[title]
If you spot a souped-up Aston Martin double-parked in your street, or a bunch of burly film crew members lugging crates marked ‘top secret gadgets’ around this summer, it’s probably Bond 25 coming to town. The classic spy franchise is heading back to the streets of London and the studios of Pinewood soon, with the filmmakers firing the starting gun on shooting.
More London flavour will be provided by Hammersmith’s Lashana Lynch (‘Fast Girls’, ‘Captain Marvel’), who joins the cast, and home-town hero Phoebe Waller-Bridge, confirmed as co-writer alongside Scott Z Burns and Bond veterans Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.
Other new additions to the cast include David Dencik (‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’), Ana de Armas (‘Blade Runner 2049’), Billy Magnussen (‘Game Night’) and Dali Benssalah. As previously announced, Rami Malek – Freddie Mercury, himself – will be seeing if Bond does the fandango as the movie’s villain.
Old 007 hands Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes, Jeffrey Wright and Naomie Harris are also back for the still-unnamed movie.
As well as London, director Cary Fukanaga (who also co-writes) will be getting his cameras rolling in the hill town of Matera in southern Italy, and in Norway. Ian Fleming’s own spiritual home, Jamaica (where the announcement took place), will also feature as Bond trots the globe, killing baddies, kissing the girls and annoying his superiors.
According to the synopsis, the film will find him having left active service and enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. ‘His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.’
Short of moviegoing mojo? Check out one of these weird but wonderful spring film screenings in London.