The name's Bond, James Bond ... when this movie geek and car gearhead heard that the Griffin Museum of Science + Industry was hosting a 007 exhibit featuring costumes, props and vehicles from the films you know I had to take a road trip to Chicago. How often do you get the chance to obtain close up views of items used in filming some of your favorite movies?! Only on display until October 27, 2024, this limited time exhibit, 007 SCIENCE: INVENTING THE WORLD OF JAMES BOND, showcases how film production teams utilized real-world science to cast Hollywood magic on moviegoers. I am so GEEKED that I made the trip to Chicago's science museum for this James Bond 007 experience!
007 SCIENCE, INVENTING THE WORLD OF JAMES BOND highlights how moviemakers harnessed scientific thinking to craft 007's iconic gadgets and vehicles as well as employed physics, chemistry, engineering and mathematics to create the thrilling stunts and actions sequences the films are known for. There is a big emphasis in the exhibit on the technology used for spying by both the fictional 007 and his real-life counterparts in the CIA and MI-6. Get a look at fantastical gadgets created for the Bond films alongside the real-life inventions they prefigured—see a prototype jetpack from “Thunderball” and the modern Gravity Industries Jet Suit.
You have to love the cars in 007 movies and there are a number of them on display here ranging from the classic Aston Martin DB5 Bond Car seen in films that include "Goldfinger", "Thunderball", "Tomorrow Never Dies", "Skyfall" and "No Time to Die" to the more modern DB10 model created by the car manufacture to be featured in "Spectre." The weaponized Jaguar XKR used by the villainous henchman Zao in "Die Another Day" is also featured in the exhibit to provide some contrast to the hero's vehicles.
You can also get a look at one of James Bond's most memorable cars, Wet Nellie, a custom-built submarine shaped to look like a Lotus Esprit S1 sports car used in "The Spy Who Loved Me." Interesting the submarine actually works but it wasn't able to maintain a dry interior so occupants had to wear scuba gear while operating it. The film crew hired an ex-Navy SEAL to drive Wet Nellie when shooting underwater scenes and borrowed the chairman of Lotus personal vehicle for shooting road scenes featuring the car.
There is also a lab space inspired by Q, the source of secret field technologies in the Bond movies, where you can test your abilities to design the perfect spy vehicle as well as learn about the science behind the tech and technique of the world’s most famous spy. As you make your way through the galleries complete a scavenger hunt questionnaire that adds to the educational element of the experience. Turn it in on your way out to get a free sticker!
Also, on display is concept art used to develop the look of the films to assist in creating costumes, props and sets. I always find this type of artwork intriguing and am glad some of these samples were included within the exhibit.
Admission to the James Bond exhibit is a separate, timed-entry ticket purchase in addition to the general museum admission price. So, if you visit, make sure to explore all of this wonderful museum. The Griffin Museum of Science + Industry is the largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere. There is a lot to see across three stories of gallery space including the command module of Apollo 8, life size scale replica of a working coal mine, a German submarine captured during WWII, a Next Gen Ford Mustang NASCAR stock car and more!
While the James Bond exhibit was the highlight of the visit for me, my teenager who joined me on this journey for a father-son summer road trip will probably say the Interactive Flight Simulator was his favorite thing at the science museum. You harness into a flight simulator that literally moves in the direction the plane is being steered. We flew a F-4 Phantom simulation where he piloted and I co-piloted and I'm not joking when saying we were hanging upside down for a good portion of the "flight."
Wow! Yes, you actually physically feel the motion of doing a climb, dive or roll while simulating your flight at the machine moves around. I can confirm you can do a 360-degree barrel roll! It is a good thing they have lockers you have to put all your items in or everything in my pockets would have fallen out. There is absolutely something for everyone to enjoy at this Chicago science museum.
Who else is geeked that a new James Bond flick is on its way to movie theaters next year?! NO TIME TO DIE is set to arrive at theaters across the United States on the weekend of April 10, 2020. It will feature Daniel Craig playing the role of 007 in what is billed as the actor's last time portraying James Bond. This is at the top of my list for movies that I'm excited to see next year!
United Artists just released movie posters promoting next year's April release of NO TIME TO DIE as well as the movie's first trailer. Both the posters and trailer show that we will be seeing some familiar as well as new faces engaged in espionage for this addition of the James Bond saga. Rumor is that actress Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel) who is prominently featured in one of the posters will be transitioned in this film to take on the iconic MI6 code number of 007 for future movies in the James Bond franchise. We'll have to go see the movie though to know for sure.
In NO TIME TO DIE, Bond (Daniel Craig) has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
For more information about this upcoming movie, follow James Bond's social media accounts:
Between now and April is a great time for a James Bond movie marathon! You can watch all of the James Bond films that Daniel Craig has played 007 in leading up to NO TIME TO DIE by bringing home a movie bundle from Best Buy. The 007: Daniel Craig Collection is available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. The movies in this collection are Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015).
This is not a sponsored post. If you purchase the 007: Daniel Craig Collection from Best Buy utilizing a link above, this dad blogger will receive a small commission from your purchase at no additional charge to you. Thanks for your support of ageekdaddy.com
One of my best friends in high school was enthralled by the mystique of the secret agent world of Ian Fleming's 007 and is still a huge fan of all things related to James Bond as you can tell from his recent Facebook pictures from Halloween showing him dressed in a tuxedo holding a martini in one hand and a toy Walther PPK in the other. Whether you are a die-hard or casual 007 fan there are a lot of exciting things going on this month featuring the suave agent of her Majesty's Secret Service. November is truly a good month to be a James Bond fan.
The newest addition to the James Bond saga, the motion picture SPECTRE debuts Friday, November 6, 2015 at movie theaters across the United States. In the movie, a cryptic message from 007's past sends him following a trail to uncover the sinister organization known as SPECTRE. While M battles political forces in an effort to keep the secret service alive, James Bond peels back layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.
This new movie directed by Sam Mendes is the twenty-fifth James Bond film and Daniel Craig's fourth performance as 007. It will also reintroduce the classic Bond nemesis Ernest Stavro Blofeld, played by Christopher Waltz, creating a unifying story arc among the James Bond films starring Daniel Craig. Blofeld is the super villain parodied by Mike Myers as Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movies and the character who has appeared in three James Bond novels (Thunderball, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and You Only Live Twice) and seven 007 movies (From Russia with Love [1963] Thunderball [1965] You Only Live Twice [1967] Her Majesty's Secret Service [1969] Diamond Are Forever [1971] For Your Eyes Only [1981] and Never Say Never Again [1983] ) was originally created by Ian Fleming himself. SPECTRE has the highest production budget of any James Bond film and in fact is currently tied with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for being the second most expensive film to ever be made.
"VARGR" the first story in a new ongoing James Bond comic book series from Dynamite Comics hits store shelves with its first issue on Wednesday, November 4, 2015. The series written by best-selling writer Warren Ellis. This series starts off with James Bond returning to London after a mission of vengeance in Helsinki to take up the workload of a fallen 00 Section agent. But something evil is moving through the back streets of the city and sinister plans are being laid for Bond in Berlin. CLICK HERE to check out a preview of Dynamite Comics James Bond #1.
There is a new mobile game for fans to enjoy too! Join 007 in the action packed multiplayer strategy RPG from Glu, JAMES BOND: WORLD OF ESPIONAGE. Now available in the Apple App Store and from the Google Play Store for Android devices. Seduce beautiful allies, drive fantastic cars and execute foul villains as you deploy James Bond and other secret agents around the globe, solve classic missions and build your agency branch in order to take on the coveted role of M as head of MI6 in London and protect the world from mass destruction.
You know James Bond always has some awesome cars to drive and TOY STATE lets you bring some of these cool rides home to play with through their line of 007 remote control toys. New to the line up is the Aston Martin DB 10 which is featured in the new SPECTRE movie. This R/C/ toy comes with a secret agent watch that triggers working headlights on the car and provides full-function driving action. The vehicle requires 2 AAA batteries (not included) and the remote control requires 3 button cell batteries (not included).
Toy State also has a number of remote control cars resembling various vehicles featured in other James Bond movies that instead of using a mock watch have custom-designed video game styled remote controls that provide for full-function radio control driving while also triggering lights, sounds, light-up hidden weapons, and play the signature James Bond theme music. My favorite is the Quantum of Solace Aston Martin. CLICK HERE to view all the James Bond remote control cars offered by Hot Toys.
For more information about what is going on in the world of James Bond visit the official web site www.007.com.
What started out as a small comic book convention put together by three friends in 1970 over the years has evolved into a mega conference that gets international attention every year as the go to place to promote entertainment and lifestyle products geared towards people who enjoy the geeky side of life. I've been wanting to go to Comic Con in San Diego for years but alas another year has gone by with it still remaining uncrossed off on my bucket list. For those of you like me who wish they were there but couldn't make it out there this year, I've compiled a roundup of a few items that caught my attention that were announced or promoted at Comic Con International 2015.
COMIC BOOKS
While movie and television announcements and previews at Comic Con get a lot of attention the convention is still COMIC Con so we'll start off with a few of the comic book announcements that were made at this year's event.
Based upon the success they had last year, DC Comics will be celebrating Halloween throughout the month of October with special Monster themed variant covers for their comic book lineup. Here are a few examples of what to look out for later in 2015:
Aquaman #45
Batman Beyond #5
Justice League of America #5
Dark Horse Comicshas announced a new comic book series that will be a prequel to the story in the new Call of Duty: Black Ops III video game. It will be scripted by Larry Hama who is known for his work with on G.I.JOE comic books for Marvel and IDW and illustrated by Marcelo Ferreira. This new series will follow an elite squadron of cybernetically-enhanced soldiers as they wag war in a battlefield rife with treachery and transformed by incredible technology. The first issue of Call of Duty: Black Ops III will be released in November 2015.
Dark Horse also announced a brand new original series slated to come out in 2016 called Mystery Girl. Written by Paul Tobin and illustrated by Alberto Albuquerque, Mystery Girl is the story of a woman who knows the answer to any question and puts that skill to use as a detective. There is one mystery she can't solve though - her own past.
IDW Publishing had quite a few announcements this year for things in the work that range from Back to the Future to Street Fighter with a lot of appeal for sci-fi fans and people like me who grew up in the 1980s.
Coming soon will be a monthly serial based upon Back to the Future which will have its artwork and scripts supervised by the original movie's creator/screenwriter Bob Gale. It will feature iconic characters and time periods from the films plus explore untold adventures as the characters in the comic books head Back to (and from) the Future.
October will mark the 50th edition of IDW's ongoing STAR TREK series and will introduce the classic "Mirror/Mirror" storyline to the new film-based comic universe in an over-sized issue.
There will also be a new STAR TREK miniseries coming out in December focusing on Starfleet Academy. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will follow Kirk, Spock, and Uhura during their time spent training at Starfleet prior to the events of the 2009 film and will also introduce stories featuring a new class of cadets in a timeline that is concurrent with where the ongoing Star Trek comic book series is presently at.
IDW will also be publishing a six issue miniseries sometime in 2016 that combines the popular video game franchise STREET FIGHTER with the classic action figure toys G.I. JOE. Street Fighter X G.I. Joe will pit the heroes of these two franchises versus the combined threat of Cobra and Shadaloo. Capcom is releasing Streat Fighter 5 next year and it will be interesting to see if elements of the comic book are included in the game and vice versa.
Also relating to G.I. Joe there will be an 8-issue bi-monthly story arc beginning in October that is meant to be an epic event for the comic book series. In COBRA WORLD ORDER, the evil forces of COBRA finally unleash their master plan. After fighting COBRA for decades it is zero hour for G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.
Following its recent partnership with DC Comics in bringing to life a Green Lantern/Star Trek cross-over, IDW announced the companies will be bringing together two more of their hot properties in November. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Batman are going to be joining forces in a six issue miniseries. Oh robin is my son excited about this comic book combo flying onto store shelves!
Marvel made some news announcing two Star Wars comic book events. First, there will be a special 6 issue Darth Vader themed story called Star Wars: Vader Down beginning with a special one shot issue coming out in November and crossing over to continue the story in the ongoing Star Wars and Darth Vader ongoing series.
A Princess Leia limited series has just wrapped up and a Lando one is just starting up so it appears these type of Star Wars short character focused stories will be an ongoing thing for Marvel. Continuing with that trend Marvel announced a Chewbacca miniseries will be arriving in stores in October.
Two of Marvel's most smart-talking, wise-cracking characters will be teaming up for an upcoming monthly series. Spider-Man/Deadpool #1 is set to premiere this fall.
If you never saw the packaging for Atari video game cartridges from the'70s & '80s you missed out. There was some really great art created to help market those games! Too bad the graphics for the games weren't as impressive as the artwork on the boxes. Dynamite has signed a licensing agreement with Atari to create a hardcover book detailing the artwork from the company's marketing history. Dynamite also has retained the rights to create new original comic books and graphic novels based upon Atari's catalog of artwork and imagery. Additionally, the publisher will bring back to print the comic book series ATARI FORCE that had a 20 issue run with DC Comics from 1984 through 1986.
James Bond's adventures will be returning to the pages of comic books in November when Dynamite begins publishing its new 007 series. Dynamite has partnered with Ian Fleming Publications Ltd., the Fleming-family owned company that owns and administers the literary copyright of Ian Fleming's published works, including his fourteen James Bond books, to retain worldwide rights to publish comic books, digital comics, and graphic novels starring 007. The new 007 comic book series will be scripted by highly regarded author Warren Ellis.
Dynamite will also be bringing back Betty Boop, the first female animated screen star, to comics after a hiatus of 20 years by publishing brand new comic books and graphic novels featuring the character. Could she be one of the new Bond girls for the upcoming 007 series?
Voltron is making a comeback in an all new six issue miniseries launching in September. Voltron: From the Ashes will be set two hundred years after the events of Dynamite's previous Voltron Force comic book series concluded and will introduce a new team to pilot the five lions that form the Defender of the Universe.
Just in time for Halloween, Dynamite is launching the six issue miniseries Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Storm Surge which is an original reworking of the classic Frankenstein story.
TV SHOWS
Plenty of trailers for upcoming TV shows are always shown at Comic Con but the two I really wanted to see were for the new prequel series Fear the Walking Dead and for the next season of The Walking Dead. After seeing these two trailers I can't wait for the premiere of Fear The Walking Dead in August and the return of The Walking Dead in October. Check them out!
Are you bummed like me that there won't be any new Game of Thrones episodes until next spring, watching the cast's panel presentation from Comic-Con might help out:
MOVIES
Warner Brothers gave us a sneak peek of footage from Batman vs Superman and it appears DC Comics may be a worthy adversary to Disney's Marvel superhero films at the box office after seeing this clip.
Talking about Super Hero movies, who else is excited to see the new Fantastic Four movie in August?
Next year's Suicide Squad is getting a lot of buzz but from the trailer it looks like it could really be a bust. I'm not that enthused after seeing the trailer though I do like the comic books.
Star Wars also held a great panel for its upcoming The Force Awakens movie that brought together Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill on the same stage and showed some behind the scenes photos from the making of the new film. If you were like me and couldn't be there, courtesy of my friends at Disney here is the presentation in its entirety:
After the panel presentation, everyone in the room was invited to a special concert by the San Diego Symphony performing music from the Star Wars movie soundtracks. Plus Verizon gave 100 lucky Comic Con attendees (+ a guest) who subscribe to their wireless service access to this surprise concert as a thank you for being their customer. Verizon has partnered with Star Wars: The Force Awakens to provide content and exclusive offers to help fans gear up for the next installment in the Star Wars movie lineup and provided A Geek Daddy blog the pictures below to share with our readers.
So as usual a lot of exciting stuff went down at Comic Con ... maybe next year I'll be there! This is just a brief glimpse of what went down in San Diego so you know there was a lot going on. What is your favorite announcement or moment from this year's Comic Con? If we didn't mention it please share the details with the rest of us!
Bond, James Bond, the British Secret Services' agent 007, will begin to have his adventures chronicled in comic books beginning in 2015 with the announcement of Dynamite Entertainment acquiring the license rights to publish comic books, graphic novels and digital comics starring the character from Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. The fictional secret agent was created by author Ian Fleming in 1953 who featured James Bond in 12 novels and 2 short-story collections. 007 has also been the inspiration for 23 movies ranging from DR NO in 1962 to SKYFALL which was released in 2012. A 24th James Bond film is currently in production slated to open in US theaters on November 6, 2015. According to the licensing agreement the upcoming comic books by Dynamite Entertainment featuring Fleming's iconic 007 secret agent will re-live the exploits that have thrilled and captivated fans for over half a century in fresh visual adaptations of the classic Bond stories.
Dynamite Entertainment is planning on creating a series of brand new adventures with a focus on the defining, yet largely undocumented, early years of James Bond's career. These comic books will draw inspiration from the James Bond canon to explore 007's origins, those raw early years before he gambled with his life in the franchise's first novel by Ian Fleming, Casino Royale. Dynamite is also promising to include familiar faces from the 007 mythos in their series including criminal masterminds, hired henchmen, those glamorous Bond Girls, and secret service allies.
"James Bond is one of the greatest cultural icons in the world. His author and creator, Ian Fleming, was not only in touch with popular culture in his time, but also saw ahead of his time, and his written work will outlive us all<" said Nick Barrucci, CEO and Publisher of Dynamite Entertainment in the announcement of the publisher gaining the 007 license. "The character, the structure and the source material is so incredibly strong. The original prose storytelling serves the basis for one of the most successful film franchises ever, a franchise that reinvents itself to be in tune with each generation. By doing so, it allows the character to be an ever-progressive pop culture phenomenon, one that energizes existing fans and engages new fans, thus helping to ensure that Bond's relevance and importance will live forever. The high-octane action, the charm, the unquestionable allure of this man of action - it all stems from Ian Fleming. We are excited to build upon Fleming's source material with new canonical stories, and are honored at Dynamite to be a small part of his legacy, to be able to bring new stories to fans around the world."
Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications, added during the announcement of this new partnership, "It's over sixty years since the publication of Casino Royale and now more than ever it's an exciting time to be a Bond fan. We're thrilled that 007 will be revisiting the world of comics, as Fleming's novels have a long and successful history in this medium, ever since they began to be published as newspaper comic strips in the late fifties. Dynamite are the perfect partners to take on the challenge of continuing this legacy, and we are very much looking forward to working with them."
Dynamite Entertainment is actually one of A GEEK DADDY blog's favorite comic book publishers because it has created itself a retro niche in restoring the glamor to fictional and fantasy heroes of past generations for the enjoyment of today's audience. Their titles include Battlestar Galactica, The Bionic Woman, Buck Rogers, Dresden Files, Flash Gordon, The Shadow, Green Hornet, The Lone Ranger, Lord of the Jungle (Tarzan), The Six Million Dollar Man, The Twilight Zone, and John Carter Warlord of Mars. Dynamite does a nice job of presenting these titles with an artistic nod to their original portrayals ( a 1940's vibe for Flash Gordon, 50's for the Lone Ranger, 60's for the Green Hornet and 70's for Battlestar Galactica and The Six Million Dollar Man for example) and through writing intriguing and interesting stories that mix in classic characters and themes from these franchise's canon while also expanding on the adventures and journeys by adding new elements and figures to the mix.
Now James Bond is joining the lineup and A GEEK DADDY is excited to see what Dynamite does to bring 007 to life in a comic book format. Keep an eye out on book store shelves (brick & mortar and digital) in 2015 for this new comic book series.
