Switzerland Still On The Cards For 'Bond 22'

Tages-Anzeiger Online today reports that the “chances are good” we will see Switzerland as a location in Bond 22.

André Brice of Film Location Switzerland (the Swiss Film Commission), said, “As soon as we found out that Marc Forster grew up in Switzerland and would direct the next James Bond, we had to offer our services.”

“Nothing’s definite yet, but the chances are good.”

The Swiss Alps were first mentioned as a possible location for the next 007 outing as early as June by Forster himself. Forster said at the time, “There can’t be any better place than the alps. No matter if you plan to do romantic scenes or hard action, the alps will be the perfect background for a Bond movie.”

Further fueling rumours was the snippet from this year’s BondStars events that Bond 22 would see Daniel Craig hitting the slopes.

Austria has also been mentioned as a potential location, while 007 fans know filming (article contains SPOILERS) has already taken place in Italy.

James Bond previously visited Switzerland in Goldfinger and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Forster, while born in Germany, grew up in Bündnerland in southeastern Switzerland.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest Bond 22 news.

Related articles

• SPOILERS: Video Of Daniel Craig Attending ‘Bond 22’ Filming
• SPOILERS: More Italian Locations For ‘Bond 22’?
• SPOILERS: Photos: Daniel Craig Visits ‘Bond 22’ Filming In Tuscany
• SPOILERS: Further Details On Potential ‘Bond 22’ Action Scene
• SPOILERS: ‘Bond 22’ Climactic Scenes Revealed?
• Possible ‘Bond 22’ Location: Austria
• Dennis Gassner Is ‘Bond 22’ Production Designer
• ‘Bond 22’ Set In The Alps?

SPOILERS: Video Of Daniel Craig Attending 'Bond 22' Filming

Not only did the world’s media snap photos of current James Bond, Daniel Craig attending filming of Bond 22 in Siena last week, but now, courtesy of YouTube, a video showing the actor has also emerged.

While it doesn’t offer any new insight into what the scenes will involve, fans will no doubt relish the opportunity to see Craig taking in the spectacle of the Palio di Siena – and footage of the Bond 22 cameras in action.

Television coverage of the brutal horse race itself can also be viewed on YouTube.

The James Bond crew were ordered to shoot the race in strict documentary-style, with no manipulation or ridiculing of the event, and no shots of violence involving horses or people to be included.

The sequence is said to see 007 pursuing the film’s villain down narrow cobbled streets, then across the town’s rooftops and through its medievil bottini – a tangled network of underground tunnels – all as the horses charge around the Piazza del Campo.

Keep watching CBn for the latest Bond 22 news.

Related articles

• SPOILERS: More Italian Locations For ‘Bond 22’?
• SPOILERS: Photos: Daniel Craig Visits ‘Bond 22’ Filming In Tuscany
• SPOILERS: Further Details On Potential ‘Bond 22’ Action Scene
• SPOILERS: ‘Bond 22’ Climactic Scenes Revealed?

SPOILERS: More Italian Locations For 'Bond 22'?

Fresh off the news that the Bond 22 crew – with Daniel Craig in tow – shot footage at the Palio di Siena in Tuscany last Thursday comes further reports of Italian location scouting.

The town of Craco

CBn Forum member “Vauxhall” has kindly translated a report from Italian state news agency ANSA.it, which suggests location scouting has occurred in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Specifically, the James Bond crew are said to have visited the town of Craco (in the province of Matera), the viaducts of the Montecotugno di Senise dam and the road around San Biagio and Maratea (in the province of Potenza).

The news reportedly emerged from the regional Lucania Film Festival in Pisticci, which took place from 11 August to 15 August. The report also follows filming of the controversial Palio di Siena horse race, which is said to feature amongst numerous scenes in the town of Siena.

Daniel Craig attends
the Palio di Siena

“Vauxhall” speculates the town of Craco bears a striking resemblance to North Africa; in particular, to Algeria, which, as Casino Royale fans will remember, is where Vesper Lynd’s boyfriend originates from. Eva Green herself hinted back in November that he may be the film’s “baddie”.

As it stands, a tight lid is being kept on all things Bond 22. However, with the film due to begin principal photography in December, it’s only a matter of time before more news emerges. Keep watching CBn.

Related articles

• SPOILERS: Photos: Daniel Craig Visits ‘Bond 22’ Filming In Tuscany
• SPOILERS: Further Details On Potential ‘Bond 22’ Action Scene
• SPOILERS: ‘Bond 22’ Climactic Scenes Revealed?

SPOILERS: Photos: Daniel Craig Visits 'Bond 22' Filming In Tuscany

As previously reported (see here and here for the SPOILER reports), it has now been confirmed that filming took place yesterday in the Tuscan town of Siena for sequences to be shown in Bond 22. The filming coincided with the bi-annual Palio di Siena horse race, which will appear in the movie.

What was not expected was for James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, to be present at the filming.

These images, courtesy of Der Spiegel and Corriere della Sera, show Craig watching the event from inside one of the town’s buildings.

Daniel Craig at the Palio di Siena

Times Online, who originally broke the news to the English-speaking world that the race would feature in Bond 22, today published a follow-up report stating that no horses or jockeys were killed during the dangerous race.

Access Hollywood reports Craig has not yet stepped back into 007’s shoes, and attended the race merely as a spectator.

The crew were ordered to shoot the race in strict documentary-style, with no manipulation or ridiculing of the event, and no shots of violence involving horses or people to be included. A reported total of 14 cameras were strategically placed around the event, but no helicopter shots were permitted.

The sequence is said to see 007 pursuing the film’s villain down narrow cobbled streets, then across the town’s rooftops and through its medievil aqueducts as the horses charge around the Piazza del Campo. The town’s bottini, a tangled network of underground tunnels, will reportedly also play a role in the film.

Siena’s town council have reportedly granted Eon Productions permission to return to film footage in and around the town during principal photography between January and July 2008. However, it is likely that such scenes may simply be recreated at Pinewood Studios.

For more in-depth information about what the Siena-set scenes will reportedly involve, check out the SPOILER articles listed below, and keep watching CBn for the latest Bond 22 news.

Related articles

• SPOILERS: Further Details On Potential ‘Bond 22’ Action Scene
• SPOILERS: ‘Bond 22’ Climactic Scenes Revealed?

Financial Friction Facing Future Bond Films?

The Financial Times, in a story picked up by The Hollywood Reporter, reports that the proposed attempts to raise $700 million to $1 billion funding for selected MGM tentpole releases have been “blown off-course” due to the recent global debt market crunch.

Among these titles are The Hobbit, Terminator 4 and upcoming instalments of the Pink Panther and James Bond franchises. Bond 22 is an MGM co-production with Sony Pictures.

According to the Financial Times, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank, underwriters of the proposed slate of pictures, have stepped down from their role “amid credit woes”. While the financing arrangement has not been ditched all together, it is said to have shifted from an underwriting commitment to a “best efforts” commitment to complete the funding.

MGM is now said to be looking for outside financing for the aforesaid films, which were all on the list of movies Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank were to have sought out funding for. However, the studio is understood to be relaxed about the delay as none of the films are due to commence production immediately.

One Hollywood Reporter source said MGM may wait until later in the year before pushing for funding, in hope that the credit market will bounce back. Alternatively, the two banks may remain in business with the studio, but bring in further partners by syndicating the loan.

MGM refused to comment on the reports, while spokespeople for Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank could not be reached.

Bond 22 is due for release on 7 November 2008, while Sony are said to be eying a 2010 release date for Bond 23.

Related article

• Sony Eyes 2010 Release Date For Bond 23

SPOILERS: Further Details On Potential 'Bond 22' Action Scene

CommanderBond.net’s intrepid forum members have been eagerly discussing Bond 22‘s potential Tuscan sequences, details of which emerged on Monday. In the process, the original article from the Italian newspaper Il Giornale has been unearthed, and it sheds a bit more light onto what the scenes will involve. CBn Forum member “Vauxhall” kindly translated the key elements of this original report, which clarifies what was relayed in Monday’s Times Online article.

Palio di Siena

Firstly, “Vauxhall” reports that the original article offers no indication that the previously-reported sequence, in which 007 is said to pursue the film’s villain down Siena’s narrow cobbled streets, across the town’s rooftops and through its medievil aqueducts, all during the Palio di Siena, is actually the climax of the film.

Over the past few weeks, James Bond producers are said to have been negotiating with the Siena town council over what can be shot at the Palio di Siena tomorrow. The Palio is traditionally a major event in the Sienese calendar. The footage reportedly being shot tomorrow is to be strictly of a documentary-style nature, with no manipulation or ridiculing of the event, and no shots of violence involving horses or people to be included.

The article references unconfirmed reports that 007 will negotiate central Siena’s narrow alleys in his Aston Martin before taking to the town’s rooftops in “an exciting pursuit” of the film’s villain. The Palio will apparently serve as a backdrop to this sequence, with shots of the horse race intercut to parallel Bond’s own pursuit. Il Giornale describes the chase sequence as “no holds barred”.

Siena’s town council have reportedly granted Eon Productions permission to return to film footage in and around the town during principal photography between January and July 2008. However, it is likely that such scenes may simply be recreated at Pinewood Studios.

One such scene mentioned in the article would see 007 confronting Bond 22‘s villain in Siena’s bottini, a labyrinthine network of tunnels under the city, which date back to the 12th century and were once used to transport running water to houses. The bottini cannot be visited by the public without written approval.

The town council plans on using Siena’s exposure in the film to present the location in the most positive light possible. However, none of the city’s badges are allowed to be captured on camera during filming.

Some location scouting is said to have took place yesterday (on the eve of the Feast of the Assumption), while tomorrow will reportedly see 14 strategically-placed cameras catching the bi-annual Palio di Siena on film for use in Bond 22.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest news on Bond 22.

Related article

• SPOILERS: ‘Bond 22’ Climactic Scenes Revealed?

SPOILERS: 'Bond 22' Climactic Scenes Revealed?

Times Online today carries a lengthy story – and a huge scoop, if true – about Bond 22‘s climactic scenes.

The site relays a report from Italian newspaper Il Giornale, which claims the next James Bond outing will reach its climax during the centuries-old bareback horse race of Palio in the Tuscan town of Siena. Bond 22‘s climax reportedly sees 007 pursuing the film’s villain down narrow cobbled streets, then across the town’s rooftops and through its medievil aqueducts as the horses charge around the Piazza del Campo.

Palio di Siena

Palio di Siena is held twice yearly, once on 2 July and the second time on 16 August – this coming Thursday. Some filming for Bond 22 will reportedly take place on Thursday, however shots involving actors will be inserted later. A total of 14 cameras – but no helicopters – will be placed strategically around the arena.

The town council reportedly approved the request to film there, so long as the filmmakers agreed to “strict conditions” that they treat the traditional race with “full respect”. However, animal rights activists are protesting the inclusion of the race – in which some 50 horses have been killed, and many others injured, since 1970 – in the film. Accordingly, the filmmakers are banned from showing any violence “involving either people or animals” that may take place during filming.

Eleonora di Giuseppe of the Italian Federation of Equestrian Sport told Times Online that the “horses [in the Palio] are exposed to unacceptable risks” and that featuring them in a James Bond film would only serve to glamorise the event.

The race is a large part of Sienese culture and dates back to the 11th century.

To read the whole article, visit Times Online. For more information about the Palio di Siena, please visit the authorised Il Palio website.

Don’t forget to keep watching CBn for all the latest news on Bond 22.

"He has to deal with revenge."

As the press junket starts up for Daniel Craig’s sci-fi remake, The Invasion, expect the actor to be continuously quizzed about the future of James Bond. Good news for us 007 fans! First up is an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times.

Daniel Craig as James Bond

“I think that we’ve set up an idea now that there’s an organisation out there,” said Craig, when asked where he’d like to see the character go in the yet-to-be-titled Bond 22. “He also has to deal with revenge because he has lost the girl. I think the process [of how he becomes Bond] is still happening. We haven’t finished the [story] arc. Bond is still maybe too headstrong and he doesn’t make all of the right decisions. I want to continue what we’ve set up in the last movie.”

“We made a good movie and I just want another good movie.”

Craig also spoke about that other spy with the initials J.B. “The ‘Bourne’ series … are superb movies. They’ve kind of brought things to a grittier way, which I really appreciate in an action hero. I like to see these people really dig in.”

“I also like the old Michael Caine spy movies that they were doing in the ’60s. The landscape has [also] changed politically, but I don’t think we’re any less confused then we ever were. That’s why people love good action or sci-fi films or even the James Bond series. We want action heroes who might not know all the answers, but at least they know who the bad guy is and can try to get him or them.”

The actor, whose first 007 outing, Casino Royale, was a huge critical and commercial hit last year, also spoke about the pressures of being propelled into the media spotlight. “It’s a huge deal, but [my family] are very proud of me and seem to be very happy. I’ve been acting a long time now and so it’s not like I haven’t been doing things and they haven’t noticed things. This is a big deal, but this hasn’t come out of the blue.”

To read the full interview, in which Craig talks about The Invasion, The Golden Compass and how he spends his much-deserved breaks, click on over to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest James Bond news.

Possible 'Bond 22' Location: Austria

Austrian media report that a possible shooting location for The next James Bond movie could be the “Seebühne” (Floating Stage) in Bregenz, Austria. A spokesperson for the Bregenz Festival confirmed a report by Austrian ORF Radio Vorarlberg, that “people from Pinewood Studios in London” have visited the location by end of June/early July, namely producer Barbara Broccoli, director Marc Forster and the director of photography (Roberto Schaefer?).

Festival House
(Image copyright Bruno Klomfar)

The Bond producers are currently touring Europe scouting locations for Bond 22 and were impressed after visiting the Festival Opera House and the Floating Stage on the Lake Constance. They also attended and filmed a piano rehearsal of the current production ‘Tosca’, says Festival speaker Axel Renner. A decision will be made “in autumn”. If Bregenz is chosen as a location, the Bond people would be shooting for three days in the next spring. Renner speculates that Bond might go to the opera and jump into action at some point, but admits that he doesn’t know any details.
 

Festival House interiors
(Images copyright Bruno Klomfar.)

Floating Stage with ‘Tosca’ set

(Images copyrights Bregenz Festival, Karl Forster)

Dennis Gassner Is 'Bond 22' Production Designer

Peter Lamont announced at yesterday’s annual BondStars event at Pinewood Studios that he would not be returning for the 22nd James Bond film, due to start filming in December.

Taking his place will be Oscar-winning production designer Dennis Gassner, who has worked on such films as Field Of Dreams, Bugsy, The Truman Show, and not one, but two Daniel Craig-starrers – Road To Perdition and this year’s The Golden Compass.

Gassner’s hiring is another string to the bow of an increasingly awards-heavy team involved in the next 007 flick, joining the critically-acclaimed likes of director Marc Forster and writer Paul Haggis.

Peter Lamont, an Oscar-winner himself (for Titanic), has worked on almost every James Bond film since Goldfinger. The decision not to re-hire Lamont was reportedly that of Forster.

One other interesting snippet arose from the event – that Daniel Craig would be hitting the slopes in his next film (which ties in with Forster’s recent comments about the film being set in the Alps).

Keep watching CBn for all the latest news on Bond 22.