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Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli
have met with officials to finalise plans to
shoot Bond 23 in Istanbul, Turkey...
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Producers Prep Istanbul
28th September 2011
Producers Michael
G. Wilson and Barbara
Broccoli met with officials
yesterday in Istanbul, Turkey, to finalise plans to shoot part
of the 23rd James Bond film in
the city. They met with Ertugrul Günay, Turkish Culture
and Tourism Minister, in his office on Tuesday to firm up production
plans ahead of principal photography kicking off in November.
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"The opening scenes are planned to
be filmed in Istanbul, but some other places will also be
used outside Istanbul for the film," Günay
confirmed.
"Such is the appeal of the series that
many of the locations where Bond films have been filmed in the
past have continued to attract Bond fans to visit many years
down the line. The fact that
the
opening scene of the film will be made in Turkey will contribute
to Turkish tourism. The ministry has been providing big support
to the film sector for five years. We have made a concerted
effort in the past five years to support the film sector and
our aim continues to be to welcome international film crews to
our country for filming," Günay said. |
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Above: Ertugrul Günay (second
from left) meets with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson
in Istanbul (photograph: ANKARA)
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James Bond is no stranger to Istanbul, and as
the series marks its 50th anniversary next year, it is fitting
that 007 would return to one of the most loved locations in the
history of the franchise. Wilson told local reporters, "it
really just feels like we are coming home."
Locations are set to include the city's
historical neighborhood Sultanahmet Square, which EON Productions
had secured filming permissions
earlier this month. "There
are, however, a number of locations, including the waterside
and shores of the Bosporus, in consideration for the 10-15 minutes
of the movie that is to be filmed in Turkey," Günay revealed.
A small pre-production crew is currently in
Istanbul finalising logistics. Casting
the role of a villain's girlfriend has begun with a search
of Turkish actresses.
Two James Bond films have featured
Istanbul: most notably "From
Russia With Love", and to a lesser extent "The
World Is Not Enough". Back in 1963, Sean Connery's second
outing as 007 based the majority of their location
shooting in
the city and the surrounding areas. Ian Fleming also joined the
production on location while they were shooting
at the Hagia Sophia Mosque
and at Sirkeci Train
Station that stood in for all three of the train stations on
the Orient Express line. While Fleming was reportedly delighted
by
the progress and the atmosphere on set, Istanbul
proved a tough shoot.
The major location
for Bond 23 is understood to be South Africa, after plans to
shoot in India were scrapped.
Daniel Craig begins preperations for the film
next week with filming at Pinewood Studios scheduled to start
in
November
2011. The film's
UK release is set for
just less than
a year later on 26th
October 2012.
Briefing
The 23rd James Bond
film, "Skyfall", commenced principal studio photography on 7th November
2011 for a UK
release on October 26th, 2012 and the USA on November
9, 2012. MGM will produce, finance and distribute 007's
23rd adventure in
partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Daniel Craig will
be returning as the legendary British secret agent, alongside Judi
Dench as "M", with Sam Mendes directing a screenplay written by Neal
Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. The cast will also include Bérénice Marlohe,
Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Ben Wishaw.
The film will shoot at Pinewood Studios and on location in London, England;
Scotland; Shanghai, China and Istanbul, Turkey.
It will be the longest gap between Bond movies without
a change in the lead role. In addition, 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of
the EON Productions series of James
Bond films.
