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Template:Infobox Film Bond

For the short story by Ian Fleming, see For Your Eyes Only.

Quantum of Solace previously known by its working title Bond 22, is the 22nd spy film in EON Productions' James Bond film series, due for release in the United States on 14 November 2008. It is the sequel to the 2006 film Casino Royale, which rebooted the series. It is directed by Marc Forster, and Daniel Craig reprises the role of James Bond. Bond is tracking down the organisation that caused the death of his lover Vesper Lynd. He comes across a member of the organisation named Dominic Greene, played by Mathieu Amalric, who intends to stage a coup d'état in a South American country. Bond is assisted by Camille, played by Olga Kurylenko, who also wants revenge against Greene.

The sequel's storyline was created by producer Michael G. Wilson while Casino Royale was shooting. The film was originally scheduled for a 2 May 2008 release, but was pushed back to allow more time when Roger Michell dropped out as director. Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade returned as writers. Second unit filming began in August 2007, with principal photography beginning in January 2008. Locations include the United Kingdom, Panama, Bolivia, Italy, Austria and Spain. The film will not involve production designer Peter Lamont, who has retired after being a veteran of eighteen Bond films. The title was chosen from a short story in Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only collection.

Premise

Michael G. Wilson has confirmed that the film will pick up "literally an hour after" Casino Royale's conclusion, when Mr. White is shot and captured by Bond at Lake Como. Bond is then involved in a car chase in Siena, Italy. The official synopsis shows that White reveals to Bond and M that his organisation, Greene Planet, has agents in Her Majesty's Government and the Central Intelligence Agency. Forensic evidence of an MI6 traitor leads Bond to Haiti, where he meets Camille, who then helps him find Dominic Greene, a ruthless businessman and a member of the organisation. Greene intends to use his government contacts to help overthrow the current regime in a Latin American country, and place the exiled General Medrano as the head of state. Medrano will in exchange give the organisation a barren piece of land, which actually will give them total control of "one of the world's most important natural resources". Bond travels to Austria and South America to unravel Greene's plan, staying one step ahead of the CIA, terrorists and M whilst trying to keep his desire for retribution over Vesper Lynd's death in check.

Name Announcement

File:QoS.jpg

Logo displayed at January 24, 2008 news conference at Pinewood Studios

Other names considered for the film included The Royal Creed, Risico Quessi and Agent in Risico. On January 24, 2008 it was announced that the title Quantum of Solace had been chosen.

Cast

  • Daniel Craig as James Bond: Craig stated that Bond continues to learn throughout the film, and that he would be "still too headstrong and [wouldn't] always make the right decisions."[1] Writer Paul Haggis said that Bond will be "a very human and flawed assassin, a man who has to navigate a morally complex and often cynical world while attempting to hold onto his deep beliefs of what is right and wrong."[2] The actor gave advice to Haggis on the script and also helped choose Marc Forster as director, being a fan of his films.[3] Craig's training for his reprisal involves more boxing and running, so as to avoid injuries caused by the lack of him running and jumping for the stunts from his debut.[4] He also practised speedboating.[5]
  • Mathieu Amalric as Dominic Greene, the main villain. The producers said "Greene [is] a leading member of the villainous organisation introduced in Casino Royale, [and] will be a powerful counterpart to Daniel's portrayal of Bond."[6] Craig said "there is a connection" between Greene and Vesper Lynd.[7] Amalric said he modelled his performance on "the smile of Tony Blair and the crazy eyes of Nicolas Sarkozy".[8] Bruno Ganz was also considered for the part.[9]
  • Olga Kurylenko as the lead Bond girl, Camille, who is half-Ukranian, half-Bolivian.[10] She has her own vendetta regarding Greene and his organisation. "[Bond and Camille] have slightly different goals, but in the end they are going to have to collaborate," Kurylenko said.[11] Kurylenko said Camille was a different Bond girl as she is predominantly a fighter. She trained with weapons and performed stunt work involving parachuting and fighting.[8] The producers said Camille is someone "who challenges Bond and helps him come to terms with the emotional consequences of Vesper's betrayal".[6]
  • Judi Dench as M. She said M's relationship with Bond becomes "pretty prickly".[8]
  • Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, Bond's CIA ally that aided him at Casino Royale in Montenegro. This will mark only the second time the same actor has appeared as Leiter twice since David Hedison played the character in Live and Let Die and Licence to Kill.[12]
  • Giancarlo Giannini as René Mathis, a French double agent who helps Bond discover who Le Chiffre and Mr. White worked for.[13]
  • Gemma Arterton as MI6 Agent Fields, who works at the British consulate in Bolivia.[10] Arterton was chosen from around 1500 candidates.[9] She said Fields was "not so frolicksome" as other Bond girls and that her character is "fresh and young, not [...] a femme fatale".[8]
  • Joaquin Cosío as General Medrano, who is Bond's enemy in Latin America. Greene is helping the exiled general get back into power, in return for support of his organisation.[9][10]
  • Anatole Taubman is playing a secondary villain to Amalric's character, though he said his role is larger than a mere henchman.[5]
  • Jesper Christensen as Mr. White, whom Bond captured after he stole the money won at Casino Royale in Montenegro.[14]

Although imagery of her character may feature, Eva Green will not film any new footage as Vesper Lynd for the film.[15] Barbara Broccoli said at the very least, "[Vesper is] certainly on Bond's mind."[8] Broccoli has also said that Miss Moneypenny and "Q" will not be in the film.[2]

Production

Development

In July 2006, as Daniel Craig's debut as James Bond, Casino Royale, entered post-production, EON Productions announced Bond 22 would be based on an original idea by producer Michael G. Wilson. Roger Michell was being negotiated with to direct.[16] A backstory had been written for Casino Royale and its potential sequel, regarding Vesper Lynd and her Algerian boyfriend, who was intended to be one of the antagonists.[1] The film was confirmed for a 2 May 2008 release date, with Craig reprising the lead role.[17] Michell, who previously worked with Daniel Craig on Enduring Love and The Mother, decided not to direct the film, stating, "I was very nervous that there was a start date but really no script at all. And I like to be very well prepared as a director."[18] Sony Entertainment vice-chairman Jeff Blake admitted that a production schedule of eighteen months was a very short window. The release date was eventually pushed back to 7 November 2008.[19] Eventually the release date was moved to 31 October 2008 for the UK, and 14 October 2008 for the US.

Neal Purvis and Robert Wade completed their draft of the script by April 2007.[20] Wade said that the film would continue Bond's arc from Casino Royale: "It can't just be he's tough and he's tempered steel and totally impervious. There are things he still has to resolve."[21] The following month, Paul Haggis, who had polished the Casino Royale script, began his re-write.[22] Haggis turned down directing the film because, "It's [already] a two year commitment basically to do it. If you do that on top of writing, it's almost a three year commitment."[23] In writing the script, Haggis drew inspiration from Bond creator Ian Fleming, and author John le Carré.[24] In September 2007, Haggis began his second draft,[25] and he completed his script two hours before the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike officially began.[26]

In June 2007, Marc Forster was confirmed as the director of the then untitled Bond 22.[27] He was surprised that he been approached for the job, stating he was not a big Bond fan as a child and that he would not have accepted the job before he saw Casino Royale. He felt Bond had been humanized in that film, explaining, "People travel a lot more now, and with the Internet they’re more aware of what the rest of the world is like. In a way the most interesting place for a James Bond movie to go is inward — deeper into Bond himself." Born in Switzerland, Forster is the first Bond director not to come from the Commonwealth of Nations, although he slyly noted that Bond's mother is Swiss, making him somewhat appropriate to handle the British icon.[26] The director got on well with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, but they had to block two very expensive ideas he had. "Financially, there are limits — even on a Bond film", he said, "otherwise, I have been able to realise my vision".[9]

In January 2008, Quantum of Solace was confirmed as the title. It was also the name of a short story in Ian Fleming's anthology For Your Eyes Only (1960). Michael G. Wilson said that the title had been decided upon only "a few days" before its announcement.[8]

Filming

Dan Bradley was hired as second unit director because of his work on the Jason Bourne films, so the film would continue the gritty action style begun in Casino Royale.[28] In July 2007, the crew visited the Stelvio Pass in Italy for potential location filming.[29] The town council of Siena gave permission to shoot at the Palio di Siena horse race on 16 August 2007. Fourteen cameras were placed around the arena, for shots which would be edited into the main sequence, shot during 2008. Aerial shots using helicopters were banned, and the crew were also forbidden from showing any violence "involving either people or animals".[30] Afterward, scouting took place in Craco, the Montecotugno di Senise dam, and the road around San Biagio and Maratea.[31] From 23-29 August, the second-unit shot at Madrid,[32] and were scheduled to be in Panama during early November.[33]

Principal photography was going to begin on 10 December, 2007,[34] but was pushed back to 3 January 2008.[9] The shoot was scehduled to last six months.[35] Filming will be based at Bond's spiritual home of Pinewood Studios in the UK, including the newly rebuilt 007 Stage.[36] Three of the soundstages at Pinewood were being used to replicate Siena, including an art gallery used for a fight scene.[11]

A week of shooting was planned for Panama City in mid-February, where the National Institute of Culture of Panama and some private buildings would be used. A sequence requiring several hundred extras was also shot at the nearby Colón. [37] Bolivia and Chile were other South American locations.[9][10]

The crew planned to spend ten days during the end of April at Lake Garda, Italy. Paul Haggis had written part of the script there while visiting it in late 2007. Filming also took place at the nearby villages of Torbole, Limone sul Garda, and Tremosine.[37] Filming took place at the floating opera stage at the lake in Bregenz, Austria from 28 April—10 May 2008. Around 1200 to 1500 extras were required to watch a performance of Tosca as the crew shot Craig as Bond prowling the area. A short driving sequence was shot at the nearby Feldkirch, Vorarlberg.[38] Forster had expressed interest in the Swiss Alps as a location,[39] but the location was written out of the final draft.[9]

Production designer Peter Lamont, who has been a crew member on eighteen Bond films, will not be continuing with Quantum of Solace. Dennis Gassner, who worked as designer on Road to Perdition and The Golden Compass.[40] In addition, London-based tailors Alfred Dunhill, Ltd will be providing Bond's suits. The Italian Brioni had provided the costumes for the film series since GoldenEye (1995). Dunhill had tailored suits for Daniel Craig to wear at various publicity events.[41]

Vehicles and gadgets

Ford has a three-film deal that began with 2002's Die Another Day. The Aston Martin DBS V12 will return in the film,[42] and Ford GTs will also be used.[43]

Sony Ericsson is launching a limited edition Titanium silver C902 Cyber-shot™ phone as used by James Bond in the film.

Video game adaptation

See for Main Article: Quantum of Solace: The Game In May 2006 Activision acquired non-exclusive rights to develop and publish James Bond games; an exclusive deal with Activision took effect in September 2007. During an earnings report, Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision, announced that their first Bond game would be released in May 2008.[44] Previously it was reported by Variety that Activision's first game is expected to be a tie-in to Quantum of Solace.[45]

External links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Three of a Kind Gary Susman Entertainment Weekly 2006-11-16
  2. 2.0 2.1 Daniel Craig boosts Bond franchise. Actor invigorates long-running action film series Danny Graydon, Variety, 2007-06-09
  3. Daniel Craig Says He's Feeling The 'Pressure' Of James Bond Follow-Up Jennifer Vineyard, MTV, 2007-12-06
  4. The man with the golden touch Martyn Palmer, Times Online, 2007-11-24
  5. 5.0 5.1 Bond 22 Pre-Production Diary (21) MI6.co.uk, 2007-12-15
  6. 6.0 6.1 Olga Kurylenko Lands Lead Bond Girl Role Columbia Pictures, ComingSoon.net, 2008-01-07
  7. Exclusive: Daniel Craig Talks Bond 22 with RT Joe Utichi, Rotten Tomatoes, 2008-01-13
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 New Bond film title is confirmed BBC News Online, 2008-01-24
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Bond 22 Pre-Production Diary (22) MI6.co.uk, 2007-12-30
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Bond 22 Plot Details Olly Richards, Empire 2008-01-24
  11. 11.0 11.1 James Bond is out for revenge in new film Mike Collett-White, Reuters 2008-01-24
  12. 'Bell' man takes on Bond Variety, 2008-01-02
  13. Giancarlo Giannini confirms return as Rene Mathis in Bond 22 MI6.co.uk, 2007-01-28
  14. Også dansker med i næste Bond-film TV 2 (Denmark), 2007-08-09
  15. All about Eva The Observer, 2007-12-03
  16. Roger Michell in Talks for Bond 22 Tatiana Siegel and Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter 2006-07-17
  17. 22nd James Bond Coming May 2, 2008! Columbia Pictures, Superherohype.com, 2006-07-20
  18. Roger Michell Explains Dropping Bond 22 MI6.co.uk, 2007-06-04
  19. Bond 22 Targeting Nov. 7, 2008 Superherohype.com, 2006-09-01
  20. 'Barbarella' back in action Michael Fleming, Variety, 2007-04-11
  21. Film writers who 'rebuilt' Bond BBC News, 2006-11-17
  22. Paul Haggis onboard to work on Bond 22 script, but turns down directing role MI6.co.uk, 2007-05-23
  23. Writer & Director Discuss Bond 22 MI6.co.uk, 2007-07-05
  24. 'Casino Royale' Writer Paul Haggis Talks Next 007 Flick: 'My Bond Is Different' MTV, 2007-08-29
  25. Interview with a Haggis David Walters, Esquire 2007-09-11
  26. 26.0 26.1 A License to Pursue the Inner Bond Terrence Rafferty, New York Times, 2007-12-09
  27. Forster back in action with 'Bond 22' The Hollywood Reporter 2007-06-20
  28. Bradley tapped to aid Bond stunts The Hollywood Reporter, 2007-09-04
  29. Bond 22 Pre-Production Diary (13) MI6.co.uk, 2007-09-27
  30. Bond has activists on his tail over new film's 'brutal' horse race finale Richard Owen,The Times, 2007-08-13
  31. Bond 22 Pre-Production Diary (7) MI6.co.uk, 2007-08-19
  32. Bond 22 filming takes place in Madrid, Spain during last week of August MI6.co.uk, 2007-08-31
  33. Production team in Panama finalising Bond 22 arrangements, shooting expected in early November MI6.co.uk, 2007-10-02
  34. With Forster's 'Kite,' he shoots, film soars Carolyn Giardina The Hollywood Reporter, 2007-09-27
  35. Lead "Bond 22" Babe to be ¡Muy Caliente! Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com, 2007-09-14
  36. Bond checks out of Czech Will Tizard, Variety, 2007-07-16
  37. 37.0 37.1 Bond 22 Production Diary (4) MI6.co.uk, 2008-01-16
  38. Bond 22 Production Diary (1) MI6.co.uk, 2008-01-03
  39. Bond 22 Director Hints At Swiss Alps MI6.co.uk, 2007-06-24
  40. Peter Lamont bows out from Bond 22, Dennis Gassner to be Production Designer MI6.co.uk, 2007-07-23
  41. James Bond to Switch Tuxedo Makers DNR, 2007-09-24
  42. Aston Martin DBS to star in new James Bond film Aston Martin, 2007
  43. Dan Bradley interview Bourne Stunt Simulator
  44. New Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and 007 coming in 2007-8
  45. Bond, Superman games on the move Ben Fritz, Variety, 2006-05-03
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