Speculation has been rampant among James Bond fans regarding when the next entry in the series will go into production. Daniel Craig, now starring with Hugh Jackman in the hit play A Steady Rain on Broadway, has a full schedule in the coming months. However, he confirmed that his next cinematic mission as 007 will begin shooting in late 2010, meaning there will be a three year gap between his Bond films (Quantum Of Solace was released in 2008). For more click here

Family and colleagues of the legendary James Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli will participate in panel discussions as part of the University of Southern California's tribute to the man known by one and all as "Cubby". The events run from November 6-8 in Los Angeles and will feature appearances by Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson, Richard Kiel, Maud Adams, Marc Forster, Robert Wade, Neal Purvis, Tom Mankiewicz and others. Additionally, there will be screenings of classic Bond movies and a display of Bond memorabilia from Broccoli's personal archives. Click here for more

Joseph Wiseman, who made screen history as the first 007 screen villain in the title role of Dr. No, has died at age 91. Wiseman was a distinguished name in both film and on stage, and remained active on Broadway in recent years. Only a few years ago,  he had a major role in the revival of Judgment at Nuremberg. Wiseman also had many other major films to his credit including The Night They Raided Minsky's, Detective Story and The Unforgiven. Wiseman rarely granted interviews, despite countless requests to discuss his role in Dr. No. On a personal note, back in the 1990s, I attended a New York film event at which Sean Connery was honored. To everyone's surprise, Joseph Wiseman was among the speakers and he reflected fondly on Dr. No. When a film clip was shown of Connery and Wiseman in the film, the audience went wild. He was a major talent and will be sorely missed. - Lee Pfeiffer

Author and Cinema Retro contributor Robert Sellers will be discussing his acclaimed book The Battle For Bond in Sheffield, England on October 31. The event will also include a screening of Thunderball. For details click here

Cinema Retro extends our best wishes to Sir Roger Moore, the recipient of the magazine's 2008 lifetime achievement award, on his 82nd birthday.We wish him many Moore happy birthdays.

Writer William Bradley points out that this month marks the 45th anniversary of the British premiere of the James Bond classic Goldfinger. He provides one of the most interesting and insightful tributes to the film we've ever read - and there are plenty of films clips accompanying it. Click here to read

In Cinema Retro's exclusive interview with Richard Johnson in issue #10, the distinguished actor recalls having been offered the role of James Bond in for Dr. No. Johnson turned down the role, admitting today the name didn't carry the resonance it soon would with the release of the first film. However, Johnson tells interview Ian Brown that he has no regrets because he feels his interpretation of the character would not have been as successful as Sean Connery's. Johnson says, "The producers, Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, asked me - at (director) Terence Young's instigation - and I turned the job down. I was under contract to MGM anyway, so that gave me a reasonable excuse to say no, because they told me I'd have to be under exclusive contract to them for seven years. Eventually they offered it to Sean [Connery], who was completely wrong for the part. But in getting the wrong man they got the right man, because it turned the thing on its head and he made it funny. And that's what propelled it to success."

Ultimately, Johnson did play a 1960s spy guy, Bulldog Drummond in the cult film Deadlier Than the Male.

The good news is that armchair secret agents can now buy authentic reproductions of the swim suit Daniel Craig wore in Casino Royale. The bad news is that we fear Seth Rogen might be the first in line to buy them. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Chris Clarkson, a resident of the UK, has an unusual passion: he likes entering still life contests in which he poses as a famous figure. The contests not only require entrants to resemble actual statues, but to maintain a complete lack of movement for as long as possible. Clarkson, 29, took nine months to create a James Bond image - and was rewarded with first place. He stood motionless for four hours, enduring a SPECTRE wiseguy who stamped out a cigarette on him. Clarkson advises potential still-lifers to stand motionless in front of their televisions for extended periods of time. Shouldn't be too hard, given the mind-numbing quality of most programs. We don't know if there is a viable future in all of this, but word has it that Clarkson is a hero to local pigeons. Also, if they ever do a remake of The Man With the Golden Gun, he's a shoo-in to get the role of the Roger Moore statue. For more click here