New 007 ready for action
2005-10-19 14:55
Prague - Shooting of the next James Bond film, Casino Royale, will start in the Czech Republic in January, Prague-based international film production Stillking Films said on Wednesday.
"It's the first time a Bond film will be shot in the Czech Republic," said Misha Olexova, marketing director with Stillking Films, which has landed the role of local co-producer.
"I believe it is also the first time that most of the film will be shot outside the UK," she added.
Prague film studios will be used for the six-month shooting in the Czech Republic.
The Czech capital and its surroundings as well as the spa town of Karlovy Vary will serve as a backdrop for the screen adaptation of Ian Fleming's first novel with newly-selected Daniel Craig in the star role of the legendary British secret agent.
Shooting will also take place in the Bahamas, Italy and Britain.
Stillking Film's managing director, Matthew Stillman, said the co-production deal signed with EON Productions, the film company behind the series of Bond films over the last four decades, is "an important step for us as well as the local film community".
Apart from Craig who replaces Pierce Brosnan, other roles in Casino Royale still have to be decided, Olexova said. "We are still in the pre-production phase," she explained.
Casino Royale should be released worldwide on November 17 next year.
Stillking Films, which also has offices in Britain, Chile, South Africa, Spain and the United States, has been involved in a series of major feature films since its creation in 1993.
These include Van Helsing, The Bourne Identity, Everything is Illuminated, Doom and The Illusionist.
Prague has become a major centre for movie production over the last decade, with recent major feature films including Roman Polanski's film Oliver Twist.