Anthony Horowitz To Release A James Bond Origin Novel

A prequel to Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel Casino Royale is being penned by Anthony Horowitz, with a May release slated in the UK. Horowitz's Forever and a Day will follow up his previous 007 effort, 2015's Trigger Mortis. He is likewise author of the highly popular 'Alex Rider' spy series for kids.

Forever and a Day uses original material from Fleming and is said to explore the origins of the famous secret agent. "I very much enjoyed writing 'Forever and a Day,'" said the author, adding "Exploring what might have been Bond's first mission and imagining some of the forces that might have turned him into the iconic figure that the whole world knows."

A summary of the book reads: "One body. Three bullets. 007 floats in the waters of Marseille, killed by an unknown hand. It's time for a new agent to step up. Time for a new weapon in the war against organised crime. It's time for James Bond to earn his licence to kill. This is the story of the birth of a legend, in the brutal underworld of the French Riviera."