I hadn’t put two-and-two together, i.e.- I had forgotten about the early draft of TSWLM that included the band of young thugs who took over SPECTRE and included a “gloomy Norwegian fjord”. Hmmm…,
Great place, had it on my future locations list ever since it was opened, but it looks a bit like the Bregenz Opera house from QoS.
I’m pining for the fjords (and would welcome a “Norwegian Blue” cameo, even though I slammed the FYEO parrot a while ago:stuck_out_tongue:)
Would love to see Bond going to the North Cape, heading for the Global Seed Vault in Spitsbergen…
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With Blofeld locked up the story’s primed if they want to recycle that idea.
Bond could even feel somewhat responsible for creating the power vacuum, giving M an excuse to drag him back to work.
You can imagine the scene with M telling Bond it’s not his fault - he was doing his job, the inference being that it is you’re fault if you stop doing your job and horrible things happen to innocent people.
That would get them out of the potential ‘Bond revenges Swann’s death’ pickle, which would risk replaying CR. But when all’s said and done i imagine the studio will demand Swann’s death a la OHMSS because that’s Hollywood.
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I hope they go with her leaving him because Bond couldn’t stop being…Bond. Nicely links it with her sharing that concern in Spectre, as well as M’s line in Casino Royale “When I knew you were you”
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I love the low key ending of the MR novel. Bit of real life relationship anti-climax would be welcome.
Then again if her death means the SP trailer cues of the OHMSS theme finally getting used in a score, then kill her already.
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Very thrilled by all this and the speculation. Yes, TSWLM draft. The hidden vault of Eon is a treasure trove of unused ideas from early drafts to concepts or tech that couldn’t be believingly realized at whatever time frame they came about. Also, as to the ‘Swan in the room’ (my own nickname for the issue) I like the idea of her just leaving Bond similar to the demise of Tiffany after DAF and alluded to in FRWL. As to a MR style parting it was (in a way) done with Camille in QOS.
Now, let’s get some solid casting news as the production gears up.
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Had to look it up - already forgot the exact date - but on March 4th BOND 25 is expected to start shooting at Pinewood Studios.
March 4th… only 5 weeks away now.
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Okay, if this gets delayed, everyone blame SAF!!
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Kind of exciting to picture in my mind the sets for Star Wars: Episode IX (which is just about to wrap, if not totally wrapped, filming) being dismantled at Pinewood and then the Bond crew moving in and putting together the Bond 25 sets. 
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It also looks like the Hoffler Klinik in SPECTRE so I don’t think they’d use this location.
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By the same token, there’s some consistency in their location choices given the similarities between the Bregenz Opera House and Hoffler Klinik, so maybe they would choose it.
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Spectre’s crater base notwithstanding, they seem to like to use existing structures as bases and locations now. Probably saves on their budget. I do find it interesting that after Spectre, which had some winter locations, the two rumored locations, Norway and Canada, are also known for wintery landscape. I would have thought we’d get more tropical locations this time around.
GE’s Arecibo Observatory, puerto Rico was a fantastic real location, just as outlandish and epic as any of the grand sets from the heydays of Ken Adams.
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My guess is the Norway scenes will be filmed in the late spring, early summer. Ripe climbing weather. 
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For those keeping track, Rami Malek just won the Screen Actors’ Guild award for Best Actor (still the best predictor of the Best Actor Oscar) following his Golden Globe win. The Oscars are on Sunday, February 24th, and the production start date of Bond 25 the following Monday, March 4th. The timing couldn’t be more apropos if this is the route they’re going, and this route fits with their casting as of late (Oscar winners as baddies).
Looks beautiful. Could also be a stand-in for Tunisia (but probably isn’t if the Cadiz rumours are true).
I remember that Matera was a rumored location for a Craig Bond before. Tried to find out which one it was and found some more Italian newspapers reporting this. The Bond movie for which Matera was rumored before was QoS, btw.
Funny coincidence, just the other week I did the layout for an article on Matera for the magazine I work for (Matera is one of this year’s “European Capitals of Culture”) and while doing the image research, I thought that it would have made a great location. Looking forward to this, hope they use it this time.
Has been shooting location for many a Bible movie, but also for Wonder Woman…
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Do we know about this? Apparently rehearsals start this Monday. The rest of the article is also quite juicy - regarding Jamaica.
https://www.archivo007.com/index.php/noticias/bond-25/2831-arranca-bond-25-en-pinewood
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If the rumours of Seydoux’s return are true, I can envisage an early sequence where she and Bond are honeymooning or retired at Goldeneye. Would be funny - if not quite fitting - if a retired Bond were there to write spy novels.
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Filming in Jamaica, specifically Ian’s house, would be the ultimate Bond Easter egg.
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