Skyfall is the twenty-third James Bond film, produced by Eon Productions for MGM, Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment.^[3] Directed by Sam Mendes, it features Daniel Craig's third performance as James Bond and Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the film's villain. The film is due to be released in the UK on 26 October 2012, which includes IMAX venues.^[4][5]

Premise[link]

James Bond's loyalty to M is challenged over secrets from her past. When MI6 is attacked, it falls to Bond to seek out and eliminate the threat regardless of the cost to himself.^[6]

Cast[link]

The main cast of Skyfall was officially announced at a press conference held at the Corinthia Hotel in London on 3 November 2011,^[7][8][9] fifty years to the day that Sean Connery was announced to play James Bond in the film Dr. No.^[10]

• Daniel Craig as James Bond, agent 007. Director Sam Mendes described Bond as experiencing "[a] combination of lassitude, boredom, depression [and] difficulty with what he's chosen to do for a living."^[11]
• Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva,^[12] the film's main antagonist. Bardem described Silva as "more than a villain", while Daniel Craig stated that Bond has a "very important relationship" to Silva.^[13]
• Judi Dench as M, the head of MI6 and Bond's commanding officer. Skyfall will be Dench's seventh consecutive film in the role.
• Ralph Fiennes as Mallory,^[14] a government agent with the authority to regulate MI6.^[15] Fiennes stated that he could not say anything specific about the role other than that it was "[a] really interesting part which is really quite fun".^[16]
• Albert Finney as Kincade.^[17]
• Naomie Harris as Eve. Early speculation suggested that Harris would play Miss Moneypenny,^[18][19][20] though the character's first name was revealed as "Eve" with no surname disclosed, and she was specifically described as "a field agent". Despite ongoing speculation from tabloids that Eve would be revealed as Moneypenny,^[21] Harris herself dismissed claims that she would be playing the character, stating that "Eve is not remotely office-bound".^[22] According to Harris, Eve "[believes] she is Bond's equal, but she is really his junior".^[23]
• Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner, the MI6 Chief of Staff.
• Bérénice Marlohe as Sévérine.^[24][25] Marlohe described her character as being "glamorous and enigmatic",^[23] and that she drew inspiration from GoldenEye villain Xenia Onatopp (played by Famke Janssen) in playing Sévérine.^[26]
• Helen McCrory as Clair Dowar, a British politician.^[27][28] McCrory joined the cast after Sam Mendes contacted her personally and offered her the part.^[29]
• Ola Rapace as Patrice, a French mercenary who "is a man of few words" and "loves violence".^[30]
• Ben Whishaw as Q.^[31] The character returns to the franchise after being absent in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.

Jens Hultén will also appear in the film, reportedly playing an accomplice of Javier Bardem's character.^[32][33] Ben Loyd Holmes confirmed on Twitter that he had a role in the film.^[34] Greek model Tonia Sotiropoulou, who unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Sévérine, revealed that she had been cast in a secondary role in the film.^[35]

Production[link]

Javier Bardem was cast as Raoul Silva, Skyfall's villain.

Naomie Harris plays Eve, one of Skyfall's "Bond girls".

Development[link]

Production of Skyfall was suspended throughout 2010 because of MGM's financial troubles. They resumed pre-production following MGM's exit from bankruptcy on 21 December 2010, and in January 2011 the film was officially given a release date of 9 November 2012 by MGM and the Broccoli family, with production scheduled to start in late 2011. Since then, MGM and Sony Pictures announced that the UK and Ireland release date would be brought forward to 26 October 2012, two weeks ahead of the US release date, which remains 9 November 2012.^[36] The film's budget is estimated to be at $150 million,^[2] down from the $200 million spent on Quantum of Solace.

The film is to be part of year-long celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Dr. No and the Bond film series. According to producer Michael G. Wilson, a documentary crew is scheduled to follow production of the film to celebrate the anniversary.^[10] Skyfall will also be the first James Bond film to be released in IMAX venues.^[4][5]

Title[link]

In August 2011, several news websites reposted a rumour that originally appeared in Serbian newspaper Blic stating that Bond 23 would be entitled Carte Blanche and would be an adaptation of the recent continuation novel by Jeffery Deaver.^[37] On 30 August, Eon Productions officially denied any link between Bond 23 and Carte Blanche, stating that "the new film is not going to be called Carte Blanche and will have nothing to do with the Jeffery Deaver book."^[38]

On 3 October 2011, fifteen domain names including 'jamesbond-skyfall.com' and 'skyfallthefilm.com' were reported to have been registered on behalf of MGM and Sony Pictures by internet brand-protection service MarkMonitor. This led to supposition in media that the film had been given the name "Skyfall". These reports were not confirmed at the time by Eon Productions, Sony or MGM.^[39]

Skyfall was later confirmed as the title at the November press conference, during which co-producer Barbara Broccoli said that the title "has some emotional context which will be revealed in the film".^[40]

Crew[link]

Skyfall is directed by Sam Mendes, who first signed on to the project shortly after Quantum of Solace was released, and remained on-board as a "consultant" during the period of uncertainty surrounding MGM's financial situation. Speculation in the media^[41] suggested that Mendes had commissioned rewrites of the script to "[remove] action scenes in favour of 'characterful performances'" with the intention of bidding for an Academy Award.^[41] Mendes denied the reports, stating that the film's planned action scenes were an important part of the overall film.^[10]

Peter Morgan was originally commissioned to write a script, but left the project when MGM filed for bankruptcy and production of the film stalled; despite his departure, Morgan later stated that the final script was based on his original idea, retaining what he described as the film's "big hook".^[42] The final script was written by Bond screenwriting regulars Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, as well as John Logan.^[43][44][45] Logan recounted being brought into the project by his long-time friend Sam Mendes, describing the process between Mendes and the writers as "very collaborative", and that writing Skyfall was one of the best experiences he had had in writing a film.^[46]

Roger Deakins has signed on as cinematographer, having previously worked with Mendes on Jarhead and Revolutionary Road.^[47] Deakins used the Arri Alexa camera for filming.^[48] Thomas Newman, who worked with Sam Mendes as composer for American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead and Revolutionary Road will replace David Arnold as composer.^[1] Arnold commented that Newman had been selected by Mendes because of their work together, rather than because of Arnold's commitment to working with director Danny Boyle as composer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics.^[49] Dennis Gassner returns as production designer, the costume designer is Jany Temime, Alexander Witt is director of the second unit, the stunt co-ordinator is Gary Powell and Chris Corbould will supervise the special effects, while the visual effects supervisor is Steve Begg. All have worked on previous Bond films.^[3]

Locations[link]

Sam Mendes and Barbara Broccoli travelled to South Africa for location scouting in April 2011.^[50] With the film moving into pre-production in August, reports emerged that shooting would take place in India,^[51] with scenes to be shot in the Sarojini Nagar district of New Delhi^[52] and on railway lines between Goa and Ahmedabad.^[53] The production crew faced complications in securing permission to close sections of the Konkan Railway.^[54] Similar problems in obtaining filming permits were encountered by production crews for The Dark Knight Rises and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.^[55] Permission was eventually granted to the Bond production crew, with some additional restrictions put in place at the request of the Indian authorities;^[56] however, it was later reported that the production crew had elected not to shoot in India.^[57] Further reports emerged stating that filming would take place in Istanbul's Sultanahmet Square,^[58] the Hagia Sophia museum, the city of Fethiye and the Varda railway bridge near Adana,^[59] with production expected to spend three months in the country.^[60] Scenes in Adana will see the town stand in for the outskirts of Istanbul.^[30]

Mendes confirmed that China will be featured in the film, with shooting scheduled to take place in Shanghai and "other parts" of the country.^[10] Additional scenes were filmed at Royal Ascot, standing in for Shanghai Pudong International Airport.^{[citation needed]} The first official image from the film was released on 1 February 2012, showing Daniel Craig on set at Pinewood Studios, doubling as a skyscraper in Shanghai.^[61] Set reports dated April 2012 reported that scenes would be set on Hashima Island, an abandoned island off the coast of Nagasaki, Japan.^[62][63]

Shooting was planned to take place at Duntrune Castle in Argyll, Scotland for the finale,^[64] but was cancelled shortly after filming began.^[65] Glencoe was instead chosen for filming of these scenes.^[66]

Filming[link]

Principal photography was scheduled to take up 133 days.^[48] Filming began on 7 November 2011^[67][68] in and around London,^[10][69] with scenes shot in Southwark and Whitehall, the National Gallery,^[70] Smithfield meat markets and St Bartholomew's Hospital,^[71] Canary Wharf,^[72] the Department of Energy and Climate Change,^[73] Charing Cross station and the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich,^[74] with residents reporting further filming as taking place in Cadogan Square,^[75] Tower Hill,^[76] and Parliament Square.^[77] The Vauxhall Bridge was closed to traffic for filming the aftermath of an explosion at the MI6 headquarters at Vauxhall Cross. Unlike The World Is Not Enough, which also featured an explosion at the building — which was filmed at a large-scale replica — the explosion in Skyfall will be added digitally in post-production.^[78] Photos taken by residents in the city's Deptford district revealed the presence of an Aston Martin DB5 on location.^[79]

Production moved to Turkey in March of 2012, with filming reported to be continuing until 6 May.^[80] A group of Turkish teenagers infiltrated a closed set in a railyard in Adana to film rehearsals of a fight scene on top of a train before being caught by security.^[81] Parts of Istanbul — including the Spice Bazaar, Yeni Camii, the Imperial Post Office, Sultanahmet Square and the Grand Bazaar — were closed for filming in April.^[80] Store owners in the affected areas were reportedly allowed to open their shops, but were not allowed to conduct business, instead being paid TRY750 (US$418) per day as compensation.^[80] Production faced criticism for allegedly damaging buildings while filming a motorcycle chase across rooftops in the city. Michael G. Wilson denied these claims, pointing out that the film crew had removed sections of rooftops before filming began and replaced them with replicas for the duration of the shoot; when filming finished, the original rooftops would be restored.^[82]

References[link]

External links[link]

James Bond portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Skyfall's cast and crew

• Official website
• Skyfall at the Internet Movie Database

Javier Bardem
Bardem at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011
Born	Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem (1969-03-01) 1 March 1969 (age 43) Las Palmas, Spain
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1990–present
Spouse	Penélope Cruz (2010–present)
Children	Leo (2011)
Parents	José Carlos Encinas (father) Pilar Bardem (mother)

Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem (Spanish pronunciation: [xaˈβjer βarˈðen];^[1][2] born 1 March 1969) is a Spanish actor. In 2007 he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as sociopathic assassin Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, and has also garnered critical acclaim for roles in films such as Jamón, jamón, Carne trémula, Boca a boca, Los Lunes al sol and Mar adentro.

As well as the Academy Award, Bardem has been awarded a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA, five Goya awards, two European Film Awards, a Prize for Best Actor at Cannes and two Coppa Volpis at Venice for his work. He is the first Spaniard to be nominated for an Oscar (Best Actor, 2000, for Before Night Falls, lost to Russell Crowe for Gladiator), as well as the first Spanish actor to win an Academy Award. He received his third Academy Award nomination, and second Best Actor nomination, for the film Biutiful.

Early life[link]

Bardem was born in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands (Spain). His mother, Pilar Bardem, is an actress, and his father, José Carlos Encinas Doussinague, was a businessman who was involved in environmental work; the two separated shortly after his birth.^[3][4] His mother raised him alone.^[5] Bardem comes from a long line of filmmakers and actors who have been working since the earliest days of Spanish cinema; he is the grandson of actors Rafael Bardem and Matilde Muñoz Sampedro, and the nephew of screenwriter and director Juan Antonio Bardem.^[6] Both his older brother and sister, Carlos and Mónica, are actors. Bardem was raised Roman Catholic by his grandmother.^[7][8] He also comes from a very political background, his uncle Juan Antonio was imprisoned by Franco for his anti-fascist films.^[5]

As a child he hung around theatres and film sets.^[5] At age six he made his first film appearance in Fernando Fernán Gómez's El Pícaro (The Scoundrel).^[5][9] He played rugby for the underage Spanish National Team.^[10][11] Though he grew up in a family full of actors, Bardem didn't see himself going into the family business. In actuality painting was his first love.^[12] He went on to study painting for four years at Madrid's 'Escuela de Artes y Oficios'.^[10][13] In need of money he took acting jobs to support his painting but, has expressed to have been a bad painter eventually leaving it.^[12] In 1989, for the Spanish comedy show El Día Por Delante (The Day Ahead) he had to wear a Superman costume for a comedic sketch, the job made him question whether he wanted to be an actor at all.^[14] Bardem has confessed to have worked as a stripper (for one day only) during his struggling acting career.^[15]

Career[link]

Bardem starred in his first major motion picture, The Ages of Lulu, when he was 20. He was propelled to fame in 1992 by his role as a potential underwear model and would-be bullfighter in Jamón, jamón, which also starred a teenage Penélope Cruz.^[10] Bardem's talent did not go unnoticed in the English-speaking world. In 1997, John Malkovich was the first to approach the then 27-year-old for a role in English, but Bardem turned down the offer because his English was poor.^[11][16] His first English-speaking role came in 1997, in with director Alex de la Iglesia's Perdita Durango, playing a santería-practicing bank robber. After starring in about two dozen films in his native country, he gained international recognition in Julian Schnabel's Before Night Falls in 2000, portraying Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas.^[10] He received praises from (his idol) Al Pacino, the message was left on Bardem's answering machine which he considers one of the most beautiful gifts he's ever received.^[5] For the role he got nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, a first time for a Spaniard. Immediately after, he turned down the role of "Witwer" in Minority Report which eventually went to Colin Farrell.^[17] In 2002 instead he starred in John Malkovich's directorial debut, The Dancer Upstairs. Malkovich (who first approached Bardem in 1997) originally had him in mind for the role of the detective's assistant, but since the movie took so long to get financed it gave Bardem time to learn English and take on the lead role of the detective. "I will always be grateful to him because he really gave me my very first chance to work in English", Bardem said of Malkovich.^[11][16]

Javier Bardem and the Coen brothers at the Cannes Film Festival 2007.

Bardem won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for his role in Mar Adentro (2004), released in the United States as The Sea Inside, in which he portrayed the quadriplegic turned assisted suicide activist Ramón Sampedro. He made his Hollywood debut in a brief appearance as a crime lord who summons Tom Cruise's hitman to do the dirty work of dispatching witnesses in the crime drama Collateral. He stars in Miloš Forman's 2006 film Goya's Ghosts opposite Natalie Portman, where he plays a twisted monk during the Spanish Inquisition.^[18] In 2007, Bardem acted in two film adaptations: the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men, and the adaptation of the Colombian novel Love in the Time of Cholera with Giovanna Mezzogiorno by Gabriel García Márquez. In No Country for Old Men, he played a sociopathic assassin, Anton Chigurh. For that role, he became the first Spanish actor and Spaniard to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.^[19] He also won a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the 2008 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best Supporting Actor. Bardem's rendition of Chigurh's trademark phrase, "Call it, friendo", was named Top HollyWORDIE of 2007 in the annual survey by the Global Language Monitor.^[20] Chigurh was named #26 in Entertainment Weekly magazine's 2008 "50 Most Vile Villains in Movie History" list.^[21] Bardem's life's work was honored at the 2007 Gotham Awards, produced by Independent Feature Project.

Bardem with co-stars for the film Biutiful at Cannes 2010.

Francis Ford Coppola singled out Bardem as an heir to, and even an improvement on, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro referring to Bardem as ambitious and hungry, unwilling to rest on his laurels and always "excited to do something good".^[5] Bardem was attached to play the role of Tetro's mentor in Coppola's film Tetro, but the director felt the character should be female so he was replaced by fellow Spaniard Carmen Maura.^[22][23] Bardem was originally cast to play fictional filmmaker Guido Contini in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Nine, but dropped out due to exhaustion.^[22][24] The part eventually went to Daniel Day-Lewis.^[25] He went on to star alongside Penélope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008). In 2010, he was awarded Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance in Biutiful directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, who specifically wrote the film with Bardem in mind.^[12] After being overlooked by the Globes and SAG, Bardem was the unexpected Oscar nominee on 25 January 2011, becoming the first all Spanish-language Best Actor nominee ever.^[26][27] He won his 5th Goya Award, this time for Best Actor in Biutiful, dedicating the win to his wife, Penélope Cruz, and newborn son.^[28][29] Around this same time he was offered the lead role of "Gunslinger" Roland Deschain in Ron Howard's adaptation of Stephen King's Dark Tower novels. If he signs, he will star in the TV series as well. Then EON Productions offered him a role in the James Bond film, Skyfall.^[30] With Universal deciding not to go forward with the ultra-ambitious adaptation of the Stephen King 7-novel series and to end months of speculation Bardem officially confirmed his role in Skyfall during an interview with Christiane Amanpour for ABC's Nightline.^[31][32]

Personal life[link]

He credits the group AC/DC for his fluency in English as well as learning how to curse and has stated he loves heavy metal music.^[12] Bardem has admitted in interviews he cannot drive, only getting behind the wheel for film roles,^[10][33] and he consistently refers to himself as a "worker" and not an actor.^[34]

Bardem is an atheist.^[35] Following the legalization of same-sex marriage in Spain in 2005, Bardem incited controversy when he stated that if he were gay, he would "get married tomorrow, just to fuck with the Church" (mañana mismo, sólo para joder a la Iglesia).^[36] In May 2011 Bardem teamed up with The Enough Project's co-founder John Prendergast to raise awareness about conflict minerals in eastern Congo.^[37]

Bardem began dating then co-star Penélope Cruz in 2007, although the couple have maintained a low public profile.^[38] The two are famously private and won't talk about their personal lives.^[12] According to the Associated Press, the two were married in July 2010 in the Bahamas.^[39] On 14 September 2010, it was announced that Cruz was four and a half months pregnant with their first child.^[40] The Hollywood Reporter quoted the Spanish magazine ¡Hola! that Cruz gave birth to a boy on 22 January 2011, three days before Bardem received his third Oscar nomination, for his role in Biutiful.^[41] The couple's son is reportedly named Leonardo Encinas Cruz.^[42]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

• List of Spanish Academy Award winners and nominees

References[link]