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The character of James Bond might've made Sean Connery a global movie star, but the actor didn't really enjoy the initial nine years he spent playing the MI6 agent. As Michael Caine once observed, "If you were his friend in these early days, you didn't raise the subject of Bond." A big part of the issue, according to Caine, was that Connery knew he had more to offer as an actor than 007, and thus, he bristled every time someone would identify him as Bond when he was out in public. Connery himself made no bones about his annoyance with the character. "I have always hated that damned James Bond," he once remarked (via The Guardian). "I'd like to kill him."

Producers Harry Saltzman and Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, who were sitting on top of a box office goldmine, had no such desire. They were keen to keep knocking out Bond flicks at a once-every-other-year clip,...

Few James Bond adventures have had as many legal headaches attached to its legacy as "Thunderball." Eon Productions ran a relatively tight ship when it came to maintaining the 007 brand for over six decades, but there was one series creative that gave them a decades-spanning struggle in the name of writer-producer Kevin McClory.

Only a few years before "Dr. No" introduced movie audiences to the suave super spy, McClory collaborated with Bond scribe Ian Fleming, in addition to screenwriter Jack Whittingham, on a potential screen adaptation. Their plans ultimately fell through and all went their separate ways. Things turned contentious, however, when McClory discovered that Fleming had not only taken the meat of the drafts they wrote together to form his novel "Thunderball," but he also didn't credit him.

McClory sued and ultimately won his case, ensuring that anything having to do with "Thunderball" moving forward would have to credit him too.

Hollywood’s entertainment industry has been the hub of quite a few fiascos over the course of the decades, catching a lot of people in affairs they should have not been involved in the first place. Surprisingly enough, the list of names for the same included the names of Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, and even Jon Peters.

Michael Keaton in Batman. | Credits: Warner Bros.

Apparently, there was a time when Keaton, the renowned fan-favorite iteration of the Dark Knight, was allegedly infatuated with his co-star and Academy Award winner Kim Basinger. But in the middle of this love story came Peters, the renowned producer of Batman, who ended up sleeping with Basinger, leading to Keaton allegedly being furious at them.

Jon Peters infuriated Michael Keaton by swooping Kim Basinger from under his nose

Back in the day, in the late 1980s, Michael Keaton‘s Batman was in the works, but...

James Bond is one of the most popular characters in film history, and he’s more popular than ever thanks to a tribute at the 2025 Oscars this month.

The fictional British Secret Service agent, introduced to the world in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming and also known as 007, made his debut in 1962′s Dr. No, with Sean Connery starring as Bond.

There have been over two dozen movies ever since, leading up to the most recent entry: No Time to Die, featuring Daniel Craig as the titular character.

The films have brought in $7 billion at the box office, making it the fifth highest grossing film series of all time. As far as their critical reception, however, the movies greatly range from largely negative reviews to near-universal acclaim.

We’ve put together the 25 official Bond movies released over the past decades, and ranked them based on their Rotten Tomatoes score.

Click through...

Jane Seymour wants to star in a James Bond movie or series spin-off.The 73-year-old actor, who played Solitaire in 1973’s ‘Live and Let Die’ opposite former 007 star Roger Moore, said she would welcome the opportunity to return to the Bond universe as she spoke out following Amazon’s takeover of the franchise. She told the Daily Mirror at Sir Elton John’s Aids Foundation party when asked if she’d want to be involved in Bond content from the streamer: “Oh yes… but they will never ask me.” She also commented on Amazon’s acquisition of creative control from longtime Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.Jane added: “I think it’s great. Amazon is huge and I am sure they will have the time, the money and the interest to continue and invest in Bond.”The Bond franchise underwent a significant shift following Amazon’s takeover of MGM Studios,...

Even casual fans have a good idea of how the James Bond actors changed over the years. Sean Connery was the original 007, then George Lazenby took over for 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" before Connery returned for one final (official) outing in 1971's "Diamonds Are Forever." After that, a new Bond arrived in the form of Roger Moore, who debuted in the role in 1973's "Live and Let Die."

His first outing as James Bond didn't start off on the best note, however. In fact, day one of being James Bond was a dangerous mess for Moore, who injured himself filming an action sequence for "Live and Let Die." Thankfully, it didn't stop him from taking on the mantle of 007, with Moore going on to play the character across seven films between 1973 and 1983. Today, he still holds the record for the most appearances as Bond in the official...

Kim Basinger, the acclaimed actress with a career spanning decades, recently revealed why she almost rejected the offer for her sole Oscar-winning role in the 1997 crime drama L.A. Confidential. Having her breakout as a bond girl in Never Say Never Again, Basinger would go on to play several seductive, siren-like characters in films such as 9½ Weeks and Batman.

Kim Basinger in Never Say Never Again | Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

So when she received the offer to star as Lynn Bracken, a classic femme fatale, alongside Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe in neo-noir L.A. Confidential, she was hesitant, especially due to the fear of being typecast in overly s*xualized roles.

Kim Basinger nearly turned down the offer for L.A. Confidential

Starring alongside an ensemble cast in the 1997 film L.A. Confidential, Kim Basinger played the role of Lynn Bracken, a high-class escort who ends up playing...

Timothy Dalton said in an interview with Vanity Fair that he turned down an original offer to play James Bond in his mid-20s because he didn’t think the character should be that young. Dalton also didn’t want to directly follow Sean Connery, whose initial run as 007 ended after six movies with 1971’s “Diamonds Are Fever.” Franchise producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli approached Dalton in the early ’70s to replace Connery.

“There was a time when Sean Connery was leaving. I can’t say I was offered it, but I was asked if I’d like to do it or not,” Dalton said. “And I said ‘No,’ because it seemed to me that the age of 24 or 25 doesn’t seem quite right for this character. … He needs to be [older]. You could play it at that younger age, but I don’t know that I’d believe it that much.

Kim Basinger “can’t imagine” what it’s like to work with an intimacy coordinator, despite the practice becoming a new industry norm.

Basinger, whose most recent onscreen role was in the 2017 film “Fifty Shades Darker,” told Variety that she doesn’t understand why intimacy coordinators are used on sets.

“I can’t imagine having somebody come up to me and say, ‘Do you mind if they put their hand here?’” Basinger said. “That’s just another person in the room. Either we work it out or we don’t. I don’t see all of this need for supervised visits.”

She continued, “It’s a very hard thing to shoot a beautiful love scene. You think it’s just lay[ing] down with a bunch of baby oil. It’s not. It can really work your nerves.”

Basinger noted that her own attitude toward sex onscreen is “more European” than “stuffy” American views.

Will Amazon’s 007 franchise ever take center stage again?

Thinking about this, I flashed back to a conversation with an actor friend telling me, “I’ve just been offered a big payday as the next James Bond but I can’t get over the feeling that his every line has been said before – and maybe better.”

I was talking with John Gavin who, instead of replacing Sean Connery, opted for a lower salary as Ambassador to Mexico. “Does the world really need another Bond?” he asked.

I thought of Gavin this week because his 1983 question is again being bandied about at all-powerful Amazon, which has seized control of the franchise after the 60-year reign of the Broccoli dynasty. Bond has endured 25 iterations grossing a total of $7.8 billion worldwide, with its most recent title three years ago appropriately titled No Time to Die.

Jeff Bezos is publicly asking “Who will be the next Bond?...

In the mid-’90s, Kim Basinger was newly married to actor Alec Baldwin and had just given birth to their daughter, Ireland, when her William Morris agent sent her the script for “L.A. Confidential.” She was tired of playing the siren roles that had defined her — from a Bond girl in “Never Say Never Again” to a New York gallery owner in the erotic classic “9½ Weeks” to a barefoot Vicki Vale running through the streets of Gotham City in Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman.”

“I said, ‘Well, I’m not interested in playing a whore. Not doing it. I’m a mom, so I’m not going to play that,’” she recalls.

But her agent persisted, and she agreed to take a 3 p.m. meeting with the late director Curtis Hanson at the Formosa in West Hollywood. The lot was empty, and she drove around mulling the parking spaces...

It turns out they were right to kill off James Bond.

Three years ago, reviewing the final Daniel Craig Bond film, “No Time to Die,” I praised the filmmakers’ decision to end the movie with the death of Craig’s 007. I called it “the send-off he deserves” and wrote, “What happens in the climactic scene feels poetic: Bond, in a strange way, takes on the karma of all the people he has killed.” Of course, the film’s end title also assured us that “James Bond will return.” So he’s dead; and he’s coming back! I rationalized away the slight absurdity of this by figuring that they were killing off Craig’s 007 to make way for a new one — which, in essence, is what happens every time a different actor takes over the role.

Yet in the months after I wrote that review, as I absorbed the mountain...

For one reason or another, studio vaults are chockfull of movies that have become all but impossible to see nowadays – at least legitimately. We’ve written at length about movies that are surprisingly hard to find, but it’s rare that a mainstream movie exists that never made it to DVD – much less Blu-ray. Such is the case with Columbia’s Night of the Juggler, a well-regarded 1980 thriller starring James Brolin as an ex-nyc cop searching for his daughter, who’s been kidnapped by a psycho (played by future Angel star Cliff Gorman).

A cool, seedy-looking exploitation flick, Night of the Juggler only ever came out on a ratty-old VHS from Media (a low-budget company), with most existing prints of the movie being ripped from sporadic TV showings. Now, our friends at Blu-ray.com have revealed that Kino Lorber is giving the film not only a Blu-ray release but a 4K one to boot.

Not many actors have shown the ability to perfectly capture the essence of James Bond in the longstanding film franchise. Before Daniel Craig conquered the role, it was Sean Connery, who perfectly brought Bond to life in seven movies.

Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No (1962) | Credit: United Artists

Yet, his first encounter with Bond’s creator, Ian Fleming, was far from a positive one. Fleming, a sophisticated former intelligence officer, had a very particular vision for his suave British spy. However, when he met the rugged and unrefined Connery, he was less than impressed.

Ian Fleming could not envision Sean Connery as the perfect James Bond Sean Connery in Goldfinger [Credit: United Artists]

Fleming had envisioned Bond as an upper-class gentleman, modeled in part on his own experiences and acquaintances from the British Secret Service. When Sean Connery, a working-class Scotsman with a rough-edged charm, was cast, Fleming was unconvinced.

He...

Sean Connery's James Bond films have a significant place in movie history, kicking off the long-running franchise in the early 1960s that has spanned decades with a total of 26 (1 being unofficial) Bond movies to date. Connery is arguably the most important actor in the franchise, being the first of six actors so far to take up the mantle of the iconic 007. His first appearance as the character was in Dr. No in 1962, which was also the first adaptation of the landmark novels by Ian Fleming.

Following his first film as James Bond, Connery starred in four more 007 films in the '60s, retiring briefly from the character, only to return in 1971. He finally came back once more in 1983 for Never Say Never Again, which officially marked the end of his career as 007. Not only was Sean Connery one of the most important James Bond actors, but he was also one of the best,...

Sean Connery holds the honor of being the first big screen 007. Connery made his James Bond debut in 1962 with the Terrence Young-directed film Dr. No. Connery went on to star in five more James Bond films — From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever — even returning to the franchise after a brief interruption by George Lazenby's one-off Bond film and the non-Eon Bond movie Never Say Never Again. Little did he know at the time that the Bond movies would become one of the biggest action franchises to date.

Bond took up the better part of a decade of Connery's career, beginning in 1962 and ending with Diamonds Are Forever in 1971 in the traditional series. Prior to his death in 2020, Connery went on to have a long acting career after ending his Bond tenure. His first 007 follow-up was The Offence...

The 1980s brought some of the best James Bond movies, like License to Kill and the massively underrated For Your Eyes Only, but it also brought some of the worst, like Octopussy and A View to a Kill. The ‘80s were a very hit-and-miss time for Hollywood, as the experimentation of the American New Wave was replaced by flashy big-budget studio fare, and, by extension, it was a hit-and-miss period for the Bond franchise. The decade kicked off with the final years of the Roger Moore era, when many critics were complaining that Moore had aged out of the role.

After Moore’s tenure ended, Timothy Dalton was brought in with a radical reinvention of the character. The goofy, tongue-in-cheek humor of the Moore era was replaced by a darker, more grounded tone more in line with Ian Fleming’s source material. Dalton’s two Bond movies were the polar...

Highlander 2: The Quickening is the only non-James Bond sequel of Sean Connery's career - and turned into the biggest critical and commercial mess of his career. Connery played Bond in seven movies, though his final appearance was in the "unofficial" outing Never Say Never Again. After hitting something of a fallow period during the early 1980s, Connery made a major comeback with The Untouchables and went on to front major hits like The Hunt for Red October and The Rock. Perhaps having felt confined by the 007 series, Connery largely avoided sequels for much of his career.

Highlander 2 proved the sole exception to this, with this 1991 sequel reuniting Connery's Ramírez with Christopher Lambert's MacLeod. His return was something of a surprise to fans of the original Highlander movie from 1986 - considering his head had been cut off by the movie's villain, The Kurgan (Clancy Brown). Since Connery...

Kim Basinger is the blonde bombshell has certainly proved her bonafides as an actress, quickly going from sex symbol to respected Oscar winner. Let’s take a look back at 10 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1953 in Athens, Georgia, Basinger got her start as a model before turning to acting, catching the attentions of movie audiences as a Bond girl in the Sean Connery-starring “Never Say Never Again” (1983). She earned her first Golden Globe nomination soon thereafter for a supporting performance as Robert Redford‘s love interest in “The Natural” (1984).

She courted controversy with her sexually explicit turn in Adrien Lyne‘s “9 1/2 Weeks” (1986) and became a box office draw with Tim Burton‘s superhero smash “Batman” (1989). She even proved she could poke fun at herself with a cameo appearance in “Wayne’s World 2” (1992) as the aptly-named Honey Horneé.

It was with Curtis Hanson‘s neo-noir masterpiece “L.

No two actors shaped the role of James Bond as profoundly as Sean Connery and Daniel Craig. Connery was the first to bring him to life, and Craig saw him die. Both were physically imposing—Connery the ex-bodybuilder, and Craig with “that beautiful boxer’s face.” Both were in their...

Three of the James Bond movies were remakes of previous Bond films, and these remakes include some of the absolute best (and absolute worst) of 007s on-screen adventures. Remaking past Bond movies might start becoming more common in the next couple of iterations of the franchise, because the producers have just about run out of Ian Fleming stories to adapt. Since very few of the Bond movies have actually stuck to the source material that gave them their titles, the next incarnation of the Bond series could see Eon going back and adapting Flemings novels more faithfully.

But Eon (and other producers) have been readapting Flemings works since long before they ran out of new ones to turn into movies. Casino Royale the very first Bond novel has been adapted for the screen a grand total of three times, and each version has been vastly different than the last. When...

Critics may not have been fond of this 1980s Chuck Norris Western, but it's one of my guilty pleasures. Norris was part of a wave of action stars to emerge during the 1970s and 1980s, with his roundhouse kicks and trademark beard becoming part of his star persona. The '80s featured some of Chuck Norris' best action movies like the Missing in Action trilogy or, my personal favorite, Code of Silence, but his film career faltered by the time the 1990s arrived. While Norris had a compelling look, he just wasn't that great of an actor.

That's why his most successful movies leaned on his physicality and cut way back on his dialogue. His appearance in The Expendables 2 really exposed this, as the veteran star badly fumbles his own Chuck Norris joke meme. Despite his limits as a performer, I still think Norris made some gems in his career,...

James Bond director Sam Mendes has spoken about his potential future with the franchise. Before joining the long-running spy series adapted from the works of novelist Ian Fleming, Mendes was best known as the Oscar-winning director of 1999's American Beauty, the feature that also won Best Picture at the 2000 Academy Awards ceremony. His first Bond feature was the 2012 Daniel Craig era outing Skyfall. He then returned to helm 2015's Spectre. However, the final Craig movie, 2021's No Time to Die, was helmed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, and the upcoming James Bond 26 has no attached director.

Inverse recently interviewed Mendes while the filmmaker was promoting the HBO series The Franchise, on which he is an executive producer. When asked if he would consider returning for another James Bond movie, he referenced the 1983 Bond movie Never Say Never Again by saying "never say never," though he did express doubt about the prospect.

James Bond is one of the most enduring characters in film history.

The fictional British Secret Service agent, created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming and also known as 007, made his debut in 1962′s Dr. No, with Sean Connery starring as Bond.

There have been over two dozen films ever since, leading up to the most recent entry: No Time to Die, starring Daniel Craig as the titular character.

The films have grossed over $7 billion at the box office, making it the fifth highest grossing film series of all time. As far as their critical reception, however, the movies greatly range from largely negative reviews to near-universal acclaim.

We’ve rounded up the 25 official Bond movies released over the past decades, and ranked them based on their Rotten Tomatoes score.

Click through to see what the best James Bond movies are, ranked…...

Sean Connery made his best movie outside the James Bond franchise when he paired up with Kevin Costner to take down Al Capone in Brian De Palmas Prohibition-era gangster thriller The Untouchables. Connery became the first actor to play Bond on the big screen when he starred in 1962s Dr. No. The character was already a literary icon, but Connery was responsible for making Ian Flemings gentleman spy a beloved staple of the silver screen. He played 007 in five more official Eon productions and one unofficial non-Eon production, 1983s Never Say Never Again.

While Bond is undoubtedly Connerys most iconic role, he had a very prolific career outside the Bond franchise, too. He worked in a wide range of genres under the direction of such renowned filmmakers as Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, John Huston, and Sidney Lumet. From an Agatha Christie murder mystery to a submarine thriller from the director of Die Hard,...

One of Sean Connery's worst blockbusters gave the screen icon the chance to play his very own James Bond villain. In spite of all the great James Bond actors who have followed in his footsteps, Connery's 007 is still considered the one to beat. His appearance as the British secret agent in Dr. No made him an instant movie star, and Connery's mix of good looks, charisma and brutality would set the template for Bond. Of course, Connery's thoughts on the series itself were mixed.

Disputes with the producers of the James Bond movie franchise over pay and being tied to a strict contract led to him quitting after 1967's You Only Live Twice. He would be lured back to the character twice in the years that followed; once for 1971's Diamonds Are Forever and the unofficial Bond outing Never Say Never Again over a decade later. Connery...

Rowan Atkinson has entertained audiences as Mr. Bean since the 90s, which remains the most popular role of his career. The talented comedian certainly ranks among the top echelon of the greatest comedians ever. Atkinson also starred in some other amazing films, including Never Say Never Again, Love Actually, and most recently, Wonka.

Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean in 1997’s Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie | Credits: Working Title Films

The actor is known for his charming personality and incredible wit as seen in his media interactions and interviews. However, the comedian’s inspiring actions in a life-and-death situation in his life prevented a catastrophe that would have resulted in his death along with his family. The extraordinary details of the event prove that Atkinson is a force to be reckoned with.

Rowan Atkinson Became A Real Life Superhero As He Saved His Family From A Plane Crash

The Johnny English...

The Oscar winner’s surprise casting in Avengers – not as Iron Man but as Doctor Doom – will bring much-needed gravity to the role. But will the MCU acknowledge his past life as Tony Stark?

Is it really so shocking that Robert Downey Jr is to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not as Iron Man/Tony Stark, but as the supervillain Doctor Doom? Well yes, because nobody had really seen this coming when the actor was unveiled at Comic-Con in San Diego last weekend. Despite the advent of the multiverse after Stark’s death in Avengers: Endgame more than five years ago, the studio had opted not to bring the superhero back as a version of himself from another reality, even though this would have been easier than Doctor Strange opening a portal to the nearest Himalayan tea shop. The sense was that Downey Jr was probably done with this superhero stuff,...

The ‘unofficial’ James Bond film that met with lots of legal hurdles. And the comedy that sounded different – until The Sopranos came along…

Sean Connery had vowed he was never going to return as James Bond after 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever. Meanwhile, a man called Kevin McClory had agreed not to exercise his screen rights to the story of Thunderball until 1975. Yet the highest profile ‘unofficial’ Bond project would bring them both together, as Never Say Never Again did battle with the official 007 film Octopussy at the 1983 box office.

A different battle played out in 1999, as Robert De Niro took the plunge into comedy with Analyze This. It’d be an early hit in a year that was awash with them – yet the idea of a mob boss seeing a shrink, that seemed original when the film was conceived – was about to slam head-first into a brand new TV show…...

It’s been more than a decade since the release of Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and even today, gamers are fascinated by exploring its massive open world. Seriously, Todd Howard and his team have managed to craft a game that has defined an entire generation of gamers, leaving a mark in the gaming landscape.

It’s really easy to play through The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and get caught up in the immersive world and lore, which might make you forget about the fantastic voice acting that went into the game. While multiple voice actors have lent their talents to a number of characters, others are limited to a handful or simply one. That being said, there are very famous names attached to Skyrim, including one who even played Diana Prince in the DC’s incredibly popular Wonder Woman series!

Wonder Woman Voiced Some Popular Characters in...

James Bond movies are based on Ian Fleming's novels, but not all follow the source material closely. Different actors bring their own interpretations to the role of Bond, making each version unique. The future of the franchise looks promising with Aaron Taylor-Johnson rumored to be the next 007.

Watching all the James Bond movies in order is a huge undertaking and requires a little investigating into the franchise's history in order to pull off. Based on the books by Ian Fleming, the MI6 agent was inspired by Flemings time in the British Naval Intelligence Division while serving in World War II. There are 40 Bond books written by six different authors, but Flemings original 14 founded the entire spy-filled universe. The order of the 007 films does not follow the correct order of Flemings novels. Casino Royale was written by Fleming in 1953, followed by Live and Let Die and Moonraker.

However,...

The James Bond franchise has long been blossoming in the action genre and remains among the fan-favorite franchises. It is rich in many elements, from thrilling action sequences to innovative gadgets, that captivated audiences for decades. It is all thanks to Ian Fleming, the creator behind the iconic 007 spy, who laid the foundation of the vast saga.

Sean Connery in Goldfinger [Credit: United Artists]However, many would be surprised to know that he was against the idea of Sean Connery to take up the iconic role. Fleming would have done with anyone, but not Connery, and the reason would surprise many!

Sean Connery’s James Bond Was Different from What Ian Fleming Intended

In Nicholas Shakespeare’s biography of Bond author Ian Fleming, titled Ian Fleming: The Complete Man, the author shared insights on what went behind the scenes in a film adaptation of Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel Casino Royale.

Many people may not know this, but before Steven Seagal’s action movie heyday, he worked as a martial arts instructor and choreographer. Most famously, he was super agent Michael Ovitz’s martial arts teacher. Ovitz, notoriously, thought he could make anyone a movie star, and proved it by securing Steven Seagal a movie deal at Warner Bros, where he made Above the Law… and the rest was history.

Another guy Steven Seagal trained was Sean Connery, who was one of Ovitz’s first major clients. The agent paired Connery up with Seagal to get him into shape for the unofficial James Bond movie, Never Say Never Again. Connery was fifty-two at the time and had a couple of fight sequences in the film, so Seagal was brought in to whip him into shape. One day, while sparring, Seagal broke Connery’s wrist. The urban legend is that Connery did something that made him angry,...

In Jay Roach's 1997 James Bond spoof "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," the film's villain, Dr. Evil (Mike Myers), aims to murder off his arch-nemesis by dropping him into a tank full of man-eating sharks. In a supervillainous twist, the sharks will be equipped with laser beams affixed to their heads. Dr. Evil says he likes his pets to have a well-cooked meal before eating. He then cackles maniacally. A lieutenant of his, however, informs Dr. Evil that buying sharks equipped with lasers is immensely difficult and that the tank is, instead, filled with flesh-eating sea bass. Dr. Evil isn't thrilled. "You know, I have one simple request," Dr. Evil says, "and that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!"

One cannot say if there's a direct connection to the above scene and a James Bond movie that Sean Connery once wrote, but there are a few uncanny similarities.

Sean Connery’s legacy in film history is irrefutable just as much as his contribution to the evolution of late 20th-century cinema. Despite the era’s misgivings and misogyny, Connery remains an irrevocable icon for his role as James Bond in the franchise’s first live-action film Dr. No. His blue-eyed, broad-shouldered, and laid-back charm not only hypnotized millions but also brought the Scotsman fame on a level previously unheard of.

Sean Connery in Goldfinger [Credit: United Artists]However, under fame’s seductive grip, Connery ended up shunning other roles that would go on to become equally iconic in the years to come. Sadder still, the actor blatantly used his fame as a tool to lord over industry producers and directors for a bigger payday.

Sean Connery Passed Up on Iconic Role Due to James Bond

Ruthless, sadistic, and diabolical, Brick Top remains one of the most exaggerated and terrifying on-screen villains to date.

As Samuel L. Jackson's bounty hunter says in "The Hateful Eight," "Let's slow it down. Let's slow it wayyyyy down." That's the vibe right now when it comes to what was originally going to be filmmaker Quentin Tarantino's 10th and final movie, "The Movie Critic." Although it initially seemed that the film was on a smooth, steady track to getting made fairly soon, Tarantino has changed his mind and decided to drop it altogether, according to Deadline.

As reported earlier this year, "The Movie Critic" would have re-teamed Tarantino with "Inglourious Basterds" and "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" star Brad Pitt as well as that film's distribution studio Sony. It would've been a film about "Travis Bickle if he were a film critic," according to comments the filmmaker made last year about the script.

Even though a rewrite of the script delayed the initial production schedule, right...

Casino Royale (1967) serves as a comedic spoof of James Bond films, parodying Bond tropes and multiple Bond characters. Casino Royale, and over the course of its 62-year history, the franchise has become something of a cultural phenomenon. However, Eon's films aren't the only James Bond movies to have been made over the years.

After debuting in Ian Fleming's first 007 novel, Casino Royale in 1953, the character of James Bond eventually made the leap to film. While the majority of James Bond movies have been produced by the British production company, Eon, not all of them have. In fact, to date, three James Bond movies have been made that exist outside the official Eon canon, all of which vary in quality.

Casino Royale (1967) Released April 28, 1967 Close

To date, there have been three adaptations of Casino Royale. Long before 2006's Casino Royale hit theaters, a comedic version of Ian Fleming's classic novel was released.

James Bond isn’t just another name. It’s an entire legacy on its own. Stemmed from Ian Fleming’s novels, the British secret agent quickly became a household name, and eventually, a huge part of the film industry. Seven actors have had their turn of bringing the character to life but it all started with Sean Connery all the way back in 1962.

Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No (1962)

While Sean Connery’s portrayal of the character still remains an iconic one, Ian Fleming was initially not his biggest fan. In fact, when Sean Connery was finally cast as James Bond, the author was quick to comment that the actor was not the “elegant man” he had quite hoped for. To top it all off, Ian Fleming was actually interested in another actor altogether!

Ian Fleming Had His Doubts about Sean Connery

Never Say Never Again (1983)

Starting with Dr. No,...

Clockwise from top left: Vera Drew in The People’s Joker, Sean Connery in Never Say Never Again, and Jay Underwood in Fantastic Four Photo: Altered Innocence We live in a world dominated by intellectual property. Save for Oppenheimer and The Sound Of Freedom, last year’s 10 highest-grossing movies released domestically were all sequels,...

Clockwise from top left: Vera Drew in The People’s Joker, Sean Connery in Never Say Never Again, and Jay Underwood in Fantastic FourPhoto: Altered Innocence, Screenshot: YouTube, YouTube

We live in a world dominated by intellectual property. Save for Oppenheimer and The Sound Of Freedom, last year’s 10 highest-grossing...

Sir Sean Connery is popularly known for being the first actor to portray the famous fictional British secret agent James Bond on-screen. He starred in a total of seven James Bond movies from 1962 to 1983, with Never Say Never Again being his last appearance as the 007 agent.

The Scottish actor was regarded as one of the finest actors in the industry and for his service to drama he was made a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in France and a Knight by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000. Not only was Sean Connery a brilliant actor, but he was also one of the brave ones who faced a real-life mobster with no hesitance on his face.

Sean Connery in Dr. No Jay Leno says Sir Sean Connery was a ‘tough guy’

Jay Leno appeared on The Pete and Sebastian Show, and during the conversation, the television host and comedian remembered...

Actor who played Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again and had roles in Doctor Who and Blake’s 7

The actor Pamela Salem, who has died aged 80, brought a touch of class to a number of well-known franchises during a screen career of more than 50 years. She achieved cinematic immortality by playing the loyal secretary Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983), an anomalous entry to the canon, made independently of the Eon-produced series, that marked the return of Sean Connery to the role of the famous secret agent after an absence of 12 years.

Salem had worked with Connery on the 1978 film The First Great Train Robbery and when he found out she was in the running for Moneypenny he encouraged the producers to hire her. She was disappointed that many of her scenes ended up on the cutting-room floor, but...

The biggest, most audacious James Bond movie during Sean Connery’s celebrated run as the British superspy is 1965’s Thunderball, a spectacular adaptation of the Ian Fleming novel of the same name. Thunderball sees the insidious terrorist syndicate Spectre steal two nuclear warheads from NATO and hold the world governments hostage for ￡100 million. After a run-in with Spectre operatives at a local clinic while recuperating from a recent mission, Bond suspects the warheads are hidden in the Bahamas and convinces M to investigate further. Upon arriving, Bond matches wits with high-ranking Spectre figure Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) and assassin Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi), romancing Largo’s girlfriend Domino (Claudine Auger) as he searches for the warheads.

Nearly 60 years after its initial release, Thunderball remains the highest-earning Bond film in North America after adjusting for inflation and is the second in the long-running series to win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Pamela Salem, who portrayed Miss Moneypenny in the non-Eon James Bond movie Never Say Never Again, has passed away at the age of 80.

While Pamela Salem’s turn as Moneypenny was a one-off – and in a film that is widely not considered part of the 007 canon – her go at the beloved character can’t be ignored. Interestingly, despite how frequently the character appears in the Bond universe, she has only been played by a small selection of actresses: Lois Maxwell, Caroline Bliss, Samantha Bond, and Naomie Harris. But only Salem has the distinction of playing Miss Moneypenny just one time.

But not once was there any strange bad blood between Pamela Salem or her predecessors, particularly Maxwell. As per a 1984 interview (via The Hollywood Reporter), Salem said, “I had seen Moneypenny before, of course, in the earlier films played by Lois Maxwell…At first [the media] tried to stir things up between...

Pamela Salem — a British actress whose many TV credits included the the BBC adventure series Buccaneer, the 1980s children’s series Into the Labyrinth, plus EastEnders and Doctor Who — died on Feb. 21. She was 80.

A cause of death has not yet been disclosed.

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On ITV’s Into the Labyrinth, Salem was the evil witch Belor, on the BBC sudser EastEnders she played the shady Joanne Francis, and her Doctor Who franchise roles included a...

Pamela Salem, who portrayed Miss Moneypenny in Never Say Never Again opposite Sean Connery in his final turn as James Bond, has died. She was 80.

Salem died Wednesday in Surfside, Florida, according to Big Finish Productions, for whom she participated in several audio productions.

“Whenever there was a Big Finish recording for her, she’d fly in from Miami on her own steam, without fuss or fanfare, and appear at the studio armed with the warmest smiles, the biggest hugs and often presents,” producer David Richardson said in a statement.

For the BBC’s Doctor Who, Salem played the sandminer pilot Lish Toos on 1977’s “The Robots of Death” and Professor Rachel Jensen on 1988’s “Remembrance of the Daleks.” She reprised both roles for Big Finish in the audio drama series The Robots and radio spinoff series Counter Measures.

Salem also portrayed the evil sorceress Belor on the 1981-82 ITV...

British actress Pamela Salem has died at the age of 80.

Salem, who starred in James Bond and Doctor Who, died on Wednesday, according to Big Finish Productions.

Born in 1944 in India, she played Bond’s secretary Miss Moneypenny in Sean Connery’s 1983 film Never Say Never Again, which is considered an unofficial addition to the Bond canon because it was not produced by Eon Productions.

Salem made guest appearances in Doctor Who as Professor Rachel Jensen, first appearing in 1988’s Remembrance of the Daleks episodes with Sylvester McCoy’s seventh Doctor.

She reprised the character in Counter-Measures, a Big Finish audio spin-off series. The more recent story in the series, The Dalek Gambit, was released in 2020.

She also guest starred in Big Finish’s The Fourth Doctor Adventures (reunited with Tom Baker) and then reprised the role of Toos in The Robots.

Other screen roles included 1978 crime film The Great Train Robbery...

The star known as Miss Moneypenny in Never Say Never Again and Prof Rachel Jensen in Doctor Who has died aged 80

Pamela Salem, known for her role as James Bond’s secretary Miss Moneypenny in Sean Connery’s Never Say Never Again, has died at the age of 80. The British actor, who also had a role in 1978 crime film The Great Train Robbery opposite Connery, died on Wednesday according to Big Finish Productions.

Born in 1944 in India, she attended Heidelberg university in Germany and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, before starting in repertory theatre in Chesterfield and York. She also appeared in US drama series The West Wing, where she played the UK prime minister, and medical series ER.

Bond 26 faces a challenge in living up to past success and the legacy of Daniel Craig's reinvention of the character. The new Bond film's delay suggests careful planning, but risks losing momentum in a rapidly changing industry. The future Bond actor must navigate high expectations, evolving storytelling, and stiff competition in the spy genre.

James Bond is one of the most enduring franchises in movie history, but making Bond 26 as successful as past iterations is going to be a challenge. Daniel Craig, the last actor to take up the mantle of 007, reshaped the character of Bond in many ways, as did the films he starred in. Audience members have high expectations for who will be the next actor to embody the role, as well as the tonal shift the next film needs to take to stay relevant.

Much of the decision-making process behind Bond 26 remains shrouded in mystery,...

There’s no question that the James Bond film franchise – the second longest-running such series in cinema history after Godzilla – comes with certain expectations in the minds of viewers. We can predict, mostly like clockwork, that 007 will wear a tux at some point in every film, he will bed at least one or more beautiful women, he’ll drive an Aston Martin (or some other high-end vehicle), and that he’ll have one polite conversation with the villain before the shooting really starts. There will also be a surreal, psychedelic credits sequence, often a big action scene before the credits, and so on.

But all those iconic trademarks of the Bond film franchise didn’t happen overnight. They were gradually introduced, especially in the early films, with some of them springing from the original Ian Fleming books and others invented by the filmmakers who adapted them. Some have remained virtually the same since their inception,...