Wednesday, April 11, 2012

WILLIAM BOYD TO WRITE THE NEXT JAMES BOND NOVEL


Huge news today! Ian Fleming Publications has announced that William Boyd will write the next James Bond novel. Boyd's yet untitled novel will take Bond back to the 1960s and will be published in Fall 2013 by Jonathan Cape in the UK and HarperCollins in the U.S and Canada. Here is the full press release:

William Boyd to write new James Bond novel 
Boyd takes Bond back to the Sixties with all the style and flair of Ian Fleming 

William Boyd, the award-winning and bestselling author of Restless and Any Human Heart, is to write the next James Bond novel.

The novel, which is yet to be titled, will be published in the UK and Commonwealth in autumn 2013 by Jonathan Cape – Ian Fleming’s original publisher and an imprint of Vintage Publishing – and simultaneously by HarperCollins Publishers in USA & Canada. Rights were sold in the English language by Jonny Geller of Curtis Brown, on behalf of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.

William Boyd is the third author in recent years to be invited by the Ian Fleming estate to write an official Bond novel, following in the footsteps of the American thriller writer Jeffery Deaver, who wrote Carte Blanche in 2011, and Sebastian Faulks, whose Devil May Care was published to mark Ian Fleming’s centenary in 2008. 
Boyd is a writer of international acclaim whose 11 novels and short-story collections have been translated into over 30 languages with many of them adapted for film and television. While the details and title of the next 007 adventure naturally remain secret, the author has revealed that next year’s publication will mark a return to 'classic Bond' and will be set in the late 1960s. 
Boyd comments: "When the Ian Fleming estate invited me to write the new James Bond novel I accepted at once. For me the prospect appeared incredibly exciting and stimulating – a once-in-a-lifetime challenge. In fact my father introduced me to the James Bond novels in the 1960s and I read them all then – From Russia with Love being my favourite." 
Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, comments: "William Boyd is a contemporary English writer whose classic novels combine literary elements with a broad appeal. His thrillers occupy the niche that Ian Fleming would fill were he writing today and with similar style and flair. This alongside his fascination with Fleming himself makes him the perfect choice to take Bond back to his 1960s world." 
As well as the publication of the new novel, 2013 is a significant year for Bond, marking 60 years since Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, was published by Cape in 1953. Cape was also the publisher of the first ever official Bond novel following Fleming's death in 1964, when Kingsley Amis took up the mantle writing Colonel Sun as Robert Markham in 1968. 
Dan Franklin, Publisher, Jonathan Cape comments: "It is fantastic that Bond is returning to Cape, his birthplace, and even more so that he will do so in the hands of William Boyd. I can’t think of anyone better qualified."

"In more ways than one, William Boyd really is the perfect author to write the next chapter in the life of James Bond," adds Tim Duggan, VP and Executive Editor of HarperCollins Publishers. "His sophisticated storytelling, his knowledge of history and espionage, and his sheer inventiveness will all come together to make this novel as grippingly suspenseful as anything I’ve ever read." 
Jonny Geller, Managing Director of literary agency Curtis Brown observes: "This is a dream come true – a fantasy literary combination. Bringing together this country’s most beloved literary character with one of our finest contemporary writers will produce a classic James Bond novel, true to the spirit of Ian Fleming." 
Iris Tupholme, Vice President, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, HarperCollins Canada remarks: "William Boyd, whose mastery of plot and character has won him readers all over the world, is the right person to take the beloved James Bond in a new, fresh direction. We are delighted to be publishing the new Bond novel in Canada." 
Boyd's most recent novel, Waiting for Sunrise, is published by Bloomsbury in the UK and HarperCollins Publishers in the US on 17 April.

Thanks as always to the good folks at Coleman-Getty and Ian Fleming Publications for the heads up on this terrific news! 

27 comments:

  1. So, the whole reboot thing really was completely pointless, then?

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    1. I too am confused. I didn't enjoy the Faulks book though I do like him as a writer. I don't see the point of going back in time but obviously I am in the minority. In 20 odd years there'll be folk who prefer the modern Bond(Gardner/Benson/Deaver) to the old school (Fleming/Amis/Faulks/Boyd) Personally I think Fleming is impossible to copy. When I read him I picture this chain smoking gin supping olde English gent tappin away in Jamaica, its part of the experience. Too much has happened since for me to imagine Bond back in that 60s world.

      In saying that I'll probably buy it

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    2. Thank Christ! Deaver botched the whole thing by making Bond a mobile phone-dependent pansy!

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    3. Doesn't mean they won't go back to it at some point. Maybe for Deaver 2?

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  2. Maybe they're going to let Deaver handle the modern Bond's, and hire different authors for separate stories? Bizarre switch. Late 1960's? When did Devil May Care take place? It was around then, right? I don't know anything about Mr. Boyd, but I'm glad to hear that we have something to look forward to next year post Skyfall.

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    1. Yeah, that's what I thought.... maybe they'll just publish two different timelines at the same time, each taking turns.... one in thee original time frame and one for the reboot... though that seems unlikely... but if that is the case why bother to reboot if the next one is going back to the original timeline...?

      Well, either way, I'm very glad we are having another novel soon. And sooner than I expected!

      DMC took place in 1967, btw.

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  3. I'm not familiar with Boyd's work, but I'm just glad it's not Deaver again. Really did not like "Carte Blanche."

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  4. I don't think we really could have expected for Boyd to continue on from what Jeffery Deaver started. Writing another writer's creation is one thing, writing another writer's version of a third writer's creation is something else entirely, perhaps one degree too far.

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    1. Very good point, Luke. Never really looked at it like that, but that is a lot of ask of a writer, especially one as established a Boyd.

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  5. Thank God they're going back to the past. The Bond of the novels just fits better in the past. This business of modernizing him was poorly conceived and even more poorly executed, not to mention aging him in his early 30's: a person at that age has maybe a bare minimum of knowledge on fine wines, liquor and food.

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  6. Great to get the announcement! I'm definitely excited but perhaps not as excited as I was upon hearing the Faulks and Deaver announcement because I've been disappointed twice now.

    I've always supported a period and contemporary piece. The fact that DMC was laclustre had nothing to do with the fact that it was set in the 1960's. It is a poorly written Bond book.

    Let's hope we get the real Bond back again and not Deaver's horrible generic interpretation of the character! Maybe Deaver will return for the next Bond book, continuing in the contemporary world where he left off with Carte Blanche.

    I don't think for a minute that Boyd will try and immitate Fleming.

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  7. I don't think it really matters if it's 1960 or 2012 as long as the story is good. I actually quite liked Devil May Care and Carte Blanche! Don't know Boyd but it's sure to be an entertaining read and any new literary Bond is to be encouraged.

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  8. Not surprised Deaver din't get a second go round; didn't really work, did it, whatever one might feel? Personally, I'm rather unkind; CB was rubbish, though a lot of the continuations are.

    So we've been here before, haven't we? Let's hope Boyd gets it right...

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  9. So what, is CB the NSNA of the book world? it just didn´t count? I was looking forward to the reboot´s sequel, by a different author. I feel cheated...

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    1. I think Pearson's James Bond The Authorized Biography of 007 will always be the NSNA of the continuation novels.

      And it's always possible they'll come back to the Deaver timeline. I hope so, because I enjoyed CB and the world that was set up. I was also looking forward to a sequel.

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  10. This is great news. I'm not surprised that they're going back to the Sixties again, since someone from IFP hinted as much in an interview here a few years ago. Reading between the lines of what Deaver said on his CB tour, I also wouldn't be surprised if he ends up writing another contemporary Bond novel in a few years. He didn't seem to want to be pinned down to a yearly or even biannual schedule, but going back and forth between two timelines would make it possible for him to do one every several years. Personally, I didn't like DMC at all and I mostly enjoyed CB, but neither opinion was based on the era in which they were set. I think there's room for lots of Bond in different time periods, and I like that IFP doesn't feel bound to any one timeframe. It does seem potentially confusing to readers at large, but for Bond fans it's the best of both worlds, so I'm in 007th heaven!

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  11. Donovan Mayne-NichollsApril 13, 2012 at 6:46 PM

    Haven't had the opportunity of reading Mr Boyd yet but on the sole basis of having seen Bruce Beresford's A Good Man in Africa (scripted by Boyd from his own novel) I truly think he'll make a better job than Faulks (fine writer but not suited for this particular genre) or Deaver (not suited AT ALL).
    CB was not Fleming's character by any standards (neither was Benson's Bond for that matter). You can't fake englishness on the written page. Both writers felt as if they were bottom-drawer screenplay rejects. Also, writing period Bond is more interesting from a political and historical point of view.

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  12. Fellow Agents,
    I wisd Boyd every success and I remain optimistic. After all, Kingsley Amis did a great job and the first five Gardner books showed that Bond continuation novels can work. That said, since then we've been subject to twenty years of dross when it comes to the adult 007 culminating in the thoroughly awful CB - anybody that puts our hero in Oakley sunglasses has had a style bypass!
    Ironically, the more difficult brand extensions (Moneypenny & Young Bond) were both fantastic and if IF's MD hadn't left her brains under the pillow, she would surely have commissioned Higson to do for adult Bond what Horowitz has done for Sherlock.
    Anyway, we live in hope.
    Regards, Bentley

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    1. Well, I've enjoyed the recent continuations novels more than you, but I agree that Charlie Higson would be a GREAT choice for an adult Bond novel. Here's hoping that will happen one day. And, yes, Horowitz did a brillant job with Holmes!

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  13. I wonder if this indicates a cooling of the relationship between IFP and EON? CB seemed like an attempt to align 'Literary Bond' with 'Movie Bond', yet coming so so soon after what seemed like a relaunch and in the 50th Anniversary year they do seem to be nailing their colours to the mast with this announcement and writing the Deaver book off at the same time.

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  14. You mentioned that CB didn't sell as well as DMC, which surprises me as I found it to be the better of the two. How did Deaver's version sell in comparison to Gardner's last book and Benson's last book?

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  15. I'm concerned about the lack of continuity here. I didn't care for Faulks' book at all. On the other hand I greatly enjoyed Deaver's new take and was looking forward to more of those. Very annoying that they can't seem to make up their minds on this. Did Deaver's reboot flop? I never really read any reviews on it. Maybe IFP thinks people are only interested in retro Bond, hence the fact there's a billion Fleming reprints but virtually nothing with Gardner or Benson.

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  16. I thought DMC was a nearish miss.

    I was cool with Deaver doing a modern take but the relentless plot twisting [which you could always see through] eventually became boring and silly with no real pay off. I'm still not exactly sure what happened plotwise but worse I didn't care by the end.

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