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It's rumoured that Bermuda is being considered for location shooting for the next James Bond film, Casino Royale.
If this works out it could be a bigger boost to our tourist industry than a thousand Pop and Sizzle flags.
[via Dark & Stormy]
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Yes, and Alex Scott is going to play the head of SPECTRE.
Posted by Tiger Bay on 15.09.05 at 18:01
Special Executive for Crappy Tourism, Referendums & Endependence?
Posted by Adjustah on 15.09.05 at 18:10
Sizzle Pop Extortion Capers To enRich Ewart
Posted by Tiger Bay on 15.09.05 at 18:22
00^..^ gave you the inside tip the other day!
Posted by Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 15.09.05 at 18:26
Oh cool, get to see the sped up camera scooter chase scene again.
You can guarantee John Swan's going to see if he can keep the Casino props.
Posted by SmokingGun on 15.09.05 at 18:35
Are we ALL down! three Crowns....Hit me with the green!
Posted by Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 15.09.05 at 18:46
Two words: Bermuda Grace.
Shudder.
Posted by Adjustah on 15.09.05 at 18:52
And the premise of the movie is that a secret British operative that has been planted in Bermuda to undermine the government's attempts to gain independence has gone missing. The only clue Bond has is a red Bermuda College bag.....and a list of anonymous e-mail addresses.
Posted by SmokingGun on 15.09.05 at 19:05
I'm sure there is a part for a deranged ^..^ running around Hamilton with a rifle and a Silencer....No its no cheap re make of Day of the Jackal...Its 00^..^ out to single handedly take a Government OUT.
Posted by Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 15.09.05 at 20:35
Adjustah: you read my mind! I remember we all called it "Bermuda Disgrace"...
Posted by jbhvt on 15.09.05 at 21:02
Casino Royale? so its a movie about a casino. Do we legalize gambling? Gambling is a tax on those who do not understand mathematics.
Posted by blovator on 15.09.05 at 21:16
jbhvt,
Let me just back the flashy red sports car up here, and...take you back to: The Ivory Ape
Anyone else remember that one?
Posted by Adjustah on 15.09.05 at 22:46
The Wolf was actually a STAR in the Ivory Ape...EXTRA EXTRA
Posted by Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 15.09.05 at 22:57
Bet that gorilla costume was itchy, inna Wolf?
Posted by Tiger Bay on 16.09.05 at 07:46
Tiger there you are....wanna another Fish? I'm sad to report that I didn't have the skill set to be the gorilla....I'm allergic to Bananas even though I lean that way.....No I was one of the chasing crowd.
Posted by Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 16.09.05 at 08:04
Don't forget "The Deep" man!! We should bring back Lou Gosset Jr. and 'The Evil VooDoo People'!!!
Man, if there was no gratuitous full frontal nudity in that movie, it would have been a total waste!
Posted by Combat Banker on 16.09.05 at 08:40
6 degrees of seperation...
So the director of the Bond film is no other than Michael Campbell who just finished directing "Legend Of Zorro" which happens to have as a star Catherine Zeta-Jones, who happens to have a home here, as everyone knows...
I'll double down on the crown that there was some involvement from MD & CZJ to get Michael Campbell to consider Bermuda...
Posted by Somers on 16.09.05 at 08:46
Yeah I was wondering about that... Good Analysis there Dr. Know!
Posted by Combat Banker on 16.09.05 at 08:56
"So the director of the Bond film is no other than Michael Campbell who just finished directing "Legend Of Zorro" which happens to have as a star Catherine Zeta-Jones, who happens to have a home here, as everyone knows..."
A logical deduction, Somers, but I'll believe this story is true when I see the clapperboard slam down in front of a Panavision camera lens on Horseshoe Bay. Fact is Bermuda is very rarely used as a location because of the high costs associated with filming here -- Christ, "The Deep" crew skipped town leaving tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills behind them. Everyone from hotels to construction companies to hotels were shortchanged by Columbia Pictures. When the honeymoon sequences for Neil Simon's "Chapter Two" were shot here -- involving just two weeks of location photography -- producer Roger Rothstein said the budget overruns pushed up the total cost of the film by close to 20 percent. In any event, EON -- the Bond production company -- is in a hell of a mess at the moment. They've lost their star (Pierce Brosnan), any number of competent writers once associated with "Casino Royale" (Paul Haggis among them, an Oscar-nominee for "Million Dollar Baby") and a visionary director (Quentin Tarantino) who could have shaken and stirred the 007 franchise out of its current inertia. Instead of making movies, EON seems to be reduced to issuing periodic press releases about "Casino" -- a few months ago it was going to be shot in Australia. Then Switzerland. Now Bermuda ... A few weeks ago Ewan McGregor had definitely signed on as the new Bond. Last week Clive Owen was going to be the Martini-swigging assassin. Then there was some EON-manufactured buzz about Mel Gibson packing Bond's Walther PPK (which came as news to Mr. Gibson). James Bond may well return to the silver screen at some point ... but I have my doubts that it will be on a mission that brings him anywhere near Bermuda.
Posted by Desperado on 16.09.05 at 09:21
Desperado,
"I'll double down on the crown that there was some involvement from MD & CZJ to get Michael Campbell to consider Bermuda..."
I never said it was actually going to happen. But him considering it is still a good thing for Bermuda and I am willing to believe that the "Casino" will be at Ariel Sands....
Posted by Somers on 16.09.05 at 09:40
Don't forget "The Bermuda Depths" (1978) another fiasco of a movie filmed here (complete with Giant "Man Eating" Turtles et al)
Given the cost of labour here, and unions that make everyone one who's not "union"'s life hell....why would anyone (sane) shoot another film here??
Posted by Two Cents on 16.09.05 at 09:42
Big problem guys is not just the cost but with sound,too many other noises creep onto the sound tape.Its just immpossible to get silence on the set....this is especially so on location.
Posted by Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 16.09.05 at 09:56
James Bond rides again ?
One of the most popular series ever esp. with Connery.
I think it has ran its course.
I would be surprised if Casino Royale were to be shot in BDA.
Of course Casino Was the first Bond movie with Barry Nelson as Bond and Peter Lorre as the baddie.
There were no exotic locations in Casino Royale it was a duel between Bond and the baddie with a baccaret table between them.
Connery came in for Dr No for very little dough !
He was spotted in Darby O'Gill and the little people by Cubby Broccoli and beat out some well established actors to get the role and the rest is history.
Posted by Bill Cook on 16.09.05 at 10:01
Big problem guys is not just the cost but with sound,too many other noises creep onto the sound tape.Its just immpossible to get silence on the set....this is especially so on location.
Posted by Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 16.09.05 at 09:56
I am sure if Alex can silence his critics - he can surely silence the tree frogs... ;)
(Or is it he isn't listening to his critics...ah well.)
Posted by Somers on 16.09.05 at 12:11
"Dammit, M, I've looked around this whole bloody island, and I haven't found the casino anywhere."
Posted by Longtime Lurker on 16.09.05 at 12:21
Lurker,
You have not looked hard enough
Nuff said shhhhh !
Posted by Bill Cook on 16.09.05 at 17:06
Tsk Tsk Bill!.... Another secret outed on that infamous "Limey" blog!
Posted by Slowhand on 16.09.05 at 17:25
"Of course Casino Was the first Bond movie with Barry Nelson as Bond and Peter Lorre as the baddie."
Sorry to be a pedant, Bill, but I think you're confused: David Niven played Bond in "Casino Royale". Neither was Peter Lorre in the film - the baddie was played by Orson Welles.
Posted by loki on 16.09.05 at 17:51
Loki,
Sorry buddy you are wrong,
The David Niven spoof was later, was crap.
but Niven was considered for the Bond series but did not portray enough testosterone.
The forst movie Casino Royale was made on Oct 1954 a special date for me !
It was made for live television CBS's Climax Mystery Theatre but veteran Broadway prod. Bretaigne Windlust gave it an American twist and castYankee Barry Nelson as Bond Peter Lorre played the evil Le Chiffre a Russian agent who controls the resources of the worlds largest casino Linda Crystal was the first Bond girl
( Tyrone Powers main squeeze)
The set was built at Television City in
Hollywood. There is more I could say !
Posted by Bill Cook on 16.09.05 at 18:45
Yep, you're right, Bill:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046587/
Didn't spot it, as it doesn't show up when you search for "Casino Royale". It's listed as "Climax!"
Whaddayaknow, huh?
Posted by loki on 16.09.05 at 18:53
... I think you're confused: David Niven played Bond in "Casino Royale". Neither was Peter Lorre in the film - the baddie was played by Orson Welles ...
No, Bill's spot on. The first Bond adaptation was in fact a CBS TV movie version of "Casino Royale" broadcast in 1954. Barry Nelson played an Americanised James Bond; Peter Lorre played the heavy, LeChiffre. The appalling 1967 film, an all-star send-up of all things 007 released at the height of the Bond craze, came about because producer Charles Feldman acquired the "Casino Royale" rights from CBS. Because the network owned the film/TV rights to "Casino", the book had not been included in the deal Fleming signed with EON principals Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman in 1961. When Broccoli and Saltzman declined to partner with Feldman on a straight co-production of "Casino" starring Sean Connery, he decided to spoof the whole 007 spy craze. You may remember that aside from Niven and Orson Welles, Peter Sellers, Peter O'Toole, Woody Allen, Ursula Andress, Deborah Kerr, John Huston and dozens of other stars appeared in "Casino" -- few of them bringing anything other than their famous names to the generally unfunny proceedings. EON only relatively recently acquired the film rights to "Casino" from Feldman's estate.
Posted by Desperado on 16.09.05 at 18:54
Hmmmm, front page news again? Egad! I hope you're getting a commission, Phil!
Posted by Adjustah on 20.09.05 at 08:59
Sorry, there's been a mixup. The producers heard that the man with the golden paintbrush lived in Bermuda.
Posted by Tiger Bay on 20.09.05 at 09:21
For obvious reasons, I would assume, the only Ian Fleming title not used by EON for a Bond movie is "Quantum of Solace" -- a 007 short story set in Bermuda. Bond isn't even an active character in this Somerset Maugham-type morality tale about love, betrayal and revenge set on the island in its tourism/country club heydey in the 1950s. The story is told to him over cigars and brandy by another character after a dinner party. It's a beautifully written and observed yarn, one that wouldn't provide even the germ of an idea for a typically over-the-top Bond movie but which would make a powerful and haunting stand-alone drama if properly adapted. Based on a real story, too, involving an FCO official working out of the Cabinet Office whose wife took up with the hellraising son of one of Front Street's most prominent families. Fleming heard the story in Jamaica, where the wife ended up with a second husband, and changed the names to protect the guilty. You can find "Quantum" in "For Your Eyes Only", the collection of Bond short stories. Check it out -- and see if you recognise anyone you know.
Posted by Desperado on 20.09.05 at 09:24
Tiger - very funny! Good effort....
Posted by sandgrownan on 20.09.05 at 09:36
Unless they are shooting new versions of The Wicker Man or The Island of Dr Moreau it's difficult to see too many Bermudians getting jobs as extras...
Posted by ruby tuesday on 20.09.05 at 09:57
"The Wickerman" would definitely be a possibility, though it would obviously have to be shot in St. David's.......
Posted by loki on 20.09.05 at 10:02
Bond in Bda. Ha Ha! Ain't never gonna happen.
After the Deep, Hollywood swore they'd never come back. Bermudians are too difficult to deal with. Too much red tape.
WB
Posted by Wickering Banker : - ) ----: on 20.09.05 at 10:39
Almost makes me nostalgic for "The Ivory Ape" )aka, "The Vanilla Gorilla".
Posted by loki on 20.09.05 at 10:43
Bermuda's too expensives to shot a movie in. The bribes to members of the government alone would probably bankrupt the movie's budget.
Posted by drew on 20.09.05 at 10:44
Desperado,
You seem well informed on the movie industry !
Fleming in fact was in need of cash and CBS offered him a thousand dollars for the TV rights to Casino Royale, but he sold the movie rights to film director Gregory Ratoff in turn sold to Charlie Feldman.
Dr No was Flemings 6th novel
Fleming was introduced to a young Irish film director Kevin McClory by his pal Ivar Bryce who was backing him in his first feature film and was willing to go along with these guys and their Co Xanadu Productions.
It seems that if the production was filmed in the Bahamas, Xanadu could benefit from the EADY SUBSIDY PLAN which allowed certain productions filmed within the "Commonwealth" to have part of their costs underwritten.
It may be that in the unlikely event that Casino would be filmed here it would be with such a subsidy by Government tourism board.
My feeling is however Casino would need re writing as if most of the story takes place in a Casino it could be shot anywhere and not take in any of the beautiful photogenic scenery of Bermuda to give tourism a plug.
So its very very unlikely that anything will come of it
But as they say " NEVER SAY NEVER"
Posted by Bill Cook on 20.09.05 at 10:44
Bill:
"My feeling is however Casino would need re writing as if most of the story takes place in a Casino it could be shot anywhere and not take in any of the beautiful photogenic scenery of Bermuda to give tourism a plug.
When was the last time that the Bond movies even remotely resembled the novels? OHMSS is arguably the closest, but the last outing was a bunch of CGI generated drivel. Maybe a CGI Bermuda?
Posted by Adjustah on 20.09.05 at 10:59
Bill Cook said:
"My feeling is however Casino would need re writing as if most of the story takes place in a Casino it could be shot anywhere and not take in any of the beautiful photogenic scenery of Bermuda to give tourism a plug."
Chances are, most casino's would never allow filming anyway, so producers will need to build a casino set anyway (think the current TV show Las Vegas and its fictional Montecito - the casino is a set). It could easily be put in the airplane hanger at Southside and all the arrival shots done at South P or Elbow for the "grand entrance".
If King Ewart has any brains at all he will RUN not walk to the producers and give them EVERYTHING and ANYTHING (I am also sure the hotels would JUMP to provide blocks of rooms between them for cast and crew). The positive press that any James Bond film garners for a featured location is probably worth multi millions in future revenue. Bond sells sex, excitement, mystique, intrigue and beauty.
So Dr. Brown, what are you waiting for?
Posted by Pussy Galore on 20.09.05 at 11:15
An obvious score for tourism, versus a film about Her Majesty's most Secret Servant in Britain's oldest colony? What's a pro-Independence Government to do? What to do? What to do?
Posted by Adjustah on 20.09.05 at 11:27
With all this talk about independence I wouldn't be surprised if Alex got an email "From Russia with Love".
Posted by SmokingGun on 20.09.05 at 11:36
Pussy,
I think that casinos would encourage the glamour aspect of gambling, and the sets could easily be built anywhere, as I said the original set was built in Television City Hollywood, but nowadays Canada is getting the business as its cheaper and well suited Chicago was shot there very successfully too given all the awards it won.
We have never really exploited the publicity for Bermuda with the films made here.
Actually the one with Burl Ives about the giant turtle was beautifully photographed esp the very beginning opening scenes with that view of the islands emerging from the mist and the little girl on the beach Mike Marshes daughter I think quite impressive photography.
The film was not a box office success but when I look at the crap on cable I think it is great family entertainment.
If government went with a joint venture with the likes of one of the sharpest minds in the business Mike Douglas I would be optimistic of good results.
Right about now Bermuda tourism needs a shot in the arm and a fresh look at getting some of the existing brain power here utilised so much better than we have been doing,would seem to make sense,
I also wonder why we never used any of that beautiful footage of that film for tourism publicity.
Posted by Bill Cook on 20.09.05 at 11:41
If they do end up filming here the amount of Bermuda footage used will probably be less than 2mins worth, and include some sweet babe coming out of the water on the beach somewhere, or a sunset. All casino shots will be done in a studio, Bond will not be drinking Dark & Stormies, and he will never drive his moped down the road on the left hand side...
Posted by Somers on 20.09.05 at 12:56
Hate to say I told you so ... but I did. James Bond will indeed return in "Casino Royale" ... but the film will be shot in the Bahamas. The report below, based on a statement from the Bahamian Tourism Ministry, appeared in Nassau's Tribune newspaper ...
007 Returns To Bahamas
After a twenty year absence, the Bond franchise returns to film the 21st 007 movie in The Bahamas.
The Bahamas is set to experience a significant windfall as the country gets ready to play host to the new launch of the James Bond franchise.
The Tribune has learnt that after an almost 20year absence, James Bond is posed to return to the Bahamas once again with Casino Royale, the 21st instalment of the series.
Director of Film with the Ministry of Tourism Craig Woods yesterday said that pre-production is scheduled to start this Fall.
"This is a wonderful thing, we are extremely excited. We will be the first country in the world to showcase the new James Bond," he said.
Mr Woods said that having such a distinguished project filmed in the Bahamas will not only give local film crews work and high-level experience, but also bring substantial financial gain for the country. "The benefits will be significant, the crews will need hotel accommodation, food, beverages. Plus they all get hefty per diem which they will spend in the casinos and at the fish fry," he said.
Mr Woods said the ministry will showcase all of the Bahamas' cultural aspects for the film crews, to perhaps incorporate into the movie.
"The pre-production phase begins around the same time as Junkanoo preparations take place. Junkanoo is a colourful cultural event, so there might be a chance that the production company will want to include it in the movie. We will show them all the Bahamas has to offer, nothing will be hidden," he said.
Although Mr Woods could not disclose the identity of the actor selected to follow in the footsteps of Pierce Brosnan, the director of film said the production company has chosen someone less well known..
"He is a younger man, a very energetic man, who I believe will bring some fresh energy to the franchise," he said.
According to reports, however, British actor Daniel Craig, 37; of movies such as Road to Perdition, Elizabeth, has won the part of the suave secret agent. Before the decision was made to shoot in the Bahamas, the new 007 movie was scheduled to be filmed in South Africa. However, after the production company Eon experienced difficulties securing shooting locations, the film-makers were forced to relocate, the James Bond website commanderbond.net reported this week.
The website further reported that the film's director Martin Campbell and director of photography Phil Meheux are currently on Paradise Island scouting for suitable shooting locations.
James Bond is no stranger to the Bahamas, and Casino Royale would be the franchise's sixth visit to the country.
In 1965, the film crew of Thunderball, including the first actor to play 007, Sean Connery, visited the Bahamas where they filmed scenes in various locations in New Providence and the Exumas.
Key underwater scenes featured in The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only were also filmed in Bahamian waters, and the 1983 `unofficial' Bond movie Never Say Never Again was extensively shot here.
The last Bond film to be shot in the Bahamas was A Licence to Kill in 1989.
Casino Royale is slated for a late 2006 release.
Posted by Desperado on 28.09.05 at 16:12
"Director of Film with the Ministry of Tourism "
Good God Desperado don't give the Gov't anymore ideas, once they hear about that title, there will be more "jobs for the boys" costing the tax payer even more of our hard earned money
Posted by Two Cents on 28.09.05 at 18:17