The Lost 007 Cartoon That Haunts the James Bond Franchise
Long before shared universes became the norm, the 007 franchise quietly launched a spinoff that has since been erased from history. Discover the story behind the animated series that the creators would rather you forget ever existed.
With the Broccoli family handing over complete creative control of the James Bond series to Amazon MGM Studios, a concept that makes longtime fans nervous has been hanging over the legendary spy: the shared universe. Ever since Marvel Studios changed the game with Iron Man in 2008, a successful movie just isn't enough; it has to be part of a sprawling web of prequels, spinoffs, and other media. This is a trend Bond has consistently avoided. If Eon Productions saw any value in broadening the 007 world, they would have done it years ago. But under new management, the pointless reality show, Road to a Million, has already been renewed, and it won't be a shock when characters from Ian Fleming’s universe get their own projects.
A Forgotten Spinoff
Believe it or not, this has happened before, even if the current powers that be would prefer you didn't know. Unfortunately for Eon, a generation of young viewers still remembers the short-lived animated show James Bond Jr., which was canceled after a single 65-episode season. It has never received an official release on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, or any streaming service. Of course, this being the 21st century, you can find the episodes on YouTube.
The name might seem straightforward, but it's actually misleading. James Bond Jr. is 007's nephew, not his son. Many of the main characters are relatives of familiar faces from the movies. As a student at Warfield Academy, James Jr. embarks on missions with IQ, who is Q’s grandson, and Gordo Leiter, Felix Leiter’s son. They face off against threats like Goldfinger’s daughter, Goldie Finger, and classic villains such as Oddjob, Nick Nack, and Jaws. It was hardly a masterpiece of television, and the rights-holders have understandably tried to bury it.
Left to a Quiet Death
“The fact remains that after almost 30 years, this show about James Bond, or rather, his nephew, has never officially been released on DVD to the public, as far as I know,” writer Terrence McDonnell noted. “If it’s true, that says a lot. Maybe someday everyone will get a chance to see it, maybe not. Maybe the owners want to leave it and let it die a quiet death.”
A Product of Its Time
So why did Eon even allow it to be made? It was partly a defensive move. Kevin McClory, who held the rights to certain elements of the franchise and produced Never Say Never Again, was planning his own animated project. The official guardians of the 007 saga decided to beat him to the punch. The show premiered in September 1991, during the long legal disputes that caused the biggest gap between films, from Licence to Kill to GoldenEye. It was an attempt to do something with the inactive property, keep it in the public consciousness, and maybe open up a new line of revenue from merchandise. Kids who grew up in the ’90s might have a faint memory of James Bond Jr., but for many others, it’s a piece of franchise history they never knew existed.