Kevin Todd Haug Is 'Bond 22' Visual Effects Supervisor

A recent ComingSoon.net interview has confirmed the IMDb listing that Kevin Todd Haug will be the visual effects supervisor for next year’s James Bond film.

Speaking to the website was Zach Helm about his current film, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (he also wrote the screenplay to the Marc Forster-directed Stranger Than Fiction.

When asked if Bond 22 director Forster had mentioned anything about the film, Helm said: ‘He is good at keeping a secret. We used the same visual effects supervisor Kevin Haug, a genius, and so Kevin has gone from Than Fiction to this movie to Kite Runner and now he’s doing Bond. I’ve heard quite a few of the details, and it’s pretty exciting actually… but I’m good at keeping a secret, too.’

Like Bond 22 cinematographer Roberto Schaefer, Haug has had a history of working on Forster films. He held the visual effects supervisor position for Finding Neverland, Stay, Stranger Than Fiction and Forster’s newest film, The Kite Runner.

In Casino Royale, the position was held by Steven Begg. The film later went on to win a Visual Effects Society (VES) award in February 2007.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for all the latest Bond 22 coverage.

Eva Green Will Not Appear In 'Bond 22'

In a superb cover story in The Observer Magazine, Casino Royale‘s Eva Green revealed that, contrary to earlier speculation, Vesper Lynd will not reappear in next year’s Bond 22.

While her fate in Casino Royale is unequivocal, reports suggested she would reappear in some capacity; in particular, a “pre-recorded video message” was mooted.

“There will be pictures [of Vesper] and things like that. I don’t know who the Bond girl’s gonna be. I’m a bit jealous! I hope it will be terrible,” Green said, facetiously. “I will be the love of his life!”

The article goes on to state that the threads of Casino Royale remain and that James Bond will have his revenge in pursuing Vesper’s traitorous Algerian boyfriend (Green herself suggested this late last year, while Bond 22‘s screenwriter Paul Haggis recently refused to deny the report).

The actress discusses her time on Casino Royale with pure excitement in the in-depth article. “My agent called and said it: ‘Oh, it made how-many-millions in the opening weekend in America.’ This is how it works. We were promoting it somewhere, in New York I think, and Barbara Broccoli was excited because the journalists had responded well to it. And to Daniel! Because of all the shit that was happening at the time, so they were very relieved. But yeah, in England it was,” Green whispered, ‘the best Bond ever!'”

Additionally, Green expressed praise for Daniel Craig, with whom she also co-stars in the upcoming film, The Golden Compass. “He’s working like a dog. He really wants to prove that he can do other stuff. He’s working on [second world war resistance drama] Defiance at the moment. It’s great for him. I mean, everyone wants him. Independent movies, Jim Jarmusch, anything. He doesn’t have ‘the Bond curse’ at all. He’s great. He deserves it.”

Green herself feels the lucrative offers are flowing in, but she is very selective about the roles she accepts. “It’s so difficult to find good parts, really, really hard. People don’t know how to place me. Now I receive a lot of… Like, I received something so similar to the Bond thing: ‘she ends up in an elevator under water’ – it’s a f***ing joke. ‘She’s very mysterious…’ No no no no no!”

“I need to earn some money,” she sighed.

For the full article, check out this week’s Observer Magazine.

Meanwhile, in an interview with the New York Daily News, Daniel Craig discussed the intense pressure while making Casino Royale and what it means for Bond 22. “[Casino Royale did all right,” Craig laughed. “But therein lies the rub.”

“I’m not getting quite so much abuse from the English tabloids – but that could still change! But the pressure is there. If I only make a couple of Bond films, I’d like to be able to look back on at least one of them and think ‘Oh, that was a good [one].’

“I know that sounds like a simplistic way of looking at it, but in terms of moviemaking, we want to make something that looks beautiful, looks stylish. I want this to be a Bond movie, and Bond movies, to me, are Dr. No and From Russia With Love – they had a style about them that was amazing and different.”

“I was very happy with the outcome [of Casino Royale]. I saw it on the small editing screens with no sound effects, no music of any sort and watched it from beginning to end and thought, ‘The story works.’ At that point I thought that we were going to be okay. ‘Cause when you start adding the music and the special effects, the movie starts expanding out – and it did. [It] pulled together in a way that I don’t think people were expecting… That was where we set the bar. Now we have to go for it again. And hopefully go higher.”

In one last brief snippet, Oscar-winning screenwriter, Paul Haggis revealed to Variety that Bond 22‘s production start date was shifted from December to January “for production reasons”.

According to the trade paper, Haggis, currently on strike with the Writers Guild of America, was unable to complete his final polish of the picture’s script, “mostly to adapt it to locations.”

Daniel Craig’s second James Bond film, for which he is currently rehearsing stunts, will now begin filming on 4 January 2008.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest James Bond news.

'Bond 22' Director Marc Forster To Appear On 'Tavis Smiley' Show

Director Marc Forster, who is currently working on the 22nd James Bond film is set to appear on PBS show Tavis Smiley on Friday, 7 December 2007.

While discussion is likely to center on The Kite Runner, Forster’s latest film which gets a limited release in the US on the 14th of December and then expands onto a general release in several other countries later this month, might we also get a few details on Bond 22? Guess one will just have to watch and find out.

The episode with Forster is set to air on Friday, 7 December at 12:00 AM (midnight), EST. Click here to visit the official Tavis Smiley website.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for all the latest Bond 22 coverage.

Craig Denies New 007 Contract

HisDarkMaterials.org have transcribed another roundtable discussion with the cast of The Golden Compass, in which Daniel Craig denies reports he has signed for four more James Bond films.

Q: You’ve been signed for four more Bond films?

Daniel Craig: That’s what you said… I never said that. [laughter]

Q: You said that you thought about the first one eighteen months ago, before you finally said ‘I’m making this film’, so I thought this was quite a commitment to make?

Daniel Craig: Well, that’s what’s been said, it’s not that it’s not true, because I haven’t signed up. What I’ve done is I’ve signed up on the next movie, after that we’ll see. That’s the way I’m doing it, and certainly it’s not four more – that’s the truth. It’s certainly not four more.

The news of Craig’s new contract first emerged last month, in a Hollywood Reporter article about MGM Chief Harry Sloan. British newspaper, The Daily Mail later published further details of the actor’s alleged contract.

While Craig has denied these reports, he did earlier this week suggest in a throwaway remark that he could make up to four films. “I want to make sure the next two, three, four, whatever films I manage to do before they chuck me out, or before it goes tits up, sit nicely within this era,” the actor said.

Craig’s second James Bond movie commences filming on 4 January 2008.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest James Bond news.

Craig Talks 'Bond 22' Rumours

In an interview with HisDarkMaterials.org, Daniel Craig discussed a number of rumours currently circulating about the next James Bond picture.

Of the rumours that French actor Mathieu Amalric has landed the role of the film’s villain, Craig said, “Maybe. I’m the wrong source.”

When asked about locations for Bond 22, the actor replied, “We’re going to start Central America, in Italy, maybe Austria. And Pinewood, obviously.” However, when prompted whether Austria meant skiing, Craig simply responded, “No.”

Austria has been rumoured as a possible location for some time, while Panama has also been considered; Dame Judi Dench recently revealed her character would be headed there in Bond 22.

Craig continued, “It will actually follow on quite closely after the last story. That’s in, sort of elements of what happened in the last movie are going to be putting over into this one, yeah.”

“There has to be an element of style, there has to be an element of something that’s quintessentially James Bond about the movies.” – Daniel Craig

Craig also discussed his desire to have Casino Royale as a more down-to-earth 007 film. “At two hundred million dollars it really was scaled down,” Craig laughed. “Um, the fact that the Bond movies are out, they were. They’re great movies, I mean I’ve watched all of them they’re really, they really work. But for me I wanted, my basis and what I kind of wanted is that I’m a fan of the very early Bond movies, the early Sean Connerys, Dr. No, and From Russia With Love and I wanted to put it back in that mold. And whatever you do, you know, these are Bond movies. There has to be an element of style, there has to be an element of something that’s quintessentially James Bond about the movies. I could name any influence that’s happened over the last thirty years that’s influenced my decision and my feelings about Casino Royale, but James Bond is James Bond.”

Bond 22 begins filming on 4 January 2008.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest James Bond news.

Mathieu Amalric Neither Denies Nor Confirms 'Bond 22' Villain Possibilities

Earlier this month, CommanderBond.net reported that Fox News’ FOX411 column was claiming French actor Mathieu Amalric had been cast as the villain in next year’s Bond 22.

According to that report, columnist Roger Friedman said that despite no confirmation from Amalri himself, ‘that was the word’ at a lunch that week for Le Scaphandre Et Le Papillon (The Diving Bell And The Butterfly), in which Amalric stars. Friedman went on to say: ‘Anyway, expect a formal announcement shortly. This is a done deal.’

This past weekend, French James Bond website JamesBond-fr.com telephoned Mathieu Amalric to try and get some further information on this possible casting news.

When asked about the Bond 22 villain report, Amalric responded : ‘Ah, one will see… they will say it, but I cannot say. You know, cinema is complicated…’

While Amalric neither confirms nor denies the rumour, it certainly sounds like this will be a very interesting bit of Bond 22 news to keep an eye on…

As previously reported on CBn, if cast in the film, it is a possibility that Amalric would be playing the French-Algerian boyfriend of Casino Royale‘s Vesper Lynd (as originally revealed by Eva Green as the plan and something that screenwriter Paul Haggis coyly refused to deny). Amalric’s nationality adds a further bit of credibility to this notion.

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

'Bond 22' Filming To Commence 4 January 2008

As the press rounds for The Golden Compass continue, Daniel Craig is dropping more and more hints about the next James Bond film.

In his most recent interview, with IESB.net, the actor confirmed the next 007 picture will commence filming on 4 January 2008.

After claiming the screenplay for the film is complete (despite Paul Haggis’ comments to the contrary), Craig said he is kept appraised of everything as it is being written. “And if not, I am on the phone asking why,” the actor laughed.

“This time, we’ve got Marc Forster on board. And we’ve also got Dennis Gassner, who is the designer from The Golden Compass, so there will be a change in the look and feel of the movie. Paul has put another great script in. So it’s just ours to f*** up. We’ve got to get on with it. And we have started. I’ve been pulled away to do this [interview]. We’re in rehearsals now. We start [filming] January 4th.”

Previous filming for Bond 22 took place (SPOILERS) in Tuscany earlier this year.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date Bond 22 coverage on the Internet.

David Arnold: A New Approach For 'Bond 22'

Following up the phenomenal two-part interview with David Arnold, composer of the recent James Bond films, Stage & Screen Online has now posted the third and final part online, which was recorded earlier this month.

Totaling 35 minutes, in this section of the interview, Arnold discusses with Tommy Pearson his work on some of his more recent smaller films plus his views on how to score films. Specific films discussed include Changing Lanes, Stoned (which was written by 007 scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade), Venus, Amazing Grace and this year’s Hot Fuzz.

Arnold also mentioned a few of his upcoming projects, including next year’s Bond 22 (which he confirmed he would be returning to compose back in early October). ‘I think I’m going to be on Bond for quite a while this time,’ he said. ‘We’re going to be taking a different approach. I think I’m going to be exclusively on it for quite a while as soon as possible. I think Marc [Forster] likes to work really tightly with his composers and I think it will be a great benefit to the film.’

‘Last time in Casino Royale, it was an extraordinary kind of scheduling … the first day of recording was eight weeks to the day from the end of principal photography, which is silly in a way. I mean, it’s extraordinary that it turned out OK, but people ask me how long does it take to score a film and it’s like “it takes a long as you’re given to do it.” If you give me six months to do it, it’ll take me six months to do it. If you give me two weeks to do it, I’ll get it done in two weeks. I think the intention for [Bond 22] is to spend a long time and really work it out and make sure it’s doing the right thing. Marc is exactly the right person to be doing this film.’

As Arnold previously mentioned in part two of this interview: ‘I haven’t seen the script yet [for Bond 22], but I met with the director, Marc Forster, and we had a very brief chat … in a way, I feel that this next one is the toughest one yet. It was much easier following up Die Another Day with a film where the general media response [regarding Craig’s announcement as the new 007] was “he’s not going to work…”. Following up something as commercially and critically successful as Casino Royale is a much tougher job. I think expectactions are much higher now.’

To listen to the entire 35 minute interview with David Arnold, visit Stage & Screen Online via this link. The interview is also available to download as an MP3 file.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest James Bond news.

Daniel Craig Divulges 'Bond 22' Details

With 007 fans endlessly wondering and discussing anything and everything related to next year’s Bond 22, each bit of new information is welcomed with open arms. Coming Soon has scored a brand new interview with Daniel Craig that features a handful of details relating to the upcoming James Bond film. The interview took place in London for the recent international press junket for Craig’s upcoming film, The Golden Compass.

According to Craig, Bond 22 is still set to immediately follow the events of Casino Royale. When asked if the film was based on any of Ian Fleming’s work, he simply replied ‘there’s nothing left as far as I know.’

‘I run away. Having a sense of humor is really key. You have to have a sense of humor with these things and I’ve just tried to remain who I am. My life has changed. It’s changed in the fact that I don’t have the freedoms I did before, but I’ve also got a huge amount of other freedoms that have come along.’ – Craig on coping with Bond fame

Craig also dismissed any notions of an adaption of a John Gardner Bond novel: ‘I don’t think they ever would, because they don’t own them. I don’t know what the deal is with that. We’re taking the original idea. The funny thing is if you read Fleming’s [novels], which I try to plow through occasionally, there’s an awful lot of story lines that have never been used because obviously the films are based on the books. There are still ideas that we can sort of pluck from.’

He also had lavish praise for director Marc Forster, saying: ‘If you look at Marc Forster’s current body of work, that in itself makes me very excited.’ When asked what Forster will bring to the 007 series, Craig added: ‘If you look at Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland and then Kite Runner, which is just stunning, it’s such a diverse look at the world, I’d want us to have that. Marc is very solid. That for me is crucially important because this movie needs to jump on from Casino Royale and take it somewhere else. Marc is totally inspired and is really just keen to get started.’

When asked if it was difficult to develop the character of Bond because of his worldwide iconic status, Craig stated: ‘Not difficult at all really. Paul Haggis is involved. We’ve got someone who can take on story and take on a character and take them to a different place. It’s always a struggle, but you’ve got to find themes, you’ve got to find reasons for doing it and you’ve got to put them all in the right place. The same rules apply.’

While Craig was unsure what effects a July ’08 strike by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) could create, he stated that Bond 22 is free from the current WGA setbacks. ‘The writers’ strike doesn’t affect us because we have a script. As it stands at the moment, it doesn’t affect us.’

Craig also responded to the widely reported news a few months ago that Bond 22 would feature more humour:

Coming Soon: I read somewhere you’re going to inject a bit more humor into the next movie.

Daniel Craig: I was lying. I said, “Yes, it’s going to be funny.” I don’t remember saying that, but if I did, I’m not going to shy away from the fact the occasionally there should be humor. I just don’t like gags. I don’t like written gags. That’s not the way I’ve ever liked working and I don’t think that’s funny myself.

CS: Casino Royale marked a welcome return to the style and sensibilities of the earlier Bond movies, rather than the jokey more recent movies.

Craig: The idea of having jokes in Bond I don’t think is completely wrong, but I think the jokes to need to come out tension. There needs to be moments of humor because we’ve all been sitting on the edge of our seat. I don’t think you should write gags in Bond.

Closing off the interview, Craig said he was looking forward to fitting a possible second film after The Golden Compass along with Bond 22 into his schedule. ‘It just depends on how well we do here,’ he said. ‘I try not to count chickens. I really do because there’s no point. You’d go crazy. We’re in good shape and I’m very happy with the way this is working out. I’d love to get involved with [another Golden Compass film]. If they do another movie, I’d love to do it. We’ll fit it in. It’s not my job to make that work. I pay people fortunes to make that.’

Only some 340 more days of waiting until Bond 22 hits theatres. Just keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page and we’ll keep you covered with all the latest news and information.

Daniel Craig Discusses 'Bond 22' And 'The Golden Compass' On Jonathan Ross

As reported on CBn a few weeks ago, Daniel Craig was set to make an appearance on BBC One’s Friday Night With Jonathan Ross yesterday.

The 13 minute interview first focused on how Craig came to be associated with the role of James Bond and how the massive success of last year’s Casino Royale has changed his life (as well as how he handled the film’s massive stunt sequences).

As previously reported by CBn, Craig also discussed how he is starting to prepare for the Bond 22 filming schedule–specifically beginning with the major action sequence rehearsals.

And what about that title for Bond 22?

Jonathan Ross: You haven’t got a title?

Daniel Craig: I can’t tell you, really…

Ross: Will it harken back to any of the other titles?

Craig: …no. No it won’t…

Ross: I think you know more than you’re letting on, Mr. Bond.

Craig: Maybe.

Ross: I expect you to talk, Mr. Bond.

Craig: I can’t tell you. I really can’t.

The remainder of the interview centers on his upcoming role as Lord Asriel in The Golden Compass, which hits theatres in early December.

007 fans can check out the full interview by visiting the following YouTube pages: Part 1 | Part 2.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest Bond 22 coverage.