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Director Marc Forster confirms some details on
the 22nd James Bond film, and MI6 reveals how British
actress Gemma Arterton landed her role...
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Bond 22 Pre-Production Diary (22)
30th December 2007
Director Marc Forster has confirmed some details
of the 22nd James Bond film in an interview with Swiss newspaper
SonntagsZeitung. Principal photography will commence on Thursday
3rd January 2008 - a day earlier than previously stated by Daniel
Craig.
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Forster says he aims to further develop
Craig's interpretation of Bond where he left off in Casino
Royale. The film will be more of a journey into 007's
inner-being than a globe-hopping trip around the world,
as Forster explained: "When Bond began in the Connery
days, travel was a luxury not everyone could afford. Today,
the world has become smaller. If Bond goes to a beach with
palm trees it's almost banal now. The only interesting
trip remains the journey inwards, deep in to the psyche".
When asked if he was anything like his
predecessor on the series Martin Campbell (who directed
both 007 debuts "GoldenEye" in
1995 for Pierce Brosnan and "Casino
Royale" in 2006 for Daniel Craig), Forster says
he does not even shout "action" - he leaves that
to his assistant - adding that some directors like to do
things quietly and in private, whereas others shout at
actors to get good performances. But he admitted that he
became a bit louder on his last film "Kite Runners".
The Swiss director, who says he's never
really helmed an action picture before, said audiences
should be prepared for a few surprises in this outing. |
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Above: Director Marc Forster
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Forster said the producers have not blocked
any of his ideas yet, except a couple which were not possible
as they were too expensive. "Financially, there are limits
- even on a Bond film", he said, "otherwise, I have
been able to realise my vision".
Some locations have been on-again off-again
rumours during the build up to shooting, and Forster confirmed
that two or three countries were long-standing contenders. When
the script was bolted down by Paul Haggis however, locations
like Switzerland were no longer possible. Despite not traveling
to his home country for filming, Forster managed to cast actor
Anatole Taubman, who also grew up in Switzerland. Forster admitted
that he hadn't known Taubman or any of his films before the audition,
and he won the partly purely on merit and not any Swiss-connection.
In an interesting admission, Forster said that he would have
liked to have cast Bruno Ganz as the main villain,
but couldn't as the French actor Mathieu
Amalric had already
signed on for the role.
Above: Forster
confirmed shooting will not take place in Switzerland |
British Bond Girl For 22
MI6 has learned that British actress Gemma Arterton
may have indeed secured a role in Bond 22. She was first
rumoured by the UK tabloid The Sun in early December, when
the paper said the 22 year-old RADA actress - who will next be
seen on the big screen in "St Trinian's" alongside
Caterina Murino of "Casino Royale" fame - saw off 1,500
girls to land the part. Gemma reportedly sent her mum Sally a
text saying: “I got Bond!” A few
days later, Empire Online claimed that an inside source had
100% certainty she had a role in the film. Unlike the misleading
headlines however, she is unlikely to have landed the major Bond
Girl role due to the
extensive casting searches for a Latina actress from South America.
Bond 22 will also be partly shot in Panama and Bolivia.
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MI6 understands that Gemma
Arterton has indeed landed a role, thanks to her agent Sally
Long-Innes who also represents 007 himself - Daniel Craig.
Arterton said that it his her agent that
has helped guide her rise to fame, and taking a part in
Bond will help her land
other roles. Arterton explained, "[My agent] said ‘If
you do this big film, it will open the doors for all these
other brilliant things. But you have to do the big film
first’.
It's like the Keira Knightley thing: everyone ridiculed
her for
doing the Pirates films, but she's getting great
parts now. She can choose whatever she wants."
"I think it's
difficult for a young girl like me, because there’s
a certain time for young actresses, which is like a really
juicy period when all the parts are love interests and
young heroines. Of course, there's always work for men
whatever
age they are. So I'm really going to go for it. And if
it all goes wrong, I'll go and do panto!” |
News Wrap
Mathieu Amalric talked again about his upcoming
role as a villain in Bond 22. In
an interview with French magazine
Première,
Amalric said his character will be called Maurice Green. When describing
his role he said he preferred the English word "villain" rather
than the French "méchant" ("nasty").
Mexican
actor Joaquin Cosío (pictured opposite) has now
confirmed he will play a baddie in the upcoming film
too. "There
are several antagonists [in the film] and I am one of
them. I play General Medrano, the enemy of Bond in Latin
America, although there are other villains who are Europeans." Despite
landing the role, secrecy still surrounds the script
and production plan. "I still do not know the [shooting]
order, I do not know exactly how my scenes are going
to work, but I understand that I am going to shoot in
Panama, Bolivia and London." He also confirmed that
the shooting will be in English. This is the first confirmation
that production will be heading to the South American
country of Bolivia, along with Panama.
Some filming
for Bond 22 will take place at The Barbican in London
next week. A sign has gone up giving warning that
next week it will be the venue for a scene from Bond
22 in the Sculpture Court where a man will be filmed
talking on a mobile phone. Daniel Craig is not expected
to be at the locale. |
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Actor Tobias
Menzies has confirmed that he will not be returning in
Bond 22 to reprise his role as MI6 aide Villiers from "Casino
Royale".For Daniel
Craig's debut outing as 007, Villiers was M's right-hand man in
MI6, the Houses of Parliament and out in the field in
the Bahamas. Menzies wrote on his blog, "Sad news for all
Villiers fans, he is no more! Casino Royale was his first and last
stand.
May
he rest in peace."
Briefing
Produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli (Eon
Productions), QUANTUM OF SOLACE was released in the
UK on October 31st 2008 and is directed by
Marc Forster. Principal photography started on January
3rd
2008 at
Pinewood Studios and around the UK, and foreign locations
including Italy, Panama, Chile, Peru and Austria.
Paul Haggis completed the script based on a first draft
screenplay developed by regular scribes Neal Purvis & Robert
Wade, with later polish by Joshua Zetumer. The story
is a direct continuation of the events of Casino
Royale. 007 faces off against
villains Mathieu Amalric (Dominic Greene), Anatole
Taubman (Elvis) and Joaquin Cosío (General Medrano).
Olga Kurylenko (Camille) and Gemma Arterton (MI6 Agent
Fields) play the Bond Girls. Dame Judi Dench (M), Jeffrey
Wright (Felix Leiter) and Giancarlo Giannini (Mathis)
reprise their roles as Bond's allies. It is British
actor Daniel Craig’s second outing as James Bond,
following his debut film Casino Royale released November
16th 2006.
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