Skyfall Bond 23

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Bond will be ‘Funny as hell’ in Skyfall says Craig [2nd May 2012 00:00:00]

Forty nine years to the day after Sean Connery filmed From Russia With Love in Istanbul, the Skyfall crew have returned to the exotic Turkish city to film the opening scenes of Bond's 23rd outing.

Total Film flew out to catch the action and quiz the notoriously secretive team about 007's latest mission.

"What Fleming created was a very conflicted character," director Sam Mendes said of the dramatic arc of Bond's character in Skyfall.

"Some of those things are explored in this movie, because Daniel as an actor is capable of exploring them."

Mendes and Craig revealed to the gathered press that they emailed each other for months before the project got underway – playing with new angles for the character to go in his 50th anniversary year.

"We couldn't shut up," Craig recalled. "It was a chance for us to re-read Ian Fleming, and we started emailing each other, 'What about this and what about this?', and that's how it snowballed."

Though the duo weren't giving away any plot points during their chat at the Ciragan Palace on the banks of the Bosphorus, they insisted that after the dourness of Quantum Of Solace, Skyfall would put a spring back in Bond's step.

007 will have a 'rich' romantic life and will be bringing the funny back. "He's as funny as hell in this movie," Craig assured. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Skyfall will be the first IMAX Bond film [23rd February 2012 00:00:00]

Skyfall will become the first Bond film ever to be converted to IMAX format, according to a new press release from Sony and MGM.

The film will be released in IMAX cinemas worldwide, although it has not been shot using IMAX cameras, so we won't be treated to any of those Nolan-esque scenes in which the screen appears to expand.

"Skyfall will be the cool, must-see event release of the fall, and releasing the film in IMAX only reinforces that," said Sony bigwig Rory Bruer in the official press release.

"It is an honour and a privilege to be a part of this legendary franchise, whose iconic characters and electrifying action will only be amplified in the IMAX format," said IMAX President Greg Foster.

"We are excited to rejoin forces with our friends at Sony Pictures Entertainment and MGM and so pleased to work with Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, and Sam Mendes to bring their vision to IMAX and Bond fans around the world." Source: www.totalfilm.com

Ben Whishaw cast as Q in Bond film Skyfall [25th November 2011 00:00:00]

Skyfall, the latest instalment of the James Bond franchise, has cast Ben Whishaw as MI6 gadget master Q, according to various reports hitting the web today.

It will be the character's first appearance in the franchise since 2002's Die Another Day, where he was played by John Cleese.

Prior to that, Q was played by Desmond Llewelyn, who owned the role for an impressive 36 years.

Q is the character who supplies Bond with all of his nifty hi-tech gadgets and espionage equipment in the movies.

Traditionally, the actor playing Q has been older than James Bond, but that's set to change here (Whishaw's 31, Craig's 43).

Craig is appearing as 007 for the third time in Skyfall.

Ben Whishaw has already acted opposite Craig, in 2004 ganster Brit-flick Layer Cake.

And, not that we're saying we told you so or anything, but we did have our money on Whishaw playing Q:

Skyfall opens on 26 October 2012. Source: www.totalfilm.com

More casting for Skyfall [11th November 2011 12:17:25]

With production underway on new Bond film Skyfall, a bit of casting news has been announced through the film's official Twitter feed, with Helen McRory and Ola Rapace joining the impressive ensemble.

McRory is probably best recognised for her work on the Harry Potter films where she played Draco Malfoy's mother, Narcissa. She'll soon be known for another fantasy epic in due course, when she appears in Martin Scorsese's Hugo.

Rapace on the other hand, is a bit of an unknown, at least to the US market. He's worked primarily in his native Sweden, although he was married (they're now divorced) to crossover star Noomi Rapace.

The pair will appear alongside a raft of big names, including Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Bérénice Marlohe, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Ben Whishaw. Quite the lineup, we think you'll agree.

And just in case you've been living under a rock these last few weeks, here's the official synopsis for the new film: "In Skyfall, Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost." Source: www.totalfilm.com

Albert Finney joins Bond 23 [29th October 2011 06:34:50]

Just when we were all thinking that there was no way the Bond 23 (or should we say Skyfall?) cast could get any classier, Sam Mendes has gone and added Albert Finney to the line-up.

According to the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye (who has pretty good form with these Bond rumours), Finney recently joined the cast for a script reading at Pinewood Studios.

The English actor is said to be playing the sizeable role of "a Foreign Office mandarin with powers over the Secret Intelligence Service."

It won't be the first time Finney has crossed paths with a superspy, having appeared in The Bourne Ultimatum as key Treadstone figure Dr Albert Hirsch.

He joins what's possibly the best ever Bond cast, with Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw and Helen McCrory all signed on, and Daniel Craig returning as 007 for the third time.

With a set of thesps like that, it's no surprise Mendes is thought to be toning down the action in favour acting for his instalment.

Bond 23/Skyfall/Whatever? will open on 26 October 2012, which is less than one year away! Source: www.totalfilm.com

Bond 23 axes the action, targets an Oscar [25th October 2011 10:36:28]

Is that little bald statue stroking a white cat? It wouldn't be a surprise if it was, given the news that Bond's next big challenge is to take down an Oscar.

Bond, James Bond has pulled off some tricks in his career but if the rumours are true that director Sam Mendes plans to ditch action scenes in favour of "characterful performances", then this could be the hardest job 007 has ever had to tackle.

Daniel Craig has previously said he'd like to bring more "emotional depth" to the role and he probably wasn't expecting that to happen in a film called Skyfall (if that really is Bond 23's title).

Stranger things have happened...

"There are growing rumours Sam Mendes is cutting out the action scenes and making it Oscar-friendly," an unnamed source told The Express.

The same report claims that "action scenes in India have all been axed" though scenes in Istanbul and Duntrune Castle in Argyll "are still there for the moment". "This could be a disaster in terms of sales at box office. Given that this 007 needs to make at least £300million to break even, it may be a very high price to pay for an Oscar nomination," the source said.

If any Bond film is going to have a shot at Oscar glory, it's one directed by Mendes and starring Craig, Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes.

Forget Skyfall. Mendes' film could turn out to be The Man With The Golden Gong. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Bond 23 to be called Skyfall? [5th October 2011 18:37:23]

James Bond will return in Skyfall...

Really? Well, that's the buzz since brand protection agents working for Sony Pictures started buying up any virtual real estate that ties in with that title.

Everything from jamesbond-skyfall. com to skyfall-themovie. net has been registered recently to stop people trading on that name.

The first purchase came in mid-August, when SonyPictures. com domain name services bought Sky-FallMovie. com and other web addresses with the word Skyfall in them. Online speculation suggests that ties in with the point MGM and Sony may have finalised a name, with Daniel Craig only confirming a title exists in the past month.

What seems out of place from the recent run of movies is any connection to Ian Fleming's novels or other references to the author's life.

However, until EON, MGM or Sony announces the official title (or Craig lets it slip), this is the closest proof we have of Bond 23's moniker. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Is Berenice Marlohe a Bond 23 girl? [30th September 2011 06:34:06]

It's a hard life being Daniel Craig. To paraphrase the quote about James Bond: men want to be you, women want to lick you.

Then every few years you're asked to smooch up to the world's finest female stars. Where do we sign up for this again?

Now that Bond 23 is back up and running it's time for the casting directors to sift through a list of stunning actresses like a bloke in a white van flicking through Nuts magazine.

The latest bright young thing to be tested by Bond's charms will (if the rumours are true) be Berenice Marlohe, a young French TV actress who has started to find her way into films. Watch out Bond, this one could give you a damn good licking. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Bond 23 takes passage to India [31st August 2011 07:11:48]

Bond 23 will continue the film franchise's love affair with location shoots by heading to Delhi in India.

Shooting at Sarojini Nagar Market, Daryaganj street and Ansari Road in the capital has been approved by the country's information and broadcasting ministry.

The shoot was signed off under the working title Bond 23, so still no sign of an official film name yet.

While even less has been released about the plot than about the name at this point, we can tell you that Daniel Craig and Judi Dench return, with Ralph Fiennes, Naomi Harris and Javier Bardem also on board.

Bond previously stopped off in India to raise an eyebrow during the Roger Moore film Octopussy.

The Dark Knight Rises also recently filmed in the country, shooting in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Rhys Ifans lands an unspecified role in Bond 23 [18th July 2011 09:58:49]

Rhys Ifans will be joining Daniel Craig in the next big screen outing for James Bond.

Though the specific details of Bond 23 are remaining characteristically hush-hush, The Telegraph confirms that Ifans has joined the film's ever-expanding cast.

Ifans recently wrapped The Amazing Spider-Man (above), in which he played the villainous Lizard - but it's not thought that he'll be brooding away as another villain in Bond 23.

That's mostly because Javier Bardem has already been recruited as the film's central baddie.

Ralph Fiennes is also onboard for Craig's third round in the tux, reportedly playing a "complex" character. Meanwhile, Judi Dench is returning as M, and Naomie Harris will play Miss Moneypenny.

Despite wallowing in pre-production misery thanks to MGM's financial problems, Bond 23 is definitely bouncing back with a vengeance - we can't wait to see that formidable cast in action.

Bond 23 is being directed by Sam Mendes, and opens 9 November 2012. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Naomie Harris to play Moneypenny in Bond 23? [9th July 2011 08:57:21]

We've known for some time that Naomie Harris has been in talks to play a Bond girl in the the next 007 movie.

Now, according to a report by the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye, we hear she's set to play M's secretary (and James Bond's flirt-object) Moneypenny.

The iconic character has been played by five actresses since Dr No in 1962, if you include appearances in unofficial Bond movies Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again.

Lois Maxwell played the character across 14 movies, before Caroline Bliss took over for the Timothy Dalton films. Samantha Bond was the Brosnan-era Moneypenny

The character hasn't appeared in the Bond movies during Craig's tenure, but that looks set to change.

Harris would be a smart choice for Moneypenny, with the kind of understated good looks and quiet intelligence that should provide more than a match for the swaggering secret agent.

Bamigboye also confirms that Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes, who have both been rumoured to be attached, are locked in.

Surely it can't be too long before we get some official casting announcements (and a proper title) for this one.

If these reports are accurate, then this Sam Mendes-directed instalment is shaping up to be one of the classiest blockbusters in production, and should easily make audiences forget the messy Quantum Of Solace.

Bond 23 will open on 26 October 2012. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Naomie Harris confirms she’s auditioned for Bond 23 [20th June 2011 23:39:20]

British 28 Days Later and Pirates Of The Caribbean actress Naomie Harris has confirmed that she's auditioned for a role in Bond 23.

Amid rumours that she had been cast as the franchise's latest Bond girl, the actress revealed she's auditioned, but she's not landed a role? yet

"Nothing is confirmed as yet," the actress tells Digital Spy. "It's amazing to me that everyone's running with it, 'You're the next Bond girl!'

"For starters I don't even know what role I'd be playing because you don't get given the script when you audition for Bond. You get given a scene from a previous Bond movie."

Harris goes on to add that she's as clueless as everybody else about if she'll even be a part of the new film.

"I don't know whether it would be a Bond girl, no offers or anything have come out," she says. "I'd love to be part of Bond, I'm not going to deny that, but I don't know what's going to happen."

Bond 23 opens 26 October 2012. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Javier Bardem offered a lead role in Bond 23 [31st January 2011 00:42:47]

Could Javier Bardem's year get any better? We may all be suffering the influenza-infected January blues, but he's having a bang up 2011 so far.

The actor's Oscar nomination for his role in drama Biutiful seems to have been a slap in the face for studio execs across Hollywood.

Not only has he been offered the lead role in Ron Howard's epic The Dark Tower franchise, he's also just been presented with a starring role in the new Bond film.

Though plot details are yet to be unveiled, there's a good chance the actor is wanted for the lead villain. We'll have to wait until more about the film is released to find out if that tantalising prospect becomes a reality.

Until then, the only two cast members thus signed on for the film are Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, who will be directed by Sam Mendes.

Previously, Bardem was also offered the villain role in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. He eventually turned that one down ? can he resist Bond? Source: www.totalfilm.com

Bond 23 could already be back on track [3rd December 2010 11:39:24]

James Bond could soon be back at a bar with a Martini, according to long-time Bond movie composer David Arnold. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Bond 23 should arrive in November 2012 [5th November 2010 11:01:23]

James Bond may finally break free of MGM's cellar after the studio's ongoing financial woes saw his next movie outing shoved where the sun don't shine. Now that MGM have officially filed for bankruptcy, they're free to start planning what they're going to do with Bond 23 - and what they want is a new movie in cinemas by November 2012. Which gives them two years to resurrect the series, and ensure the next Bond film makes enough money to put dinner on their table for a very long time to come. How are they going to do it? The Financial Times has all the ins and outs of the money side, but essentially MGM will own the rights of Bond 23 while another studio will fund the budget. Then, from Bond 24 onwards the series will be "wholly owned and funded" by MGM. So will Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes come back now that MGM are seeing rainbows again? Source: www.totalfilm.com