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The first major rumour surrounding the 23rd James
Bond film has been touted by the press, speculating
on an Afghan setting...
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Bond 23 Rumour Mill Begins
9th June 2009
Since the first
word of work beginning on the
23rd James Bond film broke last month, the media have started
to turn the the fly-wheel of rumours that always surround the
pre-production period of the next 007 adventures. Locations,
titles, plots, girls and gadgets are the most popular topics
for speculation, and two of those elements had big write-ups
today.
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UK newspaper The
Guardian are speculating that "the poppy fields
and drug barons of [Afghanistan] are likely to star in
the next James Bond film after scriptwriters sought technical
advice from the British embassy in Kabul." The paper
claims that "at least some of the next Bond adventure" may
be set in the volatile southern province of Afghanistan.
Apparently, speculation "has been running high since
a member of the Foreign Office's drug-busting team in
the country began acting as a consultant for the Bond
franchise last summer." This rampant speculation
is news to Bond fans as this is the first time it has
been reported. The paper says that the official involved,
who has since left the Foreign Office and Afghanistan,
is believed to have signed a confidentiality agreement
with the filmmakers preventing any discussion of the
project.
Refreshingly, the paper did not quote
anonymous 'sources' and did put in a request to EON Productions,
the production company set up by Bond producer Albert R
Broccoli, but they would not comment on whether the film
would have an Afghan theme or give any other details of
the closely guarded plot. Nothing should be read in to
this either way, as EON have a long history of not commenting
on rumours - fact or fiction.
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Above: Daniel Craig recently
said he'll continue as James
Bond as long as "people still want to see these
movies,
or until
my
knees go, whichever happens quicker!"
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Talk of a drug plot was mooted
early on in the build up to Daniel
Craig's second 007 film,
"Quantum
of Solace". The hiring of an expert on the Afghan drug
trade, if true, does not necessarily indicate the country would
be used
a a location, or even doubled, in any storyline. It would also
be extremely unusual for the series to base a plot on a real-world
conflict currently involving British troops.
007 last ventured into Afghanistan
in the 1987 film
"The
Living Daylights" when Timothy
Dalton's Bond was imprisoned
in a Russian camp and teamed up with anti-Soviet
freedom
fighters.
One other possibility is that this reported
research is connected to a non-Bond property that EON Productions
are
developing. In April, Sony
announced that EON would be producing
an adaptation of "Remote Control", a forthcoming thriller novel
by Mark Burnell. But according to early tidbits on the storyline,
the plot follows a former war correspondent, now British
corporate intelligence analyst, who gets caught up in a conspiracy
by Western corporations to destabilize the Chinese economy. Following
the trail to the United States, he discovers that his former
lover is also being pursued. On the run together, they try to
unravel the mystery of the conspiracy while trying to stay alive.
No mention of drugs or Afghanistan.
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Above: The DARTZ Kombat vehicle. And you thought the Aston
Martin DBS was a subtle?
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A Real World Spy Mobile?
Elsewhere, companies have started to tout
their credentials in the hope of landing themselves a small
part in the next 007 outing. Russian armored car manufacturer
DARTZ are pushing to have their Kombat vehicle used by
Bond. “Our car is really what James Bond needs -
and it's real", said company spokesman Leonard F.
Yankelovich.
"As far as I know all gadgets on
James Bond’s car are just plastic copies, and of
course his cars were not really bulletproof and so on.
Of course
it is not needed for movie, especially now when
you can make everything you want just by mouse click. Our
car is ready to save James Bond life and help him to kick
enemies. It’s not so fast like Aston Martin, but
we have special models which can make 240 km/per hour,
and we know that our car is world fastest armored SUV.
Such gadgets like changing number plates and a drinks cooler
are included to luxury package. When we designed this car
we of course memorized all James Bond’s tricks. Our
car does not need any interference from Q - it is ready
to serve Her Majesty's Secret Service today!”
The firm say they are trying to open talks
with EON Productions. |
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