License Renewed ... Again

Already feeling oversaturated with James Bond publicity, what with Spike TV’s monthlong “Bond Days of Summer” marathon in the States and the hype preceding the opening of Casino Royale in mid-November? Well, get ready for more. Much more. With the 100th anniversary of Bond creator Ian Fleming’s birth coming up in May 2008, it’s been announced that “a very well-known and highly respected author” has been commissioned to “write a new James Bond novel,” which will be published in that same month.

Corrine Turner, a spokesperson for Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. (IFP), which “still administers Ian Fleming’s literary estate,” has been quoted as saying that “We are delighted to have secured this particular author who we have had in mind for some time now. He is the perfect writer for this project and we are greatly looking forward to his take on James Bond, in what we are convinced will be a stunning novel.” An IFP release adds that “A publisher has not yet been sought and the identity of the author will be a closely guarded secret until publication.”

The IFP promises, further, that this new book (which will mark the first appearance of an adult Bond since the 2002 novelization of the Pierce Brosnan film Die Another Day) is going to be “far removed from the gloss of 007’s cinematic incarnation, marking a return to the dark and complex nature of Fleming's early works.”

Undoubtedly, there will be considerable speculation as to who this “perfect writer” to inherit Fleming’s secret agent might be. Barry Eisler (The Last Assassin, Rain Storm) would be an interesting choice. As would Gayle Lynds (The Last Spymaster), and she’d bring to the enterprise the added attraction of being a woman charting the future course of the world’s best-known fictional, male spy. (Wipe that grin off your face, Miss Moneypenny!) Ali Karim, a frequent contributor to January Magazine and assistant editor of Shots, suggests adding Daniel Silva (The Messenger) to this cast of candidates. However, all of the aforementioned are Americans, and the IFP might wish to return Bond to the hands of a Brit, after having had Yankee Raymond Benson writing his continuing adventures for most of a decade. In which case, Ali puts forward Lee Child (The Hard Way) as a possibility, as well as the very familiar name of Frederick Forsyth (The Day of the Jackal, The Afghan). Wouldn’t the latter be a remarkable pairing of plotter and protagonist?

It’s hard to imagine that the IFP can keep the chosen author under wraps “until publication.” Writers are, on the whole, terrible gossips, and there’s bound to be a contest to see who can leak the name of 007’s next puppetmaster before the book reaches stores. In fact, that may be the IFP’s goal in suggesting it can maintain this secret: to intensify interest in the novel long before it’s even available.

In addition to the Bond book, Ian Fleming Publications promises “a broad range of events and publications” in 2008, all intended to celebrate and examine Fleming’s legacy. We’re told that “The programme includes a major exhibition featuring never-before-seen material. Further events will reflect Fleming’s passions and experiences in the worlds of art, literature, journalism, sport, motoring, and travel.”

Consider me bestirred, but not yet shaken by the prospects.

UPDATE: Ali Karim points me to a story from the James Bond Web site MI6, which says that Lee Child was already asked but “declined an offer to pen the 2008 James Bond novel.” Meanwhile, Mike Stotter, editor of the British Webzine Shots, tells me, “The rumour mill in the UK has Peter Guttridge taking on the mantle. Read into that what you may.” Guttridge, as you probably know, is the author of comic caper novels featuring yoga-obsessed journalist Nick Madrid (Cast Adrift, Foiled Again). Do I feel my leg being pulled on this?