Michael G. Wilson talks about the Bahamas production on Casino Royale

07-Mar-2006 • Casino Royale

Recently, Producer, Michael Wilson, took some time out of his tight schedule, to talk to The Guardian about filming Bond in The Bahamas.

"We'll be here for about a month to film the next Bond film, Casino Royale. A lot of the locations featured on the film, will be in The Bahamas. About 80% will be filmed in Nassau and then there is a second unit, which is supposed to be Madagascar."

'Casino Royale' is the first book written by Ian Fleming and for many years, Harry Saltzman and [Albert R.] Broccoli, who originally had the rights, wanted to make that film but Fleming had sold off the rights to it. So it wasn't until the year 2000 that they actually acquired the rights. "There was one picture that was made back in 1967, which was kind of a Bond spoof with the name. So now that we've got the rights, we wanted to make it right way. It will explain how Bond became 007." We don't go back in time, it's a contemporary piece; it will be more 'realistic.'

And the filming of this movie will create quite a number of jobs for Bahamians as crew members and extras. Wilson said about 350 people were brought in and an additional 150 Bahamians were hired as crew. "We will also be needing about 600-700 crowd workers (extras)."

He said that The Bahamas was chosen for the fourth time for many reasons. "The Bahamas is ideal for filming because of its close proximity to the United States, where equipment can be readily purchased. Bahamians speak English and are familiar with film units, so there's a certain amount of support available here. It's also a major tourist destination, so you can get high quality hotels and restaurants for the crew, while they are working here. And of course, the weather," said Wilson.

Wilson said that although he was not here for the filming of 'Thunderball,' he is no stranger to The Bahamas. "I was on an underwater dive unit for six months, filming 'The Spy Who Loved Me,' and I also visited The Bahamas for the filming of "For Your Eyes Only."

This major motion picture will also boost the Bahamian economy, with more than five million pounds ($8.7 million USD) being injected over the next month. "We normally spend about a million pounds ($1.74 million USD) a week, in addition to location costs."

Wilson said that he can't explain the success of the film, but he believes it had a lot to do with his stepfather's strong belief in the concept. "The formula has been working for a long time. I know that [Cubby] Broccoli, my stepfather, believed that the audience should always get a great experience for their money and that's what we concentrate on. But I think that that's what all filmmakers do, so I can't say it's a unique situation."

The new James Bond is [38]-year-old British actor, Daniel Craig (Munich, Road to Perdition.) Craig is the first blond to portray Bond. Twenty-six year old French actress Eva Green, will portray Vesper Lynd, the Bond girl.

To date, a theme song for Casino Royale has not been confirmed, but Wilson said that David Arnold, who composed the music for the last three films, has submitted some music.

[Production] is expected to be completed by mid-October, for a November 17th release. "The filming should be completed by July and then the film will have to be edited and special effects added. Their schedule is very tight, given that they only just started filming a couple of weeks ago. They've shot scenes in Prague and will be returning there, after shooting in The Bahamas. Then they will go to Italy and England.