The Making Of Casino Royale
The road to Casino Royale began in March 2004 when scribes
Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (“The World Is Not Enough” – 1999, “Die
Another Day” – 2002) began work on the screenplay.
According to the duo, at that time they were writing the
film with Pierce Brosnan in mind. That would all change a
couple of months later when tabloid rumours spread that Brosnan
had not been asked back for a fifth film.
Behind the scenes,
the task of casting a new 007 had begun. The title of the
film and the return of “GoldenEye” (1995) helmer
Martin Campbell was announced in February 2005, further hinting
that the director was to usher another fresh face into 007’s
tuxedo. To bolster Bond’s return to his literary roots in
an adaptation of Ian Fleming’s debut 007 novel, Academy-award
winning screenwriter Paul Haggis (“Crash”, “Million
Dollar Baby”) was brought in to polish the script
and strengthen the relationships between the characters.
Media coverage dubbed the production “Bond Begins” when
Campbell revealed the film would show 007 earning his licence
to kill at the beginning of his MI6 career.
With the Sony Pictures lead consortium
taking over MGM in 2005, the casting of Daniel Craig as
007 was stalled
as the producers were asked to widen their search before
the studio would sign off on their selection. Over 200
actors were tested from around the world until – finally
– on October 14th 2005, Daniel Craig was officially unveiled
as the sixth actor to play 007.
Principal photography for Casino Royale
commenced on January 30th 2006 and began – for the first
time in franchise’s history – without a villain or
leading lady. Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron were both "strongly
considered" for the role of Vesper before the casting
net discovered French actress Eva Green.
Mads Mikkelsen
had been selected to play villain Le Chiffre long before
his work schedule had allowed him to commit to the role.
The announcements were confirmed to the press, along
with Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, on February 16th 2006,
some two weeks since filming began.
Casino Royale was primarily shot at Barrandov
Studios in Prague, with additional location shooting in
the Czech Republic, The Bahamas, Italy, and the United
Kingdom. Production returned to its traditional home of
Pinewood Studios to complete the shooting schedule and
post-production.
Filming wrapped July 21st 2006, with the
film’s finale shot in Pinewood’s “007
Stage” – which would be destroyed by fire only
days later when the Venice set was being dismantled. |
