DIE ANOTHER DAY, the latest 007 adventure - the twentieth in the most successful film franchise in cinema history - began principal photography on Monday, January 14th, 2002, at Pinewood Studios, London, the traditional home of the James Bond movies. The film is being produced for Eon Productions by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, carrying on a family tradition founded by the late Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli, who began the successful series forty years ago with the groundbreaking Dr. No.
For release in North America by MGM and in the rest of the world by Twentieth Century Fox International, DIE ANOTHER DAY is being directed by Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors, The Edge, Along Came a Spider), and deals with betrayal, hi-tech weaponry and military domination on a huge scale.
The story begins in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea with a spectacular high-speed hovercraft chase. The action continues via Hong Kong to Cuba and London, where Bond meets up with the two ladies who'll play such important and differing roles in his quest to unmask a traitor and prevent a war of catastrophic consequence. Hot on the trail of the principal villains Bond travels to Iceland, where he experiences firsthand the power of an amazing new weapon, ultimately leading to a dramatic confrontation with his main adversary back in Korea where it all started.
Pierce Brosnan - who starred in the highly successful GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and The World Is Not Enough - reprises his role as James Bond, who finds himself in serious trouble when a covert operation in North Korea is compromised by an unknown traitor. The two girls involved with Bond are Academy Award®-winning American actress Halle Berry and relative newcomer, London-born Rosamund Pike, who is rapidly making a name for herself on television and the British stage.
British actor Toby Stephens, American actor of Korean descent Rick Yune, and Asian-American actor Will Yun Lee play the principal villains. Experienced American actor Michael Madsen plays the role of an uncompromising NSA agent.
Dame Judi Dench and Samantha Bond make welcome returns as 'M' and Moneypenny. John Cleese takes over the role of 'Q' following the tragic death of the late Desmond Llewelyn. Completing the regular MI-6 team is Colin Salmon.
With a screenplay by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade (The World Is Not Enough, Let Him Have It), DIE ANOTHER DAY is shooting on locations around the world, including Iceland, Hawaii, Spain, and the UK. Sets are being constructed at Pinewood over ten stages, including the world famous Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage and the Back Lot. Making a welcome return to the Bond family is the Aston Martin car, with the top-of-the-range V12 'Vanquish' serving 007 as well today as the DB 5 did all those years ago.
Producer Michael Wilson says, "I am convinced that the tremendous success of the James Bond series is directly attributed to the quality the pictures have been able to maintain. Cubby Broccoli always insisted on having high production values, which is no doubt why the films continue to be successful. Barbara and I will continue to produce the Bond films in the same way, and hopefully repeat the success of GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough as the series continues. "
Director Lee Tamahori says, "I've been a big fan of the Bond movies most of my life. To me, the Bond film is a kind of impregnable fortress of filmmaking. It used to be about girls and gadgets and a good-looking spy, and then it changed shape. It's now about girls, gadgets, a good-looking spy - and big action. It is a timeless thing and constantly evolving. "
