USA TODAY International Edition
Unintended drama fills James Bond set A crew member was hurt in a set explosion The first director left the project
Daniel Craig was his impeccably dressed, unflappable self when he met Prince Charles on the set of the 25th James Bond film at London’s Pinewood Studios.
The cuts on Craig’s face were makeup for a scene, not an injury, and the 51year-old actor was all smiles when he told Charles that the crew was about a third of the way through shooting the still-untitled film.
All splendid indeed for a Bond set that has seen its set of real-life troubles, until the heir to Britain’s throne continued his walkabout and couldn’t help but make an offhand quip.
“You haven’t had any more things blowing up recently?” Charles asked one worker, according to Britain’s Press Association.
The prince was making a reference to a set explosion last month that injured one crew member and left a soundstage damaged.
While the official Bond Twitter account tweeted out an impressive sizzle reel last month to show 007 business is proceeding, here’s a rundown of the various dramas that have rocked the production of Bond 25, still set for release April 8.
The director denied keeping the film’s crew waiting while he played video games
Many of the Bond reports have been driven by unnamed sources in the British tabloid The Sun, which described a crew “mutiny” last month after director Cary Joji Fukunaga arrived “several hours” late for shooting because he was involved in a particularly intense video game session, keeping the crew waiting.
The “disgruntled crew” were informed they would be needed to work over the weekend, which included Father’s Day — and many refused, according to The Sun.
EON Productions and MGM have remained mum on this report, and did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
Fukunaga addressed the issue on Instagram last month, writing, “I’d never disrespect the hardest working cast and crew. We’re all in this together.”
Then he joked about his PlayStation 4 game prowess.
The official Bond Twitter account confirmed June 4 that a controlled stunt explosion gone wrong left one crew member with a “minor injury” and damaged the exterior of the Pinewood Studio soundstage.
The acknowledgment followed The Sun’s report that there were in fact three loud explosions, “which took part of the roof off and a number of wall panels.”
Star Daniel Craig was injured in a stunt and needed surgery
Craig was out of commission for weeks following a stunt injury suffered
in Jamaica that required minor surgery on his ankle.
In June, Craig and his impressive biceps were featured in a photo shared by the Bond Twitter account that showed him working out vigorously even while wearing a boot cast, as he prepared for his return.
The actor has been hurt before on the action-filled Bond sets. He lost two teeth filming a stunt for “Casino Royale” in 2006; sliced off a fingertip while filming 2008’s “Quantum of Solace” and injured a knee filming a fight scene for 2015’s “Spectre.”
Danny Boyle, the film’s original Oscar-winning director, recently revealed why he quit the project after his involvement was announced in May 2018.
While promoting his new film “Yesterday,” Boyle told London’s Metro that he is “not cut out” to work on franchise films.
Boyle clashed with Bond producers after they balked about using a script written with his longtime collaborator John Hodges.
“We were working very, very well, but they didn’t go down that route with us, so we decided to part company,” the director said.
A man was charged with placing a camera in the studio’s restroom
In the latest twist, Peter Hartley, 49, was arrested last month and charged with voyeurism after officials say he placed a spy camera in the women’s bathroom on the Pinewood Studios set, Britain’s Independent reported.
It isn’t known whether Hartley is connected with either the studio or the 007 film, The Guardian reported.
The studio flagged law enforcement when the camera was discovered, telling the newspaper in a statement, “We take this issue very seriously. We reported the incident to the police and are supporting them with their investigation.”