'Bond 22' Plot "Tossed Out"?

In a previously undiscovered interview, Bond 22 writer Paul Haggis revealed to Esquire that his original storyline for the film was “tossed out” during development.

Paul Haggis

In the interview, dated 11 September, the Oscar-winner told the magazine that the script for Bond 22 has been “tougher than Casino Royale, which wasn’t a small amount of work, but there was an existing book.”

Haggis continued, “I thought I had come up with a terrific plot, and we’d worked it all the way through, and yesterday we tossed it out.”

The extent of Paul Haggis’ rewrite of Neal Purvis and Robert Wade’s Bond 22 script has been a topic of discussion among James Bond fans; the general consensus appears to be that his contribution toward the film has been considerably larger than that of Casino Royale.

In his most recent public appearance on 19 September, the screenwriter revealed he was “on page 45” of the latest 007 script and was headed to Italy to continue writing.

Meanwhile, ComingSoon.net has landed a list of projects that studios are hoping to get off the ground before the possible Writers Guild, Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild strikes hit Hollywood. The list pegs Bond 22 as having a production start date of 8 January 2008, just under a month later than previously indicated. However, it is understood the film was originally due to begin filming in January, before being bumped forward to a December start date.

Keep your browsers on CommanderBond.net for the latest Bond 22 news.

David Arnold Back For 'Bond 22'

Grammy Award-winner David Arnold will return to the James Bond franchise for Bond 22, the composer revealed on his website last week.

The announcement reads as follows.

David will be scoring the next Bond film, working alongside Marc Forster and everyone at Eon Productions.Release date is November 2008.

The official David Arnold website

Bond 22 will mark the composer’s fifth 007 score, following his work on Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day and Casino Royale.

With Bond 22 set to feature a considerable amount of new blood among its crew (director Marc Forster, production designer Dennis Gassner, second unit director Dan Bradley, costume designer Louise Frogley and cinematographer Roberto Schaefer are all newcomers to the 007 franchise, many replacing series veterans), Bond fans had begun to speculate whether Arnold would also be dropped for Bond 22. However, with this announcement straight from the composer himself, that conjecture can now be laid to rest.

Arnold also announced he recently scored a comedy pilot for Channel 4 called Bitter And Twisted and will compose the music for the upcoming Simon Pegg comedy, How To Lose Friends And Alienate People, before commencing work on Bond 22. He will also be composing the music for The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader (the third film in the series), which will be helmed by The World Is Not Enough director, Michael Apted.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest Bond 22 news.

Panama To Double As South American Country In 'Bond 22'?

According to Telemetro.com, the coasts of Panama have been chosen by producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson as a filming location for Bond 22.

Two weeks ago, CBn reported that Bond 22 will have South American locations which means Panama, a Central American country, could have possibly been chosen to double as a South American country for the film.

The site also claims the title of Bond 22 may be The Property of a Lady which seems very unlikely at this point.

'Bond 22' Release Dates Showing Up Online

While 7 November 2008 is Bond 22‘s official date so far according to Eon Productions, a few websites are now carrying some release information for Daniel Craig’s second James Bond film.

According to the IMDb, the 7 November date so far applies to the UK, US, Brazil, Denmark, Sweden and Turkey. Germany and the Netherlands are scheduled to get the film one day earlier on the sixth.

Additionally, yourmovies.com.au was updated a few days ago with a 13 November release date for the film in Australia.

Keep in mind that this release information should be considered unofficial until confirmed by Eon / Sony Pictures Entertainment. In the case of Casino Royale, several international release dates for the film were switched around a few times before the film premiered in November 2006.

CBn will keep you updated with all of the latest news on Bond 22.

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Roberto Schaefer Confirmed As 'Bond 22' Cinematographer

The Hollywood Reporter today confirms Roberto Schaefer has been hired as cinematographer on the next James Bond movie.

Schaefer has lensed every film directed by Bond 22 helmer Marc Forster, including Monster’s Ball, Stay, Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction and this year’s The Kite Runner (view trailer). He also served as cinematographer on a number of Christopher Guest pictures, including Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show and For Your Consideration.

He was nominated for a BAFTA for his work on Finding Neverland in 2005.

Schaefer is currently location scouting for Bond 22.

The article goes on to state that production is scheduled to begin on or around 10 December 2007, with filming to take place in the UK, South America and Italy.

Keep watching CBn for the latest James Bond news.

Change Of Suit For 007's Costume Designer

Just hours after CBn landed the scoop that James Bond would be sporting Dunhill-tailored clothing in the next 007 film comes word from DNR that the decision was grounded in the fact Bond 22 will have a new costume designer.

Daniel Craig in a Dunhill dinner jacket at the premiere of Casino Royale

The site carries a report on the decision to drop Brioni as Bond’s tailor of choice. A Brioni spokesperson told the site, “We’re sorry to no longer be involved, but things change. There appears to be a new costume designer, and [with that] comes a new approach to the wardrobe.”

At the same time, the IMDb is now listing Louise Frogley as the costume designer for Bond 22. Frogley is an award-nominated costume designer who has worked on numerous blockbusters, including Spy Game, Constantine, Man On Fire, U.S. Marshals and Speed 2: Cruise Control. She is also a frequent collaborator with both Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney, having worked on Traffic, Good Night, And Good Luck., Syriana, The Good German and Ocean’s Thirteen.

If accurate, she takes over from Academy Award-winning costume designer, Lindy Hemming, who has been with the James Bond franchise since 1995’s GoldenEye (the same film in which the famous spy began wearing Brioni).

Keep your browsers on CBn for all the latest James Bond news.

Related articles

• Dunhill Is New Bond Tailor
• Craig Going Casual In ‘Bond 22’?

Dunhill Is New Bond Tailor

Daniel Craig in a Dunhill dinner jacket at the premiere of Casino Royale.

Great news, Bond fans! After our previous report on Bond possibly “going casual” for his 22nd adventure, CommanderBond.net has learned that Bond’s current outfitter, Italian fashion house Brioni will replaced by the British house of Dunhill, who will tailor James Bond’s suits in future.

For some Bond fans (including myself), it was a little unpalatable having the consummate Englishman wear Italian suits -however fine. So, for the first time since Pierce Brosnan’s debut GoldenEye, contracts have been renegotiated, with Dunhill’s bid being accepted.

Sources tell CBn that “It’s all very hush hush at the moment, but they should be getting in some custom pieces to promote the film and the brand.” Clothing Bond with the finest suits will reportedly cost around ₤500,000.

The British House of Alfred Dunhill was founded in 1893 and exclusively sells high-end men’s fashion and leather goods. It belongs to the Richemont group of Geneva, who also own IWC, Piaget and Cartier.

Further Austrian Location Scouting Reportedly Takes Place

The Austrian press is reporting that further location scouting for the 22nd James Bond picture has occurred three days ago in the country. Previously, CBn reported that location scouting took place at the Seebühne Floating Stage and Festival Opera House in Bregenz.

Floating Stage with ‘Tosca’ Set (Image copyright Bregenz Festival, Karl Forster)

Now, word comes from the Austrian media that production staff have visited Bregenz’s city centre, as well as a number of small cities in the surrounding area.

The Kunsthaus Bregenz was specifically named, while a number of industrial facilities were also reportedly visited. Additionally, a number of areas featuring modern architecture were said to have been visited in the region surrounding Bregenz.

Location scouting was also said to have occurred at Airport Friedrichshafen, in the south of Germany, near Lake Constance (the site of the Seebühne Floating Stage).

The report suggests final locations are to be confirmed in November.

Some filming for Bond 22 has already taken place in Italy, while Switzerland is also reportedly under consideration. Purported casting notices distributed last week also indicated some filming would occur in South America.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest Bond 22 news.

Related article

• Possible ‘Bond 22’ Location: Austria

Paul Haggis Discusses 'Bond 22' On Late Night TV

Paul Haggis comments a bit more on Bond 22

The pre-production stages for Bond 22 have been pretty well documented so far in terms of how writer Paul Haggis has been progressing on the script and what we can expect in Daniel Craig’s second James Bond adventure.

In a TV appearance on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson last night, Haggis spoke about his upcoming film, In the Valley of Elah, but also released a few more Bond 22 tidbits.

After announcing he was currently on page 45 of the 007 script, Ferguson asked him if this was roughly the half-way point, to which Haggis replied ‘oh, no,’ suggesting that we may be in for another lengthy Bond film. As a point of reference, the draft of the Casino Royale script with Haggis’s second set of revisions ran at 112 pages.

When asked if the film would feature gadgets, Haggis left it off at ‘I might,’ and then concluded by saying he was headed to Italy to continue work on the script.

Keep watching CBn for the latest Bond 22 and James Bond news.

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Craig Going Casual In 'Bond 22'?

According to today’s edition of UK tabloid, the Daily Express, Daniel Craig’s James Bond will be dressing down in Bond 22.

A spokesperson for Italian tailor Brioni said Craig will appear in more casual attire in his second screen outing as 007, and that the company’s traditional suits would not match the character’s look in the film.

Brioni have famously dressed James Bond from Pierce Brosnan’s debut outing in 1995’s GoldenEye, right through to Craig in last year’s Casino Royale.

However, with 14 months before the film’s release, anything can happen; Craig himself claimed in January last year that 007 would not sport a tuxedo in Casino Royale.

Keep watching CBn for the latest James Bond news.