The new James Bond film SPECTRE, now in week 2 of principal photography, commenced location shooting in central London last week, and this continued today as 007 star Daniel Craig, together with Rory Kinnear (who plays MI6 Chief-of-Staff Bill Tanner) took to the River Thames this morning (Monday, December 15), for some sequences involving a water-borne trip to MI6.

The two actors were filmed travelling as passengers in a speedboat along the River, and were taken at some speed to the area directly outside the real-life MI6 headquarters near Vauxhall Bridge, with the boat going directly under Vauxhall Bridge itself.

Along with Craig and Kinnear, the speedboat was manned by  two extras in helmets, who were playing security guards who appeared to be piloting the boat as it whizzed along the River. A camera crew travelled alongside the speedboat in their own separate boat, filming the MI6 speedboat.

Both Bond and Tanner wore dark coats over their suits, standing next to one another in the front of the boat. Some scenes were also filmed on Vauxhall Bridge itself. After filming the trip up to the MI6 HQ area of the River, the two actors were given a more speedy ride back down the River, much to their delight. Both Craig and Kinnear seemed to be in high spirits, and clearly enjoyed themselves on the return trip as they stood in the boat next to each other, swapped jokes and comments, and took in the sights of the embankment in the crisp morning sunlight.

Other London locations for SPECTRE this week are at a plush apartment in the Notting Hill area, and also at the Regents Canal, near the famous Camden Lock.

The River Thames, of course, has played a major role in the recent history of the 007 franchise. A major pre-credits sequence was filmed on the River for The World Is Not Enough in 1999. This included a stunt with the ‘Q-boat’ directly outside the MI6 HQ.

Similarly, the MI6 building and Vauxhall Bridge also featured in a key sequence in the last Bond movie, Skyfall. Dame Judi Dench, as ‘M’, and Rory Kinnear, as Tanner, were seen being stuck in traffic on the Bridge and then witnessing a dramatic explosion at the Secret Service headquarters.

Please Share This Story: