The Hollywood Reporter have announced that Naomie Harris and Rick Yune have joined Ninja Assassin. The film is apparently filming as you read this, and is being produced by Speed Racer directors, the Wachowski Brothers. V for Vendetta director James McTeigue will be sat in the directors chair, for what apparently is an original film. No comic books, no graphic novels, no novel, no anything. A writer has actually been paid to use his imagination for once!

The title of the film is a good indication of what we may get, producer Joel Silver has described it as a “full on martial arts movie.” He also says it’s has the theme of revenge running through it.

It certainly sounds interesting. Naomie Harris is best known for her role as Tia Dalma in the Pirates of the Caribean trilogy. She has also appeared in the amazing 28 Days Later and more recently, Street Kings.
Rick Yune is best known for being a Bond villain in Die Another Day, who had the unfortunate (or fortunate depending on how you look at it) accident involving diamonds blowing up in his face, and embedding themselves there.

Rick Yune spoke of his role:

“Not to give too much away, (but) my character stays within what he was brought up with, and they go up against each other,” Yune said. “I’m not a heavy. The characters are ninjas, they are assassins, and there’s this mix of morality the Wachowskis are exploring.”

Warner Brothers have yet to announce a release date, but I’m guessing we will see this sometime in 2009.

Oops! An Aston Martin DBS has been fished out of Italy’s Lake Garda after it plunged into the water while being driven to the set of the latest James Bond film, reports the AP. Producers of Quantum of Solace say James Bond’s iconic car was being delivered to the filming unit in heavy rain on Saturday morning when it went off the road and into the lake in northern Italy. Footage of the car being hoisted out of the water has been shown on Italian TV. Thankfully the driver wasn’t badly hurt, but was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

A source said the car was the only one available for shooting. Oh dear.

Update: Images from the BBC and Autoblog

Domin names are big business nowadays. If you want to set up a new website you either have to make a word up that nobody else would think of (like myself) or wait it out until your preferred domain is released from its previous owner. However, if that domain name is remotely popular, it may cost you quite a bit of money. The biggest ever seller is sex.com, which went for a reported $12m (£6.m) in 2006. Vodka.com sold for $3m (£1.5m), and Pizza.com fetched $2.6m (£1.3m). Now Bond.com is going to join the list of most expensive domain names ever, as it has been put up for auction for $1 million.

The people behind James Bond have already got 007.com and JamesBond.com, so I wonder if they will be interested in placing a bid? They have until next Thursday to decide!

Two new behind the scenes videos for Quantum of Solace have popped up over at IGN. The first video follows Toby Hefferman, who the 2nd Assistant Director, and the second video follows Ana Endara, who is in charge of the extras while they shoot on location. Check them out below!

Some people regard Sean Connery as THE James Bond, which is probably due to the fact that he was the original. However, I am sure that if another actor made a few more Bourne movies, everyone would still regard Matt Damon as THE Jason Bourne, same with Tobey Maguire as Spiderman, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and any other actor or actress playing a character. Daniel Craig gave 007 a much needed update, which has even impressed Connery himself.

“I think Daniel Craig is a terrific choice,” said Connery. “I think they’re going back to a more realistic type of Bond movie as I don’t think they could have gone much further with the special effects.”

He added: “They don’t pay the money for the other parts, only for the Bond character, although that wasn’t the case when I was doing it.”

Connery earned just £50,000 to play James Bond for the first time. By his last 007 movie in 1983 Connery was paid £3 million, compared to Daniel Craig’s £30 million for four movies.

Connery is semi-retired from acting, which is a shame. He was approached to play the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but declined as he didn’t understand the complex story. He also declined an offer to reprise his role as Professor Henry Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. All of this declining great projects has meant that his last movie was The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen back in 2003, which is not a movie a great actor should end his career on.

Thankfully, Connery is interested in returning to the big screen, and the Bond franchise.

“I wouldn’t mind coming back as a Bond villain,” he said. “But I don’t think they would pay me enough money.”

This would be amazing! Daniel Craig and anyone working on Quantum of Solace should start talking to Connery now! Give him $30 billion or however much he wants, and get him in Bond 23! It must happen!

Just after Daniel Craig was cast as 007, in fact within a couple of second, there were websites being made bashing the decision. Craig was apparently too blonde, and looked nothing like the Bonds we had seen in the past, such as Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan. After Casino Royal was released all of that anti-Craig stuff died down, but there are no doubt some hardcore Bond fans who are still not happy with Craig as Bond…so what about this?

This is a digital combination of Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan, from the Daily Mail. I wonder if the fans approve of this?

Click here for combinations of:

Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron and Carmen Electra

Gwen Stefani, Uma Thurman, Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek

Michelle Pfeiffer with Charlize Theron

Fergie’s, Angelina Jolie, Natalie Portman and Jennifer Aniston.

And more!

In November 2008, everyone will be going to see Daniel Craig reprise his role as James Bond in…Quantum of Solace. The title was taken from a collection of short stories published by Bond creator Ian Fleming back in 1960. During the title revealing press conference, reporters were shown a minute of footage from the new film, including Bond swinging on a rope after an explosion at an art gallery in Siena, Italy. Another scene showed him meeting M - played by Dame Judi Dench - outside in the snow.

Actress Olga Kurylenko, who recently landed the role of Bond girl, said she still has not filmed any scenes, but was hard at work preparing.

“I’m doing weapons training and body flight training for aerial scenes and stunt work for fighting,” she said. “My days are so long, and it’s very physical. She’s going to be very different from the previous Bond girls. “She’s a fighter. This girl is going to kick ass. She’s on her own mission and she’s driven by revenge.”

The other female who will be involved with Bond, a secret agent played by Gemma Arterton, has already filmed a few scenes, including a love scene.

“I felt like a giggly girl, and I felt so young and inexperienced - but I kissed James Bond!”

The 21-year-old, who recently starred in the St Trinian’s film, said her Bond role is “not so frolicksome” and her character “fresh and young, not sultry and a femme fatale”.

Quantum of Solace is currently filming in an exotic location nowhere near you, and is directed by Marc Foster.

Update: It has been confirmed that the characters Q and Moneypenny will not be in Quantum of Solance. Producer Michael G. Wilson said that their addition would not feel ‘organic’, and that they may appear in future films if the story required them.

Below is a set visit by ITV News, showing the scenes mentioned above.

Daniel Craig sat down with Rotten Tomatoes and talked about a couple of interesting things. As of yet there is still no title. So its still Bond 22 y’all! He also said that next week is the beginning of his exercise regime so he gets that Bond physique we saw in Casino Royal, describing himself as a ‘walking wounded for the next 6 months’. No pain no gain Craig! An interesting bit came regarding the plot, and who Bond will be after this time round.

“It carries on from where the last one stopped,” Craig told RT, “We set up in the last one that there’s this organisation that is destabilising the world’s economy because they want to take it over, and that’s his job now, to go out and stop them.”

I cant wait!

Bond is currently filming and will be viewable in November.

After a long wait to see who will be the Eva Green of Bond 22, it has finally been confirmed. Variety inform us that Ukrainian actress Olga Kurylenko will be the one making all the love come November. Who is this Olga Kurylenko you ask? If some people took time out of their lives to see Hitman, you will know who she is, even if you don’t recognise the name.

Olga Kurylenko will play the dangerously alluring Camille, who challenges Bond and helps him come to terms with the emotional consequences of Vesper’s betrayal

The other day it was Judi Dench, and now its Bond himself. It is safe to say that Bond 22 is officially filming. JustJared got some rather cool shots of Daniel Craig filming in London. From the looks of things they got caught in the rain, typical England. Whether that is supposed to be in the film or not I have no idea. Expect more set pictures as the weeks go on, we may even get some shots of Gemma Arterton as ‘Fields’. In the meantime, check the link above for more set pictures.

In other Bond news, director Mark Foster spoke regarding the length of the film. Casino Royal was a thrilling 144 minutes, the longest Bond movie in the history of…Bond movies. Foster said he wanted his movie to be exactly 2 hours long, although he said that was his hope. Things could change before November, such as twist endings, an extra sex scene here and there, the usual. The only way I will be complaining is if the movie ends up a good amount under 2 hours. I want my fill of Bond!