"Skyfall" just saw the highest opening weekend of any James Bond film earning a huge $87.8 million at the U.S. box office.
However, how much do you know about the secret agent of MI6?
Sure, you may know this isn't REALLY the 23rd film in the franchise, and that Bond's been around for more than 50 years–59 to be exact, but we bet you didn't know Bond was almost a woman on screen.
We read through LIFE's "50 Years of James Bond" to uncover some of the spy's dirty laundry.
The 176-page book details many great tidbits from 007's cars to gadgets, and shares behind-the-scenes photos of creator Ian Fleming and the many Bond men and women.
Here are a few items you may not know about 007.
"Skyfall" isn't technically the 23rd Bond film.
There are 25 James Bond movies in all.
There were two non-Eon production films–the 1967 parody film "Casino Royale" and Sean Connery's "Never Say Never Again" in 1983.
Bond's first appearance was not in the 1962 film, "Dr. No."
Before his theatrical debut, 007 made his entrance in a television episode of Climax Mystery Theater on October 21, 1954.
CBS paid Fleming $1,000 to show the hour-long adaptation of his novel Casino Royale.
James Bond was nearly Jane Bond.
Producer-director Gregory Ratoff and screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr. found the male James Bond to be unbelievable for the film adaptation of Fleming's "Casino Royale."
Ratoff nearly wanted Susan Hayward to play the role of Jane Bond.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider