London Calling! James Bond returned to nicely familiar territory for some key B25 filming on Sunday, 30th June.
Daniel Craig and the B25 main unit, overseen by director Cary Fukunaga, shot some sequences in the Whitehall and Horse Guards Avenue area in the centre of the capital and, later in the day, also in a quiet street in Southwark.
The famous Horse Guards Avenue was closed from 7.00am to approx. 4.00pm, while filming took place in Whitehall Court, which is located next to the Old War Office. Craig, looking immaculate in a grey suit and dark sunglasses, also took time to pose with members of the Household Cavalry, the official bodyguard of the Queen who wear traditional red tunics, armour chest-plates and white breeches. The Household Cavalry, which is based at nearby Hyde Park barracks, provide both symbolic and real protection for the key government buildings in the area. Their daily guard sentry routines are popular with tourists.
Craig looked fit and relaxed as he shared some jokes with Cavalry officers. Interestingly, he was also sporting some injury makeup on his face. The 1987 Aston Martin V8 Vantage was also on hand for the sequences, and was driven by Craig for some shots and also by his double for some other shots. Craig’s double was wearing face replacement dots to help with CGI.
Live and Let Drive
At one stage, Craig was filmed parking the Vantage and then getting out, and then he had to cross a busy London street. He was also filmed walking into a Ministry of Defence building. Some shots were also taken of the mounted Household Cavalry as they went by on procession. Filming conditions (it was a dry and sunny day) were perfect for the sequences.
Director Cary Fukunaga, wearing his now distinctive straw-coloured sunhat, was spotted overseeing the filming. At one point, a small camera drone also took to the air under Fukunaga’s direction to film Bond’s Aston Martin Vantage from above. Later in the day, some activity also took place in a quiet residential street in Southwark, where no less than four Aston Martins were lined up. The latest location filming would have undoubtedly brought back memories for Craig and the main crew, as the Whitehall area in central London was also utilised for some key sequences in both Skyfall and Spectre.
Watch this space for further news as it develops. You know the name, and you know the number.
Did You Know?
The Household Cavalry featured briefly in a previous Bond movie – Charles K. Feldman’s renegade non-official version of Casino Royale (1967), which contained some sequences shot near Trafalgar Square.
Daniel Craig poses with members of the Household Cavalry