34 replies to this topic

[Luigi Ferrari]

http://news.stv.tv/s...t-scots-castle/
Makers of the upcoming James Bond film starring Daniel Craig have abandoned plans to film at a Scots castle.

Duntrune Castle near Lochgilphead in Argyll had been inundated with visits from staff before shooting began on Skyfall in February.

But owner Robin Malcolm was told that film bosses had changed their mind on holding the shoot at the historic venue earlier this week.

Eon Productions locations manager Russell Lodge made a personal visit to the castle to deliver the bad news.

Around 200 cast and crew were expected to descend on the castle in February for filming.

Mr Malcolm said parts of the original Bond film, From Russia With Love, had been filmed in the area in 1963 and he had been looking forward to a return of the franchise.

He said: "We were as surprised as anyone when they said 'No it's all off'.

"I particularly feel sorry for hoteliers and tradesmen in the area who were looking forward to a prosperous New Year. For myself I am very sorry I won't see Judi Dench.

"For the past three months they have been sending people up here in increasing numbers to look around. Last time we had 50 people having lunch in our kitchen."

He added: "We had heard about a week beforehand that they were thinking of changing the venue in Scotland but he came up and confirmed it. He was extremely embarassed.

"I think they would like to keep a Scottish dimension in the film, but where they do that is up to them. You win some, you lose some."

[Pussfeller]

Too bad. I was looking forward to an amphibious assault.

[zencat]

Well that sucks for those people.

Wonder if they are moving to a new Castle, or maybe they're dropping Scotland all together?

[Luigi Ferrari]

[The Shark]

"I think they would like to keep a Scottish dimension in the film, but where they do that is up to them. You win some, you lose some."

Maybe they're looking for another castle?

[007jamesbond]

very interestng development...I hope we have a reason why they decide to change it....is Scotland still going to be a location or are we going to see a new place?

Edited by 007jamesbond, 17 November 2011 - 06:40 PM.

[Vauxhall]

Wonder if they are moving to a new Castle, or maybe they're dropping Scotland all together?

From that article and the owner's quotes, I get the impression that they believe Eon might be aiming to use a different castle, but I guess it's tough to say with any certainty at this stage. I guess they won't have dramatically changed the script, so perhaps that leans towards them having found another castle they'd rather use.

[Shrublands]

I would suspect that they are just moving to a different castle in Scotland.

[Luigi Ferrari]

http://www.deadlinen...-for-highlands/
A HIGHLAND community has been left shaken and stirred after movie bosses said they may not shoot scenes for the new James Bond film there after all.

The final scenes of the 007 flick Skyfall were due to be filmed at Duntrune Castle in Mid Argyll next February.

But film-makers travelled to the area on Tuesday to say it was unlikely they would be going ahead with the shoot.

The news has come as a blow to local businesses, said castle owner Robin Malcolm.

“They said they have changed their plans just after the big launch in London,” he said.

“I am disappointed for all the local businesses that thought they were going to have a prosperous winter.”

The news was broken by Eon Production’s location manager, Russell Lodge.

Mr Malcolm said: “Mr Lodge didn’t know much. He felt awful. He said we should go on the assumption that it’s not coming. We had left our grass uncut to make it look like a bit of a wilderness, but today could be the last dry day for a while, so I’m getting it cut.

“It’s disappointing. It would have put Mid Argyll on the map. It was fun while it lasted.”

Decision

Skyfall, which sees the return of Daniel Craig as James Bond, is due to be filmed in locations including Scotland, Turkey and China.

A spokeswoman for Eon Productions said yesterday: “We never confirmed that we would be using Duntrune Castle.

“We have scouted various different locations throughout pre-production. We continue to look at various locations.”

However she did not rule out the possibility that the decision could be reversed.

She added: “We can’t confirm whether we are going to be filming there or not. It is still being decided. When we have an announcement to make about the location we will be sure to send out a press release.”

But on the same day the bombshell was dropped on Mr Malcolm, the film company cancelled their hotel bookings in the area for February.

Heather Leighton, manager of the Grey Gull Hotel at Ardrishaig, said: “It’s sad. We now have lots of vacancies for February, which we didn’t have before.

“It was going to be a good hype for the area, but they have obviously decided to do something else.”

Nick Ryan, owner of the Crinan Hotel, said: “February is not a very busy month so it would have been very nice, but they are in charge.

“I think there were quite a few hotels booked and the publicity would have been very good once the film came out.”

[Vauxhall]

"When we have an announcement to make about the location we will be sure to send out a press release."

I'll believe that when I see it.

[Matt_13]

Really hope they just found a better locale. I was really looking forward to seeing Scotland in the film.

[ggl]

Well, surprise, surprise...

At least is a piece of news in this week without any photo or news...

[Satorious]

I'm sure they will still be scouting elsewhere - Mendes said Scotland at the press conference, so it's obviously in the script.

My personal "castle" choices would be:

Dunnottar Castle (this has Bond baddie base written all over it!)
Duart Castle (Entrapment was also filmed here, so it has a Connery link.)

Edited by Satorious, 17 November 2011 - 07:49 PM.

[Binyamin]

It's also possible that the plans and scope of the scene made them build everything at Pinewood....

[Satorious]

It's also possible that the plans and scope of the scene made them build everything at Pinewood....

Let's hope not when it's comparitively near and reasonably easy to get too. I'm working on the principal that Sam Mendes specifically mentioned Scotland as a location, so there is a very high liklihood that they will be shooting on location.

[Pussfeller]

TWINE filmed at Eilean Donan Castle, which is topographically quite similar to Duntrune Castle. Perhaps they planned to go back to Eilean Donan, ran into problems, and chose Duntrune as a substitute, only for their original choice to become available once more.

[Luigi Ferrari]

It's also possible that the plans and scope of the scene made them build everything at Pinewood....

Possible but unlikely, I fear. From what I understand they wanted to build a part of the set next to the castle and then blow it up. They hadn't planned the interior shots at Duntrune Castle, so obviously they were going to do them in a set at Pinewood.

[Captain Tightpants]

Too bad. I was looking forward to an amphibious assault.

This doesn't mean that it can't happen. Only that if it does happen, it will happen somewhere else.

[Pussfeller]

Yeah, I don't know why I jumped to the conclusion that the whole idea had been scrapped. Given the remarks at the press conference about Scotland, it seems far likelier that they've just found another, better location. My hypothesis (or guess) is that they're going back to Eilean Donan. They've already filmed there once before, and for the purposes of the plot it would be very similar.

[Captain Tightpants]

I don't know why I jumped to the conclusion that the whole idea had been scrapped.

I've noticed a lot of people have. I'd say it has to do with the way the STV article is written - it doesn't actually mention that filming could go elsewhere until the end of the article.

[Pussfeller]

Anyway, picturesque loch-adjacent castles are a dime a dozen in Scotland. It's a buyer's market. Or they might have decided to CGI the whole thing (shudder). If their plan is to blow it up anyway...

[sharpshooter]

Maybe they're looking for another castle?

I'd have to assume so, given how I thought the castle would be an important part of the film.

[Captain Tightpants]

Anyway, picturesque loch-adjacent castles are a dime a dozen in Scotland. It's a buyer's market.

I wonder how often the phrase "picturesque loch-adjacent castle" appears in Scottish real estate listings ...

[d21089]

i think the owner was getting a little too chatty about what was going on anyway, no surprises here

[Vauxhall]

i think the owner was getting a little too chatty about what was going on anyway, no surprises here

This was another factor I was considering earlier. If it wasn't sanctioned, then it's certainly not inconceivable that the owner's openness to the press might have been discouraged Eon, if there was another decent castle option on the table.

[Shrublands]

i think the owner was getting a little too chatty about what was going on anyway, no surprises here

Yes, Mr and Mrs Malcolm seem to like being quoted in the press almost as much as that Indian Railways Minister.
Now, what else do those 3 have in common?

[Captain Tightpants]

Yes, Mr and Mrs Malcolm seem to like being quoted in the press almost as much as that Indian Railways Minister.

To be fair, a lot of the comments from the Malcolms were really just a regurgitation of the comments from the initial reports that shooting would take place in Scotland.

[Shrublands]

Yes, Mr and Mrs Malcolm seem to like being quoted in the press almost as much as that Indian Railways Minister.

To be fair, a lot of the comments from the Malcolms were really just a regurgitation of the comments from the initial reports that shooting would take place in Scotland.

Well, I have seen at least 6 different sets of comments from Mr and Mrs Malcolm about the whole affair.

[Luigi Ferrari]

http://www.scotsman....atest_bond_1_19

AH, Mr Bond we’ve been expecting you. But rather prematurely, it seems.

In a surprising plot twist 007 has put the owners of a castle and several businesses in Argyll off his trail.

Just two weeks ago the red carpet was being dusted down when it was reported that part of Skyfall, the 23rd Bond movie, would be filmed at Duntrune Castle.

But in a move perhaps designed to throw people off the scent, the production team has now cancelled local hotel bookings and the castle owner has been told to no longer expect the secret agent.

Robin Malcolm said he received a letter saying the film, directed by Sam Mendes, would be partly shot at the castle near Lochgilphead in February.

However, he was visited this week by location manager Russell Lodge who told him there had been a change of plan.

“Its very disappointing, not just for me, but for others such as hoteliers who thought they were going to have a prosperous new year,” said Mr Malcolm.

“I don’t know if they just changed their mind or have changed the [film’s] story, but it’s a shame. It brought excitement for everyone for a while.”

Mr Malcolm said he was expecting a crew of about 200 to use the castle and holiday cottages on the estate where he farms.

“I’ll now have to go back to being a farmer and accommodation provider as usual.”

He revealed the production team made a considerable investment in the area: “They would fly up from London in a couple of helicopters and bring eight people at a time and then we had a much bigger visit, when they got about 50 of them up in a flight to Glasgow and then travelled here by car.”

The castle, on the north side of the Crinan Canal, is the family seat of Clan Malcolm.

Mr Malcolm, who is the clan chief, said: “They were going to build a false front for the castle, so they have had surveyors working here. Sam Mendes was keen but maybe, when he had all those people up from various fields, some of them said it wasn’t going to work here.”

Mr Malcolm said the film company had considered at least 50 sites before they confirmed to him that they were going to use Duntrune. Mr Malcolm said: “The letter says ‘We confirm’ – although I never received a contract – and at the launch in London they showed Duntrune Castle.”

He added: “They may well still do some filming in Scotland, I got the impression they wanted a Scottish element to the film and the site manager was going to look at some other areas.”

Heather Leighton, manager of the Grey Gull Hotel in Ardrishaig, confirmed that the film company had cancelled a booking for February.

She said: “The booking has been cancelled within the last two days. They were going to fill the hotel, which has 22 rooms.”

A spokeswoman for Eon Productions said no location was confirmed.

“Lots of locations have been scouted,” she said.

“We are looking at a number of different places.”

The film is Daniel Craig’s third performance as James Bond and features Judi Dench playing M for the seventh consecutive film. It will also star Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Javier Bardem with French actress Berenice Marlohe and Naomie Harris as the leading ladies.

VisitScotland estimates one in five overseas visitors to Scotland is inspired by TV or film, while the productions themselves can add up to £25 million to the economy each year.

Brad Pitt, Scarlett Johansson and Halle Berry have all recently filmed in Scotland.

[Vauxhall]

Mr Malcolm said: “...at the launch in London they showed Duntrune Castle.”

I think Mr Malcolm has been misinformed.