The James Bond series started as a fictional literary and film franchise created by British author Ian Fleming in 1953. The stories revolve around British Secret Service agent James Bond and emerged during the Cold War period. Fleming authored twelve novels and two short-story collections until his passing in 1964.
After Fleming, eight other authors have contributed to the James Bond saga. These writers include Kingsley Amis, Christopher Wood, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver, William Boyd, and Anthony Horowitz. Some authors have even explored spin-offs for characters like Moneypenny and delved into Bond’s backstory. Anthony Horowitz released the latest Bond novel in May 2022.
The series gained widespread fame through its movies and novels, turning Bond into a cultural symbol and a key figure in action storytelling. The character’s code name, 007, appeared in comics and best-selling video games as well.
In 1962, the film franchise began, and it continues to be one of the longest-running in cinema history. The series has earned over $7 billion in revenue. Sean Connery was the first actor to portray the famous spy on screen. Since then, six others have played Bond, including David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.
The latest film, “No Time to Die,” was released in 2021, marking Daniel Craig’s fifth appearance as Bond. The movies have kept Bond culturally significant well beyond the original novels’ success in Britain. The film franchise is valued at over $19 billion, but it currently lacks a new actor to succeed Craig.
Bond films have received critical acclaim, including recognition from the Academy Awards for the film scores. “Skyfall,” released in 2012, stands as both the most profitable and one of the most acclaimed films in the series, with earnings exceeding $1 billion at the box office.