'Bond 22' Shooting In Panama Confirmed

Panama’s El Casco Antiguo (Old Quarters)

As already
assumed, James Bond will
head to Latin America in Daniel Craig’s second outing as Agent 007.

Associated Press reports today, that shooting will begin in the middle
of February in a colonial neighbourhood of the capital of Panama City.

Filming will take place in at least two sites of the so-called Casco Antiguo
(“old quarter”) of the city on the Pacific coast, which has been declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO. According to AP, the seat of the National
Institute of Culture and some private buildings will be used for shooting. The
filming will last about a week and will be conducted mainly in the afternoon and
evening, according to Ariel Espino, director of the Office of the Casco Antiguo.

Espino met with the head of location scouting of EON Productions a month ago.
"We offered full cooperation, helping to manage traffic and isolate the area of
cars and people during the shooting", said Espino, who hopes that the finished
Bond film attracts tourists from around the world to Casco Antiguo. Additional
scenes for Bond 22 will also be shot in the province of Colon, north of the
capital. As reported by CBn
in December, approximately 700 Panamanian extras will be needed for shooting.

It is not yet known whether Panama will be Panama in the finished film or
double for another, possible fictious South American country. To avoid problems
with South American governments, the fictious country of "Isthmus" was created
for 1989’s License To Kill. In 2002, after the release of Die Another Day,
people from both Koreas demonstrated against the 20th James Bond film, as people
felt that North Korea was portrayed as being an evil country. Furhermore, it was
reported that Panama will
double for a South American country back in September. In other words, there is
a relative high possibility that Panama will not portray Panama.

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news and details on Bond 22.

Olga Kurylenko Is 'Bond 22's' Female Lead

Olga Kurylenko

According to trade paper

Variety, Ukranian actress Olga Kurylenko has been cast as the female
lead girl in the newest James Bond film, the still untitled Bond 22. According to the official press release, Kurylenko will be playing the role of Camille, who ‘challenges Bond and helps him come to terms with the emotional consequences of Vesper’s betrayal.’

Kurylenko, born in 1979 in Berdyansk, former USSR, recently co-starred in Hitman
and with Elijah Wood in a segment for Paris, je t’aime. She began her film
career in France in 2005. She received the certificate of excellence award at
the 2006 Brooklyn International Film Festival for her performance in L’Annulaire.

So far, it has been reported that Eon Productions was looking for a
Latino-style Bond girl. It is not known whether these plans were rejected or whether Kurylenko is going to play a South American character.

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news and details on Bond 22.

Forster Confirms Amalric And Taubman

Bond 22 director Marc Forster

In an elaborate interview with Swiss newspaper

Sonntagszeitung, Bond 22 director Marc Forster has revealed some tidbits
about the upcoming Bond 22. While the first part of the interview mainly
focusses on Forster’s latest project The Kite Runner, the second part is
all about Bond.

Most importantly, Forster confirmed that French Mathieu Amalric and Swiss
Anatole Taubman are signed for the roles of the two major villains of the film.
Asked whether Switerzland was a shooting location, Forster said, "For a long
time, there were two, three locations we could not decide on. But finally, the
script developed into a direction where Switzerland would not fit, so it was not
an option anymore. Still, I managed to cast Anatole Taubman as the second major villain".

Forster also commented on the question, if the casting of Taubman had anything
to with his nationality, as both Forster and Taubman grew up in Switzerland.
Forster: "Not at all. Anatole was really really good in the audition. I hadn’t
even heard of him before."

Forster also said that he would have loved to have Bruno Ganz portray the
main villain. Ganz is a Swiss actor, best known for his role as Adolf Hitler in
the highly praised German film The Downfall (2004) about the last days of Hitler
in his Berlin bunker. "Still, Bruno Ganz could only have been the main villain.
But we already signed Mathieu Amalric for this role".

Asked about his first impressions on working on a Bond film, Forster said
that "the producers have supported me in nearly everything I wanted to do so far.
Some of my ideas were, however, too expensive. It’s not true that James Bond
films have an unlimited budget." Forster also repeated his remarks from a recent
New York Times interview. “When
James Bond started in the 1960s, travelling was something really exotic. The
world has become smaller. When Bond travels to a beach full of palm trees nowadays, it
nearly looks banal. In a way, the most interesting remaining journey for Bond is
the journey into his mind. We go deeper into Bond himself.” – So will Bond have
a split personality? – Forster: "There will be some elements of this, yes."

Start of principal shooting is, according to Forster, January 3, 2008.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date James Bond news on the web.

Shooting At Barbican Venue Next Week

Barbican Venue

The Times reports today that scenes for Bond 22 will be shot at the Barbican,
Europe’s largest multi-arts and conference venue presenting a diverse range of
art, music, theatre, dance and education events, located near London Wall.

At the Barbican, a sign has gone up giving warning that next week it will be
the venue for the filming of a scene from Bond 22. The sign also says that a
scene will be filmed containing a man talking on a mobile phone. Filming will
take place in the so-called Sculpture Court. Daniel Craig will not attend
filming there.

No exact date is given, but Bond 22 is said to start shooting on January 04th, 2008.

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page. We’ll keep you updated with all the latest news and details on Bond 22!

Villain #3? – Joaquin Cosio Reportedly Cast

Joaquin Cosio

It seems as if James Bond will be facing more than one enemy in Bond 22. After the
confirmed castings of French Mathieu Amalric and Swiss Anatole Taubman, Mexican
actor Jaquin Cosio claims to have landed the role of a Latin American General
called "General Medrano". Mexican newspaper

El Diario runs a big story on the casting in today’s issue.

"There are various enemies, and I’m one of them. I’m General Medrano, Bond’s
enemy in Latin America, but there are other enemies waiting in Europe for Bond",
he told El Diario while phoning from Mexico City. According to the actor,
he was chosen from a list of about 500 Latin American actors, among them stars
such as Daniel Jimenez Cach (Y tu Mama Tambien).

"I’m really pleased to be chosen to participate in such a huge film, it’s a
great achievement that the film will feature a Mexican actor" the 45-year old told the
newspaper. Shooting will start for him in early February 2008. "I still don’t know
much of the script, I don’t really know what my scenes will be like, but I know
that I’m going to film in Panama, Bolivia and London", the actor said. Related
to this, CBn has just learned that Anatole Taubman is also scheduled for a
Bolivia shoot, which makes Bolivia the fifth official location for Bond 22. Other
locations include Italy, Austria, Panama and England.

Cosio also confirmed what has been rumoured long before: Italian actor
Giancarlo Giannini will reprise his role as Rene Mathis from Casino Royale. "I’m
very delighted to be in one film with Giannini and Judi Dench", the Mexican said.
Still, "so far I’m not thinking about leaving for Hollywood after Bond 22. I’m
very pleased with how my latest projects are going here in Mexcio."

Stay tuned for all the latest Bond 22 news on CommanderBond.net!

Anatole Taubman Speaks Out On His Role

Bond 22 villain Anatole Taubman

Anatole Taubman, who scored a villain role in Bond 22
earlier this week, has given different German-speaking media hints and tid-bits about his engagement in
Bond 22.

"I’m playing – besides Mathieu Amalric – the second big villain of
James Bond in the film. It’s not the henchman kind of thing, it’s a really big
role. I’m not allowed to tell you more", Taubman stated in an interview with

persoenlich.com and added that he had to sign a "Non Disclosure Agreement".
"Everyone who is signed on Bond has to accept it. Every detail is protected."
Asked, whether he had already seen the script, Taubman said: "I alreay received
a copy, but I treat it like a treasure. I even don’t take it with me when I need
to go abroad."

Taubman also spoke out on director Marc Forster and their Swiss connection (interestingly
enough, Marc Forster doesn’t even have a Swiss passport – actually, he’s a
German who grew up in Switzerland, but he is always refered to as a "Swiss"). "I
don’t think that I got the role because I’m Swiss. The only difference to other
auditions was that the director welcomed me in Swiss German language." Taubman
thinks highly of Forster: "The job is quite a challenge for Marc, but otherwise
he wouldn’t have accepted the offer at all. Because of Daniel Craig, the James
Bond character has been re-invented in the last film. So this makes a further
development of the character possible. And because of Marc Forster, the 22nd
Bond film will become a great one! His films are coined by sensibility and
character depth."

In another interview with Swiss newspaper
Blick,
Forster precised that his film’s character is French. "My wife and my children
are the most important things in my life. They are my foundation. Although the
Bond film role is a golden ticket, the working part is yet to come. And
it is much work – at last, I want to go down as a bad Frenchman into Bond history!"

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for all the latest coverage and details on Daniel Craig’s upcoming 007 film!

Gemma Arterton Cast As Bond Girl?

Gemma Arterton

According to corresponding article’s in today’s

Sun,
Guardian and

Daily Mail, 22 year old British actress Gemma Arterton has won the audition
for a Bond girl role in Bond 22. Still, there remain big doubts about the
validity of these articles.

Little known Arterton beat out 1,500 other women to win the part, according
to the papers. The reports claim an insider at Eon Productions said of
Arterton: "Gemma has the modern look and fits perfectly with the new vulnerable
image of Bond." According to the "Daily Mail", Gemma learned of her success only
this week and has been sworn to secrecy until the complete cast is revealed
later this month. "The Sun" claims that Gemma sent her mother Sally a text
saying: "I got Bond!" Interestingly enough, Mother Craig also broke the news of
her son being cast as James Bond.

What makes the story doubtful is the fact that the last information Bond fans got
was that producers are looking for a South American Bond girl and that auditions
had taken place in Brazil and Panama. There is also the possibility that Arteron
has landed a minor role in Bond 22 and tabloids are vaporizing up the story.
Bond fans will know by the end of the month.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest coverage as the Bond girl casting heats up.

More Location Scouting Taking Place In Austria

Feldkirch

In July, CBn reported that the Floating Stage in Bregenz in Austria was under consideration as a location for Bond 22. A spokesperson for the Bregenz Festival back then confirmed a report by Austrian ORF Radio Vorarlberg, that “people from Pinewood Studios in London” have visited the location by end of June. In September, further locations in and around Bregenz were visited, namely the Kunsthaus and surrounding villages.

Today, regional newspaper Vorarlberger Nachrichten reports that a team of location scouts has also visited the relatively small town of Feldkirch. Feldkirch is a medieval city in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg, bordering Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Yesterday evening, the scouting team arrived at airport Friedrichshafen in Germany and went immediately to the ancient city centre of Feldkirch. There, they did not care that the traditional Christmas market was built up when they got there, instead, they were very interested in the historic brick work and the remarkable alcoves.

Today, the location scouts met with the persons in charge of the town of Bregenz. According to ‘Vorarlberger Nachrichten’, no contracts regarding the use of the Floating Stage have been signed so far, but Gerhard Stuebe, executive director of the ‘Bregenzer Seespiele’, the company that produces the opera on the Bregenz Floating Stage, is optimistic about signing contracts as soon as possible. He indicated that they were already negotiating dates, because an extra performance of the current opera "Tosca" would have to take place sometime in spring. Normally, the operas are only performed during summer, but for the Bond people only a filming date in spring is possible.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest Bond 22 coverage.

Lago Di Garda To Feature In 'Bond 22'?

The German speaking magazine Gardasee-Zeitung today reports that the Lago die Garda, a throughout Europe famous mountain lake in Italy, could possibly serve as a location for the next James Bond film.

Grand Hotel Fasano

According to the magazine, the opening sequence of Bond 22 will be shot “with the utmost probability” on the eastern shore of the lake. Quoting one of their sources, the magazine claims that parts of the sequence will be filmed in the Locanda Punta San Vigilio, which is the villa of the Italian noodle manufacturer Giovanni Rana. The villa contains a helicopter landing place and a direct stairway to the lake.

Scenes for the film are also to be shot in the Grand Hotel Fasano in Gardone.

Locanda Punta San Vigilio

Lago di Garda is the largest lake in Italy and is located in the north of the country. The lake and its shoreline are divided between the provinces of Verona (to the south-east), Brescia (south-west), and Trentino region (north). The lake is a major tourist destination, with a number of hotels and resorts along its shore.

What seems mostly interesting about this news item is the fact that writer Paul Haggis has stated on several occasions that Bond 22 will begin “two minutes after where Casino Royale ended”. We all know, how, and mostly interesting, where this happened – in a mediterranean-style villa near a lake.

CommanderBond.net will keep you updated with all the latest news and details on Bond 22.

'Bond 22' Set In The Alps?

In an interview with Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick, Bond 22 director Marc Forster has revealed that he plans to use the Swiss Alps as a location for the upcoming Bond film.

“There can’t be any better place than the alps”, Forster said. “No matter if you plan to do romantic scenes or hard action, the alps will be the perfect background for a Bond movie.” Anyhow, definite decisions are yet to be made. The Swiss alps have already served as a location for 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

While Forster has already talked to Daniel Craig about the film, no decisions concerning the Bond girls have been made. “To cast the girls for a Bond movie gives pleasure”, the director said.

Forster also revealed that he was surprised when he got the offer to direct a Bond film. He asked himself if the producers hadn’t called the wrong number, but he understood their motives after their first talk about the film: “They certainly did not want to hire an ‘action director'”, he said. “They pretty much knew what they wanted: a young and unconsumed ‘drama director’ with his own visions.”

CBn will keep you updated with all the latest news, rumours and details regarding Bond 22.