Home › Bond Movies › Skyfall
Reporting For Duty
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Categories
Bond 23 reportedly eyeing ND Studios in India for three-week shoot
Back in April, MI6 reported on rumours that the Bond 23 production team were eying parts of India as possible shooting locations for Daniel Craig's third outing as 007.
Although the Indian tabloid press is even less reliable than their British counterparts (which is no mean feat), Mid-Day reports today on a lot of detail about the pre-production plans they claim are being finalised.
According to the paper, EON Productions are concluding a deal to shoot for three weeks at the sprawling Big ND Studio located in Karjay, near Mumbai. The gigantic outdoor studio replicates city street scenes from Mumbai (formerly Bombay), much like the major Hollywood backlots have lookalikes for common locations such as Manhattan.
The smash-hit "Slumdog Millionaire" filmed scenes at the studios in 2008. Recently, 20th Century Fox signed a 10-year deal to hire facilities. Disney are also said to be in talks to shoot a major production there.
"In the ND Studio, South Mumbai setting of the main road with shops... will be expanded to include the historic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Crawford Market, too," revealed their source. They go on to say that "a reliable source revealed that [the film] would start off with an explosive chase scene set in South Mumbai."
Sources go on to say that they expect Bond crew to be onsite two months ahead of the three-week shooting schedule in order to prepare for the stunt sequences.
<img src="http://www.mi6-hq.com/news/images/nd_studios.jpg">;
Big ND Studio Features:
- Two sound-proof air-conditioned floors
- Permanent sets of 1600 feet of Bombay town square
- Red Fort and Jaipur Fort
- Make-up rooms, chalets and accommodation for the stars and crew.
- Corporate offices
- Helipad
Although the Indian tabloid press is even less reliable than their British counterparts (which is no mean feat), Mid-Day reports today on a lot of detail about the pre-production plans they claim are being finalised.
According to the paper, EON Productions are concluding a deal to shoot for three weeks at the sprawling Big ND Studio located in Karjay, near Mumbai. The gigantic outdoor studio replicates city street scenes from Mumbai (formerly Bombay), much like the major Hollywood backlots have lookalikes for common locations such as Manhattan.
The smash-hit "Slumdog Millionaire" filmed scenes at the studios in 2008. Recently, 20th Century Fox signed a 10-year deal to hire facilities. Disney are also said to be in talks to shoot a major production there.
"In the ND Studio, South Mumbai setting of the main road with shops... will be expanded to include the historic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Crawford Market, too," revealed their source. They go on to say that "a reliable source revealed that [the film] would start off with an explosive chase scene set in South Mumbai."
Sources go on to say that they expect Bond crew to be onsite two months ahead of the three-week shooting schedule in order to prepare for the stunt sequences.
<img src="http://www.mi6-hq.com/news/images/nd_studios.jpg">;
![http://www.mi6-hq.com/news/images/nd_studios.jpg">](http://www.mi6-hq.com/news/images/nd_studios.jpg">){kind=link}
Big ND Studio Features:
- Two sound-proof air-conditioned floors
- Permanent sets of 1600 feet of Bombay town square
- Red Fort and Jaipur Fort
- Make-up rooms, chalets and accommodation for the stars and crew.
- Corporate offices
- Helipad
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
And anyway their ROUMRS
Of course it doesn't mean that India is the actual location, often they seem to use a location doubling for somewhere else. Though who knows. Still early days.
(What I meant by South Africa being the climax: if the story of Bond 23 starts in India, than there is a good chance that it will end in South Africa, because that was the other rumored shooting location.)
The Craig films seem to be grittier so a chase in the Mumbai slums could be on the cards. But the studios could possibly be doubling for another part of that world that hasnt featured. Bangladesh? Chennai? Islamadad? Colombo? Katmandu? Even Burma or Bhutan..
I would like Craig to do Africa though. A nice shot of him in his dinner jacket with lakes of flamingos in the distance.
One of the things I loved about QoS was South America on the big screen. It makes such a difference. I am just grateful it isnt another Holllywood blockbuster or romcom set in LA or New York. I am bored senseless by those.
Casino Royale had 3 big action scenes: the Madagascar chase, the Miami Airport action scene and the action scene in Venice.
Quantum of Solace on the other hand had 5 big action scenes (even though it was a much shorter movie): the car chase at the beginning, the Palio chase, the action scene with the boats in Haiti, the action scene with the planes in Bolivia, and the scene in the desert complex at the end.
I think (and hope) the producers realized that QOS had too much action and will scale back with Bond 23. If the rumors are true, one of the set pieces will be the chase scene in Mumbai. What do you think, what other big action scenes can we expect? Since QOS had a boat scene and a plane scene, I don't think we will get those in Bond 23. I mean it is not boring if there are foot chase scenes and/or car chase scenes in consecutive Bond films but it's different with planes and boats...
The Konkan Railway in India is also a rumored shooting location. Maybe they will shoot an action scene involving a train?
The Konkan Railway sounds very interesting !!
Tom Mankiewicz (sp?) complained back in the early 1980s that every kind of action scene you could think of had been done in a Bond film, so where to go from there? I mean, we've even had sword fights in a modern film! I don't envy the challenge of the writers to come up with something new. The best we can hope for is for the film to give us an involving, well filmed and choreographed action scene regardless of the "type".
I just hope that they don't waste a location as merely a "backdrop". One of the things I loved about the early Bond films was the travelogue aspect - you got to see not just the beautiful locations but some of the local culture as well. While I appreciate how lovely the locations looked in QoS I would have liked to see some of what made the locations unique compared to the rest of the world. Even in this global, connected age I think that would still work and make a film more interesting.
Going to the location two months prior to shooting, in September, means things are really hotting up, EON are ahead of themselves for this film and seem ready to go - let's hope it's a good one! Mendes also of course finishes Richard III on the 11th of Septmber, so he'll go from that straight to India with the cast and crew it seems.
If Dench is wanted in November does that mean M is going to India?! Please no...
Also the article says, Bardem is the villain. That's not too hard to believe.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus:
Crawford Market:
They look alright to me! It was always thought that it be one location or the other, so it seems South Africa is out and now won't be a part of Bond 23.
South Africa may be out, but I'm sure the script contains an African location and the movie will too. Oh, Mendes finishes Richard III much earlier! The play opened at the Old Vic theater in London last Saturday and will have more than 60 performances until it closes on the 11th of September. There is no reason for Mendes to stay with the production until then and to watch all the 60+ performances.
He will probably stay with the production until the end of June (when it officially opens) to tweak it. I think he will fully concentrate on Bond 23 from the middle of July at the latest. As Kevin Spacey (the leading actor of Richard III) said in March: "He's leaving ['Richard III'] once he gets us up and running,"
Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/03/02/kevin-spacey-wont-appear-in-james-bond-23-but-hed-love-to-show-up-down-the-line/
The rest of the film could be anywhere else; South Africa perhaps. Even then, there could be other locations. It's not like Bond films only stick to two locations for the entirety of the film.
Well, I think it was more than just speculation as this quote points out. It was afterall the first time we heard of it being either one or the other:
"Reportedly, the makers plan to shoot a significant portion of the film in a foreign location. The toss- up right now seems to be between India and South Africa. A team has been scouting for shooting sites around the scenic Konkan Railway line between Mumbai and Mangalore. It's all too early to talk about. If they decide on a location they like in India, the next step will be to obtain official permission to shoot here," said a trade source in Mumbai.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/james-bond-india-007-flick/1/135564.html
As for an African location I would like that, perhaps as you say it's just that the main location is India or South Africa. Well, there are no performances from 26th July - 2nd August but I'm glad to hear Mendes may not be spending that amount of time with Richard III, it does make me wonder how much time he'd have left to put into Bond 23.
I took the "once he gets us up and running" comment as meaning from September, as that is when the production leaves the Old Vic and is toured elsewhere from September into next year.
I wouldn't be too worried about Mendes being distracted with Richard III.
this
“See you when I am back on the Bond.”
to a man named called Tanaaz Bhatia.
Tanaaz Bhatia runs a company called Bottomline Media, which is based in Mumbai.
Also when asked “James Bond in Mumbai! When you'll arrive in India? September? #Bond23”
he responded with
"Not sure yet"
so we'll see what this all means if anything
Thanks for finding this great update @Risico007. :-D