Bond 23 by the numbers

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer says in its bankruptcy filing it wants to get Bond 23 out by November 2012 and get the film series back on an every-other-year schedule. It remains to be seen if that happens, but here are some statistics to keep in mind if it does.

5: The longest period (in years) the current Eon productions regime of Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli was able to maintain an every-other-year schedule. That occurred from 1994 (when they cast Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in GoldenEye, kick-starting pre-production of the 17th 007 film) to 1999 (when The World Is Not Enough hit theaters).

11: How long it has been (in years) since the longest period Broccoli and Wilson maintained an every-other-year schedule. By 2012, it will have been 13 years. Either way, it has been a long time.

2: Number of confirmed times that Wilson has talked about how tiring it is to produce a James Bond movie. He’s now 67, a year younger that his stepfather, Albert R. Broccoli, was when The Spy Who Loved Me came out in theaters in the summer of 1977. Cubby Broccoli produced another half-dozen Bond movies through 1989’s Licence to Kill. His last credit was as presenter of 1995’s GoldenEye, but he had no producer credit.

14: Number of years since Licence to Kill that the Bond film series will have been in some kind of hiatus ASSUMING Bond 23 actually comes out in 2012. This is comprised of 1989-1995 (lapse between Licence and GoldenEye), 2002-2006 (lapse between Die Another Day and Casino Royale, when Wilson and Broccoli pondered and pondered and pondered revamping the series) and 2008-2012 (time between Quantum of Solace and Bond 23 when MGM, half owner of the 007 franchise, fell into a financial crisis).

61: Percentage of the 23 years between Licence to Kill and Bond 23 (again, assuming Bond 23 comes out in 2012) that the Bond series has been in some kind of production hiatus.

29: Number of days that MGM would be in bankruptcy court if the company gets final approval of its reorganization plan at a hearing scheduled in bankruptcy court scheduled for Dec. 2.

7: The number (in years) of the Daniel Craig era of Bond movies, starting in 2005 (when he was cast) to 2012, assuming Bond 23 comes out with him as 007.

The only longer eras (in years) for the Eon-produced series:

–The Sean Connery era of 10 years (his 1961 casting through 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever,, overlooking a one-film gap).

–Roger Moore’s 13 years (his 1972 casting through 1985’s A View To a Kill)

–Pierce Brosnan’s 8 years (1994 casting through 2002’s Die Another Day).

Of course, Craig will have only done three films in his era (once again assuming he stars in Bond 23 and it comes out in 2012). Brosnan squeezed in four films. Then again, he was also 007 during the longest period that the Wilson-Broccoli duo was able to maintain an every-other-year schedule. Of course, he was also 007 when Wilson complained about being tired following The World Is Not Enough, which took the films off an every-other-year schedule.