic things would happen to and around him, but he would be a neutral figure—an anonymous, blunt instrument wielded by a government department."

Nevertheless, news sources speculated about real spies or other covert agents after whom James Bond might have been modeled or named. Although they are similar to Bond, Fleming confirmed none as the source figure, nor did Ian Fleming Publications nor any of Fleming's biographers, such as John Pearson or Andrew Lycett.

James Bond's parents are Andrew Bond, a Scotsman, and Monique Delacroix, from Canton de Vaud, Switzerland. Their nationalities were established in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Fleming emphasized Bond's Scottish heritage in admiration of Sean Connery's cinematic portrayal, whereas Bond's mother is named after a Swiss fiancée of Fleming's. A planned, but unwritten, novel would have portrayed Bond's mother as a Scot. Ian Fleming was a member of a prominent Scottish banking family. In his fictional biography of secret agent 007, John Pearson gave Bond's birth date as 11 November (Armistice Day) 1920 (The beginning of the film "For Your Eyes Only" gives his wife's birthdate as 1943. This seemingly assumes Bond to be younger than Pearson claimed); however, there is no evidence of it in Fleming's novels. In the novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Bond's family motto is found to be "Orbis non sufficit" ("The world is not enough"). The novel also states that the family that used this motto may not necessarily be the same Bond family James Bond came from.

After completing the manuscript for Casino Royale, Fleming allowed his friend, later his editor, poet William Plomer to read it. Plomer liked it and submitted it to Jonathan Cape, who did not like it as much. Cape finally published it in 1953 on the recommendation of Fleming's older brother Peter, an established travel writer.

Most researchers agree that James Bond is a romanticized version of Ian Fleming, himself a jet-setting womanizer. Both Fleming and Bond attended the same schools, preferred the same foods (scrambled eggs, coffee), maintained the same habits (drinking, smoking, wearing short-sleeve shirts), shared the same notions of the perfect woman in looks and style, and had similar naval career paths (both rising to the rank of naval Commander). They also shared similar height, hairstyle, and eye colour. Some suggest that Bond's suave and sophisticated persona is based on that of a young Hoagy Carmichael. In Casino Royale, the anti-heroine Vesper Lynd remarks, "[Bond] reminds me rather of Hoagy Carmichael, but there is something cold and ruthless." Likewise, in Moonraker, Special Branch Officer Gala Brand thinks that Bond is "certainly good-looking . . . Rather like Hoagy Carmichael in a way. That black hair falling down over the right eyebrow. Much the same bones. But there was something a bit cruel in the mouth, and the eyes were cold."

Fleming did admit to being partly inspired by his service in the Naval Intelligence Division of the Admiralty, most notably an incident depicted in Casino Royale, when Fleming and Naval Intelligence Director Admiral Godfrey went on a mission to Lisbon en route to the United States during World War II. At the Estoril Casino, which harboured spies of warring regimes due to Portugal's neutrality, Fleming was 'cleaned out' by a "chief German agent" in a game of Chemin de Fer. Admiral Godfrey's account differs in that Fleming played Portuguese businessmen, whom Fleming fantasized as German agents he defeated at cards. Moreover, references to "Red Indians" in Casino Royale (four times; twice in the final page) are to his own 30 Assault Unit.

Novels and related works

James Bond

In February 1952, Ian Fleming began writing his first James Bond novel. At the time, Fleming was the foreign manager for Kemsley Newspapers, owners of The Daily Express in London. Upon accepting the job, Fleming asked for two months yearly vacation in his contract—time spent writing in Jamaica. Between 1953 and his death in 1964, Fleming published twelve novels and one short-story collection (a second collection was published posthumously). Later, continuation novels were written by Kingsley Amis (as Robert Markham), John Gardner, Charlie Higson and Raymond Benson, who was the first American author of James Bond, last published in 2002. The Young Bond series of novels was begun in 2005, by Charlie Higson.

(Credit: Wikipedia)