Robert Pattinson Reportedly Screen-Tested for James Bond. Where Should New 007 Readers Start?

Robert Pattinson reportedly screen-tested to play James Bond, TheWrap reported on November 6. Amazon MGM Studios has confirmed that it’s searching for the next 007, with Denis Villeneuve directing and Steven Knight writing the screenplay. As of November 7, the studio had yet to announce Pattinson as Bond.

If the report has you curious about the character an actor would inherit, start with Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale. The first Bond novel, published in 1953, puts 007 across a baccarat table from a man he needs to bankrupt. It also gives you something a casting clip can only hint at. You get to see how Bond thinks when his composure is the only thing he can control

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Start with Casino Royale (1953)

Bond’s assignment takes him to the French resort of Royale-les-Eaux, where he has to beat Le Chiffre at baccarat. Le Chiffre needs the money, which gives Bond a way to hurt him in full view of a room that sees two men playing cards. Vesper Lynd works alongside Bond, and the aftermath of the mission gives their relationship room to complicate his sense of what the job demands. For more on the novel itself, read our Casino Royale book review.

The card game is the best reason to start here. Bond can understand the odds, watch his opponent and still lose. Fleming builds suspense around what it costs him to sit there and appear unconcerned. That makes Casino Royale a good companion to the casting conversation. One of the most interesting things an actor can do with Bond is let you see the effort behind the cool exterior.

Find Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale on Amazon.

Choose Moonraker (1955) if you like a mystery

Sir Hugo Drax is the public face of Britain’s new rocket program. When M suspects him of cheating at cards, he asks Bond to investigate. A death at the missile base brings Bond into the program itself, where he works with agent Gala Brand and finds a much bigger reason to question Drax’s reputation.

This is my pick for readers who usually reach for a detective novel. A rich, celebrated man has little to gain from cheating at a club, which makes the cheating worth looking into. Pay attention to how easily the people around Drax take his patriotism as evidence of his character. That assumption gives him room to operate long before Bond reaches the rocket base.

Find Ian Fleming’s Moonraker on Amazon.

Choose From Russia with Love (1957) for Cold War espionage

The Soviet counterintelligence agency SMERSH wants to kill Bond and discredit him. Its plan uses Tatiana Romanova’s apparent defection to draw him in. The setup eventually puts Bond and Tatiana aboard the Orient Express, where the freedom to walk away gets smaller with every stop.

The pleasure here is watching other people plan for Bond. Fleming spends time with the people building the trap before Bond is in a position to see it. By the time he has to decide what to believe, you’re already weighing his choices against what you know. If you start here, keep Dr. No handy for the follow-up.

Find Ian Fleming’s From Russia with Love on Amazon.

What order should you read the first James Bond books in?

The three recommendations above are entry points. If you want to follow Fleming’s Bond from one assignment to the next, here’s how the first six novels were originally published.

If you know the films, the last title may look like the obvious starting point. Dr. No launched the theatrical Bond series in 1962. On the page it comes sixth, and Fleming opens it with Bond returning to duty after the previous assignment. The different order is one reason even longtime movie fans can discover a different rhythm in the books.

Is the next Bond film based on one of these books?

Amazon MGM Studios’ update names the director and screenwriter and describes the casting search. It gives no source novel for the film. If you want to see how another author approaches Fleming’s character, our guide to Dan Jones’s All In covers a separate Bond publishing project.

If you only want to pick up one book, make it Casino Royale. The next actor will have to make Bond convincing in whatever story the filmmakers choose. Fleming had to do it for the first time with a man who could lose everything on a turn of the cards.

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