Spy Vibers carry a continuing wish-list of dream projects in their virtual attache cases, like hoping to see Blu-ray editions of out-of-print classics -and rarer yet- a Hollywood remake of a 1960s spy show that stays true to the original. Readers might be surprised to hear that one of the items topping my wish-list is the dream that one day LEGO will produce a series of James Bond sets, video games, and short films. If you have ever played LEGO Batman, you know the company is putting out products that manage to be fun (and funny!) and totally cool. Agent Jeffach at Deviant Art shares my dream, and he even went the extra mile to test the old adage: "if you build it, they will come." Jeffach created mock-ups for a number of Bond-themed LEGO sets, including Dr No: The Dragon of Crab Key, From Russia With Love: Attack of the SPECTRE Helicopter, Goldfinger: The Forest Chase, Thunderball: The Golden Grotto, and You Only Live Twice: Little Nellie's Hot Reception. He even submitted the ideas to LEGO, but was told the theme was too adult. I'm not sure why the company deems The Dark Knight or Pirates of the Caribbean any less adult and fitting for children. Of course, it's how LEGO adapts material that makes it appropriate for the brand. I'm sure they could produce an amazing 007 game and market sets for kids that wouldn't dilute the film franchise or hurt interest in the novels. In fact, as seen with their success with the Star Wars franchise, the toys and games actually draw in a new audience that is poised to become the next generation of mega-fans. One of the first themes I'd make, not included in Jeffach's designs, would be based on The Spy Who Loved Me. The film would provide really fun elements like Jaws, Lotus submarine, the Pyramids, ski chase, and an undersea lair. Maybe someday! Until then, keep calm and dream Bond...Brick Bond. Thanks to Agent Jeffach for his ingenious design work!
Some exciting news today from our sister site, Double O Section: Network is releasing a Blu-ray edition of the 1967 Eurospy film, Deadlier Than the Male! Loosely based on the Bulldog Drummond series, the movie stars Elke Sommer, Sylvie Koscina, and Richard Johnson, and includes a famous set-piece with girl assassins in bikinis with spearguns(!). Are you with me now? Every fan has their favorite cult-classic and we spend years trying to champion our treasures to keep them alive in the culture. Long-time readers know The 10th Victim looms large here at the Spy Vibe lair (I even got to contribute all of the stills/posters for the Blu-ray!). Deadlier Than the Male looms just as large over at Double O Section, so I must shout out a hearty cheer for Tanner and for all fans of the movie. The Blu-ray maintains the original 1.66:1 widescreen print and includes standard-def extras like on-set featurettes, theatrical trailer, interviews, image galleries and promo materials. No word yet if Network will follow up with the sequel, Some Girls Do. Spy Vibers outside of the UK will require a multi-region player to play this Region B disc. Material produced for the PAL system sometimes experiences a subtle speed-up (as I experiences even on the PAL-to-NTSC converted Blu-ray of The Avengers Season 5 set), so hopefully there will be no issues with this release. I look forward to checking this out! Street date is April 27th. AmazonUK page here. You can find the 2003 standard NTSC DVD edition on Amazon here. Enjoy!
Actor Gary Owens passed away last week at the age of 80. Starting out as a newscaster, Owens became the quintessential newsman voice on programs like The Green Hornet, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, and Sesame Street. Spy Vibers may remember him as the voice of Space Ghost and an early contributing writer and voice actor on Jay Ward's Rocky & Bullwinkle and Fractured Flickers. Other career highlights include "Cy" in Galatica 1980 and appearances in The Last of the Secret Agents?, The Munsters, Batman, Dr. Phibes Rides Again, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Garfield, Spy Hard, That 70s Show, Buzz Lightyear, Dexter's Laboratory, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Learn more: New York Times, interview at Classic Showbiz. Related Spy Vibe post: Saturday Morning Cartoons: Birdman.
Bond is back! The first glimpse of the new James Bond film was released today. Director Sam Mendez and his stellar crew are currently shooting in Austria, where they are working on one of the major action set-pieces in SPECTRE. In a spoiler-free video, fans were treated to footage showing 007 back in the first snowy adventure in many years. I've often wondered if the return of the Spectre organization will mean a nod to On Her Majesty's Secret Service- a story filled with winter themes. Regardless, I'm thrilled to see the series back in the snow! In the first promo still below, actor Daniel Craig strikes quite a classic Bond image outfitted in lean, black winter gear, sunglasses, and pistol. Can't you just hear the theme music? Can't wait!
Dov Kelemer and Jo Marks at DKE Toys created an interesting group exhibit about ten years ago. Choosing Darth Vader as a theme for a platform show, they procured 100 prop replicas of the Dark Lord's helmet and invited artists from around the world to contribute their customized designs- including this cool homage to SPY Vs SPY by Peter Kooper! The group of creators included a number of heroes from the Pop Surrealist/Lowbrow movement, like Josh Agle (Shag), Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Ron English, Paul Frank, Jesse Hernandez, Sun-MinKim, David Horvath, Joe Ledbetter, Tokidoki, Ragnar, Secret Base, and Amanda Visell. The helmets traveled to eight exhibitions between 2007 and 2010. A full-color catalog is available at the project website. Learn more: The Vader Project, LA Weekly, Wired. Enjoy!
New Release: The classic Man From U.N.C.L.E. car kit from AMT will be reissued this month! Now labeled the "Piranha Super Spy Car" from their original art series line, fans have noted the kit now comes in dark blue (original pieces were white) and includes a collectible print and a full-color booklet with historical images of the classic car designed by Gene Winfield. See new and original box designs below for comparison. More info at culttvman. Related Spy Vibe posts: Designer Gene Winfield, Model Secret Agents, Model Spy Gear, 007 Aston Martin Kit.
