Bond Begins

Die Another Day may have made oodles of cash at the box office, but the perception of James Bond - the franchise, the character, the whole shebang - has been that it's all a little tired and in need of a pep pill. And now, at long last, EON Productions and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, have listened to the pleas of Bond fans, taken a leaf out of Batman and Superman's books, and decided to revamp their character substantially by knocking a few years off his age. Yes, the next Bond movie, Casino Royale, will see a very different, very much younger James Bond, with his 00-agent waterwings still in evidence. "Bond is essentially starting out in his career, and has just recently become part of the double-0 section" said director Martin Campbell, in an interview with that well-respected rag, the New York Daily News. All of which explains why the fiftysomething Pierce Brosnan has made way for the potential likes of Ioan Gruffudd, Clive Owen, Orlando Bloom and Colin Fuckin' Farrell. Actually, Ian Fleming's debut Bond novel does follow 007 on his first assignment, as a more callow, not-so-wise Jimmy is sent to a town on the French coast to beat his target at a game of high stakes baccarat, ensuring the target's death at the hands of his employers: SMERSH (known in the films as SPECTRE). Surprisingly, it all goes Pete Tong, and the book is famous amongst the series for its torture scene. So it shouldn't come as such a surprise that, given the book's place in the Bond timeline, that EON are focusing on a younger Bond. However, make no mistake: this is a major development. It will be the first time that the franchise has consciously stepped out of traditional chronology, and chopping about 25 years (Empire's estimate) off JB's age isn't the only change that will have to be made to a novel that was written in 1953, when men were men, women were nothing more than accessories for a handbag, and the only good Russian was a dead Russian. "The Cold War elements will have to be reconfigured," admitted Campbell. Now, pay attention 007 fans. This indicates that, although the action takes place when Bond is younger than he was in Dr. No, the setting for the film will most likely be the present day - a la Jack Ryan mysteriously growing younger after Clear And Present Danger for The Sum Of All Fears. This is, no doubt (and fair enough), to avoid accidental comedy value in the period setting and drawing unwanted allusions to another certain International Man of Mystery. On one hand, it's a very dangerous path for the franchise to head down: it could show as much promise as Batman Begins, or end up having about as much impact as The Adventures of Young Sherlock Holmes. On the other hand, it shows fans that Wilson and Broccoli - who have long been rumoured to have been reluctant to tamper with the Bond formula - are willing to take risks in order to keep their franchise alive. Empire, frankly, is a little annoyed, though - we had