Naomie Harris in talks for Bond 23 role, EW.com says

EW.com, the Web site for Entertainment Weekly, says it has confirmed that Naomie Harris is in talks for a part in Bond 23.

The potential casting first surfaced over the weekend in a U.K. tabloid, News of the World. The EW.com story adds this tidbit:

A spokesperson for Eon Productions, Bond’s home, tells EW that Harris has indeed met with the filmmakers, although no deals have yet been struck.

Harris, who turns 35 in September, has appeared in two Pirates of the Carribean movies and a number of other films. Eon, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Sony Corp.’s Columbia Pictures haven’t released a lot of details. The main things fans know is Bond 23 will Daniel Craig’s third 007 movie; Sam Mendes is directing with Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan scripting; and that it will come out in the U.K. in late October 2012 and in early November 2012 in the U.S.

Fleming, Bond, and Gentlemanliness

From Oklahoma City’s OKC.net comes an interesting essay by Daniel Page, which examines the notion of “gentlemanliness” vis-à-vis That Gentleman Secret Agent with a License to Kill — James Bond.

Starting with the thesis that “no one exemplifies being a gentleman better than James Bond,” Mr. Page connects Ian Fleming’s personal behavior and attitudes to the way Bond is portrayed in both novels and films, i.e. a sophisticated gentleman. (We think it could be argued that 007 is more “sophisticated” than he is actually a “gentleman,” but all of this is debatable.)

At any rate, we think you’ll find Shaken, Not Stirred: Ian Fleming and the Lost Art of Being a Gentleman to be an interesting and entertaining read. There’s a “Comments” section following the article, where you can chime in with your own ignorant prejudices and informed opinions. Tell ’em HMSS sent you!