History of James Bond in Timeline

James Bond is a fictional British Secret Service agent created by Ian Fleming in 1953. Fleming featured Bond in twelve novels and two short-story collections. After Fleming's death, eight other authors continued the series, contributing authorized Bond novels or novelizations. These authors include Kingsley Amis, Christopher Wood, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver, William Boyd, Anthony Horowitz and Charlie Higson. The latest novel, 'On His Majesty's Secret Service' by Charlie Higson, was published in May 2023. Additionally, there are series focusing on a young James Bond and the diaries of Moneypenny.

1958: Publication of Dr. No novel

In 1958, Ian Fleming's novel Dr. No, which served as the basis for the first James Bond film, was published.

October 1962: Dr. No Comic Book Adaptation Release

In October 1962, coinciding with the release of the Dr. No film, a comic book adaptation of the screenplay, penned by Norman J. Nodel, was published in Britain as part of the Classics Illustrated anthology series.

1962: "Bond... James Bond" Becomes Catchphrase

Following the release of the film Dr. No in 1962, the line "Bond ... James Bond" became a catch phrase that entered the lexicon of Western popular culture.

1962: Release of Dr. No

In 1962, Eon Productions released Dr. No, the first cinema adaptation of an Ian Fleming novel, featuring Sean Connery as James Bond.

1962: Vatican condemns Dr. No

In 1962, Vatican City's official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano condemned the film Dr. No, referring to it as "a dangerous mixture of violence, vulgarity, sadism and sex".

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1962: "James Bond Theme" Orchestrated

In 1962, the "James Bond Theme", written by Monty Norman, was first orchestrated by the John Barry Orchestra for Dr. No.

1962: Dr. No Influences Spy Genre

Since the release of Dr. No in 1962, James Bond has been a major influence within the spy genre.

January 1963: US Reprint of Dr. No Comic

In January 1963, the Dr. No comic book adaptation was reprinted in the United States by DC Comics as part of its Showcase anthology series, marking the first American comic book appearance of James Bond. Some content was censored on racial grounds for the American market.

1963: Court Case Allows McClory to Remake Thunderball

In 1963, a court case in the High Court in London allowed Kevin McClory to produce a remake of Thunderball titled Never Say Never Again.

1964: "Goldfinger" Released

In 1964, Shirley Bassey performed and released the song "Goldfinger" as the theme song for the film of the same name.

1964: "Bondmania" initiated

In 1964, following the success of Goldfinger, "Bondmania" emerged, describing the clamour for Bond films and related products.

1964: Carry On Spying Released

In 1964, the first parody of Bond films, Carry On Spying, was released.

1964: Gadgets Assume Higher Profile in Goldfinger

In 1964, the use of spy gadgets assumed a higher profile in the Bond film Goldfinger, encouraging further espionage equipment from Q Branch to be supplied to Bond in subsequent films.

1965: James Bond becomes a mass-cult hero

In 1965, Time magazine observed that James Bond had developed into the biggest mass-cult hero of the decade.

1965: The Ipcress File Released

In 1965, the first Harry Palmer series film, The Ipcress File, starring Michael Caine, was released as a reaction against the portrayal of Bond.

1966: 22 Secret Agent Films Released

In 1966, 22 secret agent films were released, attempting to capitalize on the Bond franchise's popularity.

1967: Connery Leaves Role After You Only Live Twice

After starring in four James Bond films, in 1967 Sean Connery left the role after You Only Live Twice.

1967: Flint Series Films Released

In 1966 and 1967, two films from the Flint series starring James Coburn were released, inspired by Bond's prominence in popular culture.

1967: Casino Royale Parody Film

In 1967, Casino Royale was adapted into a parody Bond film starring David Niven and Ursula Andress.

1967: Queen Elizabeth II meets Sean Connery

In 1967, Queen Elizabeth II met Sean Connery at the world premiere of You Only Live Twice.

1968: Milk Tray Man advertises Cadbury chocolate

From 1968, the Cadbury chocolate box Milk Tray was advertised by the 'Milk Tray Man', a James Bond–style figure.

1969: Matt Helm Films Released

Between 1966 and 1969, four Matt Helm films starring Dean Martin were released, inspired by Bond's prominence in popular culture.

1969: George Lazenby Takes Over

In 1969, George Lazenby took over the role of James Bond for On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

1973: Roger Moore Appointed as James Bond

In 1973, Roger Moore was appointed to the role of James Bond for Live and Let Die.

1981: Marvel Comics Publishes For Your Eyes Only Adaptation

In 1981, Marvel Comics released a two-issue comic book adaptation of the film For Your Eyes Only.

1983: James Bond 007: Role-Playing In Her Majesty's Secret Service Released

In 1983, James Bond 007: Role-Playing In Her Majesty's Secret Service, a licensed tabletop role-playing game, was published by Victory Games.

1983: Never Say Never Again Release

In 1983, Never Say Never Again, a remake of Thunderball starring Sean Connery, was released. It was not part of the Eon series.

1983: Marvel Publishes Octopussy Comic

In 1983, coinciding with the cinema release of Octopussy, Marvel published an accompanying comic book adaptation.

1983: First Bond Video Game Released

In 1983, the first James Bond video game, James Bond 007, developed and published by Parker Brothers, was released for multiple platforms including Atari 2600 and Commodore 64.

1987: End of James Bond 007: Role-Playing In Her Majesty's Secret Service publication

In 1987, the publication of James Bond 007: Role-Playing In Her Majesty's Secret Service, a licensed tabletop role-playing game, ended.

1989: New Bond Stories Published

From 1989 onwards, new James Bond stories were drawn up and published through Marvel, Eclipse Comics, Dark Horse Comics and Dynamite Entertainment.

1995: Pierce Brosnan Cast as James Bond

After a six-year hiatus, in 1995 Irish actor Pierce Brosnan was cast as James Bond in GoldenEye.

December 1997: MGM Acquires Rights to Never Say Never Again

On December 4, 1997, MGM announced that the company had purchased the rights to Never Say Never Again from Taliafilm.

1997: GoldenEye 007 Released

In 1997, the first-person shooter video game GoldenEye 007 was developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64, based on GoldenEye.

1998: GoldenEye 007 Wins BAFTA Award

In 1998, GoldenEye 007 won the BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Award for UK Developer of the Year.

December 1999: Electronic Arts Releases Tomorrow Never Dies

In December 1999, Electronic Arts acquired the license and released Tomorrow Never Dies.

October 2000: The World Is Not Enough Released for Nintendo 64

In October 2000, Electronic Arts released The World Is Not Enough for the Nintendo 64.

November 2000: 007 Racing Released for PlayStation

On November 21, 2000, Electronic Arts released 007 Racing for the PlayStation.

2001: Monty Norman Wins Libel Case

In 2001, Monty Norman won £30,000 in libel damages from The Sunday Times newspaper, which suggested that John Barry was entirely responsible for the composition of the "James Bond Theme".

2001: "Bond... James Bond" Voted Best-Loved One-Liner

In 2001, the line "Bond ... James Bond" was voted as the "best-loved one-liner in cinema" by British cinema goers.

2002: Brosnan's Final Bond Film

In 2002, Pierce Brosnan concluded his role as James Bond after a total of four films.

2003: James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing Released

In 2003, Electronic Arts released James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, which included the likenesses and voices of Pierce Brosnan, Willem Dafoe, Heidi Klum, Judi Dench and John Cleese.

2003: Milk Tray Man advertises Cadbury chocolate

Until 2003, the Cadbury chocolate box Milk Tray was advertised by the 'Milk Tray Man', a James Bond–style figure.

November 2005: Video Game Adaptation of 007: From Russia with Love Released

In November 2005, Electronic Arts released a video game adaptation of 007: From Russia with Love, featuring Sean Connery's image and voice-over for Bond.

2005: James Bond recognized as a top film hero

In 2005, the American Film Institute recognized James Bond as the third greatest film hero in their 100 Years series. Bond also appeared on similar lists by Empire and Premiere.

2005: "Bond... James Bond" Honoured by AFI

In 2005, the line "Bond ... James Bond" was honoured as the 22nd greatest quotation in cinema history by the American Film Institute as part of their 100 Years Series.

January 2006: Aston Martin DB5 Sold at Auction

In January 2006, one of the Aston Martin DB5s used for filming and publicity was sold at an auction in the US for $2.1 million to an unnamed European collector.

2006: Daniel Craig Takes the Role

In 2006, Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond for Casino Royale, which rebooted the series.

2006: Casino Royale Game Cancelled

In 2006, Electronic Arts cancelled the game based on the then-upcoming film Casino Royale because it would not be ready by the film's release in November of that year.

October 2008: 007: Quantum of Solace Game Released

On 31 October 2008, Activision released the 007: Quantum of Solace game, based on the film of the same name.

2008: "Goldfinger" Inducted into Grammy Hall of Fame

In 2008, Shirley Bassey's 1964 song "Goldfinger" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

November 2010: GoldenEye 007 Released for Wii and Nintendo DS

In November 2010, a new version of GoldenEye 007 featuring Daniel Craig was released for the Wii and a handheld version for the Nintendo DS.

2010: Another DB5 Sold at Auction

In 2010, another Aston Martin DB5 used in Goldfinger was sold at auction for $4.6 million (£2.6 million).

October 2012: 007 Legends Released

In October 2012, 007 Legends was released, which featured one mission from each of the Bond actors of the Eon Productions' series.

2012: James Bond appears at London Olympics opening ceremony

In 2012, James Bond, played by Craig, appeared in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics as Queen Elizabeth II's escort.

2012: Vatican gives positive review to Skyfall

In 2012, Vatican City's official newspaper went on to give positive reviews to the film Skyfall.

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2012: YouGov Survey of American Bond Fans

In 2012, the polling organization YouGov conducted a survey of American Bond fans, and all groups selected Sean Connery as their favorite Bond actor.

2014: 20% of world population watched a Bond Film

In 2014, it was estimated that approximately 20% of the world's population had watched at least one James Bond film.

2015: Eon Holds Full Adaptation Rights

As of 2015, Eon Productions holds the full adaptation rights to all of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels.

2016: Milk Tray Man advertises Cadbury chocolate

Since 2016, the Cadbury chocolate box Milk Tray has been advertised by the 'Milk Tray Man', a James Bond–style figure.

2018: Poll reveals percentage of American adults having seen Bond films

A 2018 poll found that 47% of American adults had seen at least one Bond film, with 27% having seen every film.

2018: James Bond museum opens in Austrian Alps

In 2018, a James Bond museum opened atop the Austrian Alps, constructed on the summit of Gaislachkogl Mountain in Sölden.

March 2020: Royal Mail issues James Bond postage stamps

In March 2020, the Royal Mail issued a UK postage stamp series to commemorate the 25th James Bond film release.

November 2020: Project 007 Announced

In November 2020, IO Interactive announced Project 007, an original James Bond video game, working closely with licensors MGM and Eon Productions.

September 2021: Cary Fukunaga describes Sean Connery's Bond as 'basically a rapist'

In September 2021, No Time to Die director Cary Fukunaga described Sean Connery's version of Bond as 'basically a rapist'.

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March 2022: Amazon Acquires MGM

In March 2022, Amazon purchased Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) for $8.5 billion, gaining the distribution rights to the James Bond movie library.

February 2023: Ian Fleming Publications edits Bond series

In February 2023, Ian Fleming Publications edited the James Bond series as part of a sensitivity review.

April 2023: Re-releases of the Bond series are planned

The April 2023 re-releases of the edited James Bond series are planned to tie into the 70th anniversary of Casino Royale.

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2024: Survey Associates "Bond" with James Bond

A 2024 survey by MoneyFarm found that 70 per cent of Brits associated the word "bond" with James Bond, rather than the savings product of the same name.

February 2025: Amazon Gains Creative Control

By February 2025, Amazon paid an additional $1 billion to acquire creative control of the James Bond franchise from producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who officially retired from their oversight career for James Bond feature films.

March 2025: New Producers Take Over

In March 2025, Amazon closed deals with Amy Pascal and David Heyman to take charge of the James Bond franchise and replace Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson as producers on its next instalment.