James Bond Dossier: What We Know About Quantum of Solace
by Tom Burns

Warning: There is a SPOILER or two in here, but this is a round-up of information with our outlook, based on what we know to date. Just don't say we didn't WARN YOU.

Have you gone on the internet in the last 36 hours? Are you a man, woman, or child who has, at one point, expressed even a passing interest in motion pictures? If so, I'd wager that 90% of you have already been forwarded the link to the beyond bad-ass trailer for the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, a trailer that debuted online this week and already has Bond fans drooling onto their shaken-not-stirred vodka martinis. (If you're part of that lonely 10% who haven't seen the trailer yet, you can check it out right here. How cool is the trailer? Well, we think people will immediately stop mocking the title - it wasn't warmly received by online pundits - because, even though "Quantum of Solace" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, with a trailer as exciting as the one that just hit the 'net, they could re-title the film "Mr. Bond's Wonder Emporium" and we'd still be preordering our opening night tickets as early as possible.

But how did we get here? Perhaps more than any other film series, the Bond franchise has been relaunched again and again - going from the quiet cool of the early Connery years to the blink-and-you'll-miss-it Lazenby chapter to the '70s swingin' Roger Moore era, back to a balding, half-assed Connery Bond (damn you, Never Say Never Again), moving on to the doomed-though-not-as-bad-as-you-remember Dalton legacy and floundering out with the Pierce Brosnan "always had potential but never really delivered" 007. But then Bond was relaunched yet again with 2006's Casino Royale - starring a blonde Bond, no less - and something strange happened. The relaunch worked. Not only did it work, but it blew Bond into the stratosphere, giving the secret agent a level of cool cache that he hadn't seen since Goldfinger and re-making Bond into a truly international film icon. Casino Royale pulled Bond out of the fanboy subconscious and made him once again relevant (and desirable) across all film demographics. 500 bucks says you would've been hard-pressed to find more than five women in the opening night crowd for The World Is Not Enough. But trust us, Quantum of Solace will be packed with hordes of new female Bond converts of all ages, all hoping to console poor 007 over the loss of his tragic love Vesper.

Since we're pretty much certain that Quantum will wind up as one of our favorite movies of 2008 - not that there's much competition - and since we know that 90% of you are now frantically googling for anything you can find on the flick, The Deadbolt has gathered a dossier on all the important details about Quantum of Solace to help you know what you're in for and get even more excited about Mr. Bond's 22nd big-screen adventure. So, just keep hitting replay on that trailer, browse what we've gathered, and, hopefully, November 7th will come much sooner that you think.

THE DEADBOLT DOSSIER ON QUANTUM OF SOLACE:

BACKSTORY:

Before we saw Casino Royale, there were some concerns about whether or not the revamp would work and, let's be honest, those concerns were understandable. A once-popular Bond (Brosnan) was being tossed aside for a new blonde guy who wasn't particularly familiar with international audiences yet; the movie was being directed by Martin Campbell, who directed the so-so Zorro movies and Goldeneye, the inaugural movie of the LAST Bond relaunch that didn't take. The script was based on a Ian Fleming book that was mostly about a card game (exciting!) and that had previously been turned into a bizarre unsuccessful Bond spoof starring Woody Allen and Peter Sellers. The screenplay was written by the two guys who previously wrote the franchise-wounding Die Another Day (Neil Purvis and Robert Wade) and the Academy Award-winning Paul Haggis who - it's fair to say - wasn't exactly known as a screenwriter who excelled at writing action. However, as we well know, the final result ultimately rocked the kasbah, and Casino Royale quickly became a fan favorite and grossed over $590 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Bond movie EVER. So, while there were concerns about whether Casino Royale would work, the only concern about the next Bond movie was - "Can it possibly be as good as Royale?"

One of the first official announcements regarding Bond 22 hit in May 2007, when the producers announced that they'd be repeating their formula for Casino Royale's successful script by having Purvis and Wade write the first draft and then hand it over to Paul Haggis for a final polish. Next, in June 2007, Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, Sony, and MGM revealed that Marc Forster, director of Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction, and The Kite Runner, would be helming Bond 22. Amy Pascal, Co-Chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment, commented that, "What makes [Forster] the perfect choice for Bond 22 is that he will bring to this film all the elements Bond audiences expect -- action, humor, suspense, and thrills." Thus, with the creative team in place, all of the normal rumor-mongering and story speculation could begin.

PRE-PRODUCTION AND FILMING:

The fun started when Daniel Craig told The Daily Express that the producers wanted a "funnier" Bond in the next chapter, with more "Octopussy and Pussy Galore style gags," a comment that terrified many, since Casino Royale worked so well without the sillier aspects of 007. (However, Craig later denied that claim, telling ComingSoon.net that, "I was lying.") Later, during press for In the Valley of Elah, Paul Haggis confirmed what many fans had hoped for by telling reporters that Bond 22 "picks up 2 minutes after the last one, and it's going to be fun" The Bond producers also hired Dan Bradley as the second unit director for Bond 22, an important (and interesting) move since, serving as the stunt coordinator, Bradley choreographed and filmed several of the most memorable action sequences from the past two Jason Bourne movies.

Bourne is, unquestionably, Bond's greatest competitor, so it's no surprise that Forster might want to ape some of Bourne's kinetic on-screen flair. In a September 2007 Variety article, the production team behind Bond 22 discussed many aspects of the film, including the fact that Bond would be delving deeper into the larger Le Chiffre organization that he uncovered at the end of Royale, that Bond would be trying to balance his sense of justice with his thirst for revenge (and not always making the right decision), and that fan favorites Q and Ms. Moneypenny would definitely not be making an appearance (though Barbara Broccoli was quick to note, "Certainly, there may come a point where those beloved characters return, but, at the moment, they're not in 22.")

While some second-unit photography took place in Spain in August 2007, the official principal photography for Bond 22 didn't commence until January 2008 at Pinewood Studios in England, though the production later moved on to Panama, Italy, Chile, and Austria. Along the way, there were some brief scares - the script came in right before the Writer's Strike deadline - and the normal B.S. debunking. For the record, no, Carice van Houten and Abbie Cornish are not Bond girls; yes, Bond is driving an Aston Martin again; and, no, Amy Winehouse is not singing the theme song (the new rumor is that White Stripes frontman Jack White is performing the title track). On January 24, Sony held a kick-off press conference for Bond 22, announcing its plot (more on that later) and its title, Quantum of Solace. Reaction to the title was mixed at best.

When MTV asked Paul Haggis what the title means, the screenwriter replied "I have no idea. It’s not my title." (The new one refers to the title of a strange Ian Fleming Bond short story where 007 listens to an elderly Bahamian governor discuss his theories on what it takes to keep love alive. For more on the story, go here.) Aside from title disdain and casting (which we'll also discuss later), the biggest news during the filming of Quantum of Solace involved a series of production accidents that occurred while filming in Lake Garda, Italy, and at Pinewood Studios (for more detail, go here), all of which inspired several recurring (and idiotic) headlines like "Is the new Bond movie cursed?"

OUR OPINION: We're extremely glad that Sony is going with Casino Royale's screenwriters for Quantum of Solace, because, lying beneath the jaw-dropping action and Daniel Craig's insane handsomeness, the script was really the unsung hero of Royale, blending mayhem with biting dialogue without slipping into stupid double-entendres. We're not 100% sold on Forster, but we'd much, much rather have a director with a visual pedigree and a strong relationship with actors than some schmucky action hack. (Though the action in today's trailer kicks a lot of ass, particularly Bond swinging around on that rope.) We're a little worried about Bond hiring Jason Bourne's stunt coordinator - be your own spy, 007 - but Casino Royale amped up the action without resorting to Greengrass-level hyper-cutting, so hopefully, that'll stay the same with Quantum. In terms of what's behind the camera, we're definitely optimistic.

James Bond Dossier: What We Know About Quantum of Solace Page 2