Screen Rant » bond 23

Daniel Craig Says Bond 23 To Start Shooting Late 2010

Ross Miller — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:43:48 +0000

Yesterday, a snippet of info from James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, made its way online about the upcoming sequel to Quantum of Solace, referred to as simply Bond 23 for the time being. A Bond fansite called Commanderbond.net picked up on the info which came from when Craig was signing autographs after a performance of his stage play, A Steady Rain, with Hugh Jackman.

When I said a snippet of info, I meant exactly that. According to a quick comment Craig gave to a fan, Bond 23 will, “start at the end of the next year.” That’s it. He was really busy signing autographs to elaborate and the play he’d just done was probably at the forefront of his mind more than Bond was. Just in case you think he’s been misquoted, there’s an actual video on YouTube of it and we’ve included it in the post for you (Craig says it just before the 1:00 mark):

If anyone other than the producer or studio would have an idea when the next Bond flick was going into production, it would be Bond himself. But keep in mind, this isn’t totally official -- it’s just Craig saying it. For all we know that’s just what he’s hoping for, and a late 2010 start date is way off in reality. Who knows.

I just hope that whenever another Bond film gets made that they improve on the last one, Quantum of Solace. With Casino Royale, they did a pretty fantastic job, bringing us a Bond who really took care of business in a no-messin’, no-gadget way. QoS, however, was a disappointment (albeit still entertaining IMHO), with its lacking storyline and shaky-cam action (amongst other things).

Nonetheless, I’m really looking forward to the next one. And what I’m probably most looking forward to seeing is who they get to play the next Bond villain (another weakness of QoS was the bland villain). As far as actors go, I’d like to throw Michael Emerson’s (a.k.a Benjamin Linus from Lost) name in there. I know it wouldn’t be a huge leap for him, but I could really see him as one of those hyper-intelligent villains.

Do you think Bond 23 will start shooting at the end of next year as Craig says? Or is it just talk? And which actor would you like to see play the next Bond villain?

As stated, according Craig, Bond 23 starts shooting at the end of 2010 -- we’ll keep you posted on the validity of that statement. It currently has no official release date, but has a tentative release date of sometime in 2011.

Sources: Commanderbond.net (thanks to ComingSoon) and YouTube

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Bond Franchise Going From MGM To Fox? [Updated]

Ross Miller — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:37:21 +0000

Update: MGM has contacted the guys over at Film School Rejects directly to let them, and us all, know that this news is incorrect, and that Fox is NOT going to be distributing and marketing the Bond franchise. A source says that MGM owns the Bond franchise, and will announce the release date and distribution details in due time.

When news struck that MGM was in a little bit of financial trouble recently ($3.5 BILLION, little), two big projects/franchises were brought into question: the Bond franchise, and the upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit. With regards to the latter: as predicted, The Hobbit is quite safe, as the film’s other financiers, Warner Bros., stepped in to handle costs. But it appears the Bond franchise isn’t quite so safe.

Well, it’s still safe in that it’ll definitely continue on – let’s face it, it’s the Bond franchise and someone will always be there to pick up the financial reigns on it (it’s a guaranteed money-maker, no?). But fairly significant word comes from the guys over at We Are Movie Geeks who say that the Bond franchise might be packing its bags, loading up the moving van and settling in at la casa de 20th Century Fox.

WAMG reports, via their source, that Bond will be settling in at Fox for its marketing and distribution from now on. If this turns out to be true, that means we will see the next Bond – referred to as Bond 23 until we hear otherwise – with the 20th Century Fox logo in front of it. Just as an FYI, Fox isn’t at all new to the Bond franchise, as up until the last couple of films (Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace) they handled international and home video distribution for MGM.

Bond bound for Fox?

There’s no word on how this will effect Bond 23, but my guess would be not very much, at least not on the creative side of things. MGM is still handling the production of the next Bond film (and presumably beyond), so for us moviegoers handing over our hard earned cash to see the final product, the only difference will be which logo we see before the movie starts. But nonetheless, it shows the MGM near-bankruptcy DID effect at least one of their two big franchises.

What do you think of the possibility of 20th Fox handling James Bond marketing and distribution instead of MGM? Does it affect your viewing of the movie, or doesn’t it matter who’s handling it as long as the actual movie is still good?

Bond 23 has a tentative release date of sometime in 2011.

Sources: WeAreMovieGeeks (thanks to FilmSchoolRejects)

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MGM On The Edge of Bankruptcy [Updated]

Ross Miller — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:09:06 +0000

[Update: Just as we thought, MGM's Financial backers are pitching in to save The Hobbit]

One of the biggest and most well-known movie studios out there is Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, or MGM, known for its classic logo with the lion roaring during the opening credits – an almost expected introduction to many of our movies from the last 85 years.

Well, we may have to get used to some movies without that logo at some point in the near future (at least for a while), as today we get word of very complex financial problems occurring at MGM, which basically boils down to the studio, “teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.”

Nikki Finke over at Deadline Hollywood is reporting a very long conference call (or series of calls that some sources say lasted for six and a half hours) took place between the studio and bondholders, in which the studio made a “desperate plea for money because the studio had missed its numbers and was going to be out of funds very soon.” The bondholders were said to be, “very loud…very upset… [and] irate.” MGM reportedly asked for a combined amount of $170 million, $20 million as short-term cash flow to cover overheads, and a further $150 million to continue funding upcoming projects, including Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit.

I smell trouble…

MGM has debt of a whopping $3.5 billion, with some saying the company will only sell for half of that at auction (less than 50 cents on the dollar). Nikki Finke reports that the bondholders said to MGM, in essence, “that they were going to let the studio go bankrupt and collect their money since they’d be first in line to get paid.” However, a restructure specialist says that would be pretty much the worst thing to do, since MGM is what the Bond franchise currently calls home, not to mention they are co-funding the highly-anticipated Hobbit film(s).

So what would it mean for The Hobbit and 007? Well, word is that the studio doesn’t think that it could stay alive if it lost the Bond franchise. If Bond did leave MGM, that would mean the franchise having to find a new home. For The Hobbit, MGM’s bankruptcy could mean delays (since it’s co-financing and distributing the film(s) outside of the U.S.). If and when the dust settles, in might all work out okay (we can always hope…) – but that likely means significant disruption to Bond and The Hobbit.

So what can be done about MGM’s dire financial situation? Well, you can read the full ins-and-outs of the whole thing over at Deadline Hollywood, but basically the studio has to formally ask its creditors to hold off interest on that little $3.5 billion debt they have until February 2010, and, of course, the lenders have to say yes. That way, the studio can use that money to fund projects, including Bond 23 and (I think it’s safe to say more importantly) The Hobbit. With regards to the latter, I’m sure another studio would step in to fund it (the project is pretty much a guaranteed money-maker – what moviegoer is NOT going to go see The Hobbit?), but delays would still be very likely, I’d think.

We’ll just have to wait and see how this whole situation turns out, but Nikki Finke’s sources say that they expect the creditors will go the restructuring route as opposed to bankrupting MGM’s. On our side of the fence, as moviegoers, I’m sure you’ll agree that’s the way it should go. Otherwise The Hobbit and the Bond franchise could be in for a rough time.

UPDATE: MGM CEO Steve Cooper was successful in his bid to get financial lenders – including J.P. Morgan – to go the restructuring route, in order to allow the studio enough financial resource and breathing room to proceed with production on The Hobbit. MGM’s partner on the project, Warner Bros., will step up to cover immediate production expenses on The Hobbit and will handle domestic distribution. MGM hopes to scrounge up the cash by deferring interest fees on their repayment for at least three months, would could net them a predicted $50 million.

For more extensive details on how MGM will bankroll The Hobbit, check out The Hollywood Reporter.

What are your thoughts on MGM’s possible bankruptcy? Let us know in the comments below.

Part 1 of The Hobbit has been set for a while to hit theaters in December, 2011, with Part 2 set to follow a year later in December, 2012.

A production and release date has yet to be set for Bond 23.

Hopefully there will be no delays as a result of this MGM situation, and those dates will remain.

Sources: Nikki Finke (DeadlineHollywood), FirstShowing and /Film

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: June 28, 2009

Niall Browne — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:58:59 +0000

This week:

The box office is Transfomed; Ryan Reynold’s career is Buried; Lorenzo di Bonaventura knows Jack Ryan; Zac Efron grows up and Daniel Craig moves into his Dream House.

Box Office

Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen blasted into the top spot with a powerful $201 million in its first five days. The Michael Bay sequel overcame horrendous reviews to show that all an audience wants is giant robots and Megan Fox. You can bet your butt that Transformers 3 will be on its way soon!

With a second weekend take of $18 million it looks like The Proposal is the bridesmaid. The Sandra Bullock comedy has now banked $69 million. A final take of $100 million is pretty much a cert.

The Hangover brought in $17 million bringing giving the hit comedy a mighty total gross of $183 million. Look for the film to cross the magic $200 million mark in a week or so.

Up has now hit the quarter billion mark for Disney/Pixar. After taking $13 million this weekend, it looks like the animated film has a few more weeks in the top ten.

Cameron Diaz’s terrible looking My Sister’s Keeper opened with a very mild $12 million. Unless a miracle happens it looks like Diaz’s days on the A-List are over. No wonder she’s set to re-team with Tom Cruise, but that’ll only slow the slide.

Year One dropped a huge 70% this weekend with a weekend gross of just under $6 million. With just $32 million in the bank this has to be a disappointment for all involved.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 took in another $5.3 million giving the Tony Scott film a $53 million total. Look for the film to end with about $65 million.

Star Trek is approaching $250 million, making it the most successful film in the series.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian took another $3.5 million from moviegoers giving the family fiilm a $163 million total.

Dropping out of the top ten is Land of The Lost and Terminator Salvation. The films have grossed $46 million and $121 respectively.

Movie News

1. Ryan Reynolds has chosen his next film project after the double whammy success of Wolverine and The Proposal .

Mr Scarlett Johansson will star in Buried, a film that sounds slightly more serious than the Hugh Jackman and Sandra Bullock starrers.

“Reynolds will star in Buried, playing a civilian contractor who’s kidnapped in Iraq and awakens buried in a coffin in the desert, armed only with a cell phone, a candle and a knife.”

Rodrigo Cortes will direct the film that starts shooting next month in Barcelona.

Will this be the role needed to finally break Reynolds onto the A-list? Maybe, but at least he has the Deadpool movie on the way.

Source: Variety

2. Moviehole spoke with Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura about the new Jack Ryan film. The block-busting producer stated that one of the main hold-ups with the film is that the filmmakers are worried that they won’t be able to top the other films in the franchise.

He also stated that he had been talking to Phillip Noyce who directed Clear and Present Danger and Patriot Games about returning to the series. The Australian director who is currently working on Angelina Jolie’s Salt hasn’t made a firm commitment though.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura said:

‘’No, we were just – we’ve been working – I mean, yes. We did talk about it, actually, prior to Salt. And we’ve been so focused on Salt that neither of us has really had time to think about talking about Jack Ryan. So, he’s going away on vacation now, for a week – or — vacation’s the wrong way. You know, he worked like crazy. He needed to take a week and breathe, so that’s what he’s doing right now.”

He also admitted that they were looking for a younger star to step into the shoes of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck.

Source: Moviehole

3. Teen heartthrob Zac Efron will in a new untitled thriller for Mandate Pictures.
Nothing is known about the thriller that will be produced by Greg Shapiro, Jason Barrett and Leslie Dixon.

Dixon also wrote the script which is expected to be Efron’s foray into a more mature role after bolting on the Kevin Bacon role in the Footloose remake. Chace Crawford nabbed the lead in the remake and he will be joined by Julianne Hough.

Source: Variety

4. Daniel Craig is starting to fill out his between Bond schedule with a role in Jim Sheridan’s Dream House.

“Craig would play a man who moves his family to an idyllic small town, only to find his house haunted by its former inhabitants, who were murdered there.”

While the film sounds like the usual generic horror fair it should be noted that Irishman Sheridan has been behind such heavy hitting films as My Left Foot, In The Name of the Father and The Field.

Daniel Craig is set to return as James Bond in Bond 23. That won’t be its real title.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

That’s it for now. See you at the movies

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Rumor Patrol: Michael Sheen To Play Blofeld In Bond 23

Ross Miller — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:56:56 +0000

The inevitable wild rumors have already been started about the next Bond movie, which is currently untitled and is being referred to as simply Bond 23 for the time being. British tabloid newspaper The Daily Express is reporting that Frost/Nixon star Michael Sheen is in talks to not only star in Bond 23 as the villain, but to play the legendary Bond villain, Blofeld. Before we get onto more info and discussion on this “news,” just know that this is an UNSUBSTANTIATED RUMOR.

It was recently announced that Peter Morgan is one of the writers for Bond 23, which may be the basis of this Sheen rumor. Morgan wrote Frost/Nixon, The Queen and The Damned United, all of which starred Sheen in leading roles, so Morgan being added to the writing roster of Bond 23 may have sparked rumors of Sheen’s involvement because of their past collaborations. The Daily Express’ source is “unnamed” (read: questionable and unreliable) but nonetheless they seem to have a quote backing up the story:

“Michael is hot property right now and it is felt that he’s the right man to bring Blofeld back to life… Michael was a Bond fan in his youth, so this would be a dream role for him.”

The character of Ernst Stavro Blofeld was first appeared in From Russia With Love, and was last seen in the non-canon Bond film, Never Say Never Again (in case you couldn’t work it out for yourself, he was also the inspiration for Austin Powers’ Dr. Evil). If this news turns out true (which it’s very unlikely to be), Sheen would bring Blofeld to the big-screen for the first time in over 25 years.

Beyond the rumor in general being ridiculous (really, would Blofeld fit in with the new incarnation of Bond?), there are several reasons to doubt the legitimacy of this so-called news. One is that The Daily Express’ source is unnamed, another is that Bond 23 doesn’t even have script or story… or director yet. Even if Sheen would probably make a good Bond villain in general, him playing Blofeld is pretty ridiculous. Unless we get wind of a more reliable source, count Sheen being Blofeld in the next Bond installment as extremely, extremely unlikely.

For the sake of discussion: What do you think of the notion of Michael Sheen being Blofeld in Bond 23? Do you think he would make a good Bond villain in general?

A production date for Bond 23 has yet to be set.

Sources: The Guardian and CHUD

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Bond 23 Has Its Screenwriters

Ross Miller — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:28:24 +0000

The next installment in the long-running James Bond franchise (for now referred to as simply Bond 23), has had its screenwriters announced. They are the returning Neil Purvis and Robert Wade (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace), with a new addition of Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen, The Last King of Scotland). Daniel Craig will of course be reprising his role as 007, and the film will be produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

Purvis and Wade are no strangers to the Bond franchise, having already helped to co-write the last four Bond movies together (on top of Daniel Craig’s first two Bond films, they also wrote The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day). So in light of that we can rest easy that the franchise is in experienced hands. But Morgan is the new addition, with his recent Oscar attention (he was nominated for both The Queen and Frost/Nixon) probably being a factor in his being chosen for Bond 23. This will mark the first of the new Bonds (since the Craig “reinvisioning”) that hasn’t had Crash writer/director Paul Haggis helping to pen the screenplay – only time will tell if his absence will be noticeable.

Other than the screenwriters, and that Craig is playing 007 again, we don’t have much other info on Bond 23. We don’t know what the plot of the film is, who will be playing the villain or the obligatory love interest, or even who the director is. But the confirmation of the trio of screenwriters is a strong sign that more information should be released soon.

Even though it seems strange that they would suddenly ditch Haggis as a screenwriter when he co-wrote the last two movies, I am very happy with the addition of Morgan. I always find that he takes subjects and events that seem hard to make into a workable movie and makes them very interesting and tense (the verbal battles in Frost/Nixon are phenomenal). Even if his movies haven’t been action-oriented so far, I still think his style of writing will suit the Bond franchise very well.

As far as the direction Bond 23 should take the legendary spy character, I would like to see Craig’s portrayal become a bit more reminiscent of what we’ve known of the character for years before he came along. Don’t get me wrong, I love Craig’s portrayal of 007 – to quote John Campea of The Movie Blog, “Finally a Bond who looks like he can kick my ass instead of kiss it.” – and don’t want him to fall back completely into the mold of past Bonds. But I would still like to see a bit more of the suave, playful, “lighter” side of the character. I hope the addition of Morgan to the writing roster can accomplish the right balance of the two extremes.

What do you think of the three writers that Bond 23 has acquired, particularly Peter Morgan? What direction would you like to see them take 007 in the next movie?

A production date on Bond 23 has yet to be set.

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Bond 23: Back To James Bond Basics?

Niall Browne — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:44:52 +0000

The name is Bond, James Bond.

If you’ve recently seen Quantum of Solace you’ll be aware that the infamous line above was not spoken by Daniel Craig in the film. In fact a lot of key elements that have made the James Bond films iconic over the years were missing from the new entry in the series (the same was also true of Casino Royale).

Many believe that Solace is the middle part of a “Bond Trilogy” and that the next film will complete the story arc. Not true, says Daniel Craig – and if he gets his way James Bond will be doing more “Bondish” things in the next installment of the uber-successful franchise.

Speaking with Collider.com during press rounds for his forthcoming WWII film Defiance, Craig talked about how he wanted his next Bond film to feature more of the 46 year old franchise’s traditional elements.

When asked if Solace was the middle part of a trilogy Craig replied:

“No f***ing way. I’m done with that story. I want to lie on a beach for the first half an hour of the next movie drinking a cocktail.”

While I believe that these comments are made with more than a hint of sarcasm – they do seem to imply that the “picked up right where the last one left off” nature of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace will not be occurring again.

Discussing the return of Q and Moneypenny Craig had his to say:

“We’ve finished this story as far as I’m concerned. We’ve got a great set of bad guys. There is an organization that we can use whenever we want to. The relationship between Bond and M is secure and Felix is secure. Let’s try and find where Moneypenny came from and where Q comes from. Let’s do all that and have some fun with it.”

I have to say that I agree with this. As much as I enjoyed Quantum of Solace (and I know a lot of you folks didn’t), I did feel that Q, Moneypenny and even the James Bond theme are needed to remind us that we are indeed watching a James Bond movie. Characters like Q and Moneypenny along with a certain amount of gadgetry are what distinguish Bond from other action heroes – they are nothing to be ashamed of.

When asked when we should expect Bond 23 Craig replied:

“We don’t know when we’re going to do the next Bond. Nobody’s thinking about it at the moment. We’re giving it a rest for the moment. If I can squeeze something in next year I will…but I haven’t figured out what that’ll be yet. But nothing in the cold.”

If Bond 23 follows tradition we should see one in the next 2-3 years depending on how much time Craig wants away from the role. It’ll be the new year before there’s even a pen put to paper, but don’t be too surprised if Paul Haggis has some input again. and considering that Solace has so far grossed $500 million worldwide you can be sure that James Bond will definitely return.

Source: Collider

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