BAFTA Honours Martin Campbell With Excellence In Directing Award

GoldenEye and Casino Royale director Martin Campbell

According to a report from Variety, two-time 007 director Martin Campbell is being honoured tonight at the BAFTA/LA Britannia ceremony with the John Schlesinger Award for excellence in directing.

Campbell, who introduced Pierce Brosnan to the world of James Bond in GoldenEye and then again with Daniel Craig in last year’s Casino Royale, remembers having second thoughts when he was approached by the producers for Brosnan’s first Bond film.

‘The trouble with directing Bond films — or any of these big commercial movies — is, like actors, you get pigeonholed, so people send you nothing but big, big action movies,’ Campbell says. ‘I did GoldenEye because I had not made a film that had taken [in] a dime, quite honestly.’

‘I was subsequently offered them all after [the massive success that GoldenEye was],’ Campbell says, ‘but the character’s got nowhere to go. You simply have to repeat yourself.’

As fans already know, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who were originally impressed by Campbell’s award-winning miniseries Edge Of Darkness, then approached him once again for Daniel Craig’s 007 debut.

‘The great thing about coming back on Casino is that the guy was a rough diamond; he had flaws,’ says Campbell. ‘He wasn’t even Bond at the beginning of the movie, so at least there was somewhere to go.’

‘We knew he could deliver on all counts,’ says Broccoli. ‘He and Daniel created a new template.’

So what is next for Campbell? In addition to helming the 2008 drama 36 as well as the action thriller Unstoppable, which is due out in 2009, Campbell has spent the last couple of years developing Edge Of Darkness as a film script along with writer Andrew Bovell.

‘You have to show another side of your work, so I’m deliberately trying to choose something character-driven and personal for my next project,’ he says.

Past recipients of the John Schlesinger Award include Anthony Minghella and Mike Newell.

Stay tuned to CBn for all the latest James Bond news.

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.

Sir Roger Moore Receives Inspiration Award For His Work With UNICEF

Sir Roger Moore today received the prestigious Dag Hammarskjöld Inspiration Award honouring his never-ending work with UNICEF throughout the world. A ceremony took place in New York City. The full press release follows:

Sir Roger Moore receives Dag Hammarskjöld Inspiration Award for his work with UNICEF

NEW YORK, USA, 25 October 2007 – “I’ve been an exceedingly lucky actor, and the luck of it all was that I was able to come and work for UNICEF,” said Goodwill Ambassador Sir Roger Moore as he received the Dag Hammarskjöld Inspiration Award at a ceremony in New York today.

The prestigious humanitarian award is presented in memory of the second United Nations Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjöld, who served from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 1961.

Sir Roger, only the second recipient of the award, received it for his work with UNICEF on behalf of the world’s children.

“It is an enormous privilege to receive this award in honour of Dag Hammarskjöld,” said the veteran actor and child advocate. “He devoted his life, as short as it was, to improving the world for people. He died long before he should have done, working for that cause.”

‘The truth will eventually win’

The award to Sir Roger was announced at the annual luncheon of the Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund for Journalists. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan attended, along with UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman and other dignitaries.

The Secretary General couldn’t resist referring to Sir Roger’s former career, saying “My name is Ban, not James Bond.”

“I was told never to work with animals and children. They didn’t tell me not to follow a Secretary General,” quipped Sir Roger.

Sir Roger paid tribute to the young journalists supported by the fund, who are given the chance to work at the UN, and encouraged them to continue the mission charted by Mr. Hammarskjöld.

“He wanted the world to know the truth and the world to be improved upon,” Sir Roger said. “To the recipients of the scholarship I would say: Continue, continue to tell the truth. The truth will eventually win.”

Celebrating three milestones

At the award ceremony, Sir Roger also revealed another important life achievement that occurred earlier this month, when he received his own star on Hollywood Boulevard. And Ms. Veneman announced a third milestone: Sir Roger’s 80th birthday.

“He is passionate, he is compassionate. He is a champion for children,” she said as a three-tiered cake was wheeled out, bearing – among other decorations – the colours of UNICEF. “Today we’re here to toast not only his award, but this very special important time in his life. Happy birthday to you.”

Click here to view pictures of Sir Roger Moore at the ceremony.

Keep your eyes on CommanderBond.net for all the latest James Bond news.

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.

Daniel Craig To Receive Variety Award At BIFA Ceremony

Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig is set to receive the Variety Award at the upcoming British Independent Film Awards, which will be taking place in late November, according to a report from Variety.

The star of Casino Royale and next year’s Bond 22 is being awarded this honour due to his contribution to bringing the international spotlight to the British film industry.

In the past, Craig has been nominated three times at the British Independent Film Award (BIFA) ceremonies, winning the best actor award for 2000’s Some Voices. His other nominations include 1999’s The Trench and 2004’s Enduring Love.

The jury comprises actors Hayley Atwell, Archie Panjabi, Kathy Burke, Tony Curran, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Matthew Macfadyen; directors Annie Griffin, Menhaj Huda, Neil Marshall and Peter Webber; London Film Festival artistic director Sandra Hebron; producer Mark Herbert; cinematographer Brian Tufano; distributor Will Clarke; and musician Nitin Sawhney. Click here to see the full list of nominations.

The awards were established in 1998 to celebrate and promote achievement in independently-funded British film. This year’s ceremony will take place on 28 November at Roundhouse in north London.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest James Bond news.

'You Know My Name' Scoops World Soundtrack Award

Chris Cornell’s James Bond title track, “You Know My Name”, last night landed Best Original Song Written Directly For A Film at the 2007 World Soundtrack Awards.

David Arnold accepts the World Soundtrack Award

The song, which was written by Cornell and 007 composer David Arnold and featured in last year’s Casino Royale, was nominated for the gong back in August.

Arnold was on hand to collect the award at the ceremony. Earlier this week, the composer landed a BMI London Film Music Award for his Casino Royale score.

The winner was selected by the World Soundtrack Academy’s voting members. The ceremony took place on the closing evening of the Ghent International Film Festival.

The nominations for Best Original Song Written Directly For A Film were:

• “Le Festin” from Ratatouille (music and lyrics by Michael Giacchino and performed by Camille)
• “Falling Slowly” from Once (written and performed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova)
• “I Need To Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth (written and performed by Melissa Etheridge)
• “When You Taught Me How To Dance” from Miss Potter (written by Mike Batt, Nigel Westlake, and Richard Maltby, Jr. and performed by Katie Melua)
• “You Know My Name” from Casino Royale (written by Chris Cornell and David Arnold and performed by Chris Cornell)

David Arnold makes his acceptance speech

The World Soundtrack Academy was established in 2001 as a way of promoting music in film. The Awards are distributed annually to celebrate outstanding achievement in music in motion pictures.

“You Know My Name” was previously nominated for an International Press Academy Golden Satellite Award in the Best Original Song category, which it won.

Stay tuned to the new-look CommanderBond.net for all the latest Casino Royale coverage.