Spectre is out and it’s looking to be another great hit for Daniel Craig and maybe his last. However, the James Bond franchise will likely never stop going. It’s a brand a name that has become situated with class, fast cars, attractive women, gadgets, fashion, culture, travel and so much more. There have been many different bonds in many different movies over the past 50 years and therefore, there’s likely to be plenty of little-hidden facts you didn’t know. We’ve got 15 crackers right here for your eyes, hope you enjoy!
1. Liam Neeson was offered the role of James Bond for 1995’s Goldeneye.
Yes, you heard that right. But want to know why he turned down the role? He said he didn’t want to get into action movies. Well, that’s certainly taken a huge turn in his older age!
2. From Dr. No to Quantum of Solace, James Bond has killed 352 people.
When you consider he’s supposed to be the good guy, that’s an awfully huge amount of people to have killed!
3. Q’s real name, Major Boothroyd, is only mentioned in Dr. No, From Russia With Love, and The Spy Who Loved Me.
To be honest with you, I doubt any of us even remember his name being mentioned. We ashamedly thought he was born just Q.
4. Casino Royale’s car barrel roll stunt in the Aston Martin DBS broke the world record for the most barrel rolls assisted by a cannon.
That’s quite an impressive feat! The car itself rolled 7 times which, as mentioned, is a world record that has not yet been broken. As great as the record is, we’re certain Aston Martin will have a little less enthusiasm for the award.
5. Many claim the Bond character was based on the writer, Ian Fleming.
Both preferred coffee to tea, smoked the same kind of cigarettes, were commanders in the British Navy, loved women, and preferred their martinis shaken – not stirred. Fleming was also a spy. Coincidence huh?
6. Each scene that shows Roger Moore running in his seven Bond films was performed by a body double.
Moore felt he looked awkward when running and therefore, requested that someone else perform the running scenes for him as he thought it would take away from the immersion of the action scene.
7. M’s house in Skyfall is the former home of John Barry, Bond composer.
This is just one of those ‘Did you know that…’ moments that’s quite cool!
8. President JFK is partly responsible for Bond’s success in the US.
In a 1961 interview with Life Magazine, he listed From Russia, With Love as one of his favorite novels of all time. Sales boomed, and the next Bond film made was From Russia, With Love due to the president’s influence.
9. Skyfall’s cast went through 200,000 rounds of ammunition while undergoing weapons training.
That’s a heck of a lot of ammunition. But this was one of the most action-packed James Bonds we’ve seen in a long time and one of the best.
10. Daniel Craig was given 85 copies of Bond’s Tom Ford suit for the opening sequence of Skyfall.
God knows why, but Daniel Craig was given 85 copies of Bond’s Tom Ford suit for that opening sequence on the bike. With each suit probably costing around $3,000 retail, that’s about a quarter of a million dollars worth of free suits!!
11. Goldfinger was the first Bond film to feature Bond driving an Aston-Martin and using gadgets.
Both of which now have become mandatory for it to be even considered a true bond film. Gadgets and the Aston Martin cars are what have arguably made the Bond films to enjoyable to watch.
12. The Man With The Golden Gun’s corkscrew car jump over a canal was performed in one take
That’s quite an impressive feat to be honest with you. In fact, the take was also the first scene in history to be calculated using a computer, which obviously gave them very specific results.
13. Ian Fleming wrote the Bond novels on a gold-plated Royal typewriter.
How people have found this out, we’ll never know. However, it does just show how long James Bond has been going for.
14. In fact, the first James Bond novel was written in 1953, over 60 years ago now.
That’s a staggeringly long time for a single series about one man to still be going. Obviously the films came a little after the books with the first film coming out in 1962, which was Dr. No.
15. Sean Connery wore a toupee in each of his Bond films.
Sean Connery was seen as an incredibly attractive man back in the 60s and 70s having been a model and a bodybuilder before his acting career. However, did you know that during his Bond films, he had to wear a toupee to hide his receding hairline?
