ITV

Tag: James Bond

  • Pierce Brosnan to star in IT

    Pierce Brosnan to star in IT

    Mumbai: The famous James bond actor Pierce Brosnan is all set to appear in a new movie ‘IT’ which is a revenge thriller that Stefano Sollima will be directing.

     

    Financed by Voltage Pictures, the role that Brosnan will be playing is that of a successful book publisher who has to face a young tech savvy IT consultant who is threatening Brosnan. The script is written by Dan Kay.

     

    The role of the antagonist is vacant and is being searched for. Shooting is aimed to begin early 2014. Voltage is also looking for a domestic studio partner for the movie.

  • Bigg Boss 7 takes the road to heaven and hell!

    Bigg Boss 7 takes the road to heaven and hell!

    MUMBAI: What do James Bond and Colors’ reality show Bigg Boss share in common? It’s the number 7. In its seventh edition this year, the Endemol-produced Bigg Boss will begin airing from 15 September promising action like ‘never seen before’.

     

    A pointer is the new theme that has been planned for this year’s theme, which plays with the two afterlife abodes – heaven and hell amplifying the message the pleasure of heaven and the pain of hell. And the tag word they have coined for this year is Bigg Boss Saath 7 (Remember Big Boss Five Five and Season 6 Alag Che?).

     

    Says Colors marketing head Rajesh Iyer: “This season Bigg Boss will make sure that you get to see heaven and hell *saath-saath* on Bigg Boss Season 7.”
     

    The teasers that hit TV screens this week show an open gate with one side leading towards heaven and the other towards damnation or hell. And if you look closely at the promos which are on air you will see Sallu aka Salman Khan donning the avatars of an angel and the devil. The campaign will involve print, digital, mobile and below the line mediums. The face behind the TV campaign is Orchard Advertising and Tubelight films.

     

    The number 7 has been incorporated into many aspects apart from the tagline. The number of participants is 14 (2 X 7) and all the action during the show will be captured on 70 cameras. “The message is simple – pleasure or pain: both are inevitable and there is nothing to be taken for granted,” says Iyer.

     

    Inspiration has been taken from the mythological space and the pleasure of heaven has been articulated as ‘wow’ and pain as aao. Khan will be seen his usual cheerful self and being an improviser himself has created his own catchphrase ‘By God.’ Seems to be very pun intended!

     

    Speaking about what made them choose this particular theme this year Orchard Advertising Executive Creative Director Hemant Kumar Sivan says that they had two tasks to deal with: to raise the curiosity and interest levels amongst viewers and to present Khan in a fresh manner.

     

    “We worked with the simple truth of life that, heaven and hell are of man’s own making. It all depends on how one deals with what life has to offer,” he says intending that the inmates are going to face some hell-like situations and only one of them will survive the best of both worlds.

     

    Living up to its reputation of being very interactive on social media, a heaven versus hell interaction will be initiated every day post the trailer launch. “As of now, we are just feeding cues for people to pick up,” says Colors digital head Vivek Srivastava.

     

    Previously, the fifth season saw two biggies Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt, both involved in the promotional campaign with a special music video featuring the two while the sixth season played on the theme alag che (it’s different).

     

    Bigg Boss hasn’t gone without its share of controversies. The year 2011 saw the show go into a slightly negative zone with Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone and the channel was pulled up for using the national anthem to promote the show in movie theaters last year. It hasn’t given up hope but. Even this year it will continue to air its promos on theater screens.

     

    According to Colors CEO Raj Nayak its non-fiction shows generate more traction from advertisers than its fictional shows and Bigg Boss gets some of the biggest brand. However, he adds that it works as a loss leader and the channel has been investing in it because it is a cult show. This apart, it generates a lot of buzz. Estimates are that it is in the region of Rs 15-20 crore.

     

    Going by the lyrics of Black Sabbath’s song if it seems to be real, it’s illusion the happenings in the house surely seem to be on the same path. The number seven is lucky for a lot of people. Will it be the same for the Bigg Boss’ Eye or will it suffer a seven year itch with its viewers?

  • Sam Mendes returns to direct Bond 24, Daniel Craig returns as british spy

    Sam Mendes returns to direct Bond 24, Daniel Craig returns as british spy

    NEW DELHI: Daniel Craig will once again return as the legendary British secret agent in the 24th James Bond film and Sam Mendes will also return to direct the screenplay written by John Logan.

    Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, EON Productions; Gary Barber, Chairman & CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Michael Lynton, CEO, Sony Entertainment and Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, announced in Culver City in California that the film is set for release in UK theaters on 23 October 2015 and in US theaters on 6 November that year.

    Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond film, took in $1.1 billion worldwide and set a new mark as the highest-grossing film of all time in the UK; it was the best-selling Bond film on DVD/Blu-ray and was the most critically acclaimed film in the history of the longest-running film franchise.

    Commenting on the announcement, Wilson and Broccoli said, “Following the extraordinary success of Skyfall, we‘re really excited to be working once again with Daniel Craig, Sam Mendes and John Logan.”

    “I am very pleased that by giving me the time I need to honour all my theatre commitments, the producers have made it possible for me to direct Bond 24. I very much look forward to taking up the reins again, and to working with Daniel Craig, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for a second time,” said Mendes.

    Barber added, “We are thrilled to reunite the extraordinary talents of director Sam Mendes with our star Daniel Craig for the next great Bond adventure.” He added, “As evidenced by the phenomenal success of our last collaboration with EON Productions and Sony, the incredible legacy of this 51-year-old franchise continues to amaze.”

    Lynton and Pascal said, “It‘s a privilege to work on the Bond films. EON, John Logan and Sam Mendes have come up with an extraordinary follow up to Skyfall and we, along with our partners at MGM, can‘t wait to share this new chapter with audiences all over the world.”

  • Oscars to honour James Bond this year

    Oscars to honour James Bond this year

    MUMBAI: Following the success of Skyfall, the latest film in the James Bond series, the Academy will honour James Bond this year. The 85th Academy Awards will also pay a tribute to the Bond movie franchise that is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary.
    Oscar producer Craig Zadan said, "We are very happy to include a special sequence on our show saluting the Bond films on their 50th birthday. Starting with Dr. No back in 1962, the 007 movies have become the longest-running motion picture franchise in history and a beloved global phenomenon."
    Skyfall is expected to pick up a handful of nods when the Oscar nominations are announced this Thursday. Former Bond star Timothy Dalton feels Skyfall, the most successful Bond movie ever, is worthy of serious consideration in a number of categories.
    In a recent interview, Dalton said that the latest blockbuster is "right at the forefront" of modern cinema. In the past, only two (films in the) spy series won Oscars, the 1964 release Goldfinger won the best sound effects trophy while the next Thunderball got the best special visual effects award.
    "It is absolutely time for Bond to get proper attention at the Oscars. On almost every level, this Bond movie is right at the forefront of what cinema is capable of. It is an absolutely modern James Bond, a movie truly of its time. Daniel Craig is fantastic and it feels very real. I thought the film was fabulous," observed Dalton.
    Skyfall has become the first Bond film to earn more than $1 billion at the global box office.

  • Bond beats Jake Sully’s record at the UK BO

    Bond beats Jake Sully’s record at the UK BO

    MUMBAI: Skyfall, the latest offering form the James Bond franchise has beaten all other films to become the first to cross the ?100 million at the UK box office.

    The film stars Daniel Craig as James Bond in this 23rd instalment of the British spy’s adventures and was released on 26 October. Its total collections stand at ?100.46 million. The movie has generated more than $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide.

    This makes Skyfall the most successful U.K. release in history. It has overtaken James Cameron’s Avatar which had a lifetime gross of $151.3 million (?94 million) over the course of its 11 months in release in U.K.

    The movie follows Bond as his loyalty to M tested as her past comes back to haunt her. This is Craig’s third stint as James Bond.

  • Judi Dench bids goodbye to Bond films with Skyfall

    Judi Dench bids goodbye to Bond films with Skyfall

    MUMBAI: With the death of M in Skyfall, Judi Dench‘s appearance in a James Bond film seems to have ended.
    As the head of MI6, M, Dench has been the Bond matriarch:

    The strong-willed, no-nonsense mainstay of feminine authority in a film franchise that has, more often than not, featured slightly more superficial womanly traits.

    Skyfall is Dench‘s seventh Bond film, an unimpeachable reign that has encompassed both the Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan eras of the British spy. For a number of reasons, Skyfall is her most notable Bond film.
    "It‘s very nice to be out from behind the desk," Dench has reportedly said in a recent interview. "It‘s extremely nice to get a go in the field, as it were, and get a bit of the action. It made me feel very grown-up. It‘s not just the fellas who are spinning about and shooting guns – I get a go," she added.

    As soon as Dench entered the world of Bond, she made it clear she was a force to be reckoned with – certainly not one that some gun-toting playboy would push around. Introducing herself to Bond in 1995‘s Goldeneye, the bourbon-drinking M promptly informs Brosnan‘s Bond that she isn‘t a ‘bean-counter‘, as Bond admits to thinking.

    So over seven films and 17 years, the 77-year-old Dench, has, like other legendary stage actors from Alec Guinness (Star Wars) to Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings), become best known to many for a blockbuster movie franchise.

    Dench inherited the role of M from Robert Brown, who played the character from 1983‘s Octopussy through 1989‘s License to Kill. Bernard Lee whom Dench calls a hero of hers, initiated Ian Fleming‘s secret service head, playing him for 11 films.

  • Sony India earmarks Rs 1.5 bn marketing spend in festive season

    MUMBAI: Sony India has earmarked a marketing budget of Rs 1.5 billion for the festive season even as it targets a 50 per cent surge in sales.

    Enhancing its product lineup, Sony India has recently launched the 84 inch Bravia 4K LCD TV, which is a 3D Viewer – Head Mounted Display HMZ-T2 is a touch-screen Vaio with Windows 8, the new flagship Full-Frame ?99 interchangeable lens camera and Cyber-shot DSC-RX100, the professional compact camera with a sensor.

    Sony is looking at a sales revenue of Rs 28.50 billion during the September-November period.

    Says Sony India MD Kenichiro Hibi, “We aspire to achieve 50 per cent sales growth over last year‘s festive sales. We have also allocated a budget of Rs 1.50 billion towards marketing activities for this festive season. “

    Sony is doing a contest around the upcoming James Bond movie ‘Skyfall‘. The contest is called ‘This Diwali Bond with Sony‘. Skyfall releases in India on 1 November.

    On purchase of selective products from dealers appointed by Sony, customers can participate in the draw and can win prizes like 100 55″ (140 cms) BRAVIA TVs, 200 Head Mount Display, 500 XPERIA™ Tablet and 1000 XPERIA™ Smartphones, Tipo. This offer is valid on Bravia Televisions, Alpha cameras, Cyber-shot cameras, Handycam video cameras, Procam video cameras, DAV & Blu-ray Home Theater Systems, Mini Hi-fi and Micro Hi-fi systems, Blu-ray players, Sony Playstations, Vaio Notebooks, Xperia Tablet and Xperia Smartphone, Tipo.

    The new Bravia products have been powered with Indian picture settings that are now exclusively designed to cater to versatile demands and preferences of Indian customers for brighter displays and sharper contrast. Last year, Sony engineers met hundreds of Indian customers to precisely understand their preference in terms of picture quality. As a result, Sony developed Indian Picture Settings, which means the brightness and vividness in the Bravia TVs is in tune with the taste of the audience in India.

    There is a bundle offer on the BRAVIA range. On purchase of any 3D Bravia model, customers can purchase a Sony Blu-ray (BDP-S490) player at a price of Rs 9,900, thereby saving Rs 10,000 on its MRP, and get a pair of 3D glass, HDMI cable and two 3D Movie titles free.

    In addition to this with the purchase of Bravia HX925, HX850, HX750 series customers will get an assured 8 GB pen drive preloaded with contents of ‘Men in Black 3‘ and with the purchase of NX650, EX650/550, EX430/330, CX350 & BX450/350 series customers will get an assured 4 GB pen drive preloaded with content of ‘Skyfall‘‘s trailer and a video blog.

    Marketing campaign: Sony India has a dedicated multi-media marketing campaign for its flagship product category. The campaign has been created keeping in mind the flavour and zest of the Indian festive season. This campaign kicked off mid October and runs till the end of next month.

    Cyber-Shot: Sony claims to offer the widest variety of compact cameras in the High Zoom range. Sony says that it realised that there has been significant demand for High Zoom in the compact camera segment and now boasts of a very wide product range to cater to this demand. The newly launched DSC-H100, has been designed as per the taste of Indian customers.

    Post customer feedback, Sony came up with this product which offers very powerful zoom of 21X in a premium design, with a price point of Rs. 12,990. Sony also launched Cyber-shot DSC-WX150, which combines high zoom in a compact design, thereby offering a much more value-added product to the customers. Sony expects high sales for this particular model during the festive season.

    Consumer offer: In the digital imaging segment, customers will get free 4 GB Sony Memory card and Original Carrying case on purchase of any Cyber-shot or Alpha camera. On purchase of Handycam, customers will get a free carrying case.

    Marketing campaign: Cyber-shot will also be highly visible during the festive period. The concept of this campaign is Pocket Zoom. Customers can enjoy very high zoom in pocket-size Cyber-shot cameras.

    Vaio: Sony India‘s Vaio line-up is VAIO E14A, with a wrap design and accent colours, VAIO T, the Ultrabook and new models of E, S & Z series. The aim is to offer a better user experience with useful features like Backlit keyboard which is helpful to type in dark, USB charging to charge USB devices even when the notebook is turned off and multi-gesture touchpad which allows users to zoom and scroll with gesture on touchpad. With the latest Intel 3rd generation Core CPU, our laptops offer faster computing speed and highly improved graphics.

    Consumer offer: Sony will provide free original Vaio Backpack on its recently launched ‘Spark a Trend‘ campaign VAIO series. This festive offer extends across all models of Sony VAIO.

    Finance offer: Keeping in mind the overall economic slowdown and the fact that this is a time when consumers are slightly hesitant, the company is offering a Zero Percent Finance Offer and Zero Processing Fee. Sony is offering attractive EMI offers on select credit cards as well.

  • James Bond car auctioned for $389,000

    James Bond car auctioned for $389,000

    MUMBAI: The 2008 Aston Martin car used by Daniel Craig in the Bond film Quantum of Solace has been sold in an auction of Bond movie memorabilia for 241,300 pounds (around $389,000), it is understood.
    The cost of the 2008 Aston Martin 6 litre V12 DBS 2 door coupe, which went to an anonymous buyer, was 1.5 times higher. The trading took place in the presence of 600 VIP guests. Many items of the auction were presented by the stars of the film.
    Actress Judi Dench, who plays M, presented one of the most piquant lots, a pair of blue trunks worn by Daniel Craig in Casino Royal. “All I can tell you, they are unwashed,” the actress said in a lighter vein.
    The trunks were sold for 44,500 pounds and will be given to a charity fund Women For Women.
    The second most expensive item in the auction was an Omega watch made of titanium and used by Craig in the soon to-be releaseed film Skyfall. The watch was expected to be sold for some 8,000 pounds but was sold for 157,300 pounds.
    Former Bond, Roger Moore presented a musical score of the soundtrack for the same film signed by the British singer Adele, performer of the title track. The lot was sold for 13,800 pounds.
    The total cost of the 1 pieces that were auctioned was 752,100 pounds. All proceeds will go to various charitable organisations.
    The auction was held to mark the 50th anniversary of the first James Bond movie.

  • MGM to release James Bond docu on 5 October

    MGM to release James Bond docu on 5 October

    MUMBAI: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Passion Pictures and Red Box Films have announced their new feature documentary ‘Everything Or Nothing: The Untold Story Of 007‘ directed by Stevan Riley.
    This will coincide with the 50th anniversary of James Bond films on 5 October. Country specific release plans will be announced shortly.
    The documentary focusses on three men with a shared dream – Bond producers Albert R. Broccoli, Harry Saltzman and author Ian Fleming. It‘s the thrilling and inspiring narrative behind the longest running film franchise in cinema history which began in 1962. With unprecedented access both to the key players involved and to Eon Productions‘ extensive archive, this is the first time the inside story of the franchise has ever been told on screen in this way.
    Director Stevan Riley follows a story that begins with a ground-breaking spy thriller and continues six Bonds and five decades later. While Bond was saving the world from chaos and catastrophe on screen, this compelling documentary draws back the curtain to reveal the battles, threats and real stakes unfolding behind the camera.

  • Five 007 films to screen at Cannes on 50th anniversary

    Five 007 films to screen at Cannes on 50th anniversary

    MUMBAI: This year‘s Cannes Film Festival will celebrate 50 years of the James Bond franchise by screening five classic 007 films.
     
    The films that will be screened on the occasion are From Russia with Love, On Her Majesty‘s Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever and Daniel Craig‘s debut film Casino Royale. The films, which have all been digitally enhanced, will be shown free to the public.
     
    “The screenings in Cannes mark a year-long celebration, including a return to theatres worldwide of some of the classic Bond films,” said MGM and Sony executives in a joint statement.
     
    The superspy first made an appearance on screen in 1962‘s Dr No and went on to become a sensational hit thereafter.