Written by on Aug 16, 2012. Posted in On Location

Sam Mendes' James Bond film Skyfall aiming for different view of London locations

Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig are aiming to deliver a different view of London in the upcoming Bond movie Skyfall. The film shot extensively in the English capital earlier this year, but the filmmakers are eager to avoid the usual expectations.

In a new video blog, Mendes and Craig discuss how they’ve used the city. Mendes comments: “It’s not a particularly photogenic city and to give it a mood and atmosphere, and a sense of threat or a sense of personality; because it’s such a varied city that’s been a challenge.”

Craig offers: “We had to see parts of London we hadn’t seen before and also use the iconography probably more so than you would be able to in most movies because Bond opens a few doors.

We got the chance to close down Whitehall and we’ve used the London Underground and closed down tube stations.

Daniel Craig

He adds: “We got the chance to close down Whitehall and we’ve used the London Underground and closed down tube stations ... We’ve made it look very beautiful, and very dark and sinister at times, but it’s Bond’s home.”

Skyfall has had its fair share of behind-the-scenes drama, with an India shoot abandoned, reportedly as a result of local bureaucratic delays. Other exotic locales took its place, with Shanghai and Turkey among the major international destinations visited by the film’s main unit.