Category: James Bond

Daniel Craig is reportedly ‘done’ with James Bond

It’s starting to look like 007’s famed Walther PPK and the non-stirred martini will be in new hands.

The Daily Mail is reporting Daniel Craig has rejected a huge contract extension to return as James Bond, telling executives he’s “done” playing the world’s most famous secret agent. The publication states that the four-time Bond turned down an estimated $100 million to return, including profit sharing, producing credits and endorsement deals.

“Daniel is done – pure and simple – he told top brass at MGM after Spectre. They threw huge amounts of money at him, but it just wasn’t what he wanted,” a source told The Daily Mail. “He had told people after shooting that this would be his final outing, but the film company still felt he could come around after Spectre if he was offered a money deal.”

Since Craig took over as the face of the franchise, his four movies have grossed an unadjusted $3.2 billion worldwide. That said, his most recent film, Spectre, took in only $880 million, while the previous film, Skyfall, grossed $1.1 billion.

If this is the end of Craig, the odds-on favorite to replace him is Tom Hiddleston. Both Sky Bet and William Hill have Hiddleston as 1:4 while Ladbrokes has Loki at 2:5. Other favorites are Aidan Turner, Tom Hardy and Idris Elba. Bookmaker Coral has suspended betting on Hiddleston after a flurry of bets were placed on him last weekend.

Sam Smith Records James Bond ‘Spectre’ Song

It’s official: Sam Smith has recorded the new Bond theme song.

The British soul singer’s upcoming release “Writing’s On The Wall” will feature in the upcoming James Bond film, Spectre.

“This is one of the highlights of my career,” comments Smith in a statement. “I am honored to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song. I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations. I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it.”

Smith — who has co-written the title song with regular collaborator and fellow Grammy Award winner Jimmy Napes — becomes the first British male solo artist to win the coveted job since Tom Jones recorded “Thunderball” for the 1965 movie of the same name. Capitol Records will release “Writing’s On The Wall” on Sept. 25.

Smith has had an up–and-down year. Early on, he shone at the Grammy Awards where he performed “Stay With Me” and took home four trophies. But a vocal cord hemorrhage in April forced him to cancel shows and take an extended rest. He’s since made a full recovery.

With “Writing’s On The Wall”, Smith joins an elite circle of recording artists who’ve contributed songs for the enduring Bond series, a group that includes Adele, Duran Duran, Paul McCartney & Wings, Madonna, Shirley Bassey and Tina Turner.

Today’s announcement (Smith dropped a major clue on Monday) ends months of speculation in which the likes of Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Adele, Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Noel Gallagher and even Radiohead were tipped as candidates to helm the new Bond song.

Spectre, the 24th film in the James Bond franchise, will be released Oct. 26 in the U.K. and Nov. 6 in the U.S.

SPECTRE, new James Bond film, set for 2015 release

Producers of the next James Bond film unveiled its title, SPECTRE, and introduced new cast members at a press conference Thursday in southern England.

The British super-spy will once again be portrayed by Daniel Craig.

Joining him in the 24th Bond film will be new faces to the franchise, including Academy Award-winning Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, actor and WWE wrestler Dave Bautista, Italian actress and model Monica Bellucci and Irish actor Andrew Scott, perhaps best known for playing Jim Moriarty in the BBC series Sherlock.

Producers said the next film centres on “a cryptic message from Bond’s past (that) sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization.”

SPECTRE — Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion — was the terrorist organization headed by Ernst Blofeld that featured in several early Bond films.

Among the returning cast members will be:

– Ralph Fiennes as spy chief M.
– Ben Whishaw as gadget-master Q.
– Naomi Harris as Miss Moneypenny.

Waltz said his character was called Oberhauser, but many fans will hope he is really playing Blofeld, one of the most enduring Bond villains.

Composer Thomas Newman will score the film, which will be written by John Logan, Robert Wade and Neal Purvis, the same team behind the screenplay for the last Bond film, 2012’s Skyfall.

Director Sam Mendes also introduced a “non-human cast member,” Bond’s new DB10 Aston Martin.

Initial fan reaction to the details was enthusiastic.

“For Bond fans, this is the best Christmas present — the return of James Bond and classic elements of the series with yet another classic title coined by Ian Fleming,” said Ajay Chowdhury of the James Bond International Fan Club.

Producers are expecting a seven-month shooting schedule, with principal photography to begin Monday and filming on location in Morocco, Mexico and Austria.

Skyfall, which was also directed by Mendes, was the most successful Bond film yet, taking more than $1.1 billion US at the global box office.

Bond 24 Looking At Chiwetel Ejiofor To Play The Villain

Whoever ends up playing the next 007 villain in Sam Mendes’ untitled Bond 24 has some serious shoes to fill. In his performance as the ex-MI6 terrorist Silva, Javier Bardem created not only an amazing antagonist, but one of the greatest baddies in the history of the franchise. Whoever gets the gig will undoubtedly have to deal with a lot of comparisons – but perhaps that’s the reason why fellow Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor may be the perfect choice for the challenge.

Variety’s sources have learned that MGM and Sony are heavily considering the 12 Years A Slave actor to play the next great James Bond villain. At this point the studios have not yet made an offer, but Ejiofor is reportedly the frontrunner for the gig. Obviously we don’t know anything about the character he would be portraying just yet, but should the actor sign on he would join a cast that includes Daniel Craig (who will be playing Bond for the fourth time), Ralph Fiennes (as the new M), Ben Whishaw (as Q) and Naomie Harris (as Miss Moneypenny). John Logan, who wrote the script for Skyfall as well as screenplays for other hit movies like Hugo, Rango, and Gladiator, is currently scripting Bond 24.

So why would Chiwetel Ejiofor potentially make a terrific James Bond villain? Not only is the guy incredibly talented – as demonstrated across multiple genres – he has also had some experience playing a fantastic villain in Joss Whedon’s Serenity (a.k.a. Firefly: The Movie).

Scheduling is something that the actor would definitely have to work out with the studio. Thanks to the acclaim he has received for his role in 12 Years A Slave, the guy is more in-demand than he has ever been, but perhaps he is a big enough Bond fan that he could find a way to do it. On the horizon for him is the Craig Zobel-directed sci-fi movie Z for Zachariah with Chris Pine and Margot Robbie, and then he will be a part of the massive ensemble featured in John Hillcoat’s Triple Nine.

Bond 24 will go into production this year in target of a November 6, 2015 release date.

Director Sam Mendes in Talks to Return for Bond 24

Sam Mendes is looking to enlist On Her Majesty’s Secret Service again.

After directing the latest James Bond adventure, Skyfall, to over $1 billion in global box office receipts, the filmmaker is in talks with Sony Pictures and MGM about coming back for the sequel, 007’s 24th outing.

Per Deadline, despite his earlier pronouncements that he wouldn’t be returning to helm the next 007 film so he can concentrate on theater projects, the 47-year-old Mendes appears to have had a change of heart and in looking to jump back into the director’s chair when production on the next movie commences next year.

The website suggested that producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson kept the lines of communication open with Mendes and opted to wait for him to finish up work on his new West End musical based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as well as a production of King Lear.

The news comes a couple of weeks after reports surfaced that the 50-year-old spy franchise’s minders at Eon Productions had quietly reached out to Dark Knight Rises helmer and avid Bond fan Christopher Nolan about possibly taking the reins once he’s finished with his sci-fi epic Interstellar. Other directors’ names supposedly being touted for the job include Ang Lee, Tom Hooper and Nicolas Winding Refn.

A rep for Mendes was unavailable to comment.

Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan is currently writing the script for Bond 24, which will find Daniel Craig once again reprising his role as the suave superspy. It’s currently being targeted for a 2016 release.

Next James Bond movie should be out within 3 years says MGM

The wait for the next James Bond movie won’t be very long. After the success of 2012’s “Skyfall,” MGM has announced that they expect to release the next installment in the long-running franchise within three years, Reuters reports. They also hope to announce a new director soon, after “Skyfall” director Sam Mendes decided not to continue with the series, but instead to focus on live theater projects.

During an investors conference call, MGM Chairman and CEO Gary Barber said the studio already has a screenplay for the next film in development. No story or casting details were hinted at, but Daniel Craig, Agent 007 himself, is signed on for two more films.

The next movie will be the 24th in the Bond series, which began over 50 years ago with 1962’s “Dr. No.” “Skyfall” was the most profitable film in the Bond franchise, raking in $1.1 billion.

Sam Mendes won’t direct next James Bond movie

Despite Skyfall being the most commercially successful James Bond movie ever, director Sam Mendes won’t be returning for Bond’s next go-round.

Mendes’ rep confirmed the director’s statement in Empire magazine, which explains that he will not direct James Bond’s 24th adventure.

“It has been a very difficult decision not to accept Michael [G. Wilson] and Barbara [Broccoli]’s very generous offer to direct the next Bond movie,” Mendes said. “Directing Skyfall was one of the best experiences of my professional life, but I have theatre and other commitments, including productions of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and King Lear, that need my complete focus over the next year and beyond.”

But while Mendes said he won’t be directing 007′s next picture, he didn’t rule out a return to the franchise later on. “I feel very honoured to have been part of the Bond family,” said Mendes, “and very much hope I have a chance to work with them again sometime in the future.”

Bond Oscar reunion scrapped

Plans to regroup the six movie James Bonds at the Oscars on February 24 have been scrapped just days after Pierce Brosnan revealed that at least one 007 would not be involved.

It was reported that Academy Awards producers were keen to get all the Bonds together as part of a plan to mark the 50th anniversary of the superspy’s films, but now Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have confirmed the 007 reunion will not be a part of the 2013 Oscars.

A statement from the co-producers reads: “It’s something else, something very unique and very exciting but no, we’re not getting the Bonds together.”

Reports suggest Welsh singers Dame Shirley Bassey and Sir Tom Jones will hit the stage to perform their Bond themes as part of the tribute, and Adele, who is nominated for a Best Song award, will sing her theme from Skyfall.

Billion-Dollar Bond: Skyfall Becomes First 007 Film to Cross the Box-Office Mark

James Bond’s latest adventure is called Skyfall, but when it comes to the box office, 007 is soaring.
The Sam Mendes-helmed 23rd Bond flick, starring Daniel Craig as the suave superspy, officially grossed over $1 billion worldwide as of Sunday—the first film in the 50-year franchise to ever reach that milestone, according to stats compiled by Box Office Mojo.

Skyfall’s record tally comes from $289 million worth of domestic ticket sales combined with an astounding $710 million worldwide haul after just two months in theaters.

Not only is that the highest-grossing Bond entry for MGM and Sony, not to mention one of the best reviewed in the canon (including a big thumbs up from former Bond Roger Moore), but it’s also the third-highest grossing film of 2012. The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises came in Nos. 1 and 2 respectively, with a $1.5 billion and $1.08 billion global take.

And with Skyfall poised to open in China early next year, it has a pretty good shot at surpassing TDKR—no doubt helped by the fact that one of its major set pieces is set in Shanghai.

Batman, better watch your back!