To celebrate the release of the 24th official James Bond film, Spectre, here are 100 things you might not know about the world’s longest-running movie franchise…
51. For Your Eyes Only was the first Bond movie to be based on one of Ian Fleming’s short stories, rather than one of his novels.
52. Sheena Easton, singer of the For Your Eyes Only theme song, is the only vocalist to appear during the titles sequence of a Bond movie.
53. For Your Eyes Only is the only Bond movie to not feature an appearence by M.
54. The Havelock’s pet parrot in For Your Eyes Only later returned in The Living Daylights.
55. Roger Moore considers For Your Eyes Only to be his best Bond film.
56. Faye Dunaway was considered for the role of Octopussy.
57. Octopussy is the last Bond film to reveal the name of the next Bond film during the end credits.
58. Octopussy‘s theme song, ‘All Time High’ by Rita Coolidge, is the first Bond theme not to feature the movie’s title in its lyrics.
59. Both released in 1983, Octopussy made $187 million worldwide and Sean Connery’s unofficial Never Say Never Again made $160 million.
60. Never Say Never Again was Rowan Atkinson’s first movie.
61. Steven Seagal was the martial arts instructor for Never Say Never Again. He broke Sean Connery’s wrist while teaching him a martial arts move.
62. Roger Moore’s least favorite Bond movie of the ones he starred in is A View To A Kill. He turned 57 years old during filming.
63. Roger Moore’s hair had to be thickened each day during the filming of A View To A Kill.
64. A View To A Kill was the first Bond movie to have a tie-in video game produced.
65. David Bowie was the first choice to play Max Zorin in A View To A Kill, but turned the film down.
66. The Living Daylights was originally to feature an ending similar to the parody of Margaret Thatcher in For Your Eyes Only. The ending would have featured a parody of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer.
67. It was planned that The Living Daylights‘ character General Pushkin would return in Licence to Kill.
68. Sean Bean, who later played 006 in GoldenEye, tested for the role of Bond for The Living Daylights.
69. Before Pierce Brosnan was cast as Bond in GoldenEye, other actors rumoured to be in the running included Liam Neeson, Mel Gibson, Sam Neill and Hugh Grant.
70. In the GoldenEye script, M’s real name is Barbara Mawdsley.
71. GoldenEye‘s tank chase took around four weeks to shoot.
72. Alan Rickman turned down the role of Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye.
73. “Goldeneye” is the name of Ian Fleming’s house in Jamaica where he wrote the Bond novels.
74. Famke Janssen (Xenia) performed her own driving stunts in GoldenEye‘s opening car chase.
75. Anthony Hopkins was initially cast in the role of Tomorrow Never Dies bad guy Elliot Carver, but left after three days due to the incomplete script.
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