'Quantum of Solace' Filming Commences In Panama

WARNING: Possible plot spoilers

Filming for Quantum of Solace has officially begun in Panama. According to a report from Mi Diario, a launch party was held at the National Theatre with stars Daniel Craig (along with girlfiend Satsuki Mitchell), Olga Kurylenko, Gemma Arterton, Giancarlo Giannini, Dame Judi Dench and director Marc Forster attending a dinner at the event.

Pictures from the exclusive event are available here and here.

Craig reportedly arrived in the country on 4 February and has been in preparations for shooting scenes at the decommissioned US Howard Air Force Base (turned over to Panama in 2000), located on the west side of the Panama Canal.

A report at DIAaDIA Online points out that Panama shooting officially began for Quantum of Solace on 7 February, while the 11th of this month will see the Bond production moving to the National Institute of Culture building, which is being transformed into the ‘Andean Grand Hotel.’ Featuring refurbished halls and stairs, the building will serve as the location for one of the main action sequences in the film where, according to local press, an assassination attempt is made on 007 while he is in one of the elevators.

Filming at the National Institute of Culture building is expected to go on until 13 February, with shooting planned to take place at a few other sites in the area, including the former colonial social club.

Other filming sites for Quantum of Solace include the Patio Rochet’ between 6:00pm and 6:00am on 14 and 15 February (as pointed out by CommanderBond.net earlier this month). A note published by the local press was signed by James Grant, the location manager in Panama, who apologised in advance for the ‘degree of disturbance’ that the shooting will likely cause.

Roads that will be closed due to filming include Calle 16 Oeste (located alongside the National Bank) in Santa Ana and 18 Sta. Ana. Filming is expected to be concluded by the 21st of the month.

As earlier reported by CBn, Panama was assumed to be doubling for another country in the film, and while the 007 producers wouldn’t comment further on exactly which one, local officials seemed fairly convinced it was Bolivia.

Now, further confirmation of this location detail has been provided at the Los Cuatro Tulipanes blog, where a James Bond fan notes of the current Bond production at the Old Town (also known as El Casco Antiguo and El Casco Viejo):

One conversation spilled the beans about the renovation process on Club Union, which I found out will be transformed into an Embassy. I hear the word “Boliva” tossed around a lot by these guys which makes me believe that our beloved Casco Viejo streets may not be featuring as themselves in the movie, but rather as the Latin American neighbor to the south.

The Cultural Institute (that’s what it’s called, right?) we have here, next to the famed Las Bovedas restaurant, is currently being given a facelift as well. They’ve affixed awnings to many of the windows, donning the words “Grand Andean Hotel”. The Andes, being the world’s largest mountain range, sit between Boliva and Peru which would make perfect sense for the Boliva lead I picked up.

Los Cuatro Tulipanes

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

Seebuhne Floating Stage Locked In For 'Quantum of Solace'

Wiener Zeitung report that the Seebühne floating stage has been locked in to appear in the next James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. Swiss production company Unicorn Media confirmed the rumours today.

A crew of over 200 people, working with 1,500 extras, will shoot at the Bregenz location from 30 April to 9 May 2008.

007 producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson visited the location last summer with Quantum of Solace director Marc Forster. The trio attended a dress rehearsal of Giacomo Puccini’s opera, “Tosca”.

Broccoli said, “The Seebühne is really an extraordinary place, the scenery is spectacular.”

Wilson added, “What we saw in July 2007 was very impressive. James Bond movies have always taken the cinema audience to special locations – and the gigantic eye of the ‘Tosca’ scenery is absolutely unique.”

Forster said, “The ‘Tosca’ scenery with the huge blue eye fits the story of the new James Bond movie perfectly.”

James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, appeared equally enthusiastic about the location. “I’ve never been to Austria, and I’m very happy that my career is finally taking me there,” he said. “The Seebühne and the Bregenzer Festspiele are world famous, and we will spend more than a week there to shoot one of the movie’s most-important scenes.”

The site was first rumoured to appear in the film in July last year.

Meanwhile, FilmStew spoke to Jeffrey Wright, who reprises his role as Felix Leiter from Casino Royale, in this year’s Quantum of Solace.

Having just shot some scenes for the film in London before heading to Panama to continue filming, Wright sounded enthusiastic about returning to the franchise.

“We’re pretty deep into it, and there’s some good stuff for me,” the actor said. “The writers’ strike has impacted us a bit, so it may be that we, as actors, come up with some stuff that is not as of yet written on the page. So there may be some more interesting stuff to come.”

As for the title that has received much criticism in some parts of the media, Wright said it was fitting for the film. “It’s quite exotic, isn’t it? It’s a reference to one of Ian Fleming’s earlier pieces, I guess. So it’s exotic, but Bond is exotic.”

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date James Bond news on the web.

New Spy Shots Of Daniel Craig And Gemma Arterton

A few new photographs from Daniel Craig’s second James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, have made their way online.

Available to view at just jared as well as Getty Images, the shots show Craig and Gemma Arterton (who plays Bond girl Agent Fields) in between shooting of the 007 film.

These spy shots from Quantum of Solace follow those first revealed on CommanderBond.net back in early January (here and here) when the film was still known simply as Bond 22.

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

'Quantum of Solace' Behind-The-Scenes Video

WARNING: Possible plot spoilers

A brand new behind-the scenes video for Quantum of Solace was revealed today at AOL Moviefone.

Featuring interviews with Daniel Craig, director Marc Forster and producer Michael G. Wilson, this 2:46 long video also shows off brand new footage from the newest James Bond film, including some high-tension scenes between 007 and Dame Judi Dench’s ‘M’ and a brief scene between ‘M’ and Bill Tanner (played by Rory Kinnear) discussing a ‘Mr. Slate’ (more on that character here).

An interview with Marc Forster gets the video off to a start. Discussing the difficulties in following up the massively successful Casino Royale, the director states: ‘What I loved about the last Bond was that it was Daniel Craig’s reinvention of the character. People now have huge expectations with this being a follow-up to Casino Royale. It’s scary, you know? It’s a hard thing to do.’

‘It’s funny, when I started shooting, you’re watching Judi Dench or Daniel and there’s a very weird feeling when you’re doing it,’ Forster continues. ‘You suddenly have this feeling that I’m very familiar with these characters, but still creating something different, or having a different point of view.’

Craig also commented on the current state of production: ‘It’s falling into place, you know, it’s a big piece of machinery to get going and we’ve got to make this one better. We’ve got expectation against us now. There’s a lot more work to do on this one, or it seems that way–maybe I’ve just got selective memory about the last one because [Casino Royale] seemed like a walk in the park compared to this one now.’

‘We’ve shot a few of the dialogue sequences which is kind of unusual, but it was nice. It was nice to start with some meaty dialogue sequences.’ – Daniel Craig

‘Obviously with a director like Marc, there’s a different feeling on the set, but I think everybody’s very psyched about it and very excited about the prospect of creating something different.’

Michael G. Wilson once again brought up the action quota for Quantum of Solace, something that seems to have greatly increased since Craig’s debut 007 film: ‘In the last film, Daniel was amazing in the action work and this film has more than doubled it. There’s a lot of different action sequences. He’s had to do a lot more extensive training than he did in the last film.’

‘We’re two or three weeks in and, you know, we’ve barely started yet. We’ve barely scratched the surface,’ added Craig.

‘I’m loving it, I really am. Who wouldn’t?’ – Daniel Craig

The video also gives Bond fans a sneak peak at a fight sequence featuring Bond, Craig’s stunt training, jet boat practice and stunt driving. Eagle-eyed fans can also spot Gemma Arterton’s Agent Fields as well as the return of Felix Leiter (once again played by Jeffrey Wright).

Click here to view the Quantum of Solace behind-the-scenes video.

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

Details On Peruvian And Chilean 'Quantum' Filming

Mexican newspaper El Universal reports that the James Bond crew will be headed to Machu Picchu in Cusco, Peru, this March to shoot scenes for November’s Quantum of Solace. The scenes will reportedly involve the spectacular 550-year-old Incan Citadel of Machu Picchu.

Living in Peru states that filming will occur between 2 March and 12 March.

The reports suggest a production crew of approximately 250 people will be required, while it is not yet known whether Daniel Craig, or any of the film’s stars, will be present for filming.

Peruvian company Iguana Productions will apparently lend assistance during filming – reportedly with help from Peruvian director Luis Llosa.

Meanwhile, La Tercera reports that location scouting is currently underway in Chile. Stillking Films, the Czech company that co-produced Casino Royale is reportedly visiting the Antofagasta region of the country.

Shooting is said to commence on 23 March and should take no longer than 10 days.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date James Bond news on the web.

'Quantum of Solace' Teaser Poster Revealed

It’s here! The first teaser poster for Quantum of Solace, the 22nd James Bond
film from Eon Productions and Sony, has been released last night!

AOL
Moviefone was the first website to put up the teaser poster. It is also
available as desktop wallpaper from 007.com, the
official James Bond Website from Eon Productions and Sony Pictures.

Click here
for a 800 x 600 version
Click
here for a 1024 x 768 version
Click
here for a 1280×1024 version

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date James Bond news on the web.

Official James Bond Site Updates With 'Quantum' Video And Photos

The official James Bond website, www.007.com, has been updated with video and photos for Daniel Craig’s second 007 adventure, Quantum of Solace.

The video combines sections of the 24 January press conference where the title of the film was first revealed along with interviews with the cast and crew, including Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Gemma Arterton, director Marc Forster and producer Michael G. Wilson.

While these interviews have been available to Bond fans for some time now, this early coverage of Quantum of Solace on the official site is hopefully a sign of good things to come. After the somewhat out-dated and lacklustre production reports for 2006’s Casino Royale on the official site, it seems they’re getting off on the right foot for this one.

Additionally, as earlier reported on CommanderBond.net, the first teaser poster for the film is also available to download as a desktop wallpaper.

Stay tuned to CBn for the most up-to-date coverage of Quantum of Solace.

'Licence To Thrill: A Cultural History Of The James Bond Films' Delayed To March

007 fans in the US looking to pick up the new revised edition of James Chapman’s Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films are going to have to wait a little while longer.

While the revised book was released in the UK in mid-January, the US release date has been delayed from 5 February to the 19th and now to 18 March. Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films can currently be pre-ordered at amazon.com.

First published in 1999 in the UK, Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films aims to show that there is more to the 007 franchise than just girls, guns and globe trotting adventures. The original blurb:

“The James Bond” epic is the most popular film series in silver screen history: it is estimated that a quarter of the world’s population has seen a Bond feature. The saga of Britain’s best-loved martini hound (who we all know prefers his favorite drink “shaken, not stirred”) has adapted to changing times for four decades without ever abandoning its tried-and-true formula of diabolical international conspiracy, sexual intrigue, and incredible gadgetry. James Chapman expertly traces the annals of celluloid Bond from its inauguration with 1962’s Dr. No through its progression beyond Ian Fleming’s spy novels to the action-adventure spectaculars of GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies. He argues that the enormous popularity of the series represents more than just the sum total of the films’ box-office receipts and involves questions of film culture in a wider sense.

Licence to Thrill chronicles how Bond, a representative of a British Empire that no longer existed in his generation, became a symbol of his nation’s might in a Cold War world where Britain was no longer a primary actor. Chapman describes the protean nature of Bond villains in a volatile global political scene – from Soviet scoundrels and Chinese rogues in the 1960s to a brief flirtation with Latin American drug kingpins in the 1980s and back to the Chinese in the 1990s. The book explores how the movies struggle with changing societal ethics – notably, in the evolution in the portrayal of women, showing how Bond’s encounters with the opposite sex have evolved into trysts with leading ladies as sexually liberated as Bond himself. The Bond formula has proved remarkably durable and consistently successful for roughly a third of cinema’s history – half the period since the introduction of talking pictures in the late 1920s. Moreover, Licence to Thrill argues that, for the foreseeable future, the James Bond films are likely to go on being what they have always been, a unique and very special kind of popular cinema.

The revised paperback edition of Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films is published by I B Tauris & Co Ltd and retails for £12.99 / $19.95.

• Order Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films from Amazon.co.uk
• Order Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films from Amazon.com

Stay tuned to CommanderBond.net for all the latest literary James Bond news.

An Interview with Richard Sammel

Interview by Oliver Bayan

Translation by Heiko Baumann / Photos by Sascha Braun

One of the last cast members of Casino Royale that became known was Richard Sammel, who played the part of Gettler, the one-eyed henchman in service of the mysterious organisation. Oliver Bayan of the German James Bond fan club Bondklub Deutschland (BKD) had the opportunity for an interview with the actor about his experiences on the set of Casino Royale. It first appeared in the December 2007 issue of D-007, the BKD magazine. The translated version is published here with kind permission. To learn more about the BKD and read the original Interview in German, visit their newly designed website at bkd-online.de.

An Interview with Richard Sammel

Virgin Atlantic Back For 'Quantum of Solace'

Virgin Atlantic today announced it will partner with Eon Productions, producers of the James Bond movies, for Quantum of Solace.

The airline previously featured in 2006’s Casino Royale, for which it supplied an aircraft for use during filming. The movie also included a cameo by Virgin Atlantic President, Sir Richard Branson.

The full press release follows.

James Bond’s Favourite Airline – Virgin Atlantic – Is Back For Quantum Of Solace

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, today announced it will be a global partner for the 22nd Bond movie due out later this year.

Produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for EON Productions and directed by Marc Forster, Quantum of Solace is scheduled to be released on 7 November. Virgin Atlantic will be supporting the release with a series of promotional and marketing initiatives connected with the movie. The alliance follows the success of Virgin Atlantic’s partnership with Casino Royale, in which Daniel Craig made his first appearance as James Bond. The film became the most successful in the James Bond franchise, with record-breaking box office sales.

Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic, commented:

“Virgin Atlantic and James Bond make a great partnership – slick, smooth and renowned the world over. Casino Royale propelled Bond to greater success and we’re certain that Quantum of Solace will set an even higher standard.”

Richard Branson famously appeared in a cameo role in Casino Royale and Virgin Atlantic aircraft were featured in the Miami airport scene.

Quantum of Solace continues the high octane adventures of James Bond (Daniel Craig) in Casino Royale. Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M (Judi Dench) interrogate Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) who reveals the organisation which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Quantum of Solace also stars Olga Kurylenko as Camille, Mathieu Amalric as Dominic Greene, Gemma Arterton as Agent Fields and Jeffrey Wright who returns to the role of Felix Leiter.

Virgin Atlantic’s involvement in Casino Royale was not without its controversy, though. British Airways cut Branson’s cameo from its in-flight versions of the film, as well as any shot featuring the Virgin logo.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the most up-to-date James Bond news on the web.