Olga Kurylenko Discusses 'Quantum of Solace' With IGN

WARNING: Minor character spoilers

Olga Kurylenko, who’ll be starring as leading Bond girl Camille in Quantum of Solace, took some time with IGN to discuss how she landed the role, the ‘feisty’ character, and the rather intense training required for this James Bond film.

‘First I went for general casting in Paris, then I got invited for an audition in London, then I did the final audition with Daniel [Craig],’ said Kurylenko when asked how she had gotten the role of Camille. ‘I just worked very hard. I worked non-stop with an accent coach because I have to speak with a South American accent, as she’s from Bolivia.’

‘[Camille] is a strong, feisty, independent woman. She is out there on her mission, driven by revenge.’ According to the 7 January press release, Camille ‘challenges Bond and helps him come to terms with the emotional consequences of Vesper’s betrayal.’

Describing her character’s relationship with Daniel Craig’s 007, Kurylenko said: ‘In the beginning they come as opponents, but at a certain point they have to collaborate. They go through a lot of things together.’

‘A Bond girl must be a strong and independent woman, but at the same time charming and sensual. Those opposite qualities combined together make her interesting. She must be strong but at the same time feminine.’ – Olga Kurylenko on the perfect Bond girl

Kurylenko had previously stated that her role in the film will be quite physical and requires some fairly extensive training. ‘I’m going to be doing a lot of physical work–there’s so much action involved,’ she said. ‘I haven’t had such heavy training for any other movie before. I’m training non-stop from the morning to the evening. I’m learning a lot of new things that I didn’t know how to do before.’

‘I do fighting, stunts for fight scenes, I do body-flight, which is very physical–everything hurts after that. You come out of the tunnel and your whole body hurts. Work with weapons, car driving–it’s a real action movie.’

When asked if there were any specific weapons for Camille, she replied: ‘I’ve tried a few, but I hadn’t tried an automatic machine-gun before and that’s pretty impressive. But mainly guns.’

‘Who doesn’t want to be a Bond girl?’, was the simple answer to why she wanted the role.

‘Doing Bond is an amazing experience–I’ve seen other Bond movies and I liked them. I loved the last one, and Daniel Craig is my favourite Bond. I was looking forward to participating–it’s got a great plot, great action, and they choose people really carefully. Now that I’ve got here I see that there’s a lot of preparation goes into it and it’s like a family. It’s an amazing experience.’

For more, including how her life has changed since landing the role in Quantum of Solace and the stereotypes of being a Bond girl, visit IGN for the complete interview with Olga Kurylenko.

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

Corgi's James Bond Action Figures Previewed

Action-Figure.com was on hand at the 2008 UK ToyFair, where Corgi unveiled its line up of James Bond figures for 2008 and 2009.

Collectors may be particularly interested in the Quantum of Solace range of figures, due out in September 2008. This collection of 5″ figures will include two versions of James Bond (Daniel Craig), “M” (Judi Dench), Mr White (Jesper Christensen), Dominic Greene (listed under the character’s earlier name of Maurice Green) (Mathieu Amalric), Camille (Olga Kurylenko) and General Medrano (Joaquín Cosio). A character named “Elvis” is also mysteriously listed.

A range of characters from 2006’s Casino Royale were also previewed, including two versions of James Bond (Daniel Craig), Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen).

A range of 7″ action figures based on the earlier James Bond films are scheduled for release in waves during 2008 and 2009.

Wave 1 (July 2008):

• Honey Ryder (Dr. No)
• Oddjob (Goldfinger)
• Scaramanga (The Man With The Golden Gun)
• Vesper Lynd (Casino Royale

Wave 2 (January 2009):

• Pussy Galore (Goldfinger)
• Solitaire (Live And Let Die)
• Baron Samedi (Live And Let Die)
• Jaws (Moonraker)

A number of James Bond vehicles were also on exhibition, including a display listing the Aston Martin DBS and a boat for release alongside the Quantum of Solace figures in September 2008; late last year, Daniel Craig was snapped at the helm of a speedboat during rehearsals for this year’s movie.

In August last year, Corgi announced it had renewed its licence agreement with Eon Productions through 2010. The agreement includes all 21 James Bond films plus this year’s Quantum of Solace. It also includes any future films that may be released before the agreement lapses.

Corgi International CEO Michael Cookson said in August, “Corgi has had a long association with the James Bond license, and as a licensee for over 40 years on Die Cast, we truly believe that we have reached an agreement where we can use our expertise in both the mass and collectibles markets to release products to a fan base that is both core and aspirational, something that most people believe James Bond to be. Our product range will commence before the movie release in 2008 with classic movie product and replicas and continue with some strong and innovative mass market lines, and we are proud to continue our association with such a franchise.”

Keith Snelgrove, SVP Global Business Strategy for EON Productions, said, “We pride ourselves in the long-standing business relationships we have with many of our James Bond franchise partners. Corgi has been with us since the beginning, and we are excited to see the new range of both toys and prop replicas that Corgi International will bring to market in conjunction with our next film and beyond.”

Point your browswers to Action-Figure.com for their exclusive coverage and images of these forthcoming collectables.

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

Two More Ian Fleming Centenary Events Announced

Two more events have been announced in celebration of the centenary of James Bond creator, Ian Fleming’s birth.

IanFlemingCentenary.com carries details of a Royal Society of Literature lecture entitled “Licenced to Kill” to take place on 12 May 2008. Chaired by Alan Judd and delivered by Daphne Park, the lecture will also feature readings by Ian Fleming’s niece, Lucy Fleming.

Full details are below.

Royal Society of Literature lecture: ‘Licenced to Kill’

The Ian Fleming Centenary Lecture will take place on Monday 12 May at 7pm at the Kenneth Clark Lecture Theatre, Courtauld Institute at Somerset House, London.

The lecture will be given by Daphne Park and will feature readings by Lucy Fleming.

Daphne Park does not look like James Bond – in fact her beady cosiness is more reminiscent of Miss Marple – but she was the true face of British Intelligence for the second half of the twentieth century. She served in the SOE during the Second World War, in Moscow during the Cold War, and in Hanoi during the Vietnam conflict. She smuggled men out of the Congo in the boot of her car (not an Aston Martin, but a 2cv), and became a senior controller for MI6, before moving on to become Principal of Somerville College, Oxford. Created Baroness Park of Monmouth in 1990, she insists that intelligence work is less about glamorous derring-do than about ‘knowing human beings’. So, how real was James Bond? In a discussion to mark the centenary of the birth of Ian Fleming, interspersed with readings from his work by his niece, the actress Lucy Fleming, Lady Park talks to diplomat Alan Judd, author of the authorised life of Mansfield Cumming, founder of MI6, and of the spy novel Legacy.

The Lecture is entitled ‘Licenced to Kill’ and will be chaired by Alan Judd. Tickets, which are not issued in advance, are available on the door. Suggested contribution £5. Please telephone 020 7845 4676 or email [email protected] for further details.

In addition to this lecture, the website now features a listing for the Goldfinger golf tournament. Further details will follow, but the tournament will take place on 25 June 2008 at the Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, where Fleming was a member.

CommanderBond.net will bring you full details of this exciting event as soon as they emerge.

Britain-based Bond fans can also look forward to two previously-announced exhibitions: “For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming & James Bond”, which will examine the legacy of Ian Fleming’s life and works, and “Bond Bound: Ian Fleming and the Art of Cover Design”, which looks at the artwork adorning the 007 novels.

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

'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' Release Date Moves Up

As first reported on CommanderBond.net back in October 2007, Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of his three non-James Bond novels, was set to be reprinted in early 2008 as part of the centenary celebrations being put together by Ian Fleming Publications (IFP).

Originally set for a 1 May release date, the official Ian Fleming centenary website has been updated with a new release date of 8 April for the hardback novel.

Retailing for £14.99 and featuring original illustrations by John Burningham, 007 fans can order this ‘fabulous new gift edition’ Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from amazon.co.uk.

The wings slowly tilted, and as Commander Pott, at last realizing what Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was up to, pressed down the accelerator pedal, the big green car tilted up her shining green and silver nose and took off! Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, invented “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” for his young son Caspar, and it went on to become the most famous and best-loved car in fiction. This treasured story inspired a film and a musical and is celebrated in this lavish, highly collectible new edition, complete with its original timeless artwork by John Burningham, one of Britain’s most popular author/illustrators.

This reprint of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is just one of many upcoming releases literary Bond fans can look forward to. Others include Sebastian Faulks’ debut 007 novel Devil May Care, Samantha Weinberg’s third Miss Moneypenny adventure Final Fling, new hardback reprints of all 14 original Fleming 007 novels, the UK paperback edition of Charlie Higson’s latest Young James Bond adventure Hurricane Gold and the SilverFin graphic novel

• Order Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from Amazon.co.uk

Keep watching CBn for all the latest literary James Bond news and coverage. To keep track of all the upcoming 007 releases, events, television shows, and more–just keep your eyes on the CBn Calendar, located on the right panel of our main page.

Mathieu Amalric On Being A Bond Baddie

WARNING: Minor character spoilers

Following up their interview with Gemma Arterton, IGN had a chance to speak with Mathieu Amalric on the Quantum of Solace set to discuss how he got the role as villain ‘Dominic Greene.’

‘I prefer to be James Bond in real life. We all try to be him–a great guy, always strong–but since Casino Royale you can see that Daniel is trying to bring James Bond back to humanity. Something that has to do with feelings.’ – Mathieu Amalric

‘We’ve only just started shooting and at the moment I’m doing a lot of rehearsing for the stunts, which means there might be a fight,’ started Amalric. ‘Sometimes the villain sends his bodyguard, but this time, there is a fight. It’s awkward because, what I like when I discover James Bond films is not to know anything, so it would be disgraceful for the public if I tell you who this guy is because it’s part of the suspense.’

Amalric goes on to explain that Greene is a more complicated villain and not merely some bad guy ‘on a secret island who wants to destroy the world.’

‘Well there are a lot of villains around today. We are all villains, no? When you see Casino Royale there’s the fantasy of Bond, but it’s also realistic–it could happen. For example, what’s happening in economics today–where are the villains? We don’t even know. They are more like a gas–you don’t know where it is. Before you had something to help you look like a villain–a jaw full of metal, an eye that bleeds–something, but I don’t.’

‘That’s a mystery also,’ replied Amalric when asked how he landed the role in Quantum of Solace. ‘What am I doing here? I think I’m here because Marc Forster likes actors. We’ve already shot three days and I really feel that the guy is so happy to have these actors. He’s shooting what happens on the faces.’

‘We had this idea that maybe James Bond would be more surprised if the villain doesn’t know how to fight. Sometimes with anger you can be much more dangerous than with skill…’ – Mathieu Amalric on villain ‘Dominic Greene’

When asked if he was at all worried about only being remember for this high-profile James Bond film, Amalric stated: ‘It’s funny you should ask that because I talked with Max Von Sydow, who was in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and who was a villain in a James Bond film [Never Say Never Again]. And in Munich I played opposite Michael Lonsdale, who was also a villain [in Moonraker].’

‘I asked Michael, and he continued to play afterwards in very different sorts of roles. He said the pleasure is to be where you’re not supposed to be. I think the pleasure of being an actor is to have the opportunity to use all the facets that we all have in our heads, no?’

Be sure to head over to IGN for the complete interview with Mathieu Amalric.

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

'Quantum of Solace' Natural Resource Revealed?

WARNING: Plot spoilers

While the official plot synopsis for Quantum of Solace detailed the general plot of the film, one line in particular has been a point of discussion for several James Bond fans on the CommanderBond.net Forums:

On a mission that leads him to Austria, Italy and South America, Bond discovers that Greene, conspiring to take total control of one of the world’s most important natural resources…

What exactly is this natural resource? Several unusual ideas have been brought up, but Gemma Arterton may have revealed the answer, according to a Reuters report.

When asked by reporters if she could talk about the plot of Quantum of Solace, the Bond girl gave little away apart from saying her character, Agent Fields, meets 007 in Bolivia, and that there is ‘a lot of oil’ involved.

Arterton also explained how each copy of the script for Quantum of Solace was individually named, so that should one go missing, the studio would be able to identify the guilty party.

‘You have to work out what you can and cannot say,’ she said. ‘It’s quite hard for me who has a bit of a motor mouth. I’ve been learning for the last six months to think before I speak.’

Arterton previously mentioned that her character ‘sort of comes to a sticky end.’

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

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.

'SilverFin' Graphic Novel Release Date Shift

James Bond fans awaiting the release of the graphic novel adaptation of Charlie Higson’s debut Young Bond novel, SilverFin, will unfortunately have to wait a bit longer.

Originally due out in May 2008, before being postponed to 4 September 2008, the book will now hit shelves on 2 October 2008, according to IanFlemingCentenary.com.

The artwork for the SilverFin adaptation is being created by Kev Walker, who has provided illustrations for the official Young Bond website, as well as the cover art for the US releases of Blood Fever and Double Or Die.

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

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.