Welcome to The X-File, the first and only compilation of every known ‘Project X’ detail to date. This article contains only information reported by respectable sources and contains absolutely no fan speculation. It will be updated periodically as new information becomes available.
Project X
Plan: ‘Project X‘ by Jeffery Deaver is the first entry in a brand new, rebooted James Bond book series penned by various authors.1 Deaver is under contract for one novel but has stated that he may pen another once his schedule opens up in 2013.2
Publication Date: Approximately May 28, 2011 (Ian Fleming’s birthday)3
UK Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton3
US Publisher: Simon & Schuster3
Other Countries: “The first foreign language deal is with the Dutch publisher, Unieboek, and offers are coming in from Germany, France, Spain, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Korea. I’m aiming for deals in at least 30 countries before the end of this year.”4
Official Website • @007ProjectX on Twitter • JefferyDeaver.com
Research
Research: Deaver currently has between 3,000 and 4,000 pages of research.2
Outline: As of June 18, 2010, Deaver’s outline was approximately 180 pages long (30-40 pages longer than the typical outline for his other novels).2
Title
Working Title: Project X3
Fleming Influence: Deaver wants a title that not only works with the novel but also one that captures the essence of Ian Fleming.5
Final Title: There are currently 45 possible titles for the final product and it will be the person, place and/or thing that Bond is investigating. All of Deaver’s titles are his own; none of them have ever been written by someone else although he doesn’t always get his first choice.5
Plot
Year: Mid-20116
Time Span: The story will take place over a period of 4 or 5 days.2 According to People, Deaver is “the master of ticking-bomb suspense” hence the story’s short duration.7
Locations: The story will feature 3 or 4 exotic locales7, all of which Deaver has visited.1
Deaver Trademarks: “It will have a lot of twists and turns and misdirections, and several big surprise endings.”6
James Bond
Age: 29 or 30 years old; although Deaver told CBn Forums member “godwulf” that his Bond will have been born in 1982, thus making him 28 or 29 in mid-2011.2
Military Experience: Afghanistan (Operation Herrick)2 and Iraq6
Smoking Habit: James Bond will no longer smoke cigarettes.1
May: Bond’s Scottish housekeeper will be replaced with an Indian or Pakistani maidservant.1
Secret Intelligence Service
M: The head of the SIS will return to being a man after being a woman (Barbara Mawdsley) during Raymond Benson’s tenure.1 It is still unclear whether he will be Fleming’s Admiral Sir Miles Messervy or an entirely new character.
Miss Moneypenny: M’s personal secretary will be in her mid-30s.1
Mary Goodnight: Bond’s personal secretary will be 21 years old.1
00 Section: It will be a shadowy assassination division of the Secret Intelligence Service that disavows its agents if they are compromised during an assignment.1
New Threat: 007 will be fighting post-9/11 terrorism.1
Central Intelligence Agency
Felix Leiter: James Bond’s brother from Langley will be making an appearance.9
Fan Interaction
Fan Input: Deaver, in connection with Ian Fleming Publications, will be soliciting input from fans via the Internet. Details regarding how this will be accomplished are still unknown.8
Official Website: JamesBondProjectX.com
Twitter: @007ProjectX
Latest News
08/09/2010: Felix Leiter to return in ‘Project X’
06/12/2010: “There is some Project X news brewing, but for the moment, we are sworn to secrecy…” (Book Bond)
Videos
Courtesy of JamesBondProjectX.com (May 28, 2010)
Courtesy of Dr. Shatterhand’s Botanical Garden (June 3, 2010)
Discuss ‘Project X’ on the CommanderBond.net Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum in the world.
1 Bonding with Author Jeffery Deaver @ Dr. Shatterhand’s Botanical Garden
2 Jeffery Deaver to embark on US and UK book tours @ CommanderBond.net Forums
3 JamesBondProjectX.com
4 Waking up in the world of James Bond @ Jessica Craig’s Foreign Rights Blog
5 Deaver on Project X title @ CommanderBond.net Forums
6 Jeffery Deaver will write a James Bond novel @ NewsObserver.com
7 Press Release @ SimonandSchuster.com
8 Got some info tonight @ CommanderBond.net
9 Jeffery Deaver: The Crime Writer Working on the Latest Bond Book @ Express.co.uk
