Columbia PicturesBond, back on.
MGM has delighted Ian Flemingites everywhere by striking a deal that will allow the 23rd James Bond film to start shooting in time for a November 2012 release.
The financially strapped studio, which filed for bankruptcy yesterday, told Bloomberg News that a partner with a 50 percent stake in the twenty-threequel will foot all the production costs but that MGM hopes to get full ownership back with subsequent Bond flicks.
Shop talk is almost as exciting as an Aston Martin going 100 mph, right?
Whether Bond 23's previously attached director, Sam Mendes, is still on board to helm a script that was supposed to be penned by Peter Morgan remains to be seen.
Daniel Craig, not having to suit up for MI6 just yet, went and signed up for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo—and its two sequels—along with The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn and the thriller Dream House.
Incidentally, MGM is also looking for a third party to cover its $265 million-plus obligation for The Hobbit, which starts shooting in New Zealand in February.