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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FelixLeiter.com reviewed on YouTube

Thanks to imabookworm13 for the review! Check out her YouTube channel!

“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’

It may be official—

John Terry is criminally underrated.

“Wait, what?”

Many Bondophiles and Felix fans know Mr. Terry from his one performance as dear Uncle Felix in EON Productions’ The Living Daylights opposite Timothy Dalton as Ian Fleming’s James Bond.

And more than a few fans agree that, frankly, we weren’t impressed.

More than 14 years since the character’s last celluloid appearance in Live And Let Die, the brief and rather trivial role of Felix in Daylights was more than a little underwhelming. And the chemistry between Dalton and Terry left something to be desired, to say the least. The typical viewer might have thought they were eavesdropping on an Entmoot with all the wooden performances in the room.

“The name’s Beard…Treebeard.”

However, Daylight’s John Terry has really hit his stride this past decade.

Some may recall Terry’s appearance during Season 2 of Fox’s 24, which revealed a truly skilled artist playing the part of an ex-CIA agent whose daughter has been brainwashed into terrorism. His career-defining role, however, came a few years later in 2004 when he was cast in the part of another father figure, Christian Shephard, the father of leading-man Jack Shephard (Emmy-nominee Matthew Fox) on ABC’s LOST. Like 24, LOST broke new ground in the field of storytelling. While the former became famous for its trademark “real time” narrative (and merciless Bauer-torture), the latter has been revered for skillfully weaving web upon web of logic-defying connections and mysteries among survivors of a plane crash through juxtaposition of their present survival and flashbacks that revealed how each person came to be on the fateful airliner and, eventually, “The Island.” Without revealing any significant spoilers (for those who have not yet seen the Emmy-winning series from J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber, and Damon Lindelof), Terry’s role as Christian is a pivotal part of what formed the series’ main character and brought him to the island. Make no mistake, every LOST fan knows and understands the impact Terry had on the series as a whole.

The Emmy-winning worldwide phenomenon is now set to arrive in stores on August 24^th (now available for pre-order). Available will be not only the final season of LOST, but also the complete series collector’s box set (picture above). For fans of Bond, Felix, and Mr. Terry, the chance is here to see some really impressive work that, in the opinion of this writer, warrants some serious respect for the one-time Felix actor. It is enough to make one question whether Leiter’s lackluster appearance had more to do with the writing than the acting. Come to think of it, of all Leiter’s cinematic appearances, it is Daylights into which the character seems the most shoehorned. This writer now firmly believes that John Terry was capable of much more chemistry with Dalton’s Bond, given some more screen time and material to play, and is elated to say that he was dead wrong in his assumptions about this former Felix.

Pictured: Justice.

Catch Terry and the award-winning ensemble cast of LOST on August 24^th!

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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/2009/08/03/john-gardner-passed-away-2-years-ago-today/ http://www.felixleiter.com/2009/08/03/john-gardner-passed-away-2-years-ago-today/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 04:47:20 +0000 Chris Wright http://www.felixleiter.com/?p=1606

John Edmund Gardner

November 20, 1926 – August 3, 2007

John Gardner, the second official James Bond continuation novelist, passed away two years ago today. During his tenure, Gardner penned fourteen 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.

Two 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 first Bond novel, License Renewed, 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 plan on reading all sixteen of his Bond works in order!

–

Related Articles:

ARB Centenary: A Tribute by Simon Gardner

From 1989 until last year when Quantum of Solace was released, Mr. Hedison had the distinct honor of being the only man to play Felix Leiter in two seperate films (Live and Let Die & Licence to Kill). Today, he and Jeffrey Wright share that honor, however, Hedison is still many Bond fans’ favorite Felix Leiter.

If you don’t already own Licence to Kill on home video, I suggest buying the Ultimate Edition DVD or Blu-ray because (1) it’s one of the best James Bond films and (2) it features James Bond’s brother from Langley (although the film shows Leiter liaising with the Drug Enforcement Administration)!

Welcome to…

The David Hedison FLc Interview

Hunter Graybeal: In your extended biography located in chapter two of The Fly at Fifty, it says that you were in the theatre company for the 1951 season at Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. Being from nearby Bristol, Tennessee, I’d love to know what it was like for you to live there that summer, being a vastly different region than your native New England.

David Hedison: Barter wasn’t my first time living in the South. I spent a year in Jacksonville, Florida in 1945-46 as a seaman second class in the US Navy. I like the South. It may be different than New England, but people are people no matter where you go. I have always enjoyed Southern hospitality whenever and wherever it is offered.

HG: Also in your biography, it says that you appeared in A Month in the Country alongside your own teacher, Ms. Uta Hagen, and under the direction of Sir Michael Redgrave. As a young professional actor, what was it like to be on the stage with such heroes and heroines of the acting world?

DH: I learned a lot. It was great experience. I really could relate to the tutor, Belieav, and that came out in my performance. Hagen believed in my talent, which helped immensely. I gave that part everything I had.

Redgrave was an excellent director. It showed in the reviews we got and in the awards I won. I knew I needed to do well in this part. It was my first real break after almost a year of trying to make it on the stage in New York, so I went for it. And I ended up in Hollywood making movies, but that’s another story!

HG: If another The Fly remake were to be greenlit and produced again, would you be interested in playing a part in it?

DH: Not sure what I’d play now, but if the part was right for me, and they asked me to do it, I’d certainly say yes.

Chris Wright: July 14, 2009 will mark the 20th anniversary of Licence to Kill. Can you tell us what your fondest memory is from filming your second Bond film?

DH: I loved the Key West location. In particular, winding down beside the hotel pool in the evening after a hard day’s work, with my wife, Bridget, and Benicio del Toro, who is a lovely, warm person, nothing like Dario. Del Toro was not well known then, but I could see he had talent. There was a boat there and my wife and I would go out sailing.

CW: What did you think when you read the script and it said your character was going to get married and maimed in the film?

DH: I was coming down to the set from another job – a play called Return Engagements – and my advance script got lost in the mail. So I arrived for my first day of shooting with no script. Barbara Broccoli was kind enough to lend me hers to get me through the day, until they could get me one, so I really didn’t know what I was doing, at first.

CW: Do you wish you had been asked to do more Bond films as Felix Leiter?

DH: I certainly would have played the part if someone had asked me to, but no one did. They took Roger’s Bond in a direction that did not include Felix until his last film and then they decided “Felix” should be an Asian. I never complained about them casting me in the two films they did. Felix in the Fleming books is supposed to be blond and from Texas, and I am neither.

CW: Can you tell us about any of your current or future projects?

DH: I plan to make some personal appearances later this year, but the dates are not announced yet. They will show up on my website, DavidHedison.com, when they are set. I’m still working at the Actors Studio West and I enjoy that very much.

HG & CW: FelixLeiter.com would like to thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview.

DH: My pleasure.

THE FLc INTERVIEW WILL RETURN…