Swedish Actor Rafael Edholm Reportedly Screentesting For 'Bond 22' Villain Role

Swedish media are currently reporting that actor Rafael Edholm is in contention for a role as one of the villains in next year’s Bond 22.

According to a recent article from the Aftonbladet newspaper, the 41 year-old Swedish actor will reportedly be heading to Hollywood sometime this month to screentest for the role. No further details were given on exactly what villainous role in the film this will be.

007 fans will recall that Goran Visnjic (one of the candidates suggested for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale), was also mentioned as a possible Bond 22 villain earlier this year.

As is the case with most early casting rumours, we’ll just have to wait and see…

Keep watching CBn for all the latest news and details on Bond 22, which hits theatres in November 2008.

The Queen Gets Sneak Peek At 'Bond 22' Set

BBC News reports the Queen became one of a select few to have scored a glimpse at sets for the next James Bond film, as she opened a brand new entrance at Pinewood Studios today.

As part of the opening, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh received a tour of the world famous studios, including the 007 Stage, which was destroyed by fire last July, before being rebuilt this year. She also met with Pinewood Studios employees, as well as those working on productions being filmed there.

The new Pinewood Studios entrance, which has been under construction since the beginning of the year, resembles the studio’s logo when viewed from above.

Filming on Bond 22 is scheduled to begin within the next two months, but this is the very first confirmation that sets for the film are under construction at Pinewood Studios.

Keep watching the new-look CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date Bond 22 news on the web.

Daniel Craig: Not As Much Bulking Up For 'Bond 22'

Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig isn’t expecting to be quite as buff for next year’s Bond 22 as he was for his debut as James Bond in 2006’s Casino Royale.

The Daily Express cited a recent GQ Magazine article where Craig mentioned that he didn’t think he’d be bulking up as much for his next appearance as 007.

‘I think Barbara is going to have a word about that,’ says Craig, before mimicking a whinier version of himself in conversation with producer Barbara Broccoli:

“‘I’m not going to take my top off.’

‘Yes, you are.'”

Craig adds: ‘We’ll see. There are no plans. Bond might have to take a shower, what can I tell you?’

‘I’m probably not going to bulk up as much as I did last time,’ he says. ‘It was an exercise that worked and I’m very happy we did it.’

Speaking about his upcoming film, the WWII Polish Resistance epic Defiance, Craig adds: ‘A couple of weeks into filming, Simon my trainer will come over and we’re going to get straight back into it, which is the way it goes. The weird life that I live now!’

Keep watching CBn for all the latest news and details on Bond 22, which hits theatres in November 2008.

Details Of Daniel Craig's New 007 Contract Emerge

Last week, CBn reported that MGM recently signed Daniel Craig for four more James Bond films, after the phenomenal success of last year’s Casino Royale.

Daniel Craig as James Bond

Now, the Daily Mail reports on details of the actor’s new deal. According to the newspaper, Craig’s new contract is based on a sliding salary, which will work on the amount of money each consecutive film earns at the box office and in merchandising. The paper speculates the deal could land the actor as much as £30 million over the decade or so in which the films would be released.

The Daniel Craig era of the 007 franchise is estimated to make MGM hundreds of millions of pounds, according to the paper. The actor’s debut James Bond film made £55.3 million in the United Kingdom alone. The success of Casino Royale prompted the studio to renegotiate Craig’s fee for his first three Bond films, making him Britain’s highest-paid actor.

Daniel Craig’s second James Bond film, the yet-to-be-titled Bond 22, is due out next year. Sony are eying a 2010 release date for Bond 23.

Keep watching the new-look CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date news on Bond 22 and beyond.

Paul Haggis Delivers 'Bond 22' Draft Screenplay

The Hollywood Reporter today delivers the news that Paul Haggis turned in his draft screenplay for the 22nd James Bond adventure late last week.

Paul Haggis

The Oscar-winner submitted the script to Sony just days before the looming Writers Guild strike causes Hollywood’s writers to put down their pens, potentially as early as this Thursday. Last week CBn reported Haggis was said to be “ploughing through” the script in order to have it complete in case of a Thursday deadline.

The trade paper claims screenwriters are still frantically compiling scripts for future studio blockbusters, such as The Fast And The Furious 4, G.I. Joe and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The script for Sony’s other major Summer 2008 release, Angels And Demons was also delivered last week.

Last month, Paul Haggis said he was headed to Italy to continue writing the Bond 22 script, while another interview from September hinted the film’s plot had been “tossed out” at some point during development.

Bond 22 was recently revealed to be on the studio’s list of priority projects to get off the ground before any strike takes place.

Keep watching the new-look CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date Bond 22 news on the web.

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.

Marc Forster Briefly Discusses 'Bond 22'

While the majority of recent news on Bond 22 has been focused on Paul Haggis and his work on the script (with some interesting developments along the way), director Marc Forster had a brief moment to speak about the film in an interview with ComingSoon.net.

When asked why he’d accepted the task of helming Daniel Craig’s second James Bond adventure, Forster said: ‘After doing Kite Runner and being in this world and being in tents in Western China in the hardest conditions where obviously, you don’t have any stars, so you’re limited with your budget and what you can do … ultimately, the studio has to watch out for the commercial possibilities of the films, so doing a Bond film next is just a new challenge, something different. I always like–if you look at my films–I always like to do the opposite of what I just did.’

‘No, I still have to do it all,’ added Forster when asked if any actors had been lined up for Bond 22. ‘I’ve been really focusing on Kite Runner as well, so there has been no casting news, nothing.’ He also noted that they weren’t sure where they’d be shooting first once principal photography commences in mid-December.

Forster says he’s simply approaching the film like any other at the moment and not worrying over what will likely be a substantial budget: ‘I assume that probably with every movie and movies in general, you always have to deal with budgetary concerns, but we will see.’

With the possibility of a Writers Guild strike creating some unwanted issues for Bond 22 (screenwriter Haggis is reportedly ‘ploughing through’ in order to finish this 007 script as soon as possible), Forster said it was hard to pinpoint exactly what the effect would be. ‘I hope if there’s a strike, it will be short. It’ll be hard to judge if it’s a long strike. It’s all up in the air.’

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

Daniel Craig Signs For Four More Bond Films

Daniel Craig has been signed on for four more films as James Bond, according to trade paper, The Hollywood Reporter. MGM chairman and CEO, Harry Sloan yesterday revealed the news at the Forbes MEET II conference.

Daniel Craig as James Bond

Sloan referred to franchises as “the base of any studio”, before revealing Craig is signed up as Agent 007 right through until Bond 25. MGM also plans on making follow-ups to Fame, Death Wish and 1999’s The Thomas Crown Affair, which starred ex-007, Pierce Brosnan.

The details of Craig’s contract have not been publicly disclosed, but the success of last year’s Casino Royale prompted the studio to renegotiate his fee for his first three Bond films, making him Britain’s highest-paid actor.

Pierce Brosnan signed on for a three-picture contract, with an option for a fourth, which became his final turn in the role. However, Timothy Dalton made just two 007 movies when his three-picture deal lapsed in the early 1990s.

Daniel Craig’s second James Bond film, the yet-to-be-titled Bond 22, is due out next year. Sony are eying a 2010 release date for Bond 23.

Meanwhile, Harry Sloan predicts the potential Writers Guild strike, which could occur as early as next week, will not take place.

Keep watching the new-look CommanderBond.net for the latest news on Bond 22 and beyond.

Writers Guild Strike Looms Over 007

The Los Angeles Times carries an excellent report on the effect the potential Writers Guild strike could have upon Hollywood’s upcoming slate. Last week, the guild voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike if contract negotiations with studios and networks fail.

Paul Haggis

The report notes that Paul Haggis is currently “ploughing through” the script for the next James Bond film, in light of the fact a strike could occur as early as 1 November. With the guild’s contract due to expire on 31 October, the Oscar-winner could potentially have less than a week to turn in the Bond 22‘s script.

Haggis is just one writer under increasing pressure to complete scripts for studios’ 2008 and 2009 tentpole pictures. While Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, Sex And The City and the next Star Trek instalment are all expected to lens without issues, scripts for Night At The Museum 2, G.I. Joe, State Of Play and X-Men Origins: Wolverine are all being hurriedly completed in order to beat the strike.

Aside from Bond 22, Sony’s other major Summer 2008 release is Angels And Demons, the follow-up to last year’s The Da Vinci Code. Akiva Goldsman, who adapted both of Dan Brown’s novels, told the Los Angeles Times, “It’s pencil down until midnight on Halloween. It’s unavoidably intensely stressful, but it’s the way of the world right now. Everybody is living in the impending doom.”

On 19 September, Paul Haggis said he was headed to Italy to continue writing the Bond 22 script, while another interview from last month hinted the film’s plot had been “tossed out” at some point during development.

Bond 22 was recently revealed to be on the studio’s list of priority projects to get off the ground before any strike takes place.

To read the full article, head over to the Los Angeles Times website.

Keep watching the new-look CommanderBond.net for the latest Bond 22 news.

"M" Back In Action?

British tabloid The Sun landed a scoop while interviewing Dame Judi Dench on the red carpet at the National Movie Awards last month.

When asked what to expect in the next James Bond film, Dame Judi replied, “I don’t know. All I’ve been told is to stand by for, I think, December. I think I might get away again, too.”

“M” was last seen in the field while briefing Daniel Craig’s 007 in the Bahamas in Casino Royale.

The James Bond franchise won big at the awards, held on 29 September, with Casino Royale scooping Best Action Film, while the series itself won the special recognition award.

While accepting the latter, Bond producer Michael G. Wilson refused to reveal any details about Bond 22. “You’ll just have to come and see it,” he said.

Stay tuned to the new-look CommanderBond.net main page for the latest Bond 22 news.