Random Intelligence Dispatches For May 17, 2007

New Casino Royale Magazine Cover
Agent 007 isn't done getting media coverage for his last outing yet. Publisher Tim Lucas reveals on his blog that the cover for the next issue of Video Watchdog will feature Daniel Craig in Casino Royale! (And a nice card motif in the background reminiscent of Danny Kleinman's spectacular title sequence.) Apparently the June issue will ship on May 29. Video Watchdog has done good pieces on Bond DVDs in the past, so I expect this one to be no exception.

More Modesty
Titan’s latest volume of Modesty Blaise comic strip reprints, The Inca Trail, hit U.S. comic shops yesterday, even though it won’t be available from Amazon until July 3. In addition to the title story, this collection includes "The Reluctant Chaperon," "The Greenwood Maid" and "Those About To Die," each introduced with the usual excellent commentary from author Peter O'Donnell. I was a little bit alarmed that they didn’t include the preview for the next volume in back this time around, but reassured that Amazon already lists Death Trap for a November release, and even has cover art already, so the series appears to be continuing!

Craig Goes To War
Variety reports that Daniel Craig has chosen his next project. When he's not playing James Bond, he's avenging atrocities against Judaism. After playing a member of a Mossad-sponsored assassination team in Steven Spielberg's Munich, he'll now play a Polish Jew who fought back against the Nazis in Defiance. The trade says: "Storyline follows four Jewish brothers living in Nazi occupied Poland who escape into the forest, where they join up with Russian resistance fighters in battling the Nazis and trying to save the lives of other Jews." The movie is directed by Edward Zwick, who has turned out excellent war movies like Glory and Legends of the Fall... and not so excellent ones like The Last Samurai and Courage Under Fire. Here's hoping this turns out to be one of the former! The article goes on to give us a few hints about when the next Bond will film. It claims Defiance "is set to begin lensing in early September, meaning Craig will shoot [it] before he begins filming the next James Bond installment.... Bond 22 is eying a winter start date. Release is set for Nov. 7, 2008."

Pierce Is 54
A belated Happy Birthday to James Bond Number 5, Pierce Brosnan, who turned 54 yesterday. He's still younger than Roger was in A View To A Kill!

New Animated Spy Movie
Speaking of Sir Roger, MI6.co.uk reports that the actor is set to voice an M-like character in a new computer animated feature about a futuristic, Bond-like spy (voiced by Ioan Gruffudd), Agent Crush. They link to the film's official website where you can view the trailer (though it didn't work for me) and see some pictures. Bond set guru Peter Lamont is credited as "design consultant," and some of the designs do look neat, like the Aston Martin of tomorrow, but how much can we really expect from a film with a villain named Boris Goodfarter? Still, it's clearly 007-inspired enough to remain on my radar...

Hurricane Gold In Paperback Down Under
The Young Bond Dossier reports that Charlie Higson's next Bond novel, Hurricane Gold, which is coming out in hardcover in the UK this fall, will get a paperback release in Australia and New Zealand. I assume this means at the same time, but no release dates are mentioned.