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Greetings Bond fan!

It’s hard to believe that summer is over and I’m back to work. It’s pretty hard to stay focused on anything though after spending some seriously hot days on the beach. I’ve done so much swimming this year and really feel good for it. I love the sea, although this year the one day I took a mark, fins and snorkel the water was murky as it had been churned by the wind. Maybe sometime this month though. 

I’ve been fascinated by the underwater world ever since I used to watch The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau with my parents as a kid. I had a scuba outfit for my Action Man (the UK version of GI Joe). James Bond and me were probably inevitable! If you’ve never read Live and Let Die or Thunderball, I recommend them for the passages in which Ian Fleming describes the submarine world seen by Bond as he swims underwater.

Anyway, I hope you managed to get away this summer. If you visited anywhere related to James Bond though, or participated in a 007 related activity, I’d love to hear from you. I don’t know what you did this summer, so let me know!

First of all, I think I mentioned my Facebook account was hacked at the end of July. So far I haven’t managed to get full control back and so the Facebook page for The James Bond Dossier isn’t being updated. It’s driving me crazy, but there is nothing I can do to speed up Facebook’s processes. Ugh!

I did read a couple of Bond related books though. On His Majesty’s Secret Service is Charlie Higson’s first adult Bond novel and a good read. And From Tailors With Love is a really detailed look at Bond’s tailoring in the films. It’s written by Peter Brooker and Matt Spaiser of James Bond Suits, so you should know what you’re getting. Both are available from Amazon UK and Amazon.com.

Another book worth mentioning is Simon Waterson's 10-Week Intelligent Fitness Challenge. If you're a beginner then it's too hard, but if you know your way around a gym then I'd recommend it. I got 5 weeks in though and started suffering foot pain. It turns out I'm suffering from plantar fasciitis, so taking it easy until I've recovered. Once again, the book as available from Amazon UK and Amazon.com.
 

News

News-wise, well.... there’s nothing really going on at all, at least when it comes to Bond 26.

The tabloids and certain other websites are spouting the usual nonsense about the next James Bond actor, but as I keep saying, we’re likely to get a director announcement first.

If Bond 26 really is going to come out in 2025 then some time between now and the first quarter of next year would be a good bet to announce the director. For solid info on what we do and don’t know for sure be sure to check out The James Bond Dossier’s Bond 26 page.

Elsewhere there are a few things to note.

 

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Ian Fleming Publications chose the anniversary of Ian Fleming’s death to announce new editions of 3 continuation novels, to be published by the IFP imprint with new introductions.

Theses are Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis, John Pearson’s James Bond: The Authorised Biography and Zero Minus Ten by Raymond Benson.

No Time to Die composer Hans Zimmer has joined forces with film producers Steven Kofsky, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner to purchase the historic Maida Vale Studios from the BBC. The iconic London venue has been a cornerstone of musical history since the 1930s and over the years hosted musical legends such as The Beatles and David Bowie.

Issue #69 of the full-colour James Bond magazine MI6 Confidential is now shipping worldwide. It was a brave choice to send 007 to the US South and make every villain black for Roger Moore’s debut. However, it was arguably an even braver move to normalise interracial romance, as we see between Rosie and Bond in Live and Let Die.
 

Features

Not much in the way of features this month, but I should be back in the swing of things in time for the October newsletter.

Sean Connery's third film as James Bond introduced the quintessential Bond car, the Aston Martin DB5. Equipped with a variety of gadgets, it remains a fan favourite and has returned to the series numerous times.

But it wasn't there right at the start. In this Patreon only article, James Bond Cars: the Sean Connery era, we take a look at that DB5 as well as other cars that appeared in Sean Connery’s Bond movies, including a Sunbeam Alpine, a Bentley Mark IV, and a Ford Mustang Mach 1.
 

Bond 26 videos

If you're looking for news about Bond 26 then the following videos may be of interest:

• No actor yet! What's happening?

I produce these videos every now and then but if you're interested in what I've got to say then make sure you subscribe to The James Bond Dossier's YouTube Channel!
 

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Thanks all for now, if there is any real news about Bond 26 then I'll be in touch, otherwise I'll be back next month, same place, same time.

Don't forget to share you 007-related holiday or activity stories. I'd love to hear from you.

All the best,

David Leigh
The James Bond Dossier

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