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PRODUCTION UK

Forster for Bond, Apted for Narnia

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German-born Swiss director Marc Forster will direct the hugely anticipated next instalment of the James Bond franchise for MGM and Columbia Pictures. Bond 22 will see Daniel Craig return as Ian Fleming’s iconic British super-spy and will be a continuation of Casino Royale [+see also:
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, which is the highest grossing Bond film ever.

The film begins shooting at London’s Pinewood Studios in December and will release worldwide on November 7, 2008. The Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated Forster is best known for directing the acclaimed Monster’s Ball (2001), Finding Neverland (2004) and Stranger Than Fiction (2006). He has just completed shooting the film adaptation of The Kite Runner, which was an international bestseller for author Khaled Hosseini.

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Forster will collaborate with Paul Haggis on a new draft of Neil Purvis and Robert Wade’s script. He said, “The new direction that the Bond character has taken offers a director a host of new possibilities.”

Long-time Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson chose Forster for “his exceptional talent and unique vision.” According to Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, “What makes him the perfect choice for Bond 22 is that he will bring to this film all the elements Bond audiences expect – action, humour, suspense and thrills.”

Former Bond director Michael Apted (The World is Not Enough) will now tackle another British franchise, C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, for Disney and Walden Media. The veteran British director will direct The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third in the series. Andrew Adamson, who directed the first Narnia film and is in the process of making the second one, will produce the film along with Mark Johnson.

Shooting begins in January 2008 for a May 1, 2009 release. Ben Barnes, Georgie Hanley and Skandar Keynes will reprise their roles of Prince Caspian, Lucy and Edmund respectively. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian will open on May 16, 2008.

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