Written by on Apr 19, 2012. Posted in Production News

Sam Mendes' James Bond feature Skyfall films on location in Shanghai

New Bond thriller Skyfall has filmed on location in the Chinese city of Shanghai, quashing rumours that Turkey was to be the only international location outside the UK.

Michael Lerman is First Assistant Director and spoke on Yahoo UK: “One of the really special things about working on the Bond films is finding just the right location for what the script is calling for ... You have Shanghai, which is a really special city. It’s a really exotic Bond location and such a great skyline.”

Alexander Witt is Second Unit Director and also spoke to the outlet: “It’s an amazing city to see at night. I mean, all the high rises have neon lights and advertising. It’s amazing through the lens; I haven’t seen anything like it.”

The production has already filmed extensively in the UK and Istanbul, as we reported earlier this week.

It seems that 2012 is becoming a significant year for the relationship between Hollywood and the emerging and lucrative Chinese filming industries. While Bond will showcase Shanghai later this year, The Bourne Legacy will showcase Manila in the next few months ahead of an expected formal filming incentive in the Philippines.

It’s an amazing city to see at night. I mean, all the high rises have neon lights and advertising. It’s amazing through the lens; I haven’t seen anything like it.

Alexander Witt, Second Unit Director

Iron Man 3, as we reported earlier this week, will also film partly in China through a co-production deal with DMG Entertainment in Beijing.

This week, a delegation from the Chinese Government visited Pinewood Studios in London to find out more about the filmmaking facilities available in the UK.

(Stills images copyright: Francois Duhamel – © 2012 Danjaq, LLC, United Artists Corporation, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc)