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On Oct. 14, 2005, the casting of Daniel Craig as James Bond was announced. To date, that was the last time a cinematic Bond was announced.
That means a full generation has only known the Craig version of Bond. The actor made his debut with 2006’s Casino Royale and lasted until 2021’s No Time to Die.
The Craig era was different. More introspection. You got bits of that with previous 007 actors. With Craig, introspection was front and center.
The decision to go with Craig reflected changes at Eon Productions. Michael G. Wilson, one of the Eon principals, spelled that out in an Oct. 15, 2005 story in The New York Times.
“I was desperately afraid, and Barbara was desperately afraid, we would go downhill,” said Michael G. Wilson, the producer of the new Bond film, “Casino Royale,” with Ms. Broccoli. He even told that to Pierce Brosnan, the suave James Bond who had a successful run of four films, he said.
“We are running out of energy, mental energy,” Mr. Wilson recalled saying. “We need to generate something new, for ourselves.”
The answer for the half-siblings was Daniel Craig. Barbara Broccoli, in a 2017 podcast from The Hollywood Reporter, said Craig was the best cinematic Bond. In an official No Time to Die podcast, she proclaimed that Craig’s farewell was “a cinematic masterpiece.”
The Craig version of Bond died at the end of No Time to Time. Craig has said he insisted upon that when he first signed up as 007. Craig’s run as Bond included five films, sometimes with long pauses between productions.
Today, creative control of the Bond film franchise has passed to Amazon from Eon. Bond fans still have yet to discover who the next movie Bond will be.
In the past decade, there have been two (2) James Bond movies. That’s not exactly a fast pace. But the hype has been enough for several movies.
A few recent examples:
— June 2025: Variety publishes a story that tech giant Amazon, which now controls creative matters for 007 movies, has actors in mind to play Bond in the first Amazon Bond film.
“Insiders say that the studio and producers are interested in casting a British actor under the age of 30, with Jacob Elordi (“Saltburn”), Tom Holland (“Spider-Man”) and Harris Dickinson (“Babygirl”) at the top of the list,” according to the Hollywood trade publication.
—Oct. 1, 2025: Not so fast. World of Reel proclaims that Amazon “is quietly pushing for Jacob Elordi as a contender for the next James Bond, though no formal offer has been sent out.” The headline on the story acknowledges this is a rumor.
—Oct. 10, 2025: David Heyman, one of the producers appointed by Amazon to produce its first Bond movie, tells the BBC, “It’s going to be a lot of fun, and I think we’re going to make something very special.”
That’s not exactly big news. It’s rare for a producer to say he’s going to mess up a major project. But it’s something.
At this point, Amazon’s first Bond film has a director (Denis Villeneuve) and a writer (Steven Knight). Villeneuve is directing a third Dune movie and can’t put his full attention to Bond until Dune 3 is finished. As for Knight? Let us know when he’s gotten as far as a first draft.
Meanwhile, if you take a look at the A1 Bond timeline, you will see reminders of other hype that fizzled out.
–Alfonso Cuarón was certain to direct Amazon’s first Bond film. Oops, didn’t turn out that way.
–The new Bond production scouting locations in Liverpool! OK.
–Director Steve McQueen was in the running to direct the first Amazon 007 production. Nope.
–Amazon Chairman Jeff Bezos wants his new wife to get a part in the movie.
Between 2016 and 2024, we heard, among other things, that Daniel Craig wasn’t coming back and that Tom Hiddleston would be his replacement for Bond 25 (later No Time to Die); Christopher Nolan was “more than likely” to direct Bond 25; and that Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson of Eon Productions may have secretly hired a director for Bond 26 — the project that will be overseen by Amazon, not Eon.
Luciana Paluzzi and Robert Vaughn in To Trap a Spy, the first U.N.C.L.E. movie.
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will televise eight movies from The Man From U.N.C.L.E. on Monday, Oct. 13.
The movies were edited from the 1964-68 television series starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. But the move versions often included additional footage. In the first season, two episodes had more scenes to get them up to a movie running time.
Example: The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’s pilot episode ran almost 70 minutes (much longer than a usual one-hour episode). Additional footage was filmed with Luciana Paluzzi as a femme fatale. Her character, Angela, would be very similar to her Fiona Volpe character in Thunderball.
Starting in the second season, the series began doing two-part stories that were easier to adapt into a movie. NBC, the U.S. television network that broadcast the show, agreed to show them only once in return for a cut of the theatrical revenue. While intended mostly for international audiences, a few of the U.N.C.L.E. movies got a U.S. release.
One oddity: The second season led off with a two-parter with Rip Torn as a villain. But the movie version, One Spy Too Many, was the only one available for decades. The original TV version was discovered in 1999. Since then, home video releases of the series have included it. There are home video releases of the eight movies.
Another oddity: The series and movies have, at times, different continuity. To Trap a Spy includes the original U.N.C.L.E. chief Mr. Allison (Will Kuluva). But the producers opted for a new head of U.N.C.L.E., Mr. Waverly (Leo G. Carroll). The first episode of the series had footage removing Kuluva and replacing him with Carroll.
Here is the schedule, according to TCM’s website. All times are eastern in the U.S.:
6 a.m.: To Trap a Spy (expanded version of the pilot)
7:45 a.m.: The Spy With My Face
9:30 a.m.: One Spy Too Many
11:15 a.m.: One of Our Spies Is Missing
1 p.m.: The Spy in the Green Hat
2:45 p.m.: The Karate Killers
4:30 p.m.: The Helicopter Spies
6:15 p.m.: How to Steal the World
In 2024, I was a guest on an episode of the SpyHards podcast to discuss To Trap a Spy and to detail Ian Fleming’s involvement in U.N.C.L.E.
First appearance of James Bond on a movie screen, Dr. No.
The past few days, Amazon committed an unforced error.
The tech giant’s Amazon Prime service came out with new, digitally altered preview images for movies from the 25 007 movies released from 1962 to 2021.
Bond with elongated arms. Guns erased. Hands now empty but staying the same as if they held a firearm. It all drew attention to itself. Amazon was taking out guns from Bond imagery.
Long-time 007 fans wondered — out loud and often — whether Amazon was going “woke.”
A quick review: The very first Bond theatrical poster for Dr. No had a 007 logo with the 7 being a gun. An illustration of Sean Connery on the poster had Bond holding a pistol.
When the movie began, the first image for the audience was an unknown killer aiming at Bond. The agent suddenly turns and fires his own gun. Thus, the beginning of the James Bond gunbarrel logo, designed by Maurice Binder. In the first half-hour of the movie, Bond is forced to give up a Beretta and replace it with a Walther PPK.
Even the digitally altered Bond images by Amazon included the 007 logo with the 7 as a gun.
It took a few days, but Variety caught on and did an Oct. 6 story about the controversy.
YouTubers who’ve made a career attacking “woke” entertainment have jumped on the bandwagon, or is it the “Bondwagon”?
Amazon has removed digitally altered publicity stills from its Amazon Prime menu for James Bond films.
The altered versions erased guns held by Bond actors and lengthened arms so guns would be out of the frame. The changed stills stirred adverse reaction among 007 fans.
The replacement images don’t have guns either, but hand weapons were either cropped (Daniel Craig in Skyfall) or other stills were selected where Bond actors didn’t hold guns (Sean Connery in Thunderball and You Only Live Twice, Roger Moore in For Your Eyes Only, and Craig in No Time to Die).
Ironically, when I punched up “James Bond” in the Amazon Prime search engine, The November Man with former Bond actor Pierce Brosnan came up. He was holding a gun. (see above)
Guns have been part of Bond imagery since Dr. No in 1962. The 007 logo turned the 7 into a gun. A variation of that logo was even used for publicity on the reality show 007: Road to a Million shown on Amazon Prime.
The altered images were originally reported by the MI6HQ.com site. That site noted the change earlier today.
Amazon is preparing its first James Bond movie after gaining creative control from Eon Productions earlier this year.
Amazon’s first James Bond movie hasn’t started production but the tech giant just stirred adverse reaction among 007 fans.
The MI6-HQ.com site on Thursday reported how Amazon digitally altered Bond publicity stills to remove guns. You can see samples below on the X/Twitter post MI6-HQ put out (click on the image to see all four):
The altered image for A View to a Kill extends the arms of Roger Moore’s Bond beyond the frame. He resembles a stretchy comic book character like Plastic Man or Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four.
Guns have been part of Bond imagery since Dr. No in 1962. The 007 logo turned the 7 into a gun. A variation of that logo was even used for publicity on the reality show 007: Road to a Million shown on Amazon Prime.
However, there have been signs of unease within Amazon about the Bond character. A December 2024 story in The Wall Street Journal described an Amazon meeting where a participant raised concerns about the Bond character. Bond, with his license to kill, has done so on many occasions.
Some Bond fans became anxious when Amazon took control of the 007 film franchise earlier this year. It went from family control (the Broccolis and Wilsons) to corporate control. This latest development likely won’t relieve that anxiety.
The Thunderball 60th anniversary CD marked the debut in the copyright notice of London Operations, LLC
The new Thunderball 60th anniversary CD set was the end of a familiar Bond name: Danjaq.
Previous James Bond soundtrack releases included Danjaq in the copyright notice. On the copyright notice on the back cover of the new CD set, the name of London Operations LLC is in place of Danjaq.
This, of course, reflects the transaction from earlier this year where Amazon gained creative control of the 007 film franchise. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson agreed to put the film rights in a joint venture with Amazon, with the latter taking over creative control.
When Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman went into the Bond business, they formed two companies: Eon Productions to make the 007 movies and Danjaq (originally Danjaq S.A., later Danjaq LLC) to control the film rights.
The name Danjaq was based on the names of their wives: Dana Broccoli and Jaqi Saltzman. Dana Broccoli was a behind-the-scenes adviser to Albert R. Broccoli and the mother of Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
Signs of the change have emerged in recent weeks as the Thunderball CD shipped and because of regulatory filings. Here is an example on X from Sept. 22:
Perhaps we shall still see the Danjaq name in the future with non-Bond projects. In 2024, Barbara Broccoli was pursuing a remake of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and an Othello movie set in the modern day.
But, from a James Bond standpoint, the Danjaq name appears to be history.
This week, a familiar name, Baz Bamigboye, one-time master of the Bond movie scoop, made a stir. He had an article for the Deadline entertainment news site about Amazon’s first James Bond movie.
Naturally, the blog has questions.
Why is a Bamigboye story a big deal?
Bamigboye, formerly of the U.K. Daily Mail, has a record of 007 scoops over the years being proven correct. But he ain’t perfect.
What do you mean?
In November 2011, while working for the Daily Mail, the scribe reported that actor Albert Finney would be in Skyfall and “play a Foreign Office mandarin with powers over the Secret Intelligence Service, described to me as a reasonably big role and full of class.”
Baz was right that Finney would be in the movie. But he didn’t play a “Foreign Office mandarin.” That description fit Mallory (played by Ralph Fiennes), who would be the new M by the end of Skyfall. Oops.
So what is important about Baz’s latest effort for Deadline?
He spelled out a timeline. Denis Villeneuve, named as director of Amazon’s first 007 film, won’t start looking for a new cinematic Bond until 2026. (He’s currently filming a third Dune movie.) Filming for the Bond project won’t start until 2027. And Amazon Bond 1 (aka Bond 26) won’t be out until 2028, seven years after No Time to Die.
What’s more, Baz said Amazon is looking for an actor in his late 20s or early 30s. That would exclude a number of actors who’ve been speculated for the part. The Sun tabloid, in particular, for years has been flogging Aaron Taylor-Johnson, currently 35, as the next Bond in waiting.
But how solid is Baz’s information?
There are parts of his Deadline story that seem, well, squishy. An example:
“I want to stress that this is what I’m hearing but to caution that none of this is confirmed or fully formed because the script is still being written and the direction of travel is still up for grabs.”
Got it.
Any good news?
All of this demonstrates there is momentum for Amazon Bond 1.
Producers, a director, and a screenwriter have been appointed by Amazon. Nothing happened from the 2021 release of No Time to Die until February 2025 when Amazon cut a deal with Eon Productions where the tech retailer gained Bond creative control.
Denis Villeneuve, director of Amazon’s first James Bond movie, will begin searching for a new 007 actor next year, the Deadline entertainment website said, citing people “familiar with the matter.”
That search will occur after the director completes production of a third Dune movie.
Deadline also said the initial Amazon Bond effort will start production in 2027 and be released in 2028.
“There’s a lot of talk about the movie premiering in the November slot favored by past Bond movies,” Deadline said. The story was written by Baz Bamigboye, formerly of the Daily Mail, who has had previous Bond-related scoops that turned out correct.
Elements of the Deadline report are squishy. An example that refers to screenwriter Steven Knight:
There’s a sense from the many conversations I’ve had that Knight’s going back to Bond’s beginnings as a Royal Navy Commander before being recruited by MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence agency, to perhaps chart how Bond attained 007 status. I want to stress that this is what I’m hearing but to caution that none of this is confirmed or fully formed because the script is still being written and the direction of travel is still up for grabs.
Other highlights of the article:
— The production will seek a British actor in his late 20s or early 30s to play Bond. The youngest screen Bond was George Lazenby, 29 when cast and 30 when On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was released. The first film Bond, Sean Connery, was 31 when cast and 32 when Dr. No debuted.
“Could Bond be played by a non Caucasian, I asked sources. He could, came the reply,” Bamigboye wrote. “As always, well, nearly always, it’ll come down to this: Are they right for Bond? Are they right for the story that Villeneuve and screenwriter Knight will be telling?”
–Knight will draw from author Ian Fleming’s earliest Bond novels for inspiration. The article lists the first seven novels, starting with Casino Royale (1953) and going through Goldfinger (1959).
–The first Amazon Bond “will not take up where No Time to Die, the final iteration in the franchise under Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, left us; with Bond dead.”
Broccoli and Wilson, principals of Eon Productions, agreed in February the Bond film rights would be in a joint venture with Amazon. The latter would gain creative control of the franchise. The deal was completed in March.
Promotional art by Jack Davis (1924-2016) for Get Smart
Originally posted in January. Sept. 18 is the actual anniversary.
When the spy craze erupted in the mid-1960s, it was inevitable that a full-fledged comedy would emerge. So it was with Get Smart, which ran from 1965 to 1970.
The Get Smart saga — the behind-the-scenes saga — would be more complicated.
The show originally was developed for television network ABC. Comedic actor Tom Poston was intended to be the original Maxwell Smart.
Executives viewed the show would consist of a mix of James Bond and Inspector Clouseau. Mel Brooks and Buck Henry would take the basic idea and turn it into a pilot script.
There was one problem. At least one ABC executive hated the idea that the arch-villain, named Mr. Big, would be revealed as a dwarf.
The story goes that Mel Brooks was disappointed. An NBC executive saw Brooks at one of his Southern California hangouts. The NBC guy asked what was wrong. Brooks filled him in on the ABC debacle.
However, NBC had Don Adams under contract. The network was paying Adams (birth name Donald James Yarmy) until the comedic actor got a series. The NBC executive wanted to hear more about the spy project.
NBC commissioned a pilot, to be filmed after the so-called “pilot season.” Brooks and Henry retooled their script to incorporate Don Adams comedy bits such as, “Would you believe…?” (THIS VIDEO features excerpts of interviews from the Archive of American Television describes what happened.)
In the final version of the pilot, Maxwell Smart punched into a time clock when going on assignment for Control, his agency. Brooks contributed the idea of the shoe phone. Henry contributed the “Cone of Silence,” intended as a security measure but instead made it hard just to have a conversation. (“What?”)
But, as Brooks and Henry intended, Mr. Big, the villain of KAOS (the villainous organization), was played by dwarf actor Michael Dunn. Dunn would soon be seen on The Wild Wild West as arch-villain Dr. Loveless.
From the pilot onwards, there was chemistry between Adams’ Maxwell Smart and Barbara Feldon as Control Agent 99. Feldon was taller than Adams. Sometimes this was disguised, sometimes not.
Years later, when Get Smart was televised on the TV Land channel in the U.S., a promo was made with clips showing Max and 99 with Max sometimes being taller, 99 being sometimes taller, or the two being about the same height.
Also in the cast was character actor Edward Platt as Control’s chief, who sent Max and 99 on their missions. Platt served as straight man, enduring Max’s stumbling and bumbling. “Sorry about that, Chief,” Max often replied.
Get Smart would go on to do parodies of other TV series of the era, including The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible, and I Spy. Robert Culp, one of the stars of I Spy, showed up for a cameo on the latter.
Don Adams as Maxwell Smart had a cultural impact. Over on ABC, its F-Troop comedy, set in the post-Civil War west, had an episode with Pat Harrington as B Wise. Harrington did his best Don Adams impression.
Get Smart had a four-year run on NBC. CBS picked the show up for one more season.
In 1980, there was a Get Smart theatrical film, The Nude Bomb. Don Adams was back but Feldon’s 99 didn’t appear. That was odd because two of the credited writers, Leonard B. Stern and Arne Sultan, worked on the original show.
Stern won an Emmy with Buck Henry for a two-part Get Smart story. The third, Bill Dana, had written for Don Adams’ comedy act. Dana’s brother, Irving Szathmary, composed the series theme.
An expanded version was later shown on NBC with the title The Return of Maxwell Smart.
A 1989 TV movie, Get Smart Again!, was televised (ironically) by ABC. Barbara Feldon appeared this time. The TV movie was more faithful to the 1965-70 original.
In 2008, there was another Get Smart theatrical movie. It had a good cast, with Steve Carell as Max, Anne Hathaway as 99, and Alan Arkin as the Chief. Except, the movie insisted on giving Max a backstory. He was once very overweight, got skinny, blah, blah, blah.
Maxwell Smart was a force of nature. He simply is. All that time was wasted. The 2008 Get Smart was OK. But it wasn’t up to the standards of the original.
The Spy Command 