The Bond franchise is as big as it’s ever been. Last year we got to see one of the best Bond films ever in Skyfall and the 50th anniversary of the super-spy was commemorated by countless museum exhibits, books and the excellent Bond 50 Blu-ray set. This means that not only is 007 here to stay, but he’s more financially lucrative than ever before.
With that in mind, it’s only natural that interest in his creator, Ian Fleming, is at its peak. To capitalize on this interest, a four-part miniseries titled Fleming, which will star Dominic Cooper in the titular role, is in the works by U.K. television outlet Sky Atlantic. The series will be written by John Brownlow and Don Macpherson and directed by Mat Whitecross.
Starring alongside Cooper will be Annabelle Wallis as Muriel Wright, a woman whom Fleming had an affair with and may have inspired the Bond-girl archetype. The story is said to focus on Fleming’s WWII posting in the British Naval Intelligence, the experiences of which inspired his beloved spy novels.
Fleming is an outstanding author, and I always think it’s a shame when fans of James Bond haven’t read his work. Unfortunately, he died in 1964, meaning that he only got to see two of the Bond films be released. He died just one month before the adaptation of his literary masterpiece Goldfinger hit cinemas in the U.K. Aside from the Bond books, Fleming also wrote the children’s classic Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.
This series won’t be the first project in production about the Bond author, as Moon director Duncan Jones has been working on a Fleming biopic since early last year. Jones’ project is the only one to be fully approved by the author’s estate, so we’ll have to wait and see if this new series is unique enough to garner the same privilege.
Production is set to begin in the U.K. and Budapest this year.
What do you think of Fleming and Cooper starring in it? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
