"Skyfall" was the biggest Bond movie to date, the first to cross $1 billion worldwide in box office receipts, and proof that the decades-old franchise wasn’t going away any time soon. Cinema audiences around the world still like their martinis shaken, not stirred, but over at MGM, that success comes with a price. And details from inside the studio reveal that the budget for the next 007 adventure "Spectre" is so high that MGM is trying to find ways get those costs down.
"We recognize that this movie needs to build on the past few films – and there are expectations we must meet for the audience. Still, we must find further cuts," MGM president Jonathan Glickman said in memos revealed as part of the massive hack at Sony, who are distribution partners on the movie. "This is not about ‘nickel and diming’ the production."
**Spoilers ahead** The documents reveal that the scope for this one appears to be big, with more than one train fight sequence and the return of classic Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and what’s described as, uh, a "lesbian bad lady." However, Glickman had some suggestions last month on how to reduce the cost of "Spectre" which at the time was "in the mid $300Ms," and that appears to be before marketing. His tips?
However, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli wasn’t having it, and it’s unclear what snips were made to the currently filming project in the month or so since these emails were sent. That said, there will be money saved thanks to tax incentives for shooting in Mexico, and product placement led, once again, by Heineken. And they saved $1 million dollars by casting "Sherlock" star Andrew Scott in the role of "C" over Chiwetel Ejiofor.
So, an intriguing window in the world of blockbuster filming. Shocker: budgets are battled over. Will this affect the quality of "Spectre"? Not likely. They are still spending a king’s ransom on the film and any changes seem to be more in terms of location and production work than removing entire sequences. But let us know what you think below. [CNN Money]
I don\’t know that there has ever been a Bond production that hasn\’t been troubled, but there has always been class folks running the show to minimize it and still deliver a decent product (not withstanding Quantum of Solace which was a disappointment to many). Barbara Broccoli has a quality influence over the programs – it\’s a testament as to why the franchise has not faded out.
How can a Bond movie cost $300 million? I wonder how much of that is above the line…
You can add to that a million lost after 6 custom Range Rovers bought for the movie were stolen from a warehouse in Germany! I can\’t help but think this film is gonna have a troubled production.