Two interesting stories popped up over the weekend for Bond 23 followers, the first being that the movie will reportedly be taking the not-so-secret agent back to Istanbul for his third visit, following past excursions in From Russia With Love and, less memorably, The World Is Not Enough. Shooting will reportedly begin in the next few months, which would tie into what Judi Dench has previously stated, with Sultanahmet Square the location that director Sam Mendes is most excited about. The only other confirmed location to date is India, where there will be a stunt sequence set on a train now that the country’s government has finally given permission, though South Africa and China have also been strongly rumoured.
The second and more questionable rumour is that Bond’s Yank ally, Felix Leiter, may not have a place in the movie. This comes after actor Jeffrey Wright told ComingSoon.net that he has yet to receive a call from producers, even though shooting is about begin. Bear in mind, though, that a lot of Bond movie roles are cast late, so it is far from impossible that Wright will be asked eventually, especially with Leiter being a supporting character whose screen time is likely to be limited. Despite colour-blind casting being a profoundly stupid idea (Leiter is a white Texan in the novels), Wright has done good work with limited material in the previous two movies, so it would be a shame not to have his friendship with Craig’s Bond expanded upon further this time around.
[via MI6 and ComingSoon.net]
