Bond Bound for Bahamas
Last month CBn reported that the Casino Royale production team were having trouble securing shooting locations in South Africa and the production may be forced to abandon the country and move elsewhere.
It now appears the Casino team has found their new location: The Bahamas.
Map of The Bahamas
Director Martin Campbell and Director of Photography Phil Meheux are currently on Paradise Island scouting locations for the 21st James Bond film, which is set to start production in January. However, it’s still not known whether The Bahamas will act as a stand-in for South Africa or will play itself in the film. The Casino Royale screenplay is currently being rewritten by Paul Haggis.
The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is an archipelago of 700 islands and cays surrounded by coral reefs and extensive sand flats extending from about 50 miles east of Florida and 50 miles northeast of Cuba. There are more than twenty inhabited islands with the main population centre being at the capital, Nassau.
The Bahamas are hardly a new location for 007. James Bond first visited the islands in 1965’s THUNDERBALL. He returned again in 1989’s Licence To Kill (although in that case Bimini and “Cray Key” were doubled by locations in and around Key West, Florida). Eon has also used The Bahamas to film key underwater sequence for several Bond films, including The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and For Your Eyes Only (1981). The “unofficial” James Bond film, Never Say Never Again (1983), was also shot and set extensively in The Bahamas.
The Bahamas have another interesting Bond connection. Former James Bond Sean Connery keeps a home there where he recently recorded his voice track for EA’s upcoming 007 videogame, From Russia With Love.
In other Casino Royale news, CBn sources could not confirm fresh rumours that Pierce Brosnan is once again being considered for the role of James Bond, although casting the new 007 is clearly becoming a struggle for the Casino Royale team. Said one of the principle decision makers, “It’s damn near impossible.”
Keep watching CBn for all the latest news on Casino Royale.