As well as production taking place in its traditional studios at Pinewood in the UK, there are good indications that the new James Bond movie, no. 25 in the iconic series, will make use of at least (00)3 other countries in addition to Britain: these will be Italy, Norway and (according to the most recent revelation) the Caribbean Island of Jamaica.
As the JBIFC revealed a few weeks ago, one key place for likely location shooting will be in the historic southern Italian town of Matera. This appears to have been confirmed with a new report in the respected industry journal Variety, which said that the town of 60,000 inhabitants will provide the setting for what is expected to become Bond 25’s ‘prologue action sequence’. The filming is said to have been penciled in for late July. This update seems to confirm information that emerged from an Italian website, which revealed that Bond 25 will make use of the beautiful medieval parts of Matera, in the heart of the town, and possibly in the vicinity of its Cathedral. Some reports have suggested this will include a chase on foot and a car chase.
Meanwhile, a few more details on the likely Norway location shooting for Bond 25 have also emerged. The production will probably shoot in Nittedal, which is approx. 18 miles north of Oslo, and also at nearby Romerike. Interestingly, safeguarding arrangements have been put together to include the welfare of young people on set, as one scene will apparently see a child shoot an intruder, and then the young girl is pursued by a second intruder and runs onto a frozen lake. As noted in our previous news update, the showbiz journalist Baz Bamigboye has revealed that director Cary Fukunaga and a small crew will head to Norway to shoot on a frozen lake before it thaws, so it seems highly likely that this particular location shooting will be in Nittedal or at Romerike.
And, finally, it seems that plans are in place for some principal photography for Bond 25 to take place in Jamaica, which will be music to the ears of dedicated 007 aficionados, given the franchise’s long association with the sunny Island, and also the fact that it was a regular retreat for Bond creator Ian Fleming. It is not yet known precisely which locations on the Island will be used, but no doubt more details will emerge in due course.
As many fans know, Jamaica was utilised extensively for the very first 007 movie Dr. No in 1962, and holds a special place in the hearts of many James Bond fans, a number of whom have made holiday visits to the Island, including to Fleming’s writing retreat ‘Goldeneye’. During the making of Live and Let Die (1973), none other than the third 007, Roger Moore, also took the opportunity to visit Fleming’s bungalow.
As the author Matthew Parker noted in his recent study Goldeneye: Where Bond was Born (2014), 007 author Fleming found something in Jamaica ‘that was irresistible’, and so have generations of film-makers ever since. It seems doubly appropriate, therefore, that Bond 25 will renew that special bond with the Island once again.
Watch this space for further updates. You know the name, and you know the number.
James Bond actor Sean Connery on location in Jamaica