Naomie Harris, Pierce Brosnan and Tom Burke have joined the high-flying cast of Black Bag, the spy thriller that Steven Soderbergh is directing for Focus Features.
Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Regé Jean Page and Marisa Abela are already in Bag, whose plot details are being kept under the trench coat. David Koepp wrote the script.
Production begins in May in London, with Casey Silver and Greg Jacobs producing.
Harris earned an Academy Award nomination for her work in Barry Jenkins’ 2016 drama Moonlight and is known for playing Moneypenny in the Daniel Craig James Bond movies. She recently starred with Chiwetel Ejiofor in the Netflix series The Man Who Fell to Earth. The actress is repped by WME, Untitled Entertainment and U.K.’s The Artists Partnership.
Brosnan knows his way around spy movies as the actor played James Bond in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He starred in a trio...
Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Regé Jean Page and Marisa Abela are already in Bag, whose plot details are being kept under the trench coat. David Koepp wrote the script.
Production begins in May in London, with Casey Silver and Greg Jacobs producing.
Harris earned an Academy Award nomination for her work in Barry Jenkins’ 2016 drama Moonlight and is known for playing Moneypenny in the Daniel Craig James Bond movies. She recently starred with Chiwetel Ejiofor in the Netflix series The Man Who Fell to Earth. The actress is repped by WME, Untitled Entertainment and U.K.’s The Artists Partnership.
Brosnan knows his way around spy movies as the actor played James Bond in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He starred in a trio...
- 3/19/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Think in terms of movies, not eras, Mr. Bond!
If the rumors are correct, James Bond franchise overlord Barbara Broccoli is closing in on a new actor to don 007’s tux. This, however, is an endless vodka martini swirl of rumors — with the main actor in question, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, just as tied to the role a year ago as he is now. Why the delay? It’s been two and a half years since Daniel Craig’s final Bond film, “No Time to Die,” bowed in cinemas.
Part of it seems to be a franchise tradition that, with each new actor in the role, there’s a bit of a rethink of the character: To tailor the role to the actor’s strengths and better fit the sensibilities of the moment. An awareness of the history of the franchise, of what era it’s currently inhabiting, has been part of...
If the rumors are correct, James Bond franchise overlord Barbara Broccoli is closing in on a new actor to don 007’s tux. This, however, is an endless vodka martini swirl of rumors — with the main actor in question, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, just as tied to the role a year ago as he is now. Why the delay? It’s been two and a half years since Daniel Craig’s final Bond film, “No Time to Die,” bowed in cinemas.
Part of it seems to be a franchise tradition that, with each new actor in the role, there’s a bit of a rethink of the character: To tailor the role to the actor’s strengths and better fit the sensibilities of the moment. An awareness of the history of the franchise, of what era it’s currently inhabiting, has been part of...
- 3/19/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Actor who played Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again and had roles in Doctor Who and Blake’s 7
The actor Pamela Salem, who has died aged 80, brought a touch of class to a number of well-known franchises during a screen career of more than 50 years. She achieved cinematic immortality by playing the loyal secretary Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983), an anomalous entry to the canon, made independently of the Eon-produced series, that marked the return of Sean Connery to the role of the famous secret agent after an absence of 12 years.
Salem had worked with Connery on the 1978 film The First Great Train Robbery and when he found out she was in the running for Moneypenny he encouraged the producers to hire her. She was disappointed that many of her scenes ended up on the cutting-room floor, but...
The actor Pamela Salem, who has died aged 80, brought a touch of class to a number of well-known franchises during a screen career of more than 50 years. She achieved cinematic immortality by playing the loyal secretary Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983), an anomalous entry to the canon, made independently of the Eon-produced series, that marked the return of Sean Connery to the role of the famous secret agent after an absence of 12 years.
Salem had worked with Connery on the 1978 film The First Great Train Robbery and when he found out she was in the running for Moneypenny he encouraged the producers to hire her. She was disappointed that many of her scenes ended up on the cutting-room floor, but...
- 3/7/2024
- by Toby Hadoke
- The Guardian - Film News
Pamela Salem, who portrayed Miss Moneypenny in the non-Eon James Bond movie Never Say Never Again, has passed away at the age of 80.
While Pamela Salem’s turn as Moneypenny was a one-off – and in a film that is widely not considered part of the 007 canon – her go at the beloved character can’t be ignored. Interestingly, despite how frequently the character appears in the Bond universe, she has only been played by a small selection of actresses: Lois Maxwell, Caroline Bliss, Samantha Bond, and Naomie Harris. But only Salem has the distinction of playing Miss Moneypenny just one time.
But not once was there any strange bad blood between Pamela Salem or her predecessors, particularly Maxwell. As per a 1984 interview (via The Hollywood Reporter), Salem said, “I had seen Moneypenny before, of course, in the earlier films played by Lois Maxwell…At first [the media] tried to stir things up between...
While Pamela Salem’s turn as Moneypenny was a one-off – and in a film that is widely not considered part of the 007 canon – her go at the beloved character can’t be ignored. Interestingly, despite how frequently the character appears in the Bond universe, she has only been played by a small selection of actresses: Lois Maxwell, Caroline Bliss, Samantha Bond, and Naomie Harris. But only Salem has the distinction of playing Miss Moneypenny just one time.
But not once was there any strange bad blood between Pamela Salem or her predecessors, particularly Maxwell. As per a 1984 interview (via The Hollywood Reporter), Salem said, “I had seen Moneypenny before, of course, in the earlier films played by Lois Maxwell…At first [the media] tried to stir things up between...
- 2/23/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Pamela Salem, who portrayed Miss Moneypenny in Never Say Never Again opposite Sean Connery in his final turn as James Bond, has died. She was 80.
Salem died Wednesday in Surfside, Florida, according to Big Finish Productions, for whom she participated in several audio productions.
“Whenever there was a Big Finish recording for her, she’d fly in from Miami on her own steam, without fuss or fanfare, and appear at the studio armed with the warmest smiles, the biggest hugs and often presents,” producer David Richardson said in a statement.
For the BBC’s Doctor Who, Salem played the sandminer pilot Lish Toos on 1977’s “The Robots of Death” and Professor Rachel Jensen on 1988’s “Remembrance of the Daleks.” She reprised both roles for Big Finish in the audio drama series The Robots and radio spinoff series Counter Measures.
Salem also portrayed the evil sorceress Belor on the 1981-82 ITV...
Salem died Wednesday in Surfside, Florida, according to Big Finish Productions, for whom she participated in several audio productions.
“Whenever there was a Big Finish recording for her, she’d fly in from Miami on her own steam, without fuss or fanfare, and appear at the studio armed with the warmest smiles, the biggest hugs and often presents,” producer David Richardson said in a statement.
For the BBC’s Doctor Who, Salem played the sandminer pilot Lish Toos on 1977’s “The Robots of Death” and Professor Rachel Jensen on 1988’s “Remembrance of the Daleks.” She reprised both roles for Big Finish in the audio drama series The Robots and radio spinoff series Counter Measures.
Salem also portrayed the evil sorceress Belor on the 1981-82 ITV...
- 2/23/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
The Daniel Craig era of James Bond changed up the many decades-long film series in a number of different ways. Most notably was its tonal shift, steering further away from the goofier and campier elements of the series that the "Austin Powers" trilogy had so much fun lampooning. After all, once you make "Die Another Day," the only direction you can go is a more grounded one. But there had been serious James Bond films before, such as the earliest Sean Connery films or the Timothy Dalton era. The bigger change the Craig films made was taking a page out of the modern franchise booklet, and that was serialization.
The first 20 James Bond films may have brought actors and filmmakers over from one film to another, but the plots of those films rarely carried over. Part of the pleasure of...
The Daniel Craig era of James Bond changed up the many decades-long film series in a number of different ways. Most notably was its tonal shift, steering further away from the goofier and campier elements of the series that the "Austin Powers" trilogy had so much fun lampooning. After all, once you make "Die Another Day," the only direction you can go is a more grounded one. But there had been serious James Bond films before, such as the earliest Sean Connery films or the Timothy Dalton era. The bigger change the Craig films made was taking a page out of the modern franchise booklet, and that was serialization.
The first 20 James Bond films may have brought actors and filmmakers over from one film to another, but the plots of those films rarely carried over. Part of the pleasure of...
- 10/29/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
A new, darker era is just around the corner for Bond, James Bond. Dynamite Entertainment has announced that a brand new "James Bond" comic book series is set to hit shelves early next year, with none other than Garth Ennis writing the upcoming adventures for 007. Ennis, known for his work on "The Boys" and "Preacher," promises to bring a darker edge to the character more closely associated with author Ian Fleming's literary creation.
"When I took a look at the Bond of the Fleming novels, as opposed to the larger-than-life figure from the movies, I saw a great deal more potential — a much darker character in a more interesting world," Ennis said in a press release. 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of Bond, with the character first appearing in Fleming's "Casino Royale" in 1953. This announcement was made as part of the celebration. As for what Ennis has in store for Bond?...
"When I took a look at the Bond of the Fleming novels, as opposed to the larger-than-life figure from the movies, I saw a great deal more potential — a much darker character in a more interesting world," Ennis said in a press release. 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of Bond, with the character first appearing in Fleming's "Casino Royale" in 1953. This announcement was made as part of the celebration. As for what Ennis has in store for Bond?...
- 10/11/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
A version of this story about Gary Oldman and “Slow Horses” first ran in the drama issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
Here is how the world was introduced to Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb, distinguished British spy: He is asleep on the couch in his office, a wreck of a room littered with half-drunk bottles of booze, overflowing ashtrays and the remains of several fast-food take-out meals. The camera pulls in, rests a beat on his holey-socked feet, and then: He rips a fart so uproarious, it jolts him upright, yanking him out of his slumber.
This is not the suave world of British spies epitomized by James Bond and John le Carré’s George Smiley (who Oldman played in 2011’s “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”). This is “Slow Horses,” Apple TV+’s viciously funny espionage thriller about MI5 agents sent to a purgatorial outpost called Slough House, where they...
Here is how the world was introduced to Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb, distinguished British spy: He is asleep on the couch in his office, a wreck of a room littered with half-drunk bottles of booze, overflowing ashtrays and the remains of several fast-food take-out meals. The camera pulls in, rests a beat on his holey-socked feet, and then: He rips a fart so uproarious, it jolts him upright, yanking him out of his slumber.
This is not the suave world of British spies epitomized by James Bond and John le Carré’s George Smiley (who Oldman played in 2011’s “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”). This is “Slow Horses,” Apple TV+’s viciously funny espionage thriller about MI5 agents sent to a purgatorial outpost called Slough House, where they...
- 6/16/2023
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
The Daniel Craig era has come to an end, and the search for the next actor to play superspy James Bond 007 has been getting a lot of coverage lately, as the search for a new Bond always does. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is rumored to be the frontrunner, some fans (including Tom Hanks) are still rooting for Idris Elba to get the license to kill, others are hoping Casino Royale runner-up Henry Cavill will get the job, Bond girl Ana de Armas suggested Paul Mescal, Taron Egerton has counted himself out, etc. But now Australian actress Rebel Wilson, best known for her role in the Pitch Perfect films, has revealed that the producers are already auditioning roles other than Bond for the next Bond movie. Wilson knows this because she auditioned for a role herself.
Wilson confirmed that she auditioned for the film while speaking to Variety. She hosted the BAFTA film...
Wilson confirmed that she auditioned for the film while speaking to Variety. She hosted the BAFTA film...
- 5/24/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Author Charlie Higson, who launched the Young Bond series in 2005, is shaking and stirring things up in the 007 universe, saying that the franchise has lost its way and that the best Bond movies now feature a man who goes by Hunt, Ethan Hunt.
Speaking with The Times, Higson gave his thoughts on what he thinks is the best Bond movie…and it’s not even a Bond movie. Citing one key gripe, Higson explained, “They overcomplicate him…The best ‘Bond films’ now are the Mission: Impossibles. There is no inner life, it’s just, ‘Woah! Look at that building — I’d love to climb it and blow things up.’” That might be oversimplifying Ethan Hunt (just a bit), but Higson does hit the proper point: sometimes we just want to see action–and lots of it–on the big screen. Obviously this is a huge draw for many Mission: Impossible fans,...
Speaking with The Times, Higson gave his thoughts on what he thinks is the best Bond movie…and it’s not even a Bond movie. Citing one key gripe, Higson explained, “They overcomplicate him…The best ‘Bond films’ now are the Mission: Impossibles. There is no inner life, it’s just, ‘Woah! Look at that building — I’d love to climb it and blow things up.’” That might be oversimplifying Ethan Hunt (just a bit), but Higson does hit the proper point: sometimes we just want to see action–and lots of it–on the big screen. Obviously this is a huge draw for many Mission: Impossible fans,...
- 5/7/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
When Daniel Craig took over the role of James Bond in 2006, the once-durable franchise was showing signs of rust. Pierce Brosnan's run had collapsed into a heap of terminal silliness with 2002's "Die Another Day," and there didn't seem to be a clear way forward for the character in a post-9/11 world. Matt Damon's humorless, amnesia-stricken Jason Bourne seemed more in step with the gung-ho times than a tuxedoed MI6 agent whose focus is split between saving the world and bedding beautiful women.
"Casino Royale" was a back-to-Ian-Fleming basics effort with a smattering of Bourne-style parkour action. For the first time since "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," Bond fell deeply in love, and had his heart shattered for his troubles. The action set pieces were as spectacular as ever, but they had a bruisingly grounded quality to them this time out. Shorn of wit and overt gadgetry,...
"Casino Royale" was a back-to-Ian-Fleming basics effort with a smattering of Bourne-style parkour action. For the first time since "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," Bond fell deeply in love, and had his heart shattered for his troubles. The action set pieces were as spectacular as ever, but they had a bruisingly grounded quality to them this time out. Shorn of wit and overt gadgetry,...
- 11/9/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The opening scenes of any film, especially an action blockbuster, are instrumental in establishing the tone and the pace audiences can expect from your movie. When you're crafting a new entry in a long cinematic legacy of James Bond movies, there's an even greater expectation to work against: nailing the franchise tradition of the cold open. Today is the 10th anniversary of the most beloved Bond outing of the Daniel Craig era, "Skyfall," and director Sam Mendes knew he wanted to accomplish everything he could with his ambitious entry into the 007 franchise.
Most Bond films usually begin with a cold-open unrelated to the central conflict of the film, mostly acting as a one-shot of sorts — establishing a new director's voice with the character before getting into the main course. In "Skyfall," Mendes delivers all the spectacle required of him: a gorgeous silhouetted opening shot courtesy of Roger Deakins, a motorcycle chase through Istanbul,...
Most Bond films usually begin with a cold-open unrelated to the central conflict of the film, mostly acting as a one-shot of sorts — establishing a new director's voice with the character before getting into the main course. In "Skyfall," Mendes delivers all the spectacle required of him: a gorgeous silhouetted opening shot courtesy of Roger Deakins, a motorcycle chase through Istanbul,...
- 11/9/2022
- by Tyler Llewyn Taing
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
“We all knew that the script wasn’t quite right.”
After nearly 25 years of writing James Bond movies with screenwriter Robert Wade, Neal Purvis still recalls the worrying thoughts he and his writing partner shared when it came to scripting the challenging story for Bond 23, which would eventually be titled Skyfall. It’s easy to sympathize with the writers’ feelings at the time, given that the massive production — and Daniel Craig’s third Bond movie — was dealt a body blow early on in the development process, when studio MGM’s bankruptcy issues put the movie on pause for ten months.
From there, industry press speculated with one doom-and-gloom story after another about whether this indefinite stoppage would be the end of James Bond. Thankfully, Skyfall and its tuxedo-clad hero would survive this very public financial setback by opening number one at the...
“We all knew that the script wasn’t quite right.”
After nearly 25 years of writing James Bond movies with screenwriter Robert Wade, Neal Purvis still recalls the worrying thoughts he and his writing partner shared when it came to scripting the challenging story for Bond 23, which would eventually be titled Skyfall. It’s easy to sympathize with the writers’ feelings at the time, given that the massive production — and Daniel Craig’s third Bond movie — was dealt a body blow early on in the development process, when studio MGM’s bankruptcy issues put the movie on pause for ten months.
From there, industry press speculated with one doom-and-gloom story after another about whether this indefinite stoppage would be the end of James Bond. Thankfully, Skyfall and its tuxedo-clad hero would survive this very public financial setback by opening number one at the...
- 11/9/2022
- by Phil Pirrello
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.