Filming on the latest James Bond movie will start later this year for release in November 2012, its producers said on Tuesday after debt-ridden studio giant MGM was saved from financial oblivion. The project, starring Daniel Craig as 007, was put on ice April 2010 after Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was offered for sale to resolve its debt problems and stave off bankruptcy.
But the legendary studio, with a catalogue that includes the Bond franchise as well as the Pink Panther and Rocky series, announced a debt-restructuring rescue deal in late 2010, paving the way for Bond’s return.
With the working title of Bond 23 — the 23rd instalment in the mega-grossing franchise formerly embodied by stars such as Sean Connery and Roger Moore — the new movie will be directed by British filmmaker Sam Mendes. The film “will commence production in late 2011 for a worldwide release on November 9, 2012,” said Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions and Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum of MGM in a statement.
—AFP