James Bond 23 News

James Bond 007 News and Rumors: Skyfall is Bond 23, the new James Bond movie starring Daniel Craig, released November 2012

Dossiers tagged with "James Bond"

Bond 23 back on track – Composer David Arnold talks + MGM progress

Dec 2

Posted by M in Crew, Music, Pre-Production | 4 Comments

Today MGM’s proposal for pre-packed bankruptcy was approved by a federal court.

“Today’s ruling is an important milestone for MGM,” said Co-Chief Executive Officer Stephen Cooper. “Thanks to the support of our lenders and the hard work of our employees, we have moved through the restructuring process quickly. By dramatically reducing MGM’s debt load and providing MGM with access to new capital, the reorganization plan the Court confirmed today will enable MGM to emerge from this process with a solid financial foundation and will position MGM to be a successful studio going forward.”

MGM expects the Plan to become effective by mid-December, once the conditions of effectiveness have been met.

Regular 007 music man, David Arnold has confirmed that plans are afoot in relation to James Bond 23.

Speaking to Film Music Magazine, Arnold said that they “just got the news that we’re back on.” Nonetheless the composer is keeping defiantly scilent, saying he “will keep quiet until I get a script and then start writing ideas.”

David Arnold, a lifelong Bond fan, prior to writing the music, stated: “I’m looking forward to a great script for it, alongside every other Bond fan in the world!”

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Movement in the MGM saga sparks hopes for Hobbit and James Bond fans

Nov 29

Posted by M in Pre-Production, Producers | No Comments

Variety are reporting today that MGM will have its pre-packaged bankruptcy plan approved by a federal court on December 2nd in Manhattan.

The great machine that is one of Hollywood’s oldest and most iconic studios will be restructured in order to clear debt and start producing films again.

For Bond fans this means that 007 will be on the agenda early, as James Bond 23 – along with the long-awaited Hobbit movie – will be big earners for MGM.

The deadline for creditor objections MGM’s proposed plan was Friday, none have been made. A meeting on Tuesday, ahead of the court date will confirm this.

Spyglass have been lined up to manage the restructured company after it capitalises its debt. The Hobbit will benefit from this first, with shooting expected in Feburary 2011 (Summer in New Zealand) but the producers of the 23rd James Bond film have been typically silent on their plans.

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Timothy Dalton talks Daniel Craig and Bond 23

Nov 1

Posted by M in Actors, Bond 23 | 3 Comments

The fourth man to play James Bond, Timothy Dalton talked to Entertainment Weekly about his guest role in the successful NBC show Chuck – whilst with them, the Welsh star of The Living Daylights and Licence To Kill spoke about the James Bond 23 hiatus.

I’m not speaking as a spokesman for them, of course, but I have to believe that Bond, a big moneymaker for so many years, will get back on its feet. Someone will give it a platform, a foundation on which it can be made again, because it will be in everybody’s interest. It will make money, they do make money, they always make money, and of course, they provide tremendous entertainment for so many people. It’s a horrible situation for everybody, but by the time the lawsuit that stopped the last Bond movie that I was going to make was resolved, five years had passed.

The former 007 star had kind words for the man currently filling James Bond’s tuxedo – Daniel Craig – with Mr. Dalton saying: “I thought the first 25 minutes of Daniel’s first movie [Casino Royale] was the best 25 minutes I’ve seen in any Bond movie. I thought it was a fantastic opening.”

The interview goes into some detail about Daltons time as Bond and his views on the darker, grittier side of the character that he was first famous for creating, now echoed to some extent by Daniel Craig.

Worth a read for any good Bond fan: click.

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MGM/Spyglass deal struck – Industry news debates who will distribute James Bond 23

Oct 30

Posted by M in Official Annoucements, Producers | No Comments

The Big Cat has announced that a creditor vote has lead to the acceptance of the Spyglass plan. Under the scheme MGM will become a “working studio” and no longer a distributor of films.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (‘MGM’) today announced that the secured lenders voting in the Company’s solicitation process have overwhelmingly approved its proposed plan of reorganization (‘Plan’). MGM will now move expeditiously to implement that Plan, which will dramatically reduce its debt load and put the Company in a strong position to execute its business strategy. MGM is appreciative of the lenders’ support.

This leaves sources such as industry blog Deadline debating who will become the distributor of the new James Bond movie.

Sony Pictures did so for Daniel Craig’s previous two James Bond outings – Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace – but Mike Fleming at Deadline suggests they will not retain the honor for James Bond 23.

Warner brothers and Fox are also in contention but Fleming (no relation to James Bond’s creator as far as we can tell) predicts the honor will go to Paramount because of a “close relationship” between Paramount and Spyglass.

Once the restructuring process commences there is real hope on the horizon for 007.

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Lionsgate make a last-ditch effort to parter with a bankrupt MGM

Oct 13

Posted by M in Producers | No Comments

According to the James Bond website mi6-hq.com the Lionsgate studios made a public plea to James Bond’s studio to consider working with Lionsgate over Spyglass.

Lionsgate, the leading next generation studio, today emphasized the value creation potential of its proposed merger combination with Metro−Goldwyn−Mayer Studios Inc. The Company filed an Amendment to Schedule 14D-9 with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday disclosing that it sent an October 11 proposal to MGM regarding a potential business combination between the two companies. Under the terms of the proposal, the combined company would be owned by shareholders of Lionsgate and creditors of MGM.

“This is a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity to create a dynamic, forward-looking studio that unlocks tremendous potential value for Lionsgate’s shareholders and MGM’s various stakeholders,” said Lionsgate Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer and Vice Chairman Michael Burns. “A Lionsgate merger with MGM is a natural fit that would bring together two of the most powerful libraries in the world, create significant cost savings, consolidate our mutual global channel operations and generate significant incremental revenue and cash flow. It would create a combined entity with enough scale to leverage all of our distribution platforms worldwide.”

Lionsgate noted that it believes that its three largest shareholders, Carl Icahn, MHR Fund Management and Capital Research Global Investors, support the merger proposal.

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Daniel Craig was “just getting started” – keen to continue with Bond 23

Aug 13

Posted by M in Actors, Pre-Production | No Comments

The James Bond 007 actor has told the LA Times in an interview on the set of his latest sci-fi / western Cowboys and Aliens.

He is certainly optimistic and keen to continue to return to Bond 23 and the James Bond role but news of the new James Bond movie is not even filtering down to Mr. Craig – let alone the fans.

“You probably know more than I do,” Craig said. “It is what it is. Unless MGM can sort themselves out, we can’t make a movie. It’s hard to talk about things that aren’t happening. There will be more to say when things are happening. I’m really keen to get going, it’s as simple as that. And I’m hoping that, in a while, we will.”

“I felt as if we were just getting going and that we’d get the chance to make a couple more,” the actor said. “I’d like to fulfill the circle with the story. But, yes, there is nothing really to say until whoever gets that house [at MGM] in order. There’s no chance of getting it made until those things are taken care of.”

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Daniel Craig wants to get on with Bond 23

Jul 25

Posted by M in Actors, Pre-Production | 4 Comments

The current-007 actor was appearing at Comic Con in San Diago, promoting his new film Cowboys And Aliens when the opportunity arose to discuss James Bond 23, the new James Bond movie, currently on hiatus.

According to MI6, Craig gave the carefully worded response to the inevitable question: “Bond is on hold,” the English actor reiterated, “but all I can say is I want to get going on it as quickly as possible.”

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Bond 23 is not dead and buried – simply postponed

Jul 8

Posted by M in Actors, Crew, Pre-Production, Rumors | 1 Comment

The tabloids in England have only just recently picked up on the fact that, since April, the production of the 23rd James Bond film has been on hold.

In statement Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli jointly told the presses that it was impossible for any further work to be continued whilst MGM was in the financial situation it was and remains today.

Due to the continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of MGM and the failure to close a sale of the studio, we have suspended development on ‘Bond 23′ indefinitely.

The Hollywood reporter recently expressed scorn at certain papers for recycling the news this week as news, with some revelation (or rumor) that Bond 23 crew had departed from the production of the 23rd 007 adventure.

This is far from a revolution in truth. It’s understandable that some crew need to move on and find new projects, but they were not let go or told to go home as some blogs or tabloids implied.

In fact, quite the opposite is true. Deadline recently reported that Daniel Craig and Sam Mendes are prepared to wait for 007.

Their undisclosed source said “There is no new news. Development will resume once MGM is viable again, as Danjaq can’t go anywhere without them.  So all bets are off.  No idea when this will get resolved.” However, nobody is parting ways and bloggers who know the industry best are predicting that Daniel Craig and Sam Mendes are in it for the long haul.

Sobering news for Bond fans.

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Matt “Dr. Who” Smith says he would be open to a James Bond villain role

Jun 24

Posted by M in Actors, Villains | No Comments

The young English star of the cult sci-fi show Dr. Who has put his name forward for the role of a James Bond villain.

Matt stars in upcoming sci-fi movie Womb (filmed last year, as yet unreleased in the UK) with former Bond girl Eva Green, who appeared in Casino Royale, but says he wouldn’t feel right playing the super-agent himself.

In an interview with British paper Coventry Telegraph Matt said: ”I don’t think I’m handsome enough. I think I’d make a quite good, young Bond villain.”

But he admitted: “It would be kind of nice though to be the actor who’s done both.”

He added: “I’ve never got away with being the handsome leading man. I suppose I’m the peculiar, odd lead. Which may work in my favour.

“The Doctor’s a bit bumbly, isn’t he? He doesn’t really know what to do with women”, he told the Radio Times.

“People ask me ‘Who do you think your Doctor is?’ and I’m reluctant to think of it in those terms, because it’s still a work in progress.

“Steven Moffat, who’s just the most brilliant writer, told me when I first met him that the interesting thing, the defining thing, about the Doctor is that he never quite knows what’s going to come out of his mouth in any given situation.

“His thoughts just combust spontaneously. I’ve tried to harness that brain-to-mouth rapidity.”

“I mean, you could think about it for ever but how do you play the most charismatic man in the universe? It’s a real challenge.

“If you play him consciously charismatic, he instantly loses the charisma. Of course, really charismatic people don’t have to do a thing. They just are. I’m still finding my way on that one, but I like to think it gives me something creative to play with,

“Hopefully we see him in the white heat of danger, flying by the seat of his pants. He’s also funny and he has great courage and this enormous intellect, but all the great Doctors have had that.

“As a character, he kind of belongs to everyone. Everyone has their own identity for him. Mine is probably different, but I’ve become a real fan. I know it sounds very vain, but I do look forward to the ceremony of watching the show on a Saturday night.”

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Millionaire offers James Bond producers help to get Bond 23 restarted

Jun 13

Posted by M in Bond 23, Pre-Production, Rumors | 3 Comments

The man behind Chase Vodka and Tyrrells Potato Chips has reportedly approached one of the 23rd James Bond film’s co-producers, Barbara Broccoli, with a suggestion or two.

William Chase hopes to help resolve some funding issues which have plagued EON Productions with regular backers, MGM, in a financial slump and close to bankruptcy.

The approach, the Telegraph reports, has not been declined (or denied) by anyone at EON, but it make take more than one millionaire to selvage 007. Nevertheless, once there is one new backer, others might follow suit. Fans should remember though, MGM owns a share of James Bond, and so no production (under the current arrangement) will go ahead without the big cat’s say so.

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