| Casino Royale press conference scheduled for today [message #224893] |
Mi, 15 Februar 2006 08:37 |
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As the first phase of Casino Royale production wraps in the Czech
Republic, a press conference is scheduled to be held today ahead of the
move to the Bahamas.
A James Bond press conference is skedded today at Prague's Barrandov
Studios, where the Martin Campbell-directed pic has been shooting -
reports Variety.
Though Sony claims no casting will be announced, producers Barbara
Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson could use the occasion to unveil its
long-awaited supporting cast. But the studio, along with some of the
talent's reps, claim nothing's been decided.
Even so, the producers are apparently deciding on a short list topped
by Eva Green ("The Dreamers") and Olivia Wilde, who had a steamy arc on
"The OC" last season. The producers had earlier approached the likes of
Charlize Theron, Thandie Newton and Kimberly Davies.
Even if the cast is not announced today, the villain role is expected
to go to Danish thesp Mads Mikkelsen.
While scrutiny of Bond productions is always high, "Casino Royale" has
been a particular object of curiosity in Hollywood because of how long
it's taken to cast. Going into the third week of lensing, key roles
were still up for grabs.
The entire casting process has baffled Hollywood. Expectations were
that after replacing Pierce Brosnan with Craig, the producers would try
to support him with a few well-known names. Unfortunately, the Bond
system works against star wattage. On top of tight controls exercised
by the producers, there is a longstanding refusal to award gross points
to participants -- no actor playing Bond has ever received a gross
stake.
Sony, which inherited the franchise from MGM, plans to release the film
in November, which meant that shooting had to commence in January
regardless of casting.
It's highly unusual to work so on-the-fly on a $100 million-plus
tentpole pic.
But when it comes to Bond, things tend to be shaken and stirred. One
reprep who's been involved in the production said, "There are a lot of
cooks in the kitchen, a lot of people who need to approve things."
As for whether deadline pressure gave agents any advantage in crafting
deals for their clients, the rep said: "Not necessarily, especially
with the way the business is these days. You're lucky if you can make
the deal."
http://www.mi6.co.uk/news/index.php?itemid=3355
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