If there was ever a series that epitomized the phrase “When you’ve got, it flaunt it,” the James Bond movies would have to be it. With all of the gadgets, locales and exciting sights that have been featured through the films, a legacy of spectacle has been built in the decades since Dr. No first premiered.
So wanting to show off iconic props in a project like Prime Video’s 007: Road to a Million isn’t an alien concept. However, realizing you may have cut a pretty huge piece of Bond history from your spot on the 2023 TV schedule makes for an interesting, if not bittersweet story.
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with producer Ben Allen and series director Julian Jones, two of the men who helped shape this reality competition into what it is. As several pairs of ordinary people seek out general knowledge questions, while visiting locations and performing feats from some of the best James Bond action scenes, there are tons of opportunities to hide things, like the prop from The Man with the Golden Gun in the frame at any moment.
As anyone could see when watching the 007: Road to a Million trailer released not too long ago, that’s exactly what happened. The good news is that the Golden Gun apparently exceeds its sparkling reputation. However, the bad news comes from this story Jones told CinemaBlend about how he and Ben Allen realized they may have cut that very item from the finished series:
We did one setup, one location, where somebody from EON came along, from the archive, with the Golden Gun. Which looks a million times more amazing in real life, white gloves to hold it. It’s this stunning objet d'art, and we had it in the background of the shot, and I’m not sure if that shot actually made it in. I’m ashamed to say that maybe the actual Golden Gun didn’t make it into the episode. So if we get a Season 2, we have to make sure it is there. It was in the opening sequence in the bank vault, somewhere. We’ll have to have a look in detail, to see if it shows up.
Having previously spoken during the No Time To Die home entertainment junket with Meg Simmonds, the head of the official EON Archives, I can attest to the fact that it’s pretty awesome to just be in the room with someone who has stories about such objects.
So Allen and Jones must have been over the moon as James Bond fans to actually get to use some of those icons in 007: Road to a Million, which is currently available to Prime Video subscription holders in its entirety. That presumption only makes the fact that the Golden Gun somehow wound up on the cutting room floor all the more upsetting.
Alas, the process of editing isn’t always kind to easter eggs such as these. So unless those hopes of finding Francisco Scaramanga’s weapon of choice yield the results Julian Jones craves, we may have lost out on seeing that gorgeous weapon ourselves. Then again, this is a show that’s filled with nods and easter eggs that diehard James Bond fans should take a shine to, so there’s plenty more to be amazed by.
Those intentions were made clear by producer Ben Allen, who, while speaking alongside Julian, highlighted a ton of other items 007 loyalists may want to keep an eye out for. With this shortlist of historical artifacts to seek out, both Allen and Jones shared their favorite pieces; with Mr. Allen revealing what might be the deepest cut of the bunch:
"Ben Allen: There’s so many. I think we peppered a lot of them throughout the whole series, and it’s a huge part of the process. For me, one of the most enjoyable parts was working with EON, working with the archivist there, getting different props in and working our where we can kind of put these in. One for me, that I like as I enjoy the film, is Tee Hee’s arm, that’s in the show at some point. But that is featured in the show.
Julian Jones: That’s the actual one. And obviously we got a DB5, but it’s not exactly from the movie. It’s the same one. But Tee Hee’s arm is the actual arm from the movie. … Safin’s mask!
Allen: Safin’s mask is a good one.
Jones: And coat. That’s in there somewhere.
Allen: My favorite one, I think it’s one of the cleverest ones, is in Switzerland. There is a shot of a chess board which is set up in the exact same way … it’s the one from From Russia With Love. … So we set the chess board up to be exactly the same as his winning move, even with the queen down in the same position. So that was a really cool one.
Jones: And we also had Roger Moore’s ski outfit. That’s hanging up somewhere."
The setup that Ben Allen was alluding to was actually from the match where SPECTRE’s head of planning Kronsteen (Vladek Sheybal) closes out a match of tournament play. Beating his opponent handily, we see his prowess in strategy first hand with this memorable moment.
If you want to compare the actual moment to the easter egg referenced in 007: Road to a Million, check out the From Russia with Love scene that inspired it below:
There’s clearly a lot of love that went into making 007: Road to a Million. With Julian Jones and Ben Allen displaying their own fandom in all of the decisions they made, as well as during our time discussing the show, you couldn’t have put the Golden Gun in better hands.
Should there be a second season, you can almost bet that there will be some sort of gag involving that prop’s appearance, or maybe even an entire challenge structured around its iconography. If any other objets d'art catch their eyes, hopefully both men will be extra careful they don't leave something like Rosa Klebb's shoe or the key to the Goldeneye satellites out in the editing process.
If you want to catch the action, if only to make sure that Amazon’s initial announcement wasn’t a huge practical joke, you’re in luck. All episodes of 007: Road to a Million are currently streaming on Prime Video. However, if you’re looking for some classic Bond streaming action, you’ll need to have a Max subscription, as December is bringing several of the installments leaving Prime to that other platform’s library.
