The 21st James Bond movie. Released 16th November (Britain); 17th November (United States and Canada)
Our Bond stunt is world record
Casino Royale ... tanker smashes through cop cars and bendy bus
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November 08, 2006
WHEN it comes to stunts, nobody does it better than James Bond.
And one family has been key to keeping 007 ahead of the action-movie pack.
The Powell clan have performed stunts in ALL the Bond films.
Dinney Powell worked on the first flick, Dr No, with his brother Nosher, whose sons Greg and Gary then continued the family tradition.
Now, in an interview for Day Three of The Sun’s 007 Week, Gary reveals the stunt secrets behind the 21st official Bond movie, Casino Royale.
Gary, 43, from Epsom, Surrey, proudly told how his team staged a dramatic car crash that saw 007’s Aston Martin roll SEVEN TIMES — a Guinness world record for a single take.
Action fan ... stunt ace Gary perched on 007's famous Aston Martin
Describing the smash, he said: “It is one of the most exciting scenes. Bond swerves to avoid a girl — and the car flips.
“We managed seven-and-three- quarter turns. And it was more difficult than it sounds because the Aston is built so well that it wouldn’t turn over from a ramp. We had to put a nitrogen air cannon in the car to make it flip and the director, Martin Campbell, wanted the shot done in one take.”
Gary has also worked on Mission Impossible, the Harry Potter films and Saving Private Ryan.
He was a stuntman for ex-Bond Pierce Brosnan’s 007 films — but Casino Royale is his debut behind the camera for the spy series.
As stunt co-ordinator, he was tasked with realising director Campbell’s ambitious ideas.
For Gary, Bond films are the pinnacle of the stunt world.
He said: “I drove a tank in GoldenEye and, for pure enjoyment, turning up for work with a runway full of cars and buildings to crash through takes some beating. The first time I went to a Bond stage I was 14 years old and bunking off school — my father, brother and uncle were all 007 stuntmen.
“My dad and uncle did the Sean Connery films, my brother did the Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton ones and I’ve been lucky to work in front of camera on the Brosnan movies and now behind camera on Daniel Craig’s first film.
“I reckon Bond stunts are the best job in the world.”
I visited a Casino Royale set in the Bahamas earlier this year and the towering stunt cranes made me feel lucky to be on the ground.
Gary confirmed: “The building site scene filmed there was a challenge. We had 30 to 40 people up in the girders. You have to be careful with that. But to see someone jump from 140ft to 120ft and down to 100ft in one shot is amazing. It’s the first time that’s been done.”
Other key action scenes include a tanker crashing through police cars then a bendy bus.
Gary revealed producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson gave him all the resources and time he needed.
He said: “The tanker sequence was a real challenge because you had it crashing through the bendy bus and police cars. Everything has to be talked through.
“An airport sequence took six weeks to shoot. It was done at the track used by Top Gear.
“Barbara and Michael are great to work for. They push you to the limit but give you all the time you need to get it right. What we do is dangerous, so there is always that chance something could go wrong.”
The producers also made the Casino Royale stunts trickier by ditching computer-generated tricks.
He said: “They went back to basics, to real stunts.
“Normally these days a stuntman falls only 5ft and the CGI does the other 100ft. So it was great for us to be given the challenge to do things for real.”
thesun.co.uk
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The TimesNovember 08, 2006
Film rolls into the record books
thetimesonline.co.uk
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Vehicles & gadgets
- Aston Martin DBS - Aston Martin confirmed that Bond will be driving the new Aston Martin DBS in Casino Royale.
- Daniel Craig personally visited the Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire on January 13 to view and test drive the car.[28] The vehicle has no installed gadgets, although it does feature a medical kit complete with a defibrillator. A stunt was awarded a Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls in a car. The stunt was performed by Adam Kirley using the Aston Martin DBS and a nitrogen cannon. The car rolled seven times beating the previous record of six accomplished the previous year by Top Gear.[29]
- Aston Martin DB5 - Bond's famed Aston Martin DB5, first featured in Goldfinger and later Thunderball, Goldeneye, and Tomorrow Never Dies, will also be in Casino Royale in addition to the new DBS model. Bond wins this car while in The Bahamas in a poker game between Bond and Dimitrios.
- Walther P99 - Bond's standard handgun used along with Bond's other pistol of choice, the Walther PPK.
- Spirit 54 sailing boat built by Spirit Yachts of Ipswich, UK.
- Cartamundi - Official Supplier of the Casino Playing Cards & Chips used in the Casino of Montenegro
- Ford Mondeo - Ford have announced that their all new 2007 Ford Mondeo will be used by Bond in Casino Royale.
- The Mondeo's appearance in Casino Royale will be brief; Bond uses it to drive to a hotel shortly after arriving in The Bahamas, on the trail of a terrorist cell.[30]
- Fiat W190 bulldozer - Made by Fiat's construction equipment division New Holland, Bond will drive this bulldozer in an action sequence taking place at a construction site while in Madagascar.
- Sony Ericsson M600 which has not been confirmed but Sony Ericsson will release a special edition James Bond K790 and K800 when the film is released.
- Fiat Ferroviaria/Alstom Pendolino CD 680 - In the movie trailer the Czech version of this tilting train is shown, however it will be used in a sequence that involves a train journey from Switzerland to Montenegro.
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