John Edmund Gardner

November 20, 1926 – August 3, 2007

John Gardner, the second official James Bond continuation novelist, passed away four years ago today. During his tenure, Gardner penned fourteen original Bond novels and two novelizations including 1982′s For Special Services and 1994′s SeaFire, both of which feature Felix Leiter.

In 1982, Gardner created Cedar Leiter, Felix’s daughter. Like her father, Cedar worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and aided Bond in For Special Services.

Four years ago, Gardner died from suspected heart failure. He was a great novelist and will be remembered forever for his Bond work as well as his original creations, including his three Moriarty novels.

I am currently reading his ninth original Bond novel, Brokenclaw, and I must say that I’m thoroughly enjoying it. As a little tribute to the man who kept the literary James Bond alive throughout the 1980s and early-1990s, I am currently reading all sixteen of his Bond novels in order!

John-Gardner.com | Twitter | Facebook

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UPDATE: Mr. Pfeffer posted an e-mail I sent him in a follow-up article, From the Mail Bag.

The cinematic Felix Leiter was recently profiled on a cool website called Blessed are the Geeks, a blog operated by Donald W. Pfeffer. Not only is the article a great read but FelixLeiter.com was mentioned as a great source for information on Leiter. Thanks to Donald for honoring our favorite Company man and for giving FLc a shout out!

Much appreciated, brother.

ARTICLE #1: BOND BIOS: FELIX LEITER

ARTICLE #2: FROM THE MAIL BAG

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4th Annual Legends & Legacies

Columbus, Ohio – October 7, 2010

Event: Legends & Legacies has established itself by honoring some of the world’s greatest voices in the literary, acting, visual arts, activisim or philanthropy fields. In 2010, the 4th Annual Legends & Legacies pays tribute to the cultural and artistic contributions of two of its own-Hal Williams, and Bernie Casey while also celebrating one of the world community’s icons-Dr. Maya Angelou!

Dr. Casey and Mr. Williams will participate in the lunch and conversation from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Ballroom. Dr. Casey and Mr. Williams will also participate in the evening awards ceremony along with Dr. Maya Angelou, from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. in the Pythian Theater.

Time: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM & 7:00 – 9:00 PM

Location: The King Arts Complex (867 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43203)

More Information: TheKingArtsCompex.com

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“Fans will be relieved to hear that it features exotic locations (part of the story is also set in London) and much-loved characters such as M, Miss Moneypenny and Bond’s friend Felix Leiter.“

This is great news for fans of James Bond’s brother from Langley because a present-day Felix Leiter has been absent from the James Bond novels since 2000′s Doubleshot by Raymond Benson, however, Leiter was last seen in Sebastian Faulks’ Devil May Care (2008), a period piece set in 1967.

Since Deaver will be rebooting the literary franchise and updating James Bond’s backstory, it is expected that Felix Leiter will get the same treatment therefore ‘Project X’ could potentially feature an un-maimed Leiter for the first time since Ian Fleming’s Live and Let Die (1954).

Stay tuned to FelixLeiter.com for all the latest news on Felix Leiter’s role in ‘Project X’. Thanks to ‘zencat’ for the tip.

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The X-File: Your Field Guide to ‘Project X’

John Edmund Gardner

November 20, 1926 – August 3, 2007

John Gardner, the second official James Bond continuation novelist, passed away three years ago today. During his tenure, Gardner penned fourteen original Bond novels and two novelizations including 1982′s For Special Services and 1994′s SeaFire, both of which feature Felix Leiter.

In 1982, Gardner created Cedar Leiter, Felix’s daughter. Like her father, Cedar worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and aided Bond in For Special Services.

Three years ago, Gardner died from suspected heart failure. He was a great novelist and will be remembered forever for his Bond work as well as his original creations, including his three Moriarty novels.

I am currently reading his eighth Bond novel, Win, Lose or Die, and I must say that I’m thoroughly enjoying it. As a little tribute to the man who kept the literary James Bond alive throughout the 1980s and early-1990s, I am currently reading all sixteen of his Bond novels in order!

John-Gardner.com | Twitter | Facebook

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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.

Cec Linder

March 10, 1921 – April 10, 1992

Cec Linder, the second actor to play Felix Leiter, was born 89 years ago today. He was no Jack Lord but he was still a great Felix in 1964! The following dialogue is from one of my favorite Leiter scenes in Goldfinger:

Bond: Special plane, lunch at the White House… how come?

Leiter: The President wants to thank you personally.

Bond: Oh, it was nothing, really.

Leiter: I know that, but he doesn’t.

Bond: I suppose I’ll be able to get a drink there.

Leiter: I told the stewardess liquor for three.

Bond: Who are the other two?

Leiter: Oh, there are no other two.

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]]> http://www.felixleiter.com/2010/03/10/cec-linder-born-89-years-ago-today/feed/ 1 http://www.felixleiter.com/2010/01/01/happy-new-year-2010/ http://www.felixleiter.com/2010/01/01/happy-new-year-2010/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 08:15:56 +0000 Chris Wright http://www.felixleiter.com/?p=1646 FelixLeiter.com would like to wish you a Happy New Year!

Cheers to 2010!

Priscilla Barnes (Della Leiter in Licence to Kill) and Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter in Casino Royale & Quantum of Solace) are celebrating their 54th and 44th birthdays, respectively, today and all of us here at FelixLeiter.com would like to wish them a wonderful happy birthday!

Happy 54th Birthday, Priscilla Barnes!

Most people know Priscilla Barnes from her stint as Terri Alden on Three’s Company but Bond fans know her as Della Churchill, Felix Leiter’s bride in 1989′s Licence to Kill. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the International Sports and Entertainment Festival in Cleveland, Ohio in June 2006. She’s very nice and I’ll never forgot the joke she played on me.

After autographing a picture of her as Della for me, she asked, “Would you like a condom?” I was shocked, speechless and probably turned a little red. Is Priscilla Barnes advocating safe sex or does she want me to play the role of Felix in her hotel room later on? I thought. She then pulled out plastic protection in the form of a slipcase for the picture she had just signed! Make sure to visit her if she ever comes to a convention in your town because she’s awesome.

Happy 44th Birthday, Jeffrey Wright!

After being absent from the big screen for 17 years, Felix Leiter returned in 2006′s Casino Royale in the form of Jeffrey Wright. Before Jeffrey Wright was cast, I was against the notion of an African American actor playing Felix Leiter onscreen and had never liked Bernie Casey being cast in the role in Never Say Never Again (1983).

To my surprise, I was indifferent to Wright’s cast; I figured I’d give him a chance since Eon Productions had never let me down before. When I saw Casino Royale for the first time, I was blown away by Wright’s performance. Not since Jack Lord had the character been so cool! I enjoyed Wright’s portrayal and lines so much that he immediately became my favorite cinematic Felix Leiter. Leiter is supposed to be the United States’ version of James Bond and Wright’s portrayal definitely lives up to that expectation. I hope he stays in the role for many years to come (or at least as long as Daniel Craig plays 007).