Latest news with #BarbaraBroccoli
CNET
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
007 First Light: Here's What James Bond Might Be Up to in His Next Game, Based Mostly on My Hopes and Dreams
More than 70 years after the character first appeared in the novel Casino Royale, James Bond is being reinvented yet again. The latest news comes from IO Interactive, makers of the Hitman games, who announced the title of its upcoming Bond game: 007 First Light, which will be shown off later this week. It has been an interesting year for Bond, with longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson handing creative control over to Amazon MGM Studios in February, and the studio hiring Amy Pascal and David Heyman as their effective replacements. And almost 30 years after the iconic GoldenEye 007 blended espionage elements into first-person shooter gameplay on the N64, we're getting a glimpse of the next incarnation of Bond video games, from a studio that has lots of experience with stealth and subterfuge. The website for First Light describes it as "a wholly original Bond origin story" that will be about Bond earning his 00 status. In Bond lore, agents are only granted 00 status after killing one (sometimes multiple) people as part of an assignment. But guessing that James Bond will have to shoot someone in an upcoming 007 game isn't exactly the boldest prediction. So, what should we expect Bond to be up to in this game? I own all of the Ian Fleming 007 novels and most of the movies and have seen every official Eon-produced Bond film. Based on that extensive experience and (moreso) the willingness to blindly gaze into a crystal ball, here's what I think we might see in First Light. Searching for a missing 007 After decades of books and movies following myriad incarnations of James Bond, a lot has already been explored, but one thing the movies haven't really touched is what happened to the previous 007. That point comes up in the plot of an Anthony Horowitz Bond novel, but is otherwise fresh territory for a game portraying Bond's origins. James inheriting the 007 designation after investigating the disappearance of his predecessor could add new layers of meaning and weight to the title. Discovering Spectre Spectre, the Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion organization, became a recurring antagonist in Fleming's later novels and a frequent presence in Connery films. It's basically a melting pot of criminal organizations from around the world, allowing for conveniently apolitical villainous agendas. Bond unraveling the threads that lead to MI6's first encounter with SPECTRE would be a fun way to nod to the character's history while still treading new ground. Uncovering MI6 corruption Bond himself is prone to going rogue, usually because he of course knows better than the official orders handed to him, so another possible angle is sending him to investigate possible traitorous activity inside his own organization. This could play nicely with the "earning 00 status" element, presenting Bond with situations where he's tasked with taking out former agents gone bad. IO Interactive has said that this will be an original incarnation of Bond -- no Connery, Craig, etc. look-alike. The title teaser shows us a silhouette of the character, but we should get our first proper look at the character in a few days.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Former CIA intelligence officer lifts lid on why the next 007 should still be played by a man
A former CIA intelligence officer has revealed why she thinks the next agent 007 should not be a woman. Since the release of No Time to Die in 2021, rumors have swirled about who will play the next James Bond, and the conversations are heating up again now that producer Barbara Broccoli and producer-writer Michael G Wilson sold the franchise to Amazon. Will 007 remain British? What race will the new iconic spy be? And could Bond be a woman? Christina said: 'As a former CIA intelligence officer - and a woman - myself, people naturally assume I'm in favor of a female Bond. Imagine their surprise when they learn I'm not. 'It's no secret that espionage has long been a 'man's world' - the disparities in pay and position between men and women at the CIA were documented as early as 1953, around the same time Ian Fleming first introduced us to the suave, womanizing spy in his novel Casino Royale. 'The Bond world Fleming created largely reflected this male-centric reality, its female characters relegated to seemingly less important roles behind a typewriter or at the British spy's side as his far less capable companion. And don't get me started on their scandalous attire and sexual innuendo-filled names.' Christina went on: 'The reality at the CIA was that women donned sensible skirts with pantyhose - pants weren't permitted - and wore crisp, white gloves. 'Despite having both the skill and desire to work in clandestine operations, women served in positions that 'better suited' their abilities - think secretaries, librarians and file clerks. 'Many even began their espionage careers as unpaid 'CIA wives', providing secretarial and administrative support to field stations. It was an undoubtedly clever, yet misogynistic, strategy in which the agency leveraged male case officers' highly educated spouses for free labor.' In 1975, Peterson became the first female case officer to operate in Moscow, only after turning down the CIA's initial offer to become an entry-level secretary. After months of operating freely in one of the harshest counterintelligence environments - women were largely able to go undetected as enemies didn't expect them to carry out plans - Peterson's world changed. She was accosted by nearly two dozen KGB officers who she said forced her into a van and off to Lubyanka prison for interrogation. Peterson didn't break under their questioning, and was released after several hours with strict orders to leave the country and never return. Her male managers accused her of failing to spot a surveillance team on her, a cardinal sin in espionage. Peterson shouldered that blame for seven years until it was revealed that the asset was compromised by double agents working for both the CIA and the Czech intelligence service. She could finally rest easy knowing she wasn't to blame for the arrest of that most important Moscow asset. It was thanks to her bravery that the asset was able to boldly choose his own fate, rather than be subjected to whatever punishment the KGB had in mind for him. Christina added: Around that time, more women were conducting clandestine operations - and they were good at it. Really good. This should have come as no surprise, given that women had already operated in this capacity unofficially for decades. 'Even so, women had to fight for the best cases that traditionally went to male counterparts, and despite repeated operational successes, the mostly male managers still doubted their clandestine capabilities. 'The same stereotypes meant women were equally underestimated by the enemy - a situation we continue to take full advantage of even today, allowing us to go unnoticed in some of the most dangerous environments in the world.' Across the Atlantic, women in the UK have also been key players in the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. Kathleen Pettigrew, for example, served as the personal assistant to not one but three MI6 chiefs. In her book, Her Secret Service, author and historian Claire Hubbard-Hall describes the forgotten women of British Intelligence as 'the true custodians of the secret world', whose contributions largely remain shrouded in mystery, while men's are often cemented in our collective memory thanks to their self-aggrandizing memoirs. It's taken every bit of the past 70-plus years to somewhat level the playing field for real women in espionage, so one might argue that it's about time for a female James Bond. The former CIA intelligence officer added: 'Certainly, women are capable - a history of successful female intelligence officers from both sides of the pond already proves that. But what if it's not a question of whether she's able to believably pull off the role but whether that's something viewers, especially women, actually want?' Broccoli didn't seem to think so. 'I'm not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that,' Broccoli told Variety in 2020. 'Perhaps she knew something the rest of us didn't - or something we just weren't ready to admit: Women don't want to be James Bond. Not because we're content as his sexy sidekick, but because we want our own spy,' Christina said. Rumors: Stars tipped to be the new Bond have included Aaron Taylor-Johnson (left) and Theo James (right) However, Christina went on: 'The success of shows like Netflix's Black Doves and Paramount's Lioness suggest a female-led spy thriller isn't just palatable for audiences - it's satisfying a hunger for something new: a unique spy character created specifically for a woman. 'And while we're at it, let's make her more capable than Bond. After all, that reflects the reality on the ground. 'The best spies are those who operate in the shadows and avoid romantic entanglements with their adversaries - the antithesis of James Bond. Spies who are unassuming and underestimated. Delivering poison right under the noses of our greatest adversaries. Spies who are, dare I say, women?'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Why the next James Bond should NOT be a woman, female ex-CIA intelligence officer has surprising good reasons
Since the release of No Time to Die in 2021, rumors have swirled about who will be the next James Bond. The conversations are heating up again now that producer Barbara Broccoli and producer-writer Michael G Wilson sold the franchise to Amazon. Will he remain British? What race will he be? And could Bond be a woman? Names tipped to succeed Daniel Craig in the iconic role have included Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Henry Cavill and Theo James. Actresses Sydney Sweeney and Zendaya have both been suggested as possible Bond girls, and it seems Amazon has, at least for now, silenced any possibility of a female 007. As a former CIA intelligence officer - and a woman - myself, people naturally assume I'm in favor of a female Bond. Imagine their surprise when they learn I'm not. It's no secret that espionage has long been a 'man's world' - the disparities in pay and position between men and women at the CIA were documented as early as 1953, around the same time Ian Fleming first introduced us to the suave, womanizing spy in his novel Casino Royale. The Bond world Fleming created largely reflected this male-centric reality, its female characters relegated to seemingly less important roles behind a typewriter or at the British spy's side as his far less capable companion. And don't get me started on their scandalous attire and sexual innuendo-filled names. The reality at the CIA was that women donned sensible skirts with pantyhose - pants weren't permitted - and wore crisp, white gloves. Despite having both the skill and desire to work in clandestine operations, women served in positions that 'better suited' their abilities - think secretaries, librarians and file clerks. Many even began their espionage careers as unpaid 'CIA wives,' providing secretarial and administrative support to field stations. It was an undoubtedly clever, yet misogynistic, strategy in which the agency leveraged male case officers' highly educated spouses for free labor. 'I always felt like, you know, I'm not stupid - and here I was, doing filing, typing,' Marti Peterson told me of her time as a CIA wife in Laos in the early 1970s. In 1975, Peterson became the first female case officer to operate in Moscow, only after turning down the CIA's initial offer to become an entry-level secretary. A mere month into her tour, she began handling one of the Moscow station's most prized assets, even delivering a suicide pill to him at his request. (He wanted to be prepared to die by suicide in the event the KGB arrested him for treason.) Hidden in a fountain pen, the lethal package was tucked into Peterson's waistband and held close to her body as she twisted and turned through the streets of Moscow ensuring she wasn't being followed, before making the delivery. After months of operating freely in one of the harshest counterintelligence environments - women were largely able to go undetected as our enemies didn't expect us to carry out plans - Peterson's world changed. This time, when she conducted the dead drop, she was accosted by nearly two dozen KGB officers who she said forced her into a van and off to Lubyanka prison for interrogation. Peterson didn't break under their questioning, and was released after several hours with strict orders to leave the country and never return. Her male managers accused her of failing to spot a surveillance team on her, a cardinal sin in espionage. Peterson shouldered that blame for seven years until it was revealed that the asset was compromised by double agents working for both the CIA and the Czech intelligence service. She could finally rest easy knowing she wasn't to blame for the arrest of that most important Moscow asset. It was thanks to her bravery that the asset was able to boldly choose his own fate, rather than be subjected to whatever punishment the KGB had in mind for him. There were others like Peterson - intrepid women who successfully convinced their male colleagues they had more to offer than typing and filing skills. Janine Brookner, for example, entered on duty in 1968 and by the '80s became the first female chief of a station in Latin America, in one of the Caribbean's most dangerous posts. Around that time, more women were conducting clandestine operations - and they were good at it. Really good. This should have come as no surprise, given that women had already operated in this capacity unofficially for decades. Even so, women had to fight for the best cases that traditionally went to male counterparts, and despite repeated operational successes, the mostly male managers still doubted their clandestine capabilities. The same stereotypes meant women were equally underestimated by the enemy - a situation we continue to take full advantage of even today, allowing us to go unnoticed in some of the most dangerous environments in the world. Janine Brookner became the first female chief of station in Latin America, in one of the Caribbean's most dangerous posts Across the Atlantic, women in the UK have also been key players in the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. Kathleen Pettigrew, for example, served as the personal assistant to not one but three MI6 chiefs, making her far more powerful than the Miss Moneypenny character she inspired. In her book, Her Secret Service, author and historian Claire Hubbard-Hall describes the forgotten women of British Intelligence as 'the true custodians of the secret world,' whose contributions largely remain shrouded in mystery, while men's are often cemented in our collective memory thanks to their self-aggrandizing memoirs. At the same time women were making slow gains in intelligence, the Bond girl was evolving on the silver screen, a credit to Broccoli who, together with her half-brother Wilson, took over the rights from their ailing father in 1995. In the decades since, Broccoli expertly shepherded Bond through an ever-changing global and political landscape, adding nuance to the charming, deeply flawed intelligence operative so many of us have grown to love. Perhaps just as importantly, she brought balance and inclusivity to the films, creating multi-dimensional, capable Bond girls and even casting a woman as 'M,' the head of MI6, in 1995. The real MI6, on the other hand, has yet to have a woman in its top leadership role, and it wasn't until 2018 that the CIA saw its first female director. It's taken every bit of the past 70-plus years to somewhat level the playing field for real women in espionage, so one might argue that it's about time for a female James Bond. Certainly, women are capable - a history of successful female intelligence officers from both sides of the pond already proves that. But what if it's not a question of whether she's able to believably pull off the role but whether that's something viewers, especially women, actually want? Broccoli didn't seem to think so. 'I'm not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that,' Broccoli told Variety in 2020. Perhaps she knew something the rest of us didn't - or something we just weren't ready to admit: Women don't want to be James Bond. Not because we're content as his sexy sidekick, but because we want our own spy. The success of shows like Netflix's Black Doves and Paramount's Lioness suggest a female-led spy thriller isn't just palatable for audiences - it's satisfying a hunger for something new: a unique spy character created specifically for a woman. And while we're at it, let's make her more capable than Bond. After all, that reflects the reality on the ground. The best spies are those who operate in the shadows and avoid romantic entanglements with their adversaries - the antithesis of James Bond. Spies who are unassuming and underestimated. Delivering poison right under the noses of our greatest adversaries. Spies who are, dare I say, women? Christina Hillsberg is a former CIA intelligence officer and author of Agents of Change: The Women Who Transformed the CIA, published June 24.
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Man denies breaching restraining order by contacting ex-007 producer
A man has denied 11 counts of breaching a restraining order by contacting former James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli. Daniel Wilson was prohibited from contacting Broccoli, 64, by an order put in place at Isleworth Crown Court on July 3 2017. Broccoli, 64, and her half-brother Michael G Wilson, 83, produced the James Bond franchise after the death of Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli in 1996 until February this year. Amazon MGM Studios will gain creative control. It is alleged that Mr Wilson, 36, from Lambeth, south London, acted in breach of the restraining order by attempting to contact Broccoli 'without reasonable excuse' on 11 dates between April 2022 and April last year. Mr Wilson appeared on video link and pleaded not guilty to each charge at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday. The court heard Mr Wilson, who wore glasses and a patterned jacket during the hearing, is currently in hospital. Bail conditions had been put in place at an earlier hearing and Judge Sally-Ann Hales KC ordered that they would continue. She told Mr Wilson he could not 'be in possession of any device that can access the internet' or contact Broccoli directly or indirectly. He must also live and sleep each night in a location directed by the NHS, she said. His trial was set for July 19 2027, and Judge Hales added: 'I'm afraid that is the earliest date that the court can accommodate.' She granted that Broccoli can give evidence behind screens 'given the a nature of the allegations'. Mr Wilson is charged with acting in breach of the restraining order on April 1 and 19, May 19 and 25, June 30 and July 6 in 2022. He is also accused of doing so on March 10, April 12, 17, 20 and 22 in 2024. The 007 franchise had been controlled by members of the Broccoli family, either single-handedly or in partnership with others, since the first Bond film Dr No in 1962. Broccoli and her half-brother produced the past nine Bond films, including Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Spectre and No Time to Die. They have been made CBEs and won the outstanding British film Bafta for 2012's Skyfall along with director Sir Sam Mendes. Amazon gained creative control of the British spy franchise following a deal which saw Eon Productions, run by Wilson and Broccoli, become co-owners with Amazon MGM Studios.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Man, 36, denies breaching restraining order against former James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli by attempting to contact her at least 11 times
A man has denied breaching a restraining order against former James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli. Daniel Wilson, 36, denied 11 counts of violating the order which prohibited him from contacting the producer. The order was put in place at Isleworth Crown Court on July 3, 2017, and Mr Wilson allegedly attempted to contact Broccoli 'without reasonable excuse' on 11 dates between April 2022 and April last year. Mr Wilson, from Lambeth, appeared on video link at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to each charge. The court heard he is currently staying in hospital and that the bail conditions that had been put in place at an earlier hearing would continue. Judge Sally-Ann Hales KC told Wilson he cannot 'be in possession of any device that can access the internet' or contact Broccoli directly or indirectly. He must also live and sleep each night in a location directed by the NHS, she said. His trial was set for July 19 2027 and Judge Hales added: 'I'm afraid that is the earliest date that the court can accommodate.' She granted that Broccoli can give evidence behind screens 'given the a nature of the allegations'. Wilson was charged with acting in breach of the restraining order on April 1, April 19, May 19, May 25, June 30 and July 6 2022. He is also accused of doing so on March 10, April 12, April 17, April 20 and April 22 2024. The 007 franchise had been controlled by members of the Broccoli family, either single-handedly or in partnership with others, since the first 007 movie Dr No in 1962. Ms Broccoli, 64, and Michael G Wilson, 83, produced the James Bond franchise after the death of Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli until it was announced in February this year that Amazon MGM Studios will gain creative control. Broccoli and her half-brother Wilson produced the last nine Bond films, including Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace, Spectre and No Time To Die. They have been honoured with CBEs, and won the outstanding British film Bafta for 2012's Skyfall along with director Sir Sam Mendes. Amazon gained creative control of the British spy franchise following a deal which saw Eon Productions, run by Wilson and Broccoli, become co-owners with Amazon MGM Studios.
