Ian Fleming’s classic novels that originated the James Bond character are being updated to remove outdated and racist language.
According to The Telegraph, all 14 books by Bond’s original author, which debuted with 1953’s Casino Royale and ran through 1966’s Octopussy and The Living Daylights, will be re-released by Ian Fleming Publications in April with adjustments to words and phrases deemed offensive by the company’s appointed “sensitivity readers.” In a statement, the publisher claimed they would “follow Ian’s lead” by first making “changes to Live and Let Die that he himself authorised.”
“Following Ian’s approach, we looked at the instances of several racial terms across the books and removed a number of individual words or else swapped them for terms that are more accepted today but in keeping with the period in which the books were written,” they shared.
Changes to the original text include the elimination of the n-word, which was either replaced with “black person” or “black man” or removed entirely, as well as revisions to unfavorable references to homosexuality and misogynistic language that also became a common trope for the womanizing secret agent character’s movie counterpart.
Additionally, each book in the series will include the disclaimer: “This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace. A number of updates have been made in this edition, while keeping as close as possible to the original text and the period in which it is set.”
The James Bond alternations follows another recent high-profile reissue as it was revealed that Roald Dahl’s children’s books will undergo an extensive 21st century update to remove offensive language.
Meanwhile, Liam Neeson seemed to affirm the character’s controversial reputation by admitting his late wife Natasha Richardson forbid him from taking on the role in the ’90s. “Come on, there’s all those gorgeous girls in various countries getting into bed and getting out of bed,” he explained. “I’m sure a lot of her decision-making was based on that!”