Five Sound Stages Simultaneously For 'Quantum of Solace'

According to a set report posted at the Los Angeles Times, five sound stages at Pinewood Studios, including the newly rebuilt ‘007 Stage’, are simultaneously being used for filming on Quantum of Solace.

10-12 hour-long days for six days a week are the norm for a cast and crew currently numbering over 500 on the newest James Bond film.

‘We have a crew that’s all worked together, all know each other,’ said producer Michael G. Wilson. ‘It’s a good atmosphere.’

Wilson also commented on the film’s striking production design, saying the visual style created by [Quantum of Solace production designer] Dennis Gassner and director Marc Forster was ‘a postmodern look at modernism. They’ve found a lot of ’70s and ’80s architecture that they’ve gone back to and used in the film.’

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Bruce Feirstein Talks 'Tomorrow Never Dies' And Other Bond Titles

Bruce Feirstein, best known by James Bond fans for his work on the screenplays for GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is not Enough and the 007 games Everything or Nothing and From Russia With Love, discussed how the titles for the Bond films come about in a new article at Vanity Fair.

Specifically, Feirstein details the odd turn of events that led to the final title of Pierce Brosnan’s second Bond film, 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies:

‘So, how did the title for Tomorrow Never Dies come about? As Janet Maslin so kindly pointed out in her scathing pan in The New York Times, the title makes no sense. (Not that I remember every single word she wrote or anything.) The truth is that my original title was Tomorrow Never Lies, which appeared in the script as the “All the News That’s Fit to Print”–type slogan of Tomorrow, the flagship of an international newspaper chain owned by the evil media baron who was bent on (start macro here) Global Worldwide Domination.’

‘Anyway, as we went into production, the producers and the director (Roger Spottiswoode) couldn’t decide between Lies and Dies. After much debate, they finally picked Tomorrow Never Lies. They called in an assistant, dictated a fax, and she sent it off to MGM … with a single, one-letter typo–Dies instead of Lies. The rest is celluloid history.’

Feirstein added that he was initially having diffculty in coming up with any title for the film, but while driving to lunch one day, the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” on the radio provided some inspiration.

Related to Tomorrow Never Dies, Feirstein also put an end to the rumours that villain Elliot Carver was based off of Rupert Murdoch.

‘In truth, the role model was the British press magnate Robert Maxwell, which is hinted at near the end of film, when Judi Dench, as M, instructs Moneypenny to issue a press release stating that the villain died “falling overboard on his yacht,” echoing Maxwell’s demise.’

Head over to Vanity Fair for Feirstein’s complete article on the Bond titles, including the newly announced Quantum of Solace.

His thoughts on Daniel Craig’s upcoming 007 adventure? ‘My bet is that it’s going to be a giant hit.’

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

Gemma Arterton Comments On 'Quantum of Solace'

In a new interview with IGN, Gemma Arterton took some time to discuss how she landed the role of MI6 Agent Fields in Quantum of Solace, screentesting with Daniel Craig, the stereotypes of being a “Bond girl” and much more.

‘I went to two auditions,’ said Arterton, when asked how she secured the role. ‘I was in a play at the Globe in London and the casting directors came to see me in it. I was playing a very Bond girly type of role, but Shakespeare. It was Rosaline in Love’s Labour’s Lost, and she’s very haughty and sharp. They asked me in for an audition, which I never thought I’d get. Then I got a second audition where I met the director and everyone, then I had a screen test which was petrifying, then I got the part.’

‘You grow up watching them and they’re so glamorous. It’s such a huge part of British filmmaking–it’s just a privilege. And more than anything, it’s so that my grandkids can say their gran was a Bond girl. They’ll be like, “Look at her now, you’d never know!”‘ – Gemma Arterton on being a Bond girl

Arterton also confirmed that she did get to screentest with Daniel Craig: ‘I had to do a scene from this Bond. I hadn’t read the script so I didn’t know anything about anything, which was quite nice actually, and it was such a bizarre day. You go in and have all your hair and make-up done, and I was so scared. They make you look as great as they can and then you go on set and there were literally about 60 people looking at you and thinking, “Could she be a Bond girl?” Everyone’s eyes are on you and everyone’s whispering and looking. It’s so uncomfortable, but you have to do it because the producers have to see what you look like.’

‘I acted a scene with Daniel and it was very brief. He said, “Hello, how are you?” And I said, “I’m really scared.” And he said, “Don’t worry.” We did the scene and he said, “Well done.” And that was it. Then the director Marc Forster said, “OK… good luck.” And I thought, “No, I’ve lost it.” But I didn’t, so that was great.’

When asked what her character in Quantum of Solace was like, she said: ‘I’m actually an agent and I work with him, though I think I’ll automatically be called a Bond girl. But in that way I suppose you could call M a Bond girl. She’s very typically Fleming because in the last Bond, and this Bond with Olga [Kurylenko’s] character Camille, they’re very independent and strong women out there for themselves.’

‘My character’s very, very cute. It’s nice because these Bond’s are so different–there’s something much more edgy about them, and my character’s like an homage to the ’60s Bond girls [Arterton cites Honor Blackman and Diana Rigg as two of her favourite Bond leading ladies], which I love.’

‘I have a little bit of a fight, but Olga’s character is the fighting Bond girl.’ – Gemma Arterton

She then confirmed that the Quantum of Solace cast and crew would next be heading out to Panama, while also stating that she would only be involved in the London and Panama location shoots for the film.

Arterton also dismissed the fears of being stereotyped, saying: ‘Even though she’s got this Fleming thing going on, there’s something very different about my character–she’s not a femme fatale and there’s lots of facets to her.’

There’s much more. Visit IGN for the entire interview.

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Amalric On Dominic Greene's Secret Weapon Against 007

WARNING: Possible minor spoilers

In a new interview with the londonpaper, Mathieu Amalric, who’ll be playing head villain Dominic Greene in Quantum of Solace, further elaborated on the decidedly nasty character.

‘I’ve been taking details, the smile of Tony Blair, the craziness of Sarkozy (French President), he’s the worst villain we’ve ever had. He’s really dangerous. In fact he walks around thinking he’s in a Bond film,’ he said.

As previously reported on CommanderBond.net, Amalric mentioned that his character and Dainiel Craig’s 007 will be involved in a particularly big fight towards the end of the film. Citing Greene’s lack of ability with his fists, Amalric said: ‘He was supposed to have a secret skill. But we had this idea that maybe if the villain doesn’t know how to fight, James Bond would be more surprised. Sometimes anger can be much more dangerous.’

‘I’m going to fight like in school. I was going to say “like a woman”.’

He joked of playing the part: ‘You are allowed to do things that you are not allowed to do in real life, especially with a woman.’

In related Quantum of Solace news, Olga Kurylenko, who stars as Bond girl Camille, also briefly spoke about the film.

‘Who doesn’t want to be a Bond girl? It’s a cult movie. I’m not worried about being stereotyped,’ she stated.

‘Camille is a strong independent woman who is charming and sensual. Bond women are strong at the same time as being feminine. I’ve never worked so hard training for any other movie, I’m using weapons, driving cars and involved in fight scenes.’

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

007 Double Bill Of 'A View To A Kill' And 'The Living Daylights'

Just one week after the double dose of Roger Moore’s 007 in Live and Let Die and The Spy Who Loved Me, James Bond will be back on the big screen at Melbourne’s Astor Theatre this upcoming Sunday.

Moore’s A View to a Kill will be paired with Timothy Dalton’s The Living Daylights on 3 February, starting at 7:30pm.

The The Living Daylights, which follows after A View to a Kill, begins at 10:00pm.

Ticket costs for double features are: Adults $13 | Concession $12 | Children/Pensioners $11. The Astor Theatre is located at 1 Chapel Street, St. Kilda VIC 3182, Australia.

For further information, phone the box office at (03) 9510-1414 or click here to visit the official website.

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

Daniel Craig's 'The Invasion' Hits DVD

After a few minor delays, The Invasion, starring Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman, has hit DVD today in the US and Canada.

The official synopsis for The Invasion runs: ‘Something terrifying has come to Earth, something that attacks us while we sleep and turns us into soulless replicants.

The clock is ticking as Washington, DC psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) and her colleague Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig) embark on a heart-stopping journey into a nightmarish world where the only way to stay alive is to stay awake. No one can be trusted. No one is safe in producer Joel Silver’s bold new take on Jack Finney’s classic novel The Body Snatchers.

Don’t fall asleep! The Invasion is here.’

For further details on the DVD special features and reviews of the film, check out ComingSoon and Monsters & Critics.

The region 2 release date for The Invasion is 28 February.

Order ‘The Invasion’

• Order The Invasion from Amazon.co.uk
• Order The Invasion from Amazon.com

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for all the latest James Bond 007 coverage.

"It's the most calm, friendly set that you've ever been on."

Speaking with James Bond legend, Michael G. Wilson, IGN confirmed that no part of Ian Fleming’s “Quantum of Solace” will feature in the film of the same name.

“No,” said Wilson. “It’s completely original, it doesn’t use any part of the short story.”

Fleming’s tale, featured in the 1960 short story collection, For Your Eyes Only, sees 007 attending a dull dinner party, where he is told a story about a destructive love affair.

Wilson confessed it is more difficult to script a Bond film not based on a Fleming story. “I think Fleming was a great writer with great stories, and he created the Bond character so he knew how he would react in certain circumstances. So it is more difficult when you don’t have that template to start with.”

The 007 producer also discussed the pressure of working to have a shooting script ready before the Writers Guild strike began. “It was a big rush – the curtain was falling and the emails were flying back and forth, but luckily we got in just under the wire.”

“He’s the most prepared director I’ve ever worked with.” – Michael G. Wilson on Marc Forster

Wilson said, “We wanted a director who would work with the actors and attract great actors. Marc is also incredibly well prepared. He’s the most prepared director I’ve ever worked with. Every scene in the picture has been planned – he’s put all the camera positions in even. Everyone on the crew looks like geniuses – no one ever looks bad – because everybody knows what the next shot is, everyone’s preparing for the next shot. No one ever gets caught out. It’s the most calm, friendly set that you’ve ever been on. It’s amazing.”

“I think every director has a different style. I love Martin [Campbell], and I think he’s done great Bond films with GoldenEye and Casino Royale, the most successful Bond film ever. He’s a fantastic director and I love him dearly. But I’m just talking about Marc’s qualities and I think he has a great vision. We can help him with the action because we have a whole team of people who know how to do it, so they can assist him.”

“My god, he’s a fantastic actor.” – Michael G. Wilson on Mathieu Amalric

When asked if he felt any risk in casting relative unknowns, in particular Quantum of Solace villain, Mathieu Amalric, Wilson replied, “After seeing The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, I don’t think there’s any risk at all, as well as the other films I’ve seen him in. Actually, we cast him just before we saw the movie, but my god, he’s a fantastic actor.”

While Quantum of Solace will not see the introduction of further ingredients of the 007 mythology (as seen in Casino Royale, moviegoers will see Bond’s famed car return. “Well we have Aston Martin back again with their new car. The other cars are a mixture of different makes and models.”

As for Bond’s toys, Wilson says, “We haven’t been too strong on gadgets, we’ve just used realistic things within the world.”

Head over to IGN for the complete interview.

Quantum of Solace will shoot in Panama, Peru, Chile, Italy, Austria and London over the next six months, before hitting cinemas from 7 November 2008.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date Quantum of Solace coverage on the web.

Mathieu Amalric Calls 'Quantum of Solace' "very dark"

WARNING: Minor plot spoilers

Mathieu Amalric is featured in a brand new interview posted online at The Times. The actor, who’ll be going head to head with James Bond in Quantum of Solace as the film’s main villain, ‘Dominic Greene,’ briefly talked about accepting the role and also revealed a few minor spoilers…

When asked about the offer to be the newest villain in the 007 series, Amalric explained that he simply couldn’t turn down the role: ‘Spending two days in a hotel doing interviews is not my goal. No, I could be with my kids. I could be making love. That’s real life. Surprising my girlfriend, going to Lisbon for two days, you know, that’s life. But I couldn’t resist it. My two boys, who are 8 and 10–I can’t tell them one day that I refused to be the villain in a Bond movie.’

Amalric further said that he has always enjoyed the Bond films and confessed that since the age of 18, he has used 0007 as a pin number. After mentioning several actors who took their turn as the newest Bond villain, Amalric stated: ‘Just the best actors in the world.’

He did say that before accepting the role, he asked veteran actor Michael Lonsdale, best known by Bond fans as Sir Hugo Drax in 1979’s Moonraker, how the role had affected his career. ‘It didn’t change his life,’ said Amalric.

Amalric went on to call Quantum of Solace a ‘very dark’ film and his role as Greene being extremely physical, citing a big fight with Bond towards the end. ‘I’ll have to be in shape for it,’ he said.

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

More 'Quantum' Comments From Daniel Craig And Gemma Arterton

A two brief videos posted at YouTube and Mirror.co.uk (click on ‘Name of new Bond film announcement’ on right panel) includes a few new comments from Quantum of Solace stars Daniel Craig and Gemma Arterton plus a brief look at some underwater filming.

Craig discussed the direction he wants to take James Bond his second 007 film, saying: ‘Where we’re taking this now is somewhere that hopefully is going to take the character on.’

‘Flaws are important in the character and flaws make for more interesting watching, so there will be mistakes, but hopefully he’ll win the day.’

Arterton, who has the role of MI6 Agent Fields in the film said ‘the whole experience feels like a dream. It doesn’t feel real. And I feel like I’m not going to work. It feels like it’s a game or something and I should be really scared–and I am a bit–but, it’s incredible.’

And what of the fate of this Bond girl?

‘She sort of comes to a sticky end.’

Make of that what you will.

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

'Quantum of Solace' Cast And Crew Interviews

After weeks and weeks of waiting and with the 24 January press conference and announcement of Quantum of Solace as the title of the newest 007 film now behind us, it seems the plot details and interviews are pouring in.

A brand new collection of video interviews with the Quantum of Solace cast and crew–Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Gemma Arterton, Dame Judi Dench, director Marc Forster and producer Michael G. Wilson–have recently been posted online at Coming Soon.

Daniel Craig was up first and quick to praise Forster at the helm of his second Bond film. ‘It has a very different feel to it. I mean, having Marc on set; Marc’s a very calm, controlled human being–or appears to be, anyway.’

‘There’s no point in going into a movie like this without making an effort to make it different. To make it a seperate entity than the previous one.’ – Daniel Craig

‘I was incredibly excited when he got involved. I mean, if you watch his movies, his versatility is quite astounding. I mean, you look at Monster’s Ball to Neverland to The Kite Runner and they’re all such different, but equally wonderful movies. And that he is bringing to this in spades because he’s very particular. Every shot counts. Every part of this process is important to him. And it’s very easy to work with people like that. He’s cares–simply put.’

‘It starts, in film time, about 20 minutes after the last one finished,’ said Craig of the film’s relation to 2006’s Casino Royale. ‘And it takes us to the conclusion; an emotional conclusion, but also to finding out who the bad guys are and this organization, which is having a serious go at taking over the world.’

Olga Kurylenko, who will play the role of lead Bond girl Camille, revealed that there couldn’t have been a better time when she learned she had gotten the role. ‘I was incredibly excited. I was very happy. I got a call on Christmas Eve and it couldn’t have been a better present.’

‘I’ve been in heavy training from morning to evening for about three weeks since I’m in London. I’ve been doing some stunts for the fight scenes and also some weapon work and body flight for some aerial scenes that I have and that’s really physically demanding and physically exhausting, but it’s very exciting also. I’m learning so many new things.’

Speaking about her character: ‘Camille is a South American woman. She is strong and independent and she’s driven by revenge in this movie. She is very persistent and very feisty.’

And, like Craig, Kurylenko pointed out Forster’s seemingly endless list of positive attributes that make him the perfect director for Quantum of Solace. ‘Marc is amazing because he is so open and very thoughtful and very precise. He’s really into the detail and very attentive. It’s really a pleasure to meet a person like this and work with a director like this. Plus, I’ve seen his previous movies and I’m so thrilled to be able to work with him.’

‘James Bond has to find out who is the villain and once he found Dominic Greene, he really continues to not understand what the guy is looking for. It has to do with, like in Casino Royale, a fantasy, but also quite realistic.’ – Mathieu Amalric

‘I’m playing Fields, Agent Fields,’ said Gemma Arterton, the film’s second Bond girl. ‘She works for MI6 and the British consulate in Bolivia and basically just has to look after Bond–or try to.’

As previously reported, Arterton also briefly mentioned a few of her scenes that will apparently be sticking in the minds of viewers longer than others: ‘I’ve done two of my “big, talked about” scenes. It was on the first two days, so I was quite nervous, but everyone makes you feel so at home here. There’s such a good feel on set.’

Dame Judi Dench, returning for her sixth time to the series as ‘M,’ revealed that her character would have ‘more to do’ this time around. ‘You see a bit more of her house and there’s more confrontation with Bond.’

When asked about working with Craig for their second film together, she answered: ‘I think he’s the most marvelous actor. He’s very relaxed and it can’t be very relaxing for him, but he has a knack for making you feel relaxed when you’re acting with him and that’s a very nice trait.’

He’s absolutely wonderful,’ responded Dame Judi when asked about Forster. ‘He’s wonderful to work with and I’m a great admirer of his. He’s funny, gentle and specific. He doesn’t watch the monitor, he watches the acting, the actors.’

Marc Forster also spoke to Coming Soon about preparing for the film and the key importance of pre-production:

‘I think the pre-production process is when I create the movie, basically. It’s all about the pre-production process. It’s all about locations to choose, how to develop the scenes, and that entire journey is where the vision of the film comes together. Ultimately, when you’re on the set, you’re jus executing the vision, which is a whole, completely different step actually.’

‘It’s hard for me to judge what kind of stamp I’m going to put on this movie. I let the audience decide that. I just have my vision of the film and will pull through and make the movie that is the most interesting and fascinating to watch.’

On the title: ‘You know, Quantum of Solace is a short story from Ian Fleming. I think it works for the film; I think it works for the story. In a sense, I think it was a good move to use an original title from Ian Fleming.’

Producer Michael G. Wilson also agreed, stating: ‘The Quantum of Solace, being a Fleming short story, means a measure of comfort. And I think it’s very appropriate for this film because based on what happened to the character of James Bond in the last film, he needs a quantum of solace, considering his mental state.’

Wilson also mentioned the impressive line-up of locations for the film: ‘We’ve been here in the studio and of course some London locations. And then we go off to Panama, then Peru, then northern Chile, and then we’re back here and then we go on to Italy and Austria. So there’s quite a number of locations and a lot of them are very challenging for our production department and to to get the work done in the time we have.’

To view the entire set of video interviews, click here to check ’em out at Coming Soon.

Quantum of Solace sees James Bond out for revenge on a mission that takes him to Austria, Italy and South America.

According to the synopsis, Bond girl Camille, played by Ukrainian-born Olga Kurylenko, leads the secret agent to Dominic Greene, member of a mysterious organization and a ruthless businessman, seeking to control huge natural resources.

Greene is played by Mathieu Amalric, who starred in the Oscar-nominated The Diving Bell and Butterfly. The plot follows on directly from Casino Royale as Bond aims to uncover the truth about Vesper, the beauty who betrayed him, and discovers that she had been blackmailed. ‘James Bond is after revenge, and Camille is after revenge and they have slightly different goals, but in the end they are going to have to collaborate,’ says Kurylenko.

Click here to view the complete Quantum of Solace plot synopsis

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.