News

The Oscars paid tribute to the James Bond franchise with a musical montage, but many fans found they were left unshaken but definitely stirred as they slammed the production for being "pointless," "cringey," and "completely unnecessary."

Many fans had been hoping that the tribute would involve the unveiling of a new James Bond...and were left frustrated when that did not happen. The montage was opened by The Substance star Margaret Qualley, who channeled her character from the movie, Sue, and took part in a dance number performed to the James Bond theme. Qualley danced with more than a dozen Bond-esque dancers before giving way to musical performances from Doja Cat, Blackpink's Lisa and Raye, who sang "Diamonds Are Forever," "Live and Let Die," and "Skyfall," respectively. While the performances were perfectly adequate, and praised by the respective fans of the stars involved, Bond fans were left cold by the whole thing.

Get ready to shake your martinis to the iconic sounds of James Bond theme songs, as the longtime producers of the seminal cinematic franchise are set to be honored with a musical tribute at the 97th annual Academy Awards. According to reports, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson will be honored on the main stage after receiving their own Honorary Oscars at the Governors Awards.

In a new report from Variety — though the Academy Awards themselves have not yet commented on the matter — it was confirmed that Wicked will not be the only musical moment to take place during Sunday's Oscar ceremony. Though details on specifics remain scarce, Variety had this to say about what they did know about the musical moment:

"It is unclear whether the tribute will focus solely on Oscar-winning and nominated songs or take a broader approach to celebrating all 26 Bond themes. However, according to sources,...

Following the shocking and concerning news that Amazon will take over creative control of the James Bond franchise, a new frontrunner for the coveted role of 007 has now emerged. And he’s a real slow horse. The latest name favored to lead the iconic franchise is none other than Scottish actor and Slow Horses star Jack Lowden, who has seen his odds improve in the wake of the behind-the-scenes overhaul.

The 34-year-old actor, who is also best-known for roles in the likes of '71, Calibre, Fighting with My Family, Capone, Benediction, and Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, has seen his odds rise to 8/1, according to Oddspedia, putting him alongside other 007 favorites Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Henry Cavill, and Theo James.

RelatedAmazon CEO Finally Breaks Silence on 'James Bond' Takeover, Reacts to Possible AI Use in the Franchise

The 'James Bond' franchise is heading into a new era, and Amazon's Andy Jassy has...

Despite Christopher Nolan successfully rebooting the Batman franchise with Batman Begins, it seems that the previous producers of James Bond were not comfortable giving him control over the iconic franchise. Nolan has made no secret over the years how much James Bond films affected him as a young filmgoer. Many of Nolan's films, from The Dark Knight to Inception to Tenet, are heavily inspired by the Bond films and feel like the director's unique spin on the 007 franchise. Nolan had previously mentioned that he had always wanted to make a Bond film, but it never seemed to work out, and now we know why.

According to Variety, Christopher Nolan was interested in directing a Bond movie as his follow-up to Tenet, which would have been the 007 entry that followed Daniel Craig's tenure as James Bond in No Time to Die. However, long-time franchise producer Barbara Broccoli told...

Something always thought impossible has happened as long-time James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson relinquished creative control of 007 to Amazon. Now that this has happened (and we’ve all had time to react), fans of the franchise have taken to social media to reveal what spin-off projects they would most like to see. And bringing back a former star as an aged version of the iconic spy is currently sitting at the top of the list.

Now that Daniel Craig has departed the role following 2021’s No Time to Die, and with Amazon now taking the reins and likely steering the franchise in a direction we’ve never seen before, many are calling for GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies star Pierce Brosnan to return as an aged James Bond. “You know you want it. And you want Amazon to give it to you,” says X/Twitter user...

The fallout from the news that Amazon will take creative control of James Bond is still settling, with reports revealing various new insights from behind the scenes of the shocking decision. One such insight is that, yes, some of the ongoing rumors were true, and longtime 007 producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson did meet with one of the bookies’ favorites, Kraven the Hunter and Bullet Train star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, about taking over the iconic role from Daniel Craig. However, according to this insider, he was never in serious contention. And nor was anyone else.

“[The meeting was] just as kind of an ongoing, keeping your eye out on who’s around, but keeping in touch. But I definitely don’t think that there was any frontrunner. They wanted to know what they wanted to do next before they thought of the right person for it.”

Following the fatal finale of 2021’s No Time to Die,...

Yesterday saw the shock announcement that Amazon MGM Studios would be taking over the James Bond franchise from long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. And now it's been revealed the amount of money the studio may have paid for that control.

Per Deadline, the streamer had to pay $1 billion to have full control over James Bond, following years of trying to develop the next movie without star Daniel Craig. While Amazon wanted to grow the franchise into something similar to Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, Broccoli and Wilson didn't want that, opting to keep most of the creative control the family had for decades. That kept the potential of a Christopher Nolan or Quentin Tarantino from stepping in to direct.

In March 2022, Amazon paid around $8.5 billion to acquire MGM, which brought James Bond, Rocky, and other IPs into the fold. Deadline mentions that the value of the studio was closer to $4 billion,...

Much like Star Wars and the MCU before it, the James Bond franchise has now fallen into the clutches of a major corporation and streaming platform as Amazon takes over creative control of 007. And Jeff Bezos has already started crowdsourcing major creative decisions, taking to social media to ask fans, “Who’d you pick as the next Bond?” Amazing as it is that such frivolous treatment of the beloved franchise could happen so quickly, a certain actor has emerged as the clear favorite, with Man of Steel star Henry Cavill seemingly being the actor that many want to see slip into the iconic tuxedo.

Fans of the actor, who is also known for previously leading the Netflix series The Witcher and for doing battle with Hollywood icon Tom Cruise (and patenting the crowd-pleasing “arm reload”) in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, swarmed the replies and called for Cavill to finally...

Daniel Craig is not only the last man to play the role of James Bond, but, it seems, the last to play the super spy under the creative control of long-time producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli as Amazon MGM take full charge of the franchise. Now the actor has added shared thoughts in a statement in which he acknowledged the legacy of the character, and his unchanged feelings for Wilson and Broccoli despite the unexpected turn of events.

In a statement published by Variety, Craig said:

“My respect, admiration and love for Barbara and Michael remain constant and undiminished. I wish Michael a long, relaxing (and well deserved) retirement and whatever ventures Barbara goes on to do, I know they will be spectacular and I hope I can be part of them.”

The Future of the 'James Bond' Franchise Is Getting Its Biggest Shake-Up Ever

The news broke earlier today that,...

Just hours after it was announced that Amazon MGM is gaining total creative control over the James Bond franchise, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is now outsourcing the casting process online. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, stewards of the James Bond franchise for decades, have stepped aside from the franchise their family has overseen for 60 years. James Bond was one of the last franchises not owned outright by a major corporation, but now 007 will answer not only to M but also to Jeff Bezos. The new corporate owner is already making some moves on the franchise that likely won't go over well.

Jeff Bezos took to Instagram to share that Amazon MGM is now in control of the 007 franchise. The post, featuring a photo of previous James Bond actor Daniel Craig, was accompanied by a simple caption: "Who would you pick as the next Bond?" The post (see below) has already generated over 5,000 likes,...

The list of actors who could play James Bond post-Daniel Craig is a who’s who of Hollywood’s finest. But despite rumors, “insider” confirmations, and yo-yoing betting odds constantly featuring the likes of Idris Elba, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and the not-going-to-happen Henry Cavill, there is a lesser known name back in “serious contention” for the role. And, just like the original Bond, Sean Connery, he is a born-and-bred Scot.

Stuart Martin is currently best known as a Zack Snyder alum, after making appearances in several of the director's Netflix features, including Rebel Moon and Army of Thieves, but he has also built up an extensive resume since appearing in British TV show Taggart in 2009 and having a blink-and-you-miss-it role in Russell Crowe’s 2010 version of Robin Hood. One of his biggest projects was the 2020 PBS series Miss Scarlet, in which he played the Duke of Wellington in 24 episodes.

Although...

Ever since Daniel Craig bowed out of the role of James Bond after 2021's No Time to Die, the media and 007 fans have debated and speculated about which actor will portray the next Bond. The most recent research shows Tom Hardy as a popular frontrunner, but other much-discussed contenders have included Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Josh O'Connor, and James Norton. However, according to Martin Campbell, the great director behind the first Pierce Brosnan Bond film (GoldenEye) and the first Daniel Craig one (Casino Royale), all of this is "rubbish." As Campbell told MovieWeb in an interview, basically, if you've heard a rumor that an actor will be cast as the next Bond, then they probably won't be.

"You know, I don't believe any of the publicity," said Campbell, who was there when Craig was first chosen for the role. "They always do this, they always come up with names, and it's this,...

If, like the rest of us, you can't get over Eddie Redmayne's chameleon-like portrayal of a masterful assassin juggling an ice-cold killer's touch with the sensibility of a devoted family man, then we've got good news. There's an underrated show that you need to watch while waiting for the next season of The Day of the Jackal. Written by Abi Morgan and directed by Philip Martin, Birdsong is a historical drama that was released in 2012 and features Redmayne, Clémence Poésy, Richard Madden, Joseph Mawle, and Matthew Goode. Adapted from Sebastian Faulks's novel of the same name, the two-part series is the story of Stephen Wraysford, a WWI soldier struggling to survive the unpredictable nature of trench warfare as he looks back on the unfulfilled promise of a romance that went awry.

Change can be scary. Change can be exhausting. Change can be a lot of things often necessary and good. But one thing that's not changing 'round these parts any time soon: Bond. James Bond. The secret agent man whose sexy and thrilling cinematic adventures have lit up screens for decades, is on the cusp of having his new face announced.

And for anyone worrying about who might be taking up the mantel, have no fear: it's still going to be a man.

In a new interview with franchise producers Barbara Broccoli and her brother Michael G. Wilson in The Independent, the daughter and step-son of late James Bond producer Albert "Cuddy" Broccoli have shared their views on what's to come and how they're handling the changeover from Daniel Craig to whomever comes to carry the gun and gadgets next.

For the siblings, James Bond has always been about change and a new perspective.

The studio behind the James Bond franchise, Eon Productions, is reportedly getting close to finding the right director to bring the iconic adventures of 007 back to the big screen following the departure of Daniel Craig in 2021s No Time to Die. While much of the speculation has been around who will be cast as Bond, the filmmaker chosen to take the helm is equally important and will indicate the kind of approach (comedic/action-based/gritty?) the studio will take as the beloved franchise heads into its latest era.

According to The Telegraph, Eon has now started meeting with potential directors, with the Academy Award-winning Edward Berger top of the list. Berger is best known for 2022s All Quiet on the Western Front, which won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film, among others. His next project is the psychological thriller Conclave starring No Time to Dies Ralph Fiennes alongside Stanley Tucci,...

Noah Jupe, who is starring opposite Michael Douglas in the Apple TV+ Benjamin Franklin biopic, is leading a TV drama adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ cult classic Engleby.

Jupe will play the titular character, an enigmatic outsider who graduates from 1970s campus life to 1980s Fleet Street and beyond – haunted all the while by an unsolved mystery involving a friend and fellow student during their university days. The six-part drama is described as a “quintessential British murder mystery meets acute psychological character study, with a healthy dose of dark wit.”

Michael Keillor, who is directing the upcoming BBC/Netflix drama on the Lockerbie disaster, is directing, and Channel 4-backed production outfit Freedom Scripted is producing. No network is attached as of yet. Stage and screenwriters Ryan Craig and Jess Ruston are penning the series, with Freedom Scripted’s MD Mike Ellen executive producing.

When Eddie Redmayne takes on a role, he's been known to go on a research deep dive to get into the proper headspace needed to fully embody the characters he portrays. Sometimes, this research has a significant impact on Redmayne that challenges and — ultimately — shapes his worldview.

Redmayne recently broke down his career in a new video for Vanity Fair, revealing just how long research has been integral to his creative process. During the video, he spoke about his experience prepping for the two-part serial "Birdsong," and how humbling of an experience it was in learning more about the miners of World War I.

"Birdsong" is an adaptation of the novel by Sebastian Faulks, though there are significant differences between the original novel and the serial. The serial takes place between the years 1910 and 1919 and follows the journey of Redmayne's Stephen Wraysford. Throughout the course of the serial, we see Wraysford's experiences in the war,...

Mark Allison Feb 22, 2017

Iam Fleming's James Bond novels still have narratives and ideas that haven't made it to the 007 movie series...

A spoiler lies ahead for Spectre

See related The world of the Peaky Blinders

Over the course of 11 years, Ian Fleming wrote 12 James Bond novels and nine short stories before his death in 1964, forming the basis for the film series which survives to the present day. 24 films and 55 years since the birth of the cinematic Bond, it might come as a surprise that the franchise hasn’t completely exhausted its source material. More often than not, however, the James Bond films have been adaptations in name only.

Starting with Roald Dahl’s outlandish screenplay for the fifth Bond film, You Only Live Twice, the film scripts began to drift away from their literary inspirations. For most of Roger Moore’s seven-film tenure, for example, entire plots and characters were...

Trademark Films’ Parfitt will act as a creative consultant for the UK production and financing outfit.

UK producer David Parfitt (Shakespeare In Love) is set to partner with London-based media company Bob & Co as a creative consultant.

Parfitt will sit on the company’s Jersey-based Investment Committee for the Cultural Capital Fund, helping to guide ongoing media investments, which include film, TV and theatre projects.

He will also consult across Bob & Co’s media partners including newly-launched TV outfit Duchess Street Productions and Lilting production company Sums Film & Media.

Bob & Co has been working with Parfitt on its adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ The Girl At The Lion d’Or, which is currently in development.

Parfitt will continue to work on his Trademark Films slate, which has in the past produced titles including My Week With Marilyn and BBC-hbo TV mini-series Parade’s End.

Parfitt commented: “I have worked closely with Bob & Co on their brilliant adaptation of Sebastian...

Prince William, Princess Kate and Prince Harry attended a somber memorial to honor the fallen on Friday morning - 100 years after the bloodiest day in British history. The trio traveled to northern France to pay tribute to the 60,000 British soldiers who died in the Battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916. Red, white and blue confetti fluttered down from a vast war memorial on a hill above a former battlefield and schoolchildren each placed a posy at 600 white gravestones during the moving remembrance ceremony. The reflections on the sacrifices made 100 years ago had begun for the royal trio earlier in the...

Edinburgh: Scottish actor gives talk about 22-year acting career including new role as Jesus in Last Days In The Desert.

Ewan McGregor revealed to an audience at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) on Sunday that he would be willing to reprise the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi to tell the story of Stars Wars between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back should Disney ever wish to do so.

The comments came during an on-stage interview in which the Scottish star looked back over the highlights of his career thus far and chose his words carefully on the subject of the forthcoming Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

The actor seemed not to be the most rabid of fanboys and declared: “I’m not a fanatical person.”

Still, he said he was impressed by the trailer - “It looks like [Jj Abrams] he absolutely nailed it” - except for the lightsaber’s updated design.

“I’m excited...

Anthony Horowitz has been hired to write the next James Bond novel.

Ian Fleming's estate has invited the Alex Rider author to pen the next instalment, which is currently titled Project One.

The book will be set in the 1950s, and will contain previously unseen Fleming material from an unmade James Bond TV series.

Fleming's original episode treatment - titled 'Murder on Wheels' - saw the secret agent enter the world of motor racing.

The treatment will be used as a starting point for the new novel, which will be published on September 8, 2015.

"When the estate approached me to write a new James Bond novel, how could I possibly refuse?" said Horowitz.

"It's a huge challenge... but having original, unpublished material by Fleming has been an inspiration."

Fleming's great-niece Jessie Grimond said: "In the 1950s, Ian Fleming wrote several episode treatments for a James Bond television series.

"But it...

Sebastian Faulks is to write a new drama for the BBC.

Based on his 2001 novel On Green Dolphin Street, the 90-minute screenplay will be Faulks's first for television.

The plot is described as an "epic love story" set in Washington, DC in the 1960s amidst the backdrop of the Kennedy / Nixon campaign trail.

Broadcast reports that the novelist is working with Rachel Wagstaff on the project from Eleventh Hour Films. The two previously collaborated on the stage version of Birdsong.

Faulks said: "[Screenplays are] a very different form from the novel and a very challenging one.

"Eleventh Hour Films have the right mixture of experience and enthusiasm to bring this project to a happy conclusion."...

From new voices like NoViolet Bulawayo to rediscovered old voices like James Salter, from Dave Eggers's satire to David Thomson's history of film, writers, Observer critics and others pick their favourite reads of 2013. And they tell us what they hope to find under the tree …

Curtis Sittenfeld

Novelist

My favourite books of 2013 are Drama High (Riverhead) by Michael Sokolove, Sea Creatures (Turnaround) by Susanna Daniel, and & Sons (Harper Collins) by David Gilbert. Drama High is incredibly smart, moving non-fiction about an American drama teacher who for four decades coaxed sophisticated and nuanced theatrical performances out of teenage students who weren't privileged or otherwise remarkable and in so doing, changed their conceptions of what they could do with their lives. Sea Creatures is a gripping, beautifully written novel about the mother of a selectively mute three-year-old boy; when she takes a job ferrying supplies to a hermit off the coast of Florida,...

We haven't heard much regarding Bond 24 since Skyfall director Sam Mendes was confirmed to return back in July. Today we have word that the filmmakers are currently seeking the next "Bond girl," with British actress Helen Flanagan (Coronation Street) and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kate Upton currently in contention for the role.

Helen Flanagan has reportedly already met with casting directors in Los Angeles about joining the project. Here's what an unidentified source had to say about her meeting.

"They felt she had a unique look, great figure and natural charm on screen."

It isn't known if Kate Upton has met with casting directors or producers yet. Daniel Craig is returning as 007, with Skyfall stars Ralph Fiennes (M), Naomie Harris (Eve Moneypenny) and Ben Whishaw (Q) reprising their roles.

Sam Mendes is directing from a screenplay by John Logan, although it isn't known when production may begin. There is...

Early imprints of the Bond books increase in value every year. Is this just down to a large readership, or does it say something more fundamental about Ian Fleming's creation?

Funny old thing, that James Bond. Though Ian Fleming died in 1964, his hero has had a charmed existence since, newly incarnated in a variety of actors and films, and in further Bond adventures written by Kingsley Amis, John Gardner, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver and, now, William Boyd.

Of these, Boyd seems the best choice. He has a sophisticated interest in the world of espionage, a fluent prose style, and a crisp eye for a Bondish detail. He was pictured, on publication week, in front of one of seven vintage Jensens, each of which was to deliver a copy of Solo, his new Bond novel, to Heathrow, from where they would be flown to various destinations associated with Bond (or...

William Boyd's James Bond book is, if anything, superior to some of Ian Fleming's originals

The (rare) critics of this book in the past 10 days have fallen into the very trap against which Boyd gently cautioned. That of trying to judge his book against the James Bond films. It is, in mitigation, a faintly understandable confusion, the films having become down the decades such a lash-up of stylistic tics, fashion anachronisms, "humour", believable gunplay, cartoon violence and casual sexism that it's a wonder anyone can remember the Bond of the books as opposed to the brand Bond.

William Boyd remembers the distinction. He obviously remembers the very smell of those 1960s/70s paperbacks, with their tiny type, and page corners folded down with impatient grubby fingers on every monstrous interruption, as we learned the meanings of "cordite" "gunmetal-gray" and, for late developers, "nipple"; he obviously quietly revered the excitement of the creation.

A Bond book is a tough gig, but Boyd's authentically written attempt entertains more than it exasperates

Several unusual incidents occur during the course of Solo, the latest attempt to prolong the literary existence of James Bond. The secret agent pays his first recorded visit to the cinema, to see Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (this is 1969), although he gets bored and leaves before the end. He considers changing his hairstyle, for aesthetic reasons rather than as a disguise, and wonders whether the short fringe favoured by a television presenter (he can't remember his name, but it sounds like David Frost) might suit him. During a long car journey he stops to relieve himself in a wood, which will come as a shock to those who believe that 007, like the Queen, exists in a realm above such crude bodily functions. Perhaps most disturbing of all, while getting dressed for the final...

Solo, by William Boyd, is latest novel to follow in Ian Fleming's footsteps, which charts spy 'recklessly motivated by revenge'

We may have got James Bond slightly wrong. Yes, he is a prodigious drinker, heavy smoker and consummate killer, but when it comes to his womanising, the author of his new incarnation believes that the spy was more honourable than some think. "It seems to me he wants a relationship," said William Boyd. "It is not just casual sex."

Boyd was speaking at the launch of his new Bond book, Solo, at which he was asked who his favourite Bond girl was. "I'm not too keen on the expression 'Bond girl' because I think Bond has relationships with women," he said. Having said that, he named the character Honeychile Rider – "nothing to do with Ursula Andress playing her in the movie … I think she is a very interesting Bond woman".

Boyd should know,...

The latest writer to try his hand at writing a new Bond novel has said he's trying to modernise him. Should fans of the secret agent be worried?

On Thursday, William Boyd will become the third author, after Sebastian Faulks and Jeffrey Deaver, to publish a James Bond novel, Solo, with the official blessing of the Ian Fleming estate. In an interview with the Times at the weekend, Boyd was keen to talk up his modernisation of Bond – "less sexism and overt racism" – and his disagreements with the Fleming estate over a plot line that turned 007 into an assassin.

The reality, though, is that the "less sexism and overt racism" is just a little window-dressing for a more PC audience. A writer can't change Bond's character completely without alienating the fans who think they know him; and, sure enough, Boyd doesn't. In the opening chapter, also published at the weekend,...

Join William Boyd for a discussion of his new James Bond novel Solo at the Royal Institution on Monday 28 October

Date: Monday 28 October

Time: 7pm (doors open at 6.30pm)

Venue: The Royal Institution of Great Britain, 21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4Bs*

Tickets: £12

In a break from our usual format, William Boyd will join us for a special James Bond Book Club. He will talk to John Mullan about the genius of Ian Fleming and the enduring appeal of his iconic spy. He'll also introduce his new novel, Solo, the latest addition to the Bond series, set in 1969. Details of the plot are being kept tightly under wraps, but we are promised the essential Bond elements – cocktails, fast cars, sharp suits - in a tale spanning three continents as the veteran spy (he's 45) embarks on an unauthorized mission during a trip to America.

William Boyd is the author of eleven novels,...

Whether you love or hate the current iteration of James Bond with Daniel Craig in the lead role, one thing you have to admit is that there’s very little humor. Despite one or two lines in Casino Royale (and the unintentional hilarity of all of Quantum of Solace), there’s not a lot of jokes, sexual innuendo, or even self-aware winks at the genre that characterize some of the best Bond films of yesteryear. Now, according to Daniel Craig himself, there’s hope that Bond 24 will try to get some of that old irony back again.

Speaking to Vulture (via Digital Spy), Craig admitted that he’s not the funniest guy in the world, but he wants Bond 24 to be a little ironic:

Hopefully we’ll reclaim some of the old irony and make sure it doesn’t become pastiche.

I can’t do shtick, I’m not very good at it.

Daniel Craig has discussed his hopes for Bond 24.

The James Bond actor told Vulture that he hopes to "reclaim the old irony" from earlier films, in the next instalment of the long-running franchise.

He said: "Hopefully we'll reclaim some of the old irony and make sure it doesn't become pastiche.

"I can't do shtick, I'm not very good at it. Unless it kind of suddenly makes sense. Does that make sense? I sometimes wish I hammed it up more, but I just can't do it very well, so I don't do it."

The actor will begin filming the next Bond movie - rumoured to be based on Sebastian Faulks's 2008 novel Devil May Care - after he completes his 14-week run on Broadway in Harold Pinter's Betrayal.

Craig stars opposite his real-life wife Rachel Weisz in the play about a woman who has a seven-year affair with her husband's best friend.

BBC director general Tony Hall has promised to stop actors mumbling their lines for once and for all. Catch these lazily enunciating thespians while you still can

It is every British TV viewer's inalienable right to watch their favourite programmes while leaning in closer and closer to the screen while screwing their faces up, but perhaps not for much longer. BBC director general Tony Hall has vowed to put an end to actors who insist on mumbling incomprehensibly throughout their scenes. With an entire species under threat of extinction, all we can really do is celebrate these lazily enunciating thespians while we still can. Here, then, are the five greatest TV mumblers of the modern age. We may never see their kind again.

Ray Winstone, Great Expectations

The majority of the BBC's 2011 Dickens adaptation was upsettingly comprehensible. Gillian Anderson gave it a good go as Miss Havisham, clearly pronouncing...

With the massive success of Skyfall, it seemed almost certain that the producers would want to reunite Daniel Craig and Sam Mendes for at least one more film. After all, the 23rd Bond film is the highest grossing of all time in 007′s home country, and it did pretty well worldwide too, raking in over $1 billion. The only real question was how soon would we get to see MI6′s finest on the big screen again in Bond 24. Today we have that answer, as the official James Bond Twitter account sent out a 2015 release date for the next film.

The film will release first in the UK on October 23rd, 2015 and then hop across the pond a few days later on November 6th. A 2015 release date means we’re waiting another three years between films, which is a bit longer than usual for Bond. Between Quantum Of Solace and Skyfall there were four years,...

According to reports, producers of the upcoming 24th "James Bond" movie, to star actor Daniel Craig for director Sam Mendes, have settled on a title for the new '007' film.

The new film will be called "Devil May Care", the same title as the 2008 novel by author Sebastian Faulks.

The book is set in the swinging London of 1967, introducing the villain 'Dr. Julius Gorner'.

The new film is a sequel to "Skyfall", also directed by Mendes.

"James Bond 24" will be released in North America November 6, 2015.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Skyfall"...

The Sun claims to have learned the title of the next instalment in the James Bond franchise. While they admittedly aren't the most reliable of sources, they were recently proven to be correct with their scoop that Star Wars Episode VII would be shot in the UK. Regardless, they claim that the movie will be called Devil May Care. This is the same title as the 2008 novel by Sebastian Faulks. The plot of that follow-up to Ian Fleming's The Man With The Golden Gun was set in 1967 and saw the villainous Dr. Julius Gorner attempt to take over Britain. However, it's worth bearing in mind that the majority of James Bond movies only share a title with the books and not the same story. Regardless, what do you guys think about this as a possible title? The Skyfall sequel will be released in the UK on October 23th, 2015...

The 24th James Bond movie is rumoured to be based on 2008 novel Devil May Care.

According to The Sun, studio bosses have chosen Sebastian Faulks's Bond novel as the basis for Daniel Craig's next outing.

The book, released to mark the 100th anniversary of creator Ian Fleming's birth, is set in 1967 as a sequel to The Man with the Golden Gun.

Devil May Care follows Bond battling a chemist named Dr Julius Gorner, who aims to control Britain.

Sam Mendes recently confirmed that he will return to direct Bond 24, following the huge success of last year's Skyfall.

The project will be released in the UK on October 23, 2015 and in the Us on November 6, 2015. Screenwriter John Logan will also return.

"I am very pleased that by giving me the time I need to honour all my theatre commitments, the producers have made it possible for me to direct Bond 24,...

Following his departure from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the sequel to the 2011 hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes, director Rupert Wyatt lined up Birdsong, an adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ acclaimed World War I novel of the same name which he was writing himself. But that was a lower profile film. More recently he was in talks to direct Denzel Washington in The Eqaulizer, but negotiations fell apart. Now Wyatt has another new project set up at Chernin Etertaiment (though it does not have a studio home) in the form of Night Film, an adaptation of the forthcoming noir thriller novel from Marisha Pessl arriving this August. Here's the official synopsis of Pessl's new novel: On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise.

William Boyd has revealed the name of his new official James Bond novel.

Solo will be the title of the 1969-set spy adventure, which will take 007 across Europe, Africa and the USA. Boyd, who announced the title at this year's London Book Fair, said that he has had "tremendous fun" penning the story.

"Mark my words, I've undertaken writing this very seriously," he said, adding: "No gimmicks, this is a real spy story."

The announcement comes 60 years since the publication of Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel Casino Royale.

The Fleming estate has continued to publish 007 novels, recruiting writers including Sebastian Faulks (Devil May Care) and Jeffrey Deaver (Carte Blanche) to continue the British spy's story. Bond movie producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have kept the character's screen adventures separate from the literary continuity.

Boyd's highly-acclaimed novels include A Good Man in Africa, Any Human Heart and Cold War espionage thriller Restless.

Given the trouble they’re having shepherding the movie through development, we wouldn’t be shocked to learn that the producers of The Equalizer are searching the web for their own vigilante to get things moving again. Things looked more hopeful when it appeared Rupert Wyatt might take the job, but now he’s decided to pass.The job of getting this cinematic version of the character originated by Edward Woodward to the screen has not been an easy one. Paul Haggis flirted with the idea, and there was talk of Russell Crowe possibly starring. Then Nicolas Winding Refn was developing the idea and Denzel Washington was locked in for the lead. But while Washington held firm, Refn didn’t linger.As for Wyatt? Deadline is reporting that scheduling issues will keep him out of the director’s chair, and that would seem to make sense since he’s committed...

Rupert Wyatt is in talks to direct Denzel Washington in The Equalizer.

The new adaptation of the 1980s crime series will star Washington in the role made famous by Edward Woodward, playing a mysterious former covert ops officer who devotes himself to fighting injustice and helping the victimised.

Deadline reports that Wyatt is currently in early talks for the project, and is also attached to direct Nicholas Hoult in an upcoming film version of Sebastian Faulks's Birdsong.

It was reported last year that Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive) was in line to direct The Equalizer, but negotiations stalled at a late stage and he dropped out of the running.

The remake is set to begin filming in May, from a script written by Richard Wenk (The Expendables 2).

Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Wyatt stepped down from directing that film's sequel last year, supposedly over concerns that...

After making waves with his sophomore feature, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Rupert Wyatt may now have found his follow-up project in The Equalizer.

After exiting Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the sequel film currently slated for a 2014 release, Deadline report that Wyatt is now in early talks to take the helm for The Equalizer, which will see Denzel Washington take front and centre in the big budget version of the original TV series.

Washington came on board the adaptation back in December 2011. And we had heard back in December last year that Nicolas Winding Refn was in talks to take the helm. But when he ultimately decided not to come on board, the search continued at Sony, and reports suggest it’s been a hotly-contested job.

And now Sony and Escape Artists could well have found their director, if talks proceed well with Wyatt.

Wyatt...

New 007 book set in 'the classic era of 1969' will be written by the Any Human Heart writer, Ian Fleming's estate announced

A new James Bond novel will be published in September, written by British novelist William Boyd, the estate of the British spy's creator Ian Fleming said on Monday.

Fleming wrote his first Bond novel, Casino Royale, in 1953 and 13 more before he died 11 years later, aged 56.

The title and plot of the new book remain under wraps, but the Fleming estate gave a hint of the style and the setting to woo fans who have been wowed by Daniel Craig's film portrayal of 007 in Skyfall.

"We can reveal that this novel will see a return to the classic Bond era, featuring a 45-year-old 007 in 1969," the estate said.

The novel will be published in Britain on 26 September by Jonathan Cape, Fleming's original publisher, and available from HarperCollins, a subsidiary of News Corp,...

If you were unfortunate enough to have missed, or dare I say never heard of, the thrilling prison drama The Escapist, then for you Rupert Wyatt came out of nowhere and stole the summer of 2011 with Rise of The Planet of The Apes, that rare beast of a genuine high-quality, intelligent and exciting blockbuster. After storming the box office, the British director is now the toast of Hollywood, having almost directed Sherlock Holmes before Guy Ritchie came on board and rumoured to be attached to The Twilight Zone reboot way back when.

Wyatt has since departed the Apes franchise, leaving it in the rudest of health, and has now moved on to direct Birdsong, Sebastian Faulk’s wartime epic which is regularly hailed as one of modern literature’s greatest works. No pressure… But what makes this extremely talented man tick? Wyatt was kind enough to give up his time...

Last week we reported that Rupert Wyatt, who directed Rise of the Planet of the Apes, was lining up to direct an adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ novel Birdsong. The World War I-set film will focus on “an army officer who falls in love with a married French woman before the war, but is sent to the trenches when war breaks out.” At the time of the announcement, we had no casting details to report on but today, that changes as Nicholas Hoult has been tapped to take the lead role.

“[Hoult’s] great weight, depth and range as a fearless young actor allow us to explore this timeless story of a boy broken by a tragic love affair and what it means for young men to experience the real horror of war,” Wyatt said of the casting choice.

Hoult may not be a household name just yet but he’s starting to gain more exposure.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share this afternoon. First up, Jennifer Aniston has joined the large cast of director Peter Bogdanovich’s (The Last Picture Show) upcoming film She’s Funny That Way (previously referred to as Squirrels to the Nuts). The film stars Brie Larson as a hooker-turned-Broadway-thesp and follows the recurring intersection between these two facets of her life. Owen Wilson plays a married Broadway director who falls for Larson’s character, and The Wrap reports that Aniston has signed on to play a therapist with a mother in rehab for alcoholism. Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach are producing, and the impressive ensemble cast also includes Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hahn, Eugene Levy, and Cybil Shepherd. Production is set to get underway in New York City in June. Hit the jump for casting news regarding Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt’s next film.

Last week there was word that “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” helmer Rupert Wyatt had lined up another potential project, an adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ novel “Birdsong.” Well, it seems that the British director is eager to get started on his passion project as he’s already lined up his leading man. From Berlin, THR is reporting that “Warm Bodies” and “X-Men: First Class” star Nicholas Hoult will play the lead role in the World War I-set film, playing an an army officer who falls in love with a married French woman before the war, but is sent to the trenches when war breaks out. Wyatt first attempted to mount an adaptation over three years ago, as the follow-up to his debut “The Escapist,” with Michael Fassbender, Paddy Considine and Brian Cox all cast before the project fell apart. It seems that the success of his sophomore feature...

Actor to play lead role in a big-screen adaptation of the acclaimed first world war-set novel

Nicholas Hoult is to star in the big-screen adaptation of the Sebastian Faulks wartime novel Birdsong, the TV version of which, starring Eddie Redmayne, was a critical hit for the BBC last year.

Hoult, at 23 the youngest of the current wave of British actors plying their trade in Hollywood, will play 21-year-old first world war officer Stephen Wraysford for another Brit, Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt. In the book, Wraysford vies to keep his men alive during the battles of the Somme and Messines in 1916 and 1917, while struggling with the memories of a doomed romance with an older, married French woman six years earlier.

Wyatt, whose revival of the long-running Planet of the Apes series of films was one of the genre critical hits of 2011, described Hoult as the...

After years spent in development hell, it would appear that the cinematic adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ novel Birdsong finally has some traction. Last week, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes director Rupert Wyatt officially signed to direct his draft of the script, but the movie still needed a leading man. Step forward Nicholas Hoult!He’s just enjoyed box office success with zombie rom-com Warm Bodies and will battle huge fantastical creatures this March in Jack The Giant Slayer. But Birdsong could be an even tougher challenge, especially given Eddie Redmayne’s popularity in last year’s BBC adaptation.Hoult will play Stephen Wraysford, a young Englishman who lives in France in 1910, apprenticed into the textile industry. He falls for local married woman Isabelle Azaire, but though they elope, she eventually returns to her family. Faulks’ story then leaps around in time, hopping between 1916 during Stephen’s time fighting...