Here we are, in midsummer of an odd-numbered year. For more than a decade, that has meant that it's time for the release of another James Bond film. Not one to disappoint the millions of the fictional British secret agent's fans--nor to neglect his private cinematic gold mine--movie mogul Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli has dished up his 16th Bond movie, Licence to Kill, which should be arriving at your local moviehouse about now. Licence to Kill is a first for Broccoli, in that its title is not taken directly from any of the James Bond stories by the late Ian Fleming. Its screenwriters, Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum, did utilize elements of several Fleming works, including the novella The Hildebrand Rarity, which appeared in Playboy in March 1960. In the scenario they created, Bond--played for the second time by Timothy Dalton--is ousted from the British Secret Service and operates as a free-lance avenger. But for Playboy readers, Licence to Kill is even more notable for another first: It features a Playboy Playmate. Not only does Diana Lee, Miss May 1988, play an undercover narcotics agent from Hong Kong who is trained in the martial arts, she dances in the film's exciting title sequence as well. Licence to Kill is the first movie job for the graceful gatefold girl, who is a professional dancer and a graduate student in dance at the University of Utah. "Playboy's modeling agency in Los Angeles sent me to audition for the film," Diana says, "but I was really surprised when I got the part." The job came with its travel perks: location filming in Mexico and, later, a trip to England for the title shooting. Plus, of course, the chance to work with Dalton, whom she describes as "great. He's really an intense actor, very much into the Bond role. But what I especially enjoyed was doing the stunts. My strong background in movement really helped. Paul Weston, the stunt supervisor--he also doubles for Bond--coached me, and I was able to do all of my own stunts, except for the one in which my character jumps off a building. I'd never studied martial arts, either, but now I'm taking kung-fu lessons." Chuck Norris, look to your laurels. Diana's on a roll.
Note: Space limitations forced the omission of two Bond films made outside the Broccoli series, the spoof Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again (1983), a remake of Thunderball.
