Bond 24 To Begin Filming in October

In a recent interview Ralph Fiennes was inevitably asked about the next James Bond film. Of course if you know anything about the way 007 movies work everyone associated with them are sworn to secrecy and official news regarding the movies are only released when producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are good and ready to let the world know. So asking any participants about any Bond news is somewhat a fruitless effort.

Of course you may be able to read their faces and interpret some telling body language. Or you could have one of them accidently slip, reveal something and have it be picked up by every news outlet on the internet and be devoured by Bond fans worldwide.

That seems to be what happened with Fiennes and this interview.

To be brief, Fiennes said Bond 24 is “meant to start shooting in October. I haven’t read a script yet, so I can’t tell you much. They’d probably swear me to secrecy anyway.”

It’s really not that major a bombshell. Typically the Bond films start production around the fall. That’s when the actors and filmmakers have the big 007 press conference when they officially announce the title of the movie and dish out some vague tidbits of information.

It’s also when dopey reporters ask them some of the most asinine questions imaginable. I both love and hate watching that stuff. Sometimes I feel so embarrassed for everyone involved in that circus.

Skyfall screenwriter John Logan is returning to write the screenplay. Of course he’s not saying a word about what’s in his pages. The story is supposedly something Logan and director Sam Mendes came up with.

Longtime Bond screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade will not be returning. The pair have been penning Bond scripts since 1999’s The World Is Not Enough. They’ve endured consistent criticism by fans through the years, most notably for their work on the Brosnan Bond films. So a lot of Bond fans are probably not shedding any tears that they will no longer be writing for 007 and they’re departing the series.

Another member of Skyfall who won’t be returning is cinematographer Roger Deakins. This is disappointing news since one of the aspects of Skyfall that everyone could agree warranted acclaim was the cinematography and how gorgeous Deakins made everything look. He even managed to be one of the reasons why Skyfall scored one of its five Oscar nominations. I’m not sure what the official reason for him not coming back is. Maybe it’s a scheduling conflict.

The one thing Craig has been quoted as saying in regards to Bond 24 so far is “Hopefully we’ll reclaim some of the old irony, and make sure it doesn’t become pastiche. I can’t do schtick, I’m not very good at it. Unless it kind of suddenly makes sense. Does that make sense? I sometimes wish I hammed it up more, but I just can’t do it very well, so I don’t do it.”

I take from that Craig meaning that he would like to inject a bit more ‘fun’ into his Bond movies. Not necessarily having them tread into campy territory, but just to have a bit more lightheartedness and humor to them.

I’m not sure if Craig would be very good doing the one-liners like Roger Moore, but somehow injecting a bit more of the wink-wink tone back into the movies, rather than having it be a completely grim adventure like Quantum of Solace. Or I could be misreading what exactly he means.

There’s been a lot of talk about the year 2015 when Bond 24 is due out and all the big anticipated blockbusters that will fill the calendar. Star Wars: Episode VII, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Hunger Games” Mockingjay, Part 2, Fast & Furious 7, Independence Day 2, Fantastic Four, Jurassic World, Fifty-Shades of Grey, Cinderella, Ant-Man, Terminator: Genesis, Mad Max: Fury Road – and probably more that I’m forgetting.

Despite being interested in a few of these 2015 flicks, I have to say I’m most eagerly awaiting the return of Bond above anything else. I suppose that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to my loyal readers.

So, right now what we know about Bond 24 is – Sam Mendes is directing. John Logan is writing the script. Daniel Craig is back as 007 and will be joined by Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Ben Whishaw as Q and of course Fiennes playing the new M. I’m hoping they keep that old school M office we saw in the final minutes of Skyfall.

Bond 24 is set for release in the UK October 23, 2015 and in the U.S. on November 6, 2015.