To celebrate Bond’s 50th anniversary, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have announced they’ll be releasing all 22 Bond films on Blu-ray later this year.

The collection, called Bond 50, will include all 22 feature films from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace and more than 130 hours of bonus features.

“With all 22 feature films available on Blu-ray in one collection for the first time this is a great way for fans to catch up on 007’s epic journey before Skyfall hits theaters next Fall,” said Michael Brown, Senior Vice President, MGM Home Entertainment. “Now viewers can enjoy the intense action of the innovative franchise in the most immersive home experience possible.”

You can watch a trailer for the Blu-ray release below:

The collection, which will be released in October, is available to pre-order from Amazon UK.

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In a new interview with The People Bond producer Michael G. Wilson said he will be discussing Daniel Craig’s future as 007 once production on Sam Mendes’ Skyfall has finished, but it doesn’t look like Craig has anything to worry about as Wilson described the actor as a “terrific Bond” and he doesn’t think “there’s a better actor to play the part”.

Wilson also said he would love Craig to make five more Bond movies, but as Wilson himself said discussions have yet to take place we can just take that as fun speculation for now. If Craig did appear as 007 in another five films it would make him the longest serving James Bond actor, passing Roger Moore who made 7 films. Whether Craig manages to pass Moore’s record won’t be known for another 12-15 years, but focusing on the present, more specifically Skyfall, Wilson thinks they’ve got something “special”.

“The director Sam Mendes and Daniel are taking it back to a 60s feel – more Sean. I think that’s what the fans wanted. There’s a magical Goldfinger feel ­surrounding it all. It’s all very exciting. I can’t wait for people to see the movie because I think we’re making a very special Bond.”

Skyfall will be released next October, and will mark 50 years since the release of the first Bond film, Dr. No, in 1962. There will be several events held to mark the milestone, and one may involve getting all the past and present Bond actors (Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Craig) in the same room.

“We’d really like to get all six together. We’re trying to find a way for fans to celebrate with us ­because they’ve been the reason the Bond films have been the success they have.”

“At the moment these are just ideas so you’ll have to wait and see. Whatever happens it will be a special year for Bond fans.”

Let’s hope so. Getting all the Bond actors together will be quite something (along with great marketing for Skyfall, obviously).

As well as Craig, Skyfall stars Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe, Ralph Fiennes, Helen McCrory, Ben Whishaw and Albert Finney. Mendes said the storyline will take 007 to London, China, Turkey and Scotland, and it had “”all the elements of a classic Bond movie”.

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On Tuesday, production on the 23rd James Bond film was postponed indefinitely by series producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli because of the uncertain situation surrounding MGM, the company that owns the Bond franchise. In an interview with BBC News, Daniel Craig weighed in on the subject.

“I have every confidence in Barbara and Michael’s decision and look forward to production resuming as quickly as possible,” said Craig.

Meanwhile, Deadline Hollywood (via IGN) is speculating that the production halt is meant to distance the franchise from an ailing MGM.

…it stands to reason that the producers wouldn’t want to do anything now that further complicates ownership of Bond #23 or binds them to MGM during this precarious period during which the once storied studio may now be in its standalone swan song.

One source at MGM told Deadline that “It feels like EON is sending a message to MGM. If they try to continue as a stand-alone studio, don’t expect to be making any Bond films.” More as it develops.

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To this day, the disconnect between Martin Campbell’s Casino Royale and Marc Forster’s Quantum of Solace amazes me. The two films, the newest in the revitalized James Bond series, shared similar elements (a continuous story throughout, Daniel Craig as Bond, etc.) but I thought Casino Royale had not only a better story, but a sense of style and freshness that its sequel is sorely lacking.

Quantum of Solace was nearly enough to sour me on the new series entirely. But if an anonymous source at Cinema Blend is to be believed, my interest is about to be restored.Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz is rumored for a role in the newest Bond installment, unofficially referred to as Bond 23. CB’s source indicates behind-the-scenes discussions are being held about Weisz playing the leader of Quantum, the evil organization responsible for Bond’s misfortune over the past two movies.

Considering Dame Judi Dench took control of MI-6 as “M” fifteen years ago in Goldeneye, I think it’s appropriate for a competent female leader of an opposing organization to emerge in the Bond universe. Weisz certainly has the gravitas to pull off a character like that; her range as an actress is staggering, and she can menacingly give out orders from behind a desk or wield a gun with equal aplomb.

No word yet on the start date for Bond 23 since MGM is having significant financial troubles these days. Sam Mendes (American Beauty) is slated to direct, but we’ll have to see how long it takes for MGM to get back up and running before this project gathers any real forward momentum.

Keep in mind, Cinema Blend makes it clear this rumor is currently unconfirmed. But considering my appreciation for Weisz as an actress (she’s wonderful in The Brothers Bloom, captivating in The Fountain, and charming in The Mummy), I figured this story, even unsubstantiated, was worth passing along to you.

So what do you think? Do you think Weisz has what it takes to be the leader of Quantum?

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After Die Another Day Pierce Brosnan was expecting and hoping to return for another round as 007, however apparently negotiations broke down between the actor and the producers and in February 2005 Brosnan announced on his website that he was no longer going to play James Bond. We know the story from there. Daniel Craig hired, people were skeptical, Casino Royale was awesome, reboot a success.

Earlier this week Brosnan revealed that he has yet to see any of Craig’s Bond films, both by choice and due to Gods intervention.

“I haven’t seen Daniel in the role. I tried watching [Casino Royale] on an airplane,” he says. “I thought 37,000 feet was a good distance to watch it from and it broke down right at the beginning. The attendant came and changed it and it broke down a second time, so I figured ‘OK. The Gods must be saying something . . .’

“So I never went near it! I just thought, ‘let sleeping dogs lie.’ I got the Academy screener for the last one [Quantum of Solace] and I turned it on for my boys and I left them to it. I didn’t go near it.”

It mustn’t be much fun for an actor to firstly, be replaced, and then to have the following movies be superior to your own. I can understand why he didn’t want to watch Craig’s movies, I probably wouldn’t if I was him.

Pierce Brosnan will next be seen in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief which will be released next month.

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With the Harry Potter franchise earning crazy amounts of money in the region of $800 – $950 million per film you’d expect it to give other franchises a run for their money (pun intended) in terms of ‘highest grossing franchise ever’. It’s taken a few years but it looks like Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be the film that tips the franchise over the $5 billion worldwide mark, overtaking the Bond franchise in the process and taking the highest grossing movie franchise in the history of ever crown.

From Variety:

The five previous “Harry Potter” pics have grossed $4.48 billion at the worldwide box office. That still trails the roughly $5 billion grossed by the James Bond film franchise (not accounting for inflation), but the boy wizard is expected to overtake agent 007 within the month.

The sixth installment, grossed a record-breaking $22.2 million in midnight releases unspooling in 3,003 theaters at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. That more than beat the $18 million midnight record set last summer by Warners’ “The Dark Knight.”

Everyone expects Half-Blood Prince to make big numbers, however it seems the lack of anything Potter related over the past 2 years (no book, no film) has caused anticipation to sky rocket, which could cause it to start breaking a few records. Warner Bros. still have two movies and another $2 billion to go, but they will have to start planning ahead. After 2011 their cash cow will be gone (in terms of movie releases anyway, I expect them to milk the franchise with DVDs, box sets, extended editions and all that jazz for years to come).

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The Guardian have undertaken extensive research (by that I mean watching all 22 Bond movies) and have come to the conclusion that being a love interest to James Bond is probably not the best thing for your health or well-being.

Almost a third of Bond’s lovers have died since the spy began his big-screen adventures in 1962′s Dr No – and the mortality rate is on the rise.

Sixteen of Bond’s 51 lovers have met sticky ends, beginning with the murder of Jill Masterson in 1964′s Goldfinger. Sean Connery started his career as a relatively safe 007: his lovers in Dr No and From Russia With Love both escaped with their lives. But in Thunderball and You Only Live Twice, he looked on as two women were assassinated and another was devoured by piranhas.

But the latest 007, Daniel Craig, proves the most lethal of all. The two women he beds in his first Bond movie, Casino Royale, are both murdered, while a conquest in new film Quantum of Solace is covered in oil in a homage to Masterson’s demise in Goldfinger.

So if anyone has a goal of being a Bond girl, the sex will probably be great, but you will most likely die shortly after.

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Ever since the Bond franchise got a much needed makeover in 2006 some people have been comparing the action and style of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace to the Bourne movies. However Matt Damon does not think the franchises could ever be compared, and made it quite clear during an interiew with Usmagazine.

“They could never make a James Bond movie like any of the Bourne films,” Damon said. “Because Bond is an imperialist, misogynist sociopath who goes around bedding women and swilling martinis and killing people. He’s repulsive.

“Steve [Soderbergh, who produced Damon's 2005 spy movie, Syriana] told me that years ago he was offered a Bond movie,” the actor went on. “He told them he’d do it if they gave him creative control.

“‘Absolutely not,’ they said. They have a formula, they stick to it, and it makes them a lot of money. They know what they’re doing, and they’re going to keep doing it.”

Obviously Damon is going to support his own franchise, however people seem to like this ‘repulsive’ character seeing as though the Bond franchise has been going strong for nearly 50 years (with a few gaps along the way).

However, I get the feeling Damon didn’t actually mean much of what he said. Earlier in the interview he revealed that he wasn’t invited to the Obama Inauguration after campaigning for them for 2 years, so he was probably still pissed off about that.

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Some cock has stolen The Golden Gun that was used in the 1974 Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun. In the film Christopher Lee played Scaramanga, a three-nippled assassin who only ever needed one golden bullet fired from his golden gun to kill his target. The gun was being cared for by Elstree Props, a tenant based at Elstree studios.

From The Telegraph:

Stephen Wickenden, its managing director, said: “I’m hoping the gun will be offered to one of the memorabilia dealers and from them we can trace it back to the thief.

“We have no idea who stole it or when it was stolen but things do not usually go missing.”

Nicolas Cage’s latest film Kick-Ass is being filmed there. It is thought a crew member was being shown around by Mr Wickenden when the weapon’s absence was noticed, although he would not confirm this.

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Police said: “We were called to Elstree Studios in Borehamwood at 1.25pm after a report of a theft of a prop, which was the golden gun. Inquiries are ongoing.”

The prop is expected to be worth £80,000 ($135,096) so if you notice a golden gun pop up on eBay let me know. Or you could tell the police, either way is fine.

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The Hollywood Reporter have announced that Naomie Harris and Rick Yune have joined Ninja Assassin. The film is apparently filming as you read this, and is being produced by Speed Racer directors, the Wachowski Brothers. V for Vendetta director James McTeigue will be sat in the directors chair, for what apparently is an original film. No comic books, no graphic novels, no novel, no anything. A writer has actually been paid to use his imagination for once!

The title of the film is a good indication of what we may get, producer Joel Silver has described it as a “full on martial arts movie.” He also says it’s has the theme of revenge running through it.

It certainly sounds interesting. Naomie Harris is best known for her role as Tia Dalma in the Pirates of the Caribean trilogy. She has also appeared in the amazing 28 Days Later and more recently, Street Kings.
Rick Yune is best known for being a Bond villain in Die Another Day, who had the unfortunate (or fortunate depending on how you look at it) accident involving diamonds blowing up in his face, and embedding themselves there.

Rick Yune spoke of his role:

“Not to give too much away, (but) my character stays within what he was brought up with, and they go up against each other,” Yune said. “I’m not a heavy. The characters are ninjas, they are assassins, and there’s this mix of morality the Wachowskis are exploring.”

Warner Brothers have yet to announce a release date, but I’m guessing we will see this sometime in 2009.

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