'Quantum of Solace' Closing Theme: 'Crawl, End Crawl'

Fans that stuck around to catch the ‘James Bond Will Return’ line during the end credits of Quantum of Solace likely came across a new end title theme for the film.

Playing directly after composer David Arnold’s James Bond theme is ‘Crawl, end crawl’ by Four Tet, also known as electronic musician Kieran Hebden.

Credited to both Arnold and Four Tet, Hebden says the theme is ‘kind of remix of stuff from the score of the film’ on his official website.

‘Crawl, end crawl’ was not included on the official Quantum of Solace soundtrack released by J Records at the end of October, leading many 007 fans to wonder whether or not this end title theme will become commercially available.

Hebden’s response:

I’m getting a lot of emails asking if there is going to be a release for the track “Crawl, end crawl” that I made for the end credits of the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. I’m afraid that I at the moment I don’t know if or when it will be released. The music from the film is owned by Sony so it’s up to them and not me what happens with the track now.

It’s not included on the soundtrack album because I was asked to do the track at a very late stage of the project and the soundtrack album had already gone into production. Anyway, hopefully they will release it at some point in the future.

Thanks for all the messages I’ve had from people saying they like the music.

A source also told the CommanderBond.net Podcast recently that the theme should be made available on iTunes by Sony at some stage in the near future. CommanderBond.net will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Have you seen Quantum of Solace in theatres yet? Post your review and join in the discussion in the Member Reviews section on the CBn Forums.

'Quantum of Solace' Expected To Become Biggest Bond Ever

Industry experts are predicting that the 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace will surpass the US domestic and international box office records set by Casino Royale to become the biggest Bond film ever.

This news will likely come as little surprise now considering that Craig’s second 007 film has shattered records in basically every single market it has opened in.

Thanks to an extremely strong US debut this weekend totaling $70.4 million plus an additional $56.1 million from around the world, the grand total for Quantum of Solace stands currently at $322 million.

In comparison, Casino Royale was the biggest box office hit for 007 at the time of its release two years ago, playing in theatres for 25 weeks. It’s cumulative US total was $167.5 million with an international gross of $426.7 million (grand total of $594.2 million).

Quantum of Solace continues to surpass not just records, but expectations as well. It’s opening day and weekend grosses in the UK and US well eclipsed what Royale did two years ago.

In the Bond film’s first weekend of major international expansion, Quantum also managed to perform better than Royale in every single one of the 58 markets it opened in (and all of those put the film at the #1 spot, with the exception of Turkey).

As of today, Quantum has grossed more in 13 countries (France, China, Korea, Russia, Bolivia, Bulgaria and others) in two to three weeks of release than what Royale did in its entire run.

‘I think Daniel Craig works in a big way,’ Sony prexy of domestic distribution Rory Bruer said. ‘There’s no doubt about it, Solace hit it out of the park.’

Quantum of Solace will continue to expand internationally this upcoming week, with openings taking place in Australia, Spain, South Africa and Peru.

Keep your browsers pointed to CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date and complete Quantum of Solace coverage. Check out our continually updated box office report for all the latest news at how 007 is doing around the world.

Have you seen Quantum of Solace in theatres yet? Post your review and join in the discussion in the Member Reviews section on the CBn Forums.

Creating A Colourful Bond Henchman: Anatole Taubman On Elvis

CREATING A COLOURFUL BOND HENCHMAN
Anatole Taubman On Elvis

Elvis is Dominic Greene’s henchman and Anatole Taubman has worked hard to develop the character to set him apart from the Bond henchmen of the past. “I love it on this picture, you have a certain format and you have it written in the script but Marc is very open so you can develop the character from there. He has a vision and the artists are invited to help round that vision, we all have creative input. I want to make Elvis as colorful, as edgy and as interesting as possible. I suggested a wig with a monk cut and Marc agreed so you have the head of Elvis, then the costume department adds another layer, then you meet the makeup department and another layer goes on and you go back and forth developing this character. It is a work in progress and on the first day of filming, Elvis is created.”

On the character of Elvis, “Elvis is Dominic Greene’s better or worse half, depending on the situation. The problem with Elvis is that he comes from a rough background, he has always had to struggle for everything materialistically. Greene, a wealthy influential man, took him under his wing and suddenly Elvis wore all these great clothes. He is a big fashionista, he loves clothes but there is always something wrong with the look, something odd and strange–and that is a reflection of his character. Elvis is the most loyal warrior that any boss could wish for but he is not very bright, a bit of a dumbo and a bit clumsy.”

Anatole shares several scenes with Daniel Craig and he has great respect for him as an actor. “I think it was a genius decision by the Bond people to cast a well known character actor like Daniel Craig to be the new James Bond. Daniel has to be very disciplined not only on screen but in his time off. He is very professional and, considering the pressure he must be under, he remains modest and accessible. I have a huge respect for him.”

Taubman has watched Mathieu Amalric’s portrayal of Greene with interest, “Mathieu does a great job because a villain is very interesting when you are trying to reinvent him in every scene so he is not predictable. He is this timid, shy, highly complex psycho case who can barely look at his adversaries. Greene deals with big business, with governments, the CIA, MI6 and plays them off against each other, Mathieu is playing that very timid. Then in the end he becomes a pitbull, an animal who is just manic and crazy like a child that just looses it and wants to extinguish the life of Bond. Suddenly out of this timid person, this mad, explosive crazy energy comes–it’s a fantastic approach.”

Mathieu Amalric

The filming crew travelled extensively during the six month shoot, Taubman enthused, ‘For me it’s the juice of life, I love travelling, seeing new places, meeting people and engaging in new cultures so it has been a part of my life for many years. Panama was amazing, everything is possible. You go one and a half hours to Colón and it is a whole different world, its run down, its dirty, it’s very poor so it is a very diverse country but a very interesting country. Our filming there brings employment and awareness to the country. They are very proud a brand like Bond gives them attention, I’ve talked to lots of locals and the feedback has been very positive.”

When asked what the highlight has been for him during filming on Quantum of Solace, Taubman replies without hesitation, “Meeting Mathieu [Amalric]. He is a true enlightenment, a true inspiration, he is so well read, he knows about photography, about literature. I feel like I’m getting a crash course in French cultural and political history. It’s a real treat to have found a new friend. We are the odd couple in the film and we are the odd couple off screen also.”

Keep turning to CommmanderBond.net for the most complete and up-to-date Quantum of Solace news and information on the web.

James Bond Finds Solace At International Box Office For Third Straight Weekend

James Bond took the top spot at the international box office for the third consecutive weekend.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Daniel Craig’s Quantum of Solace grossed $56.1 million from 10,460 screens in 67 markets.

In addition to the record-breaking US performance, the 22nd James Bond film also did extremely well in two other new markets, Mexico and Hungary. Surpassing records for the series in both markets, Quantum of Solace grossed $2.4 million from 505 screens in the former and $430,000 from 34 sites (equalling a strong per-screen average of $12,647) in the latter.

Despite a 50% drop-off, Quantum of Solace opened or remained in the number one spot in 61 of the 67 markets it played in. To date, the foreign gross stands at $251.6 million. Combined with the opening US weekend of $70.4 million, Quantum‘s worldwide total stands at $322 million.

‘With Casino Royale, people were rediscovering the franchise in a way with Daniel Craig as James Bond,’ said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. ‘Quite frankly, they loved it. They loved the movie, and they loved him in the role, so I think by the time Quantum of Solace was ready, audiences in the U.S. as well as the world audience was way ready.’

Once again, the UK was the biggest holdover market for Bond, with the film taking in $8.6 million (a 41% drop from the previous weekend) from 1,218 screens in its third weekend. The cumulative total stands at $64.1 million. Following closely behind was Germany with a $8.3 million take (down 37%) from 1,120 sites for a cumulative total of $26.4 million.

Despite a much weaker US dollar two years ago when Casino Royale opened, Craig’s second Bond film has already managed to surpass Royale‘s market totals in France, China, Korea, Russia, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Indonesia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Poland, Romania and Ukraine.

Quantum of Solace will continue to expand internationally this upcoming week, with openings taking place in Australia, Spain, South Africa and Peru.

Keep your browsers pointed to CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date and complete Quantum of Solace coverage. Check out our continually updated box office report for all the latest news at how 007 is doing around the world.

Have you seen Quantum of Solace in theatres yet? Post your review and join in the discussion in the Member Reviews section on the CBn Forums.

'Quantum of Solace' Sets Bond Box Office Record With $70.4 Million Debut

Quantum of Solace has proven for the third straight week in a row that James Bond is truly a force to be reckoned with.

The 22nd Bond film with Daniel Craig made its United States debut and managed to shatter both records and expectations–grossing an astonishing $70.4 million over the weekend.

That opening total easily makes Quantum of Solace the number one film in the 007 series, rocketing past the previous $47.1 million record held by Die Another Day.

In fact, inflation unadjusted, Quantum of Solace did almost double the box office business that Casino Royale did two years ago during its opening weekend in the US ($40.8 million). It also just beat out Jason Bourne’s US debut of $69.2 million in last year’s The Bourne Ultimatum.

Furthermore, MSN points out that the film drew a bigger audience than the 2002 Bond entry. Based on 2002 admission prices, roughly 8.1 million tickets were sold for Die Another Day in the first weekend, compared to 9.8 million for Quantum of Solace.

Industry expectations had pegged a US debut between $50-60 million for the Bond film. It’s magnificent opening day haul of $27 million was a sign that 007 was aiming higher at the box office.

While reviews for the film have ranged from excellent to ‘good, but not as good as Casino Royale‘ to downright awful, there’s no denying the audience attraction of seeing Craig back again in the Bond role.

‘Audiences have embraced him, and domestic audiences were champing at the bit for the film,’ Sony distribution president Rory Bruer said. ‘It’s certainly gratifying, to say the least.’

The US opening weekend audience for Quantum comprised of 54% males, with 58% of patrons age 25 and older.

The closest competitor to Quantum of Solace in the US was Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, which took in $36.1 million in its second weekend.

Keep on your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page and a upcoming international box office report.

Have you seen Quantum of Solace in theatres yet? Post your review and join in the discussion in the Member Reviews section on the CBn Forums.

Daniel Craig's Quantum of Solace

DANIEL CRAIG’S QUANTUM OF SOLACE
Making a ‘really special’ 007 film

Daniel Craig returns to the role of James Bond 007 after the smash hit success of Casino Royale which saw his debut in the role in 2006. “It’s like I’ve never been away, I was involved for a little longer this time and was working on Quantum of Solace for about three months before we started shooting. A Bond film is a big piece of machinery, to get it going takes a lot of momentum and a lot of pushing. We kicked off straight away after Christmas and everything started falling into place.”

Following the record breaking success of Casino Royale, Craig is not under estimating the task ahead. “I don’t feel it is easier on this one, it feels harder. We have got expectation on us now which can be double edged, we have got to make this one better. People always talked about the fact that Casino Royale was a departure for Bond and this has to be a departure again. Having Marc Forster involved, who is very much a visual story teller, and getting Dan Bradley to come in and direct the second unit, who shoots stunts brilliantly and gets as much out of the action as possible, combining those two has been the name of the game; it’s getting the best talent we can to create the best Bond movie we can possibly make. Everyone is very psyched about it and very excited about the prospect of creating something different. We are taking the story on from the last film but we are exploring different things. Marc (Forster) has a very different way of looking at the movie and I’m personally very excited by that.”

Quantum of Solace represents the first direct sequel in the James Bond film series, Craig explains; “We felt we needed to tie up the loose ends from Casino Royale and make sure people realize we are back making Bond movies. For me it’s about creating something that is going to stand alone but if you put the two films together, you’re going to have an incredible experience because you will see one continuous story.”

Craig elaborates on his working relationship with Marc Forster. “Marc and I hit it off as soon as we met each other. I never doubted that, if we stuck together and pulled each others ideas and emotion on this, we would make a good film. That is really the bottom line, both of us keep talking about it and we are on the same wave length. Marc is obviously under a huge amount of pressure; the expectation, budget issues, locations issues, weather changes and the list goes on but we have to keep moving and we have to take this movie somewhere new and make this movie individual from the last. Not because we want to change anything but because it’s important to keep things alive and awake. Marc has been very strong about that and I’m incredibly happy with how he has thrown himself in to it.”

Director Marc Forster

Quantum of Solace promises twice as many stunts and Craig welcomes the opportunity to train for these with a view to doing as many of his own stunts as the production will allow. “We have hit the ground running. There are so many variables on a movie like this. In a way, it is still new to me but you have got to cover yourself and try to get as much rehearsal and stunt training time as possible. The sets are complicated and often dangerous so we have got to be on the ball all the time and, hopefully, it will all add to the finished product.”

Quantum of Solace was filmed in more countries than any other film in the franchise, Craig explains why; “I think the remit for the Bond movie is that we have to be taken somewhere. It is important that we see this character go places that excite you and make you look at the world in a different way. For me, as a kid, the Bond movies transported you to another world. It was important that it took you to different locations and showed you how wonderful, amazing and diverse the world is. If that was the only reason to make this film, we have fulfilled it.”

Daniel Craig was part of the casting process and remembers trying to find the right actress to play Camille; “Finding beautiful girls who can act can be tricky but we narrowed it down and Olga just nailed the audition, she was fantastic. She is a really good actress, plus she is beautiful, so it just fitted. She has this fantastic icy detachment about her, which is really essential for this part because both she and Bond are on this journey of revenge. They become reluctant partners and that makes for a very interesting relationship, especially because we are taking the story straight on from Casino Royale where Bond fell in love and had his heart broken. That had a very strong knock on effect and that’s what this next movie is all about, so meeting someone else and falling in love didn’t make any sense whatsoever.” That said, Bond still has a bit of fun with Agent Fields played by Gemma Arterton. “Gemma’s character is great and she plays it to the hilt. She’s an agent who seems clueless at first but she is smarter than we first think and she teams with Bond. He is hurt and damaged so thank god for Gemma!”

French actor, Mathieu Amalric plays Dominic Greene, the Bond villain. “Mathieu is a tremendous actor and Bond villains have to have an intelligence about them. He is not a mad scientist or some crazed egg head trying to take over the world through science. He is just an aggressive man with high intellect who is using his talent to manipulate people and grab as much of the world’s landmass as he possibly can in his lifetime, he doesn’t care who he hurts, no one will get in his way. Mathieu has just nailed it, he’s understood the part completely and he is going for it–that’s what you want in a Bond bad guy.”

Despite the hard work, or maybe because of it, Craig is enthused. “I’m incredibly excited about what we have done, I’m amazed how much we have crammed in. We have been to so many locations, the film looks stunning and I think we have got something really special, in fact, I know we have something really special.”

Stay tuned to CommanderBond.net for all the latest Quantum of Solace news and information.

'Quantum of Solace' Sydney Premiere

The Quantum of Solace stars visited the James Bond fans in Australia for the latest stop on the film’s publicity tour.

Held at the Entertainment Quarter in Sydney, the premiere of the 22nd 007 film featured Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, director Marc Forster and producer Barbara Broccoli in attendance in addition to endless other celebrities.

Craig said that Australia–which has yet to be featured in the official series of Bond films–could possibly make for a perfect location stop in a future Bond entry.

‘Australia is quite exotic I think,’ he said. ‘I’d happily do that, very happily do that. I would love to spend some time down here.’

He continued: ”Doing these movies, they are incredible. It’s very rare air to make movies of this size and the locations we go to.’

Kurylenko shared Craig’s enthusiasm for the location. ‘I have never been to Australia so it’s really exciting,’ she said.

Describing the character of Camille, she stated: ‘She is strong and independent, but she is not perfect. She is just a normal person.’

Quantum of Solace – Sydney Premiere Photographs
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Visit Getty Images for an additional 160+ photographs from the Sydney Quantum of Solace premiere.

Stay tuned to CommanderBond.net for all the latest Quantum of Solace news and information.

Bond At The Box Office: Craig Comments On Success Of 'Quantum'

Daniel Craig is so far quite pleased with the worldwide success of Quantum of Solace at the box office.

For good reason, too. Shattering pretty much every record his Bond debut Casino Royale set in every single country the film has opened, Quantum of Solace is actively working towards becoming the biggest 007 blockbuster ever.

‘It’s great,’ Craig told UPI earlier this week while attending the New York premiere of Quantum of Solace.

‘I don’t really have any sort of benchmark. I’ve done one Bond movie that has been very successful and now I’ve done another Bond movie that’s appearing to be very successful. Before that, when I did movies, box office was never really at the top of the agenda. Getting people to go and see it was probably the agenda, but not the numbers.’

‘Amazing’ was the term Craig used to describe the success of Royale and Quantum. ‘Obviously, I couldn’t be happier because it might mean we might get to make another one.’

Keep your browsers pointed to CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date and complete Quantum of Solace box office coverage.

Have you seen Quantum of Solace in theatres yet? Post your review and join in the discussion in the Member Reviews section on the CBn Forums.

"We will take some more risks and shake things up a little bit more."

Spoiler warning for Quantum of Solace.

With commercial success all but guaranteed, all eyes are turning to where James Bond will go after Quantum of Solace.

“We made a decision to strip everything away. Some things will come back, some things won’t. Some things will come back in a different way.” – Barbara Broccoli

In an interview with ComingSoon.net James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli revealed fans can anticipate the series will simultaneously bring back some of the 007 staples while continuing to invert the franchise’s traditions.

Broccoli said, “In Casino Royale, the book, there was no Moneypenny or Q so that is why they are not in that story. And, in this follow-up, there didn’t seem to be a reason or a place for them. That doesn’t mean that they won’t appear later on. We made a decision to strip everything away. Some things will come back, some things won’t. Some things will come back in a different way. We will take some more risks and shake things up a little bit more and hope audiences are with us.”

The producer also reaffirmed that villainous organisation Quantum will play continue to play a role in the films. “Hopefully at the end of Quantum of Solace, we have this ‘whole’ character. And now we can do what we want. I think in some way, he will go after the organisation. So in that sense, it may become a trilogy, but we haven’t really structured it that way.”

“She is our anchor. She is the real Bond girl!” – Barbara Broccoli on Judi Dench as M

Broccoli also discussed the important role Judi Dench plays in the films. “She is our anchor. She is the anchor of the film in terms of the character. She is the only authoritative figure in Bond’s life. I think the moral conflicts between them are very interesting, and I think she is such a phenomenal actress, that as a woman, she has so much authority without having to bang her fist on the table. She had such a great relationship with Pierce [Brosnan] on the screen. And she has such a great relationship with Daniel [Craig]. She is our anchor. She is the real Bond girl! The one that keeps it all going, and I don’t want her to leave. She keeps threatening to leave but I will not let her!”

So, Judi Dench will be back, as will, Broccoli says, the gadgets. “The trouble is, everyone has gadgets. We will need to come up with a few that have not been invented by the Sony Corp!” Broccoli laughed.

“Outside of Miles Davis, he was the coolest cat on the planet.” – Jeffrey Wright on Jack Lord, the screen’s first Felix Leiter

At the end of Quantum of Solace, Felix Leiter is promoted, fuelling ComingSoon.net to speculate whether Jeffrey Wright will have an increased role to play in future instalments. Wright responded, rather intriguingly, “I don’t think anything has been written yet, but I hear some interesting things… rumblings.”

It’s a role Wright clearly relishes. He tells ComingSoon.net, “I do try to bring, particularly to [Casino Royale], my own thing to it. For me, Jack Lord sprung to mind. I mean the shades. And outside of Miles Davis, he was the coolest cat on the planet. And I was just very excited to bring some fresh life into the character and into the series to the extent that I could.”

The actor remains aware of the series’ legacy: “I think we are influenced only in that there is a previous history to these films. It’s a Bond film. There is an element of style and slickness. But at the same time, there has always been an intelligence to these films that cuts through as well.”

“The discussions we had before we started shooting were about the classic Bonds we love, the classic movies of the ’60s that we loved.” – Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig also spoke to the website about the choice of Marc Forster as a director for Quantum of Solace. “What Marc is, fundamentally, is not only a great director, but a lover of movies. He knows the process. If you look at his films, how varied they are from Monster’s Ball to [Finding] Neverland to Kite Runner, each one is so individual. You would think they were different directors if you were to look at them blindly I think, and that is what I think he brought to this. He brought this attitude of here we go, it’s a Bond movie, we don’t get to have chances like this very often, lets give this a go.”

Craig continued, “I mean the discussions we had before we started shooting were about the classic Bonds we love, the classic movies of the ’60s that we loved. And whatever we are going to do, we are going to make a movie that people remember because it is visually stunning, it goes to the best locations in the world, and that it will be remembered as a stunning Bond movie.”

Check out the full interview at ComingSoon.net.

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

'Quantum of Solace' US Opening Day Haul Estimated At $27 Million

Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig’s second James Bond film, is on course to be another mega-hit for the franchise, as Box Office Mojo estimates the film took a stunning $27 million at its US opening yesterday.

The numbers are yet to be confirmed, but it’s clear that 007 convincingly beat off competition from Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa ($8.1 million) and Role Models ($3.76 million).

At $27 million, Quantum of Solace would have the 26th highest US opening day ever. The only 2008 release to top this opening would be The Dark Knight, which took a phenomenal $67 million when it opened in July; $27 million would place it above other 2008 big-hitters Sex And The City and Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. It would also place it above The Bourne Ultimatum.

This opening puts Quantum of Solace on track to a weekend haul of approximately $70 million.

It would nearly double the opening day takings for Casino Royale. The current opening weekend 007 record-holder is Die Another Day, which took $47 million during its first three days in 2002.

These numbers are yet to be confirmed, so keep your browsers locked on the CommanderBond.net main page.

Have you seen Quantum of Solace in theatres yet? Post your review and join in the discussion in the Member Reviews section on the CBn Forums.