Casino Royale Carrera Go! Racing Set Cars Revealed

The two cars for the upcoming James Bond: Casino Royale Carrera Go! racing set have been revealed: the Aston Martin DB5 and Aston Martin DBS.

Viewable here on the Carrera Toys website, the cars are apart of a set that includes a 1:43 scale track with a loop the loop and turbo boosts on a 6.2 m track. The full features include:

• Aston Martin DB5
• Aston Martin DBS
• 6 Straights 342 mm
• 1 Straight 114 mm
• 3 Straights 100 mm
• 8 Loop sections with supports
• 4 Fly Over sections with supports
• 2 Lane change sections
• 4 Curves 1/90°
• 2 Curves 1/45°
• 1 Connecting track section
• 1 Straight with lap counter
• 2 Speed controllers
• 1 Transformer
• Accessories:
• Support set
• Track section bolts
• Guardrails
• Replacement contacts
• Spare guide keels
• Dimensions when assembled: 223 x 60 cm/7.31 x 1.97 ft.
• Track length: 6,2 m/20.34 ft.

The Casino Royale Carrera Go! racing set is due for release in October/November of this year. The set follows up previous Carrera Go! James Bond-themed sets, including those for the Goldfinger and Die Another Day films.

Stay tuned to CBn for all the latest news on Casino Royale and all things James Bond 007.

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond 007 film produced by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production began shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on 17 November 2006. Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, it is currently being filmed in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

The film co-stars Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, Tobias Menzies, Ivana Milicevic, Clemens Schik, Ludger Pistor, Claudio Santamaria, and Isaach De Bankole.

Discuss this ‘Casino Royale’ news in this thread on the CBn Forums.

Bond Girls Signing At Vintage Magazine Shop

Fans of the James Bond film, The Man With The Golden Gun, will have a chance to meet two of its stars this July.

On the first of July, Bonds girls Maud Adams and Britt Ekland will be appearing at the Vintage Magazine Shop to meet with fans and sign photographs.

The event is set for 12 noon onwards. The Vintage Magazine Shop is located on 39-43 Brewer St. in London. Full details here.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest James Bond 007 news.

Discuss this James Bond news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum on the internet. Thanks to CBn forum member ‘The Girl With The Golden Gun.’

Casino Royale Photographs From Venice

As production continues on the 21st official James Bond 007 film, Casino Royale, several new photographs have been posted online.

Viewable here on Yahoo News, the photographs feature Daniel Craig and Bond girl Eva Green on location in Venice, Italy. The shots were taken during a break in the filming of Casino Royale.

Stay tuned to CBn for all the latest news on Casino Royale and all things James Bond 007.

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond 007 film produced by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production began shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on 17 November 2006. Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, it is currently being filmed in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

The film co-stars Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, Tobias Menzies, Ivana Milicevic, Clemens Schick, Ludger Pistor, Claudio Santamaria, and Isaach De Bankole.

Discuss this ‘Casino Royale’ news in this thread on the CBn Forums. Thanks to CBn forum member ‘Harmsway.’

Casino Royale – A Personal Set Report

Written by Heiko Lorson

With Casino Royale being filmed in the Czech Republic, a number of Bond fans
from Germany used the opportunity to make short trips to Karlovy Vary to get
first hand impressions of this beautiful location and maybe catch a glimpse of
the action. German fan Heiko Lorson was extraordinarily lucky. Read his personal
report and learn that a properly dressed man can get anywhere he wants. (Click images to enlarge.)

"On May 24th, I made a visit to Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. In the
afternoon, I first went to the Grand Hotel Pupp, which doubles as Hotel
Splendide in Montenegro. On the way there, I passed the Mill Colonade, which
will be the station in Montenegro and serve as background location when Bond and
Vesper arrive there.

The hotel itself is a beautiful "Grand Hotel" and looks very majestic,
especially with the "Hotel Splendide" signs that have been mounted anywhere on
the hotel and the cafe that belongs to the hotel. On a nearby advertising
column, one can see a poster announcing the poker tournament at Casino Royale.
In the hotel car park, the movie’s two Aston Martin DBS can be spotted, and,
next to a lot of lighting equipment, cables and trucks, the hotel’s Bentley that
picks up Bond and Vesper at the station. Just around the corner, the "Kaiserbad"
is located, decorated with a big sign "Casino Royale" above the entrance and
brass signs and writings on the doors.

I returned to the hotel car park by 8.30 P.M. A "director’s stand" was set
up, with chairs and monitors, and Martin Campbell was already there. The Aston
Martin was in bright lights, and the ground in front of it was being sprinkled
with water. That made it clear: there would be a night shooting today. I was
lucky that the set hadn’t already ben closed for te public. I was earing my
"North Face" jacket that night, as I had seen many crew members wearing similar
ones on previois set pictures (e.g. Martin Campbell). I can tell it now: my
"disguise" was perfect. I wasn’t kicked from the set, people may have thought
that I’m a crew member.

At around 9.40 PM, Daniel Craig showed up and Mr. Bond himself stood right in
front of me. I was standing within 2 meters distance from Martin Campbell all
the time, and 3 or 4 meters away, Daniel Craig was shooting a scene with the
Aston. I could watch twelve takes of a scene – absolutely fantastic. The scene
which was shot: Bond is squat down, gets up, opens the door of the Aston and
gets in (from the 7th take, he was already sitting in the car). He’s panting all
the time, puts a stick into his mouth, spits out something, uses his mobile
phone and… cut!

SPOILER: (Highlight to read)

I guess that’s the scene in which Bond
gets poisoned.

Can’t wait to see what makes it into the movie from that scene. I can imagine
that the cut the "squat down" bit, as they didn’t do that any more after the
sixth take and they didn’t seem to be really happy about it. After each take,
Craig and Campbell were standing next to me, watching the camera monitors (4
different angles) and discussed the shots. Unfortunately, it was too risky too
take pictures. Flashes were forbiden during the shooting, and they would have
uncovered me and kicked me out. But when Daniel Craig went to the catering and
came back with a cup of coffee, I asked him if I could take a picture.
Immediately, he took the camera out of my hand, held it in front of us and
pushed the button. After that, shooting was finished and – happy about what I
just had experienced – I returned back to my hotel room.

The next day, I returned once again to make a visit at the Cafe Pupp /
Splendide. Martin Campbell was there, discussing two storyboard pages with two
crew members. They were later joined by Barbara Broccoli. At another table,
Lindy Hemming was sitting and discussing with an assistant.

All in all, it was a dream come true for a long time Bond fan, who’s been
active since 1979 and never got this close before. The meeting on the second day
with my old friends from Oliver, Wolfgang and Sascha from the BKD (Bondklub
Deutschland, the German fanclub) was another highlight of two fantastic days in
Karlovy Vary in May 2006."

Pictures used by permission of Bondklub Deutschland. Thanks to Heiko Lorson, Sascha Braun, Oliver Bayan, Wolfgang Thürauf, Udo Wöbking and Markus C. Breitfelder. Discuss the set visit in the CBn Forums.

Casino Royale Photographs Featuring Daniel Craig & Eva Green In Italy

As production continues on the 21st official James Bond 007 film, Casino Royale, several new photographs from the set have come online.

Taken from the Bond set at Lake Como, Italy, the fifteen new photographs can be viewed here on EvaGreenWeb.com. Featured are Daniel Craig as James Bond and Eva Green as Bond girl Vesper Lynd.

Stay tuned to CBn for all the latest news on Casino Royale and all things James Bond 007.

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond 007 film produced by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production began shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on 17 November 2006. Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, it is currently being filmed in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

The film co-stars Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, Tobias Menzies, Ivana Milicevic, Clemens Schick, Ludger Pistor, Claudio Santamaria, and Isaach De Bankole.

Discuss this ‘Casino Royale’ news in this thread on the CBn Forums. Thanks to CBn forum member ‘Fro.’

First Looks Part III: The Moore the Merrier

An Article by Ed
Harris

121 minutes-Starring Roger Moore, Jane Seymour and Yaphet Kotto Directed by Guy Hamilton.

After the departure of George Lazenby and a return performance from Sean Connery in Diamonds are Forever, the producers were once again faced with finding a new 007. They found him in the form of Roger Moore, at the time very well known from his several TV shows. He would bring a different take on Bond, in tune with the lighter tone of the previous film, blending his own style with a touch of Connery in his first two films before making the role his own by his third. But of course, before one can have a third film they must have a first.

The eighth Bond film starts off with a rousing, jazzy rendition of the James Bond theme and takes us on a mini-travelogue as three men are killed in the three locations we’ll see in the film. Oddly enough, Bond doesn’t appear in this sequence, an interesting choice that would work out here but in the next film proves to be a very bad mistake. After the terrific song by Paul McCartney we get our first look at Roger Moore, at his home in bed with a beautiful woman. I like how rather than the standard briefing scene in M’s office, M comes to Bond’s home and briefs him on his mission. It’s a nice change and does a little to avoid comparisons with Connery’s Bond, an inevitable dilemma that wasn’t addressed properly in the sixth film. Another difference is the absence of Q as we get Bond explaining what his gadget does to the mild annoyance of M. I also enjoy Bernard Lee’s reaction to Bond’s coffee maker, a Rube Goldberg nightmare that makes more noise than coffee. Did this actually exist? This is the kind of stuff that just needs to be known.

Back to Moore, the producers took an interesting strategy with him as Bond. They have him play the role fairly straightforward (Moore would really make the character his own in his third film), but removing the established “Connery trademarks”—martini order, joking with Q, etc.

From here we get a nicely atmospheric bit of filmmaking as Bond’s plane takes off and lands in New York. I’ve always enjoyed the voiceover by Jane Seymour coupled with her turning over cards. The music by George Martin is great too, as it is throughout the entire film. The New York scenes in general work very nicely in terms of setting up some of the characters, Kananga/Mr. Big in particular. Yaphet Kotto does an excellent job of giving a cool sense of menace and the tape recorder gag he uses to throw off Leiter’s surveillance is a neat touch. Bond’s tailing of Whisper is pretty good with the new version of the James Bond theme blaring over the scene. It also gives us a nice sense of how efficient Mr. Big’s operation is. The ensuing confrontation with Solitaire and Mr. Big is a great example of Bond at his cockiest. More portrays Bond as unflappable in the face of, well… pretty much everything. He also adds in a lighter touch that really should be credited more to screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz than Moore himself. Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay for the previous movie and subsequently co-wrote the next film with Richard Maibaum. That being said, Moore plays the character with a certain coolness and confidence that immediately makes one comfortable with him in the role. To the filmmakers credit they don’t try to make him exactly like Connery, though there is a bit more edge to him here and the second outing that isn’t as pronounced in the following five. The introduction to Tee Hee is equally fun. Moore’s reaction to the claw and his dumping of the gun into the trash can is very amusing. Also good is the brief appearance of Mr. Big and the even briefer scuffle with the thugs in the alley.

The intro of Strutter into the story leads nicely to the first San Monique sequence. Like the rest of the film it plays out at a nice brisk pace, much like Dr. No but we’ll get to that in the performance section of the article. Moore continues his unflappable portrayal into the snake sequence, a nice reworking of the spider scene in Dr. no. Not handled quite as well is the character of Rosie Carver, Gloria Hendry is certainly a gorgeous woman but the character is a bit too obviously not what she seems. Still, Moore and Hendry play their scenes well and the bit where Bond reveals that he knows she’s with Kananga is a nice moment, Moore shows Bond’s callous side quite well here. Equally effective is Bond’s seduction of Solitaire, only Moore’s Bond could get away with the loaded deck of cards ploy. The callousness is offset rather nicely by the following bedroom scene. Moore shows a relatively good amount of tenderness with her and his facial expression before he reveals the ruse is quite amusing.

The discovery of the poppy fields and escape from San Monique is well done with the bus stunt standing out as especially cool. The opening movement of the New Orleans sequence, however, is rather uneven. The reveal of the cab driver is good but the actor goes a bit overboard. Also uninspiring is the plane chase. It starts off well enough but the addition of Mrs. Bell is frankly unnecessary and detracts from a pretty neat, innovative stunt sequence. Making it a little better is the coda to the plane scene. David Hedison is fairly funny. His one sided phone conversation with the owner of the plane reminds me of a Bob Newhart routine.

At about seventy minutes in the film hits its high point, from Bond’s capture to the end of the boat chase is maybe the best stretch of the entire series. Virtually everything is done exceptionally well. Yaphet Kotto really comes into his own in this scene. I especially love the reveal that Mr. Big and Kananga are the same person. It actually builds nicely with Kananga getting angrier and angrier before finally tearing off the wig and slamming it to the floor with as much fury as one could possibly do that particular action. It’s really a funny moment, maybe unintentional but it certainly is memorable. Happily though, this is as over the top as Kotto goes in his performance, for the rest of the scene he exudes quiet menace, something Kotto is brilliant at.

The most interesting part of his performance, however, comes after Bond is taken out. His confrontation with Solitaire is remarkably subtle for what is essentially a summer action film. Kotto displays a mixture of anger and genuine hurt when he discovers her betrayal. It’s not what you generally see in any action movie, Bond or otherwise. Another aspect of this scene that I like (and the film in general), is the rather low key scheme the villain has. It’s nice to have something low key and mundane like drug smuggling as opposed to Kananga having an orbiting death ray placed in the latest spy satellite.

The quality continues with the gator farm sequence. I love the tour, Julius Harris makes his character nicely menacing, actually given that he has one hand and a huge metal arm with a pair of pliers on it it’s not really too hard to convey menace. Still, a good job nonetheless. The gator jump ends the scene perfectly. Having the watch magnet fail is also a nice touch, as is the reaction Moore has to the watch failing.

The boat chase is equally impressive. The stunts are superb as usual and unlike the film that would follow, having a redneck sheriff appear actually makes sense and adds to the story. Clifton James is quite funny as Pepper here and though his shtick is quite politically incorrect, it works for the film. Bond’s escape from San Monique is nicely done with good use of Baron Samedi Geoffrey Holder is really good in one of the more unusual villain roles in the series, a nice couple of exchanges with Kananga and a decent enough fight between Bond and Kananga. The only real problem the fight has is the ending. I have two problems with it: First off, having a very cool villain super-inflated till be blows up is really not the best sendoff they could have used. Second, and this ties in with my first problem, any time you have a shark in your finale and it doesn’t eat somebody, you’ve just wasted money on a shark. Still, it doesn’t hurt the movie too much and the fight on the train with Tee Hee more than makes up for it and the final shot of Samedi on the front of the train is very cool. In the end, it’s a solid summer action movie that serves as a good entry in the franchise. Not the best, but also not the worst by a long shot.

Another interesting element of the film is how closely it follows Dr, No in terms of story. Both films have a relaxed, laid back narrative with low key performances and less of an emphasis on gadgets. They both have major set pieces in the Caribbean and feature an animal as a threat as well as a slightly tougher Bond than we’re used to seeing.

Roger Moore does just fine in his debut as Bond. He tries to avoid any of Connery’s mannerisms and trademarks but doesn’t quite put his own personal stamp on the character. That wouldn’t happen till his third outing as 007. He plays a certain amount of toughness, something he would carry into the next film and refine into a rather casual detachment by the third film, but for the most part plays it light and relaxed. It’s a very confident, assured performance.

Discuss this article in the CBn Forums.

Ed Harris posts in the CBn forums as ‘Genrewriter’.

Related articles:

• First Looks Part I: Everything Has A Beginning
• First Looks Part II: One Man, One Film

Casino Royale – Official Website Report #3

The official Casino Royale website blog has been updated by ‘Yarborough.’ Coverage this time centers on Daniel Craig and stunt co-ordinator Gary Powell in Prague.

The third official report takes us to Prague on the eve of shooting (in a ‘bitterly cold’ January). ‘Starting with a bang,’ Daniel Craig and Sebastian Foucan (Mollaka) begin their first day at the Nambutu embassy. According to Craig: ‘It just helps everybody, focuses everybody’s mind. It is a big sequence but actually it’s not by far the biggest so we’re kind of breaking in gently, I think.’

Much of the training is creating a very ‘aggressive looking … [and] physically confident’ new James Bond according to the report. Director Martin Campbell could only praise the new 007, saying: ‘He’s pretty terrific you know, he looks fantastic…’

Read the entire report here.

Stay tuned to CBn for all the latest news on Casino Royale and all things James Bond 007.

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond 007 film produced by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production began shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on 17 November 2006. Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, it is currently being filmed in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

The film co-stars Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, Tobias Menzies, Ivana Milicevic, Clemens Schick, Ludger Pistor, Claudio Santamaria, and Isaach De Bankole.

Discuss this ‘Casino Royale’ news in this thread on the CBn Forums.

CBn Exclusive: A visit on the set of Casino Royale

Just in time before shooting was finished in Karlovy Vary, CBn grabbed the opportunity for a visit on set and location of Casino Royale: We have exclusive pictures of The Grand Hotel Pupp, which will double for the ‘Hotel Splendide’ in Montenegro and the ‘Lazne I’ (Spa I, the former ‘Kaiserbad’) which will be the Casino Royale itself. We also deliver images from the Mill Collonade (double for Montenegro station) and the Cafe Pupp (‘Kafana Splendide’).
(Click images to enlarge.)

As mentioned above, shooting in Karlovy Vary is now finished. The Grand Hotel Pupp, which had a double function as location and crew hotel, was booked until May 29th and many equipment trucks were already on their way to Venice by the end of the past week.

Karlovy Vary is an excellent location choice. The city itself is very picturesque and looks like it comes right out of a toy box or a from a model train landscape. Being and old spa town itself, it is a perfect stand-in for Royale-les-Eaux. Consisting almost entirely of historical buildings, it has a classic European feeling and can already be judged as one of the most beautiful Bond movie location in years.

 

Watch out for more details and pictures to come within the week.

Stay tuned to CBn for all the latest news on Casino Royale and all things James Bond 007.

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond 007 film produced by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production began shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on 17 November 2006. Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, it is currently being filmed in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

The film co-stars Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, Tobias Menzies, Ivana Milicevic, Clemens Schick, Ludger Pistor, Claudio Santamaria, and Isaach De Bankole.

Discuss the set visit in the CBn Forums.

Goldfinger On The Big Screen In August

AJB reports that James Bond fans will get a chance to see Goldfinger on the big screen in August.

Set for the 20th and 22nd of August, the Broadway Cinema in Letchworth Garden City will be showing the classic 007 film as apart of its 70th anniversary celebrations.

Tickets will be going on sale on 2 June, with show times to be announced. Advanced booking line: 01462 681088

Keep watching CBn for all the latest James Bond 007 news.

Discuss this James Bond news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum on the internet.

Heineken Bonds with 007 and Casino Royale

Market Wire reports that Heineken International (in partnership with EON Productions and Sony)will be launching a world-wide promotional campaign for the 21st official James Bond film, Casino Royale.

The upcoming campaign will ‘comprise of on- and off-premise promotions, interactive and digital activities, radio promotions, consumer competitions and tie-ins with local Sony publicity and promotional events. The promotional campaign will be activated in approximately 40 countries worldwide.’

In addition, Bond girl Eva Green (Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale) will be featured in a television commercial, which will be filmed on the 007 set in the Czech Republic and broadcast in November and December 2006. According to Green: ‘I’m delighted to be promoting Casino Royale in association with Heineken. Heineken continues to be a highly innovative partner in its support of film-making.’

Stay tuned to CBn for all the latest news on Casino Royale and all things James Bond 007.

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond 007 film produced by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production began shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on 17 November 2006. Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, it is currently being filmed in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

The film co-stars Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, Tobias Menzies, Ivana Milicevic, Clemens Schick, Ludger Pistor, Claudio Santamaria, and Isaach De Bankole.

Discuss this ‘Casino Royale’ news in this thread on the CBn Forums. Thanks to CBn forum member ‘Fro.’