Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of the 23rd James Bond adventure, SKYFALL, announced today that the character of Q will be making a welcome return to the Bond franchise and confirmed that the role will be played by British actor Ben Whishaw.
An update from the IMAX Twitter feed has announced that a never before seen preview of Skyfall will showcase at this years San Diego Comic Con.
More news to follow…
‘GoldenEye’ and ‘Casino Royale’ director Martin Campbell has backed Superman star Henry Cavill to take over the role of James Bond, once Daniel Craig calls it a day. Cavill auditioned for Bond in 2005, losing out to Daniel Craig, who’s cutting edge performance in english gangster film ‘Layer Cake’, secured his part as the English agent in Casino Royale.
Speaking to ‘The Express’, Campbell said..
“Henry did a great screen test for Bond. So did Daniel, although he arrived for his looking really tired after a night flight from America where he was finishing up a movie called The Invasion, None of us making the casting decision were 100% sure. I needed a couple of days to think about it. Over that weekend I saw Daniel’s film Layer Cake and he showed such terrific charm in that that it convinced me he should get the part.Perhaps Henry Cavill was too young for it then, he was 22 at the time we auditioned for Casino Royale, but maybe he could still be James Bond in the future. After all, Pierce Brosnan did a great screen test only to eventually get the part years later.”
Sam Mendes has confirmed that James Bond has not ditched his Martini in favour of Heineken. Recent Tabloid reports suggested that Bond will in fact replace his signature Martini for beer in the upcoming James Bond movie. Speaking to GQ Magazine, Mendes said “There is a moment where he drinks Heineken, or rather a beer. But there is a story reason for that. And he does drink other things…”
There wasn’t really any kind of doubt that this would be the case however, as Bond fans already knew that EON Productions have had a long standing product placement with Heineken, and it was just the media blowing things out of proportion. Bond took a sip of beer in 2008’s ‘Quantum of Solace’ but still managed to down 6 vodka martini’s.
Skyfall opens in the UK on October 26th.
This web documentary focuses on the creation of the iconic world inhabited by James Bond over the last 50 years. We spend time with award winning set designer, Sir Ken Adam; as well as Aston Martin’s Head of Design; along with the designers and the makers of the legendary Golden Gun.
This new web documentary details the evolution of James Bond’s personal style, meeting award winning costume designer, Lindy Hemming; and a handful of bespoke tailors who have been instrumental in shaping and crafting this icon of style over 50 years.
Daniel Kleinman, who worked on the main title sequences for all four Pierce Brosnan Bond movies, and ‘Casino Royale’, will helm the opening title sequence for ‘Skyfall’, it has been confirmed. ‘Skyfall’ will be Kleinmans first Bond movie in 6 years, as MK-12 handled the main title sequence for 2008’s ‘Quantum of Solace’.
It was reported that work on the opening titles for ‘Skyfall’ began in May, when British model Charlotte Edwards tweeted that her and a fellow model would be working on the title sequence. As promising as this sounds, it looks like fans might be in for a more traditional sequence this time round, as the Bond series is famous for including silhouetted girls in the opening titles.
Are you happy with the return of Kleinman? You can discuss this news here.
Today Mobile Magazine’s website reports the cross-company marketing of Sony Mobile’s new smartphone – as yet unnamed – that is to feature prominently in Sony Pictures’ new Bond film ‘Skyfall’. According to this, exclusive promotional links and trailers for the film are an important feature of the marketing strategy for the new device.
Mobile Magazine’s article can be found here
You can discuss this news in this thread
Thanks to CBn forum member Luigi Ferrari for the alert.
An article on Variety’s page, posted last Monday, hints at a possible early setting of course for future Bond films.
Here is the snippet:
Kevin Marks
Partner
Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown
UC Berkeley, 1982
In representing the Broccoli family, which co-owns the James Bond movie franchise with MGM, Marks has been kept busy working on all the above-the-line deals for the upcoming “Skyfall” and setting up writing deals for the next two Bond pics. He notes that Bond’s long track record as a major performer in international markets has enhanced the films’ value as the overseas box office boom continues. Indeed, overseas B.O. plays a major role these days in many decisions. “I’ve been involved in projects where … if this person or co-financier is attached we think it will be exhibited in China,” he says. Other deals include setting up David O. Russell’s follow-up to “The Fighter,” “Silver Linings Playbook”; writer-helmer Richard Curtis on three projects set to go into production; and producer Stacey Sher’s deal on Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained.”
The entire article can be found here
Note that it doesn’t concern itself exclusively with Bond films. Note also said piece doesn’t actually mention writers’ names or whether they have already started work. Nonetheless such a move would tally with intentions to get Bond to theatres more frequently than was the case recently. Speculation has it this could also indicate more of a long-term strategy in EON’s series.
You can discuss this news in this thread
Thanks to CBn forum members thecasinoroyale and Shrublands for pointing to this.
4 minutes of the upcoming Bond film ‘Skyfall’ was previewed in Barcelona earlier this week, says Hollywood Reporter.
The footage was promoted by Berenice Marlohe, who described getting the role as Severine, the new Bond girl as ‘a dream come true’. News of the preview broke a mere few hours after internet rumours surfaced of a 4 minute extended trailer which was shown to test audiences.
‘Skyfall’ is released October 26th.
Among the barrage of publications that marks James Bond’s 50th anniversary on the big screen this year will also see a number of less conventional but all the more noteworthy releases. One of these is the upcoming book by comedy and screen writer Mark O’Connell (‘Carrying Dad’, ‘The Last Laugh’), his memoirs of growing up as a Bond fan in the teeming 1980s, coming under the catchy title’ Catching Bullets’. It provides a close-up view on 1980s Bond, by a fan with true enthusiasm and given from an unexpected angle.
From Splendid Books’ website:
From the offbeat vantage point of a gay teenager whose grandfather was chauffeur to legendary 007 producer Cubby Broccoli, Catching Bullets – Memoirs of a Bond Fan is a love-letter to James Bond, Duran Duran title songs and bolting down your tea quick enough to watch Roger Moore falling out of a plane without a parachute.
When Jimmy O’Connell took a job as chauffeur for 007 producers Eon Productions, it would not just be Cubby Broccoli, Roger Moore and Sean Connery he would drive to James Bond. His grandson Mark swiftly hitches a ride on a humorous journey of filmic discovery where Bond movies fire like bespoke bullets at a Reagan-era Catholic childhood marked with divorce, a closet-gay adolescence sound-tracked by John Barry and an adult life as a comedy writer still inspired by that Broccoli movie magic.
‘Catching Bullets’ will be published on September 3rd 2012 by Splendid Books and can already be pre-ordered at the publishers.
You can discuss the book here
Thanks to author Mark O’Connell for alerting us. We will try to get more details on this as they come.