Never say never: James Bond goes to Kabul

[Goldeneye]

* Jon Boone in Kabul
* guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 9 June 2009 19.14 BST


The poppy fields and drug barons of Helmand are likely to star in the next James Bond film after scriptwriters sought technical advice from the British embassy in Kabul.

Speculation that at least some of the next Bond adventure will be set in the volatile southern province of Afghanistan has been running high since a member of the Foreign Office's drug-busting team in the country began acting as a consultant for the Bond franchise last summer.

The official involved, who has since left the Foreign Office and Afghanistan, is believed to have signed a confidentiality agreement with the filmmakers preventing any discussion of the project.

UK diplomats have long joked about the need for a Bond figure to turn round the situation in Helmand, where thousands of British troops have struggled against a resilient, drug-funded insurgency.

None of them, however, expect the film to faithfully portray the realities of daily life for British officials stationed in Lashkar Gah, the dusty capital of Helmand, where diplomats live in fortress-like conditions and are only allowed out with teams of bodyguards and bomb-proof vehicles.

Eon Productions, the production company set up by Bond producer Albert ­Broccoli, would not comment on whether the film would have an Afghan theme or give any other details of the closely guarded plot. It will not be the first time 007 has ventured into Afghanistan. In the 1987 film The Living Daylights Timothy Dalton's Bond was imprisoned in a Russian camp in Afghanistan and teamed up with anti-Soviet freedom fighters.

Helmand is the epicentre of Afghanistan's $4bn drugs industry – if it were a country it would be the world's biggest producer of illegal opiates – and the UK has responsibility for trying to cut back the heroin business which funds the insurgency and fuels endemic corruption.

[katied]

Well, it would be topical, at least.*shrug*

[carl stromberg]

* Jon Boone in Kabul
* guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 9 June 2009 19.14 BST


The poppy fields and drug barons of Helmand are likely to star in the next James Bond film after scriptwriters sought technical advice from the British embassy in Kabul.

Speculation that at least some of the next Bond adventure will be set in the volatile southern province of Afghanistan has been running high since a member of the Foreign Office's drug-busting team in the country began acting as a consultant for the Bond franchise last summer.

The official involved, who has since left the Foreign Office and Afghanistan, is believed to have signed a confidentiality agreement with the filmmakers preventing any discussion of the project.

UK diplomats have long joked about the need for a Bond figure to turn round the situation in Helmand, where thousands of British troops have struggled against a resilient, drug-funded insurgency.

None of them, however, expect the film to faithfully portray the realities of daily life for British officials stationed in Lashkar Gah, the dusty capital of Helmand, where diplomats live in fortress-like conditions and are only allowed out with teams of bodyguards and bomb-proof vehicles.

Eon Productions, the production company set up by Bond producer Albert ­Broccoli, would not comment on whether the film would have an Afghan theme or give any other details of the closely guarded plot. It will not be the first time 007 has ventured into Afghanistan. In the 1987 film The Living Daylights Timothy Dalton's Bond was imprisoned in a Russian camp in Afghanistan and teamed up with anti-Soviet freedom fighters.

Helmand is the epicentre of Afghanistan's $4bn drugs industry – if it were a country it would be the world's biggest producer of illegal opiates – and the UK has responsibility for trying to cut back the heroin business which funds the insurgency and fuels endemic corruption.

How come the plot is "closely guarded"? Eon normally give the whole plot of a Bond film away months before it is released.

[James]

* Jon Boone in Kabul
* guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 9 June 2009 19.14 BST


The poppy fields and drug barons of Helmand are likely to star in the next James Bond film after scriptwriters sought technical advice from the British embassy in Kabul.

Speculation that at least some of the next Bond adventure will be set in the volatile southern province of Afghanistan has been running high since a member of the Foreign Office's drug-busting team in the country began acting as a consultant for the Bond franchise last summer.

The official involved, who has since left the Foreign Office and Afghanistan, is believed to have signed a confidentiality agreement with the filmmakers preventing any discussion of the project.

UK diplomats have long joked about the need for a Bond figure to turn round the situation in Helmand, where thousands of British troops have struggled against a resilient, drug-funded insurgency.

None of them, however, expect the film to faithfully portray the realities of daily life for British officials stationed in Lashkar Gah, the dusty capital of Helmand, where diplomats live in fortress-like conditions and are only allowed out with teams of bodyguards and bomb-proof vehicles.

Eon Productions, the production company set up by Bond producer Albert ­Broccoli, would not comment on whether the film would have an Afghan theme or give any other details of the closely guarded plot. It will not be the first time 007 has ventured into Afghanistan. In the 1987 film The Living Daylights Timothy Dalton's Bond was imprisoned in a Russian camp in Afghanistan and teamed up with anti-Soviet freedom fighters.

Helmand is the epicentre of Afghanistan's $4bn drugs industry – if it were a country it would be the world's biggest producer of illegal opiates – and the UK has responsibility for trying to cut back the heroin business which funds the insurgency and fuels endemic corruption.

Helmand sounds like something out of Starship Troopers. I doubt very much if Eon have a 'closely guarded plot' at this stage.

[Kristatos]

Speculation that at least some of the next Bond adventure will be set in the volatile southern province of Afghanistan has been running high since a member of the Foreign Office's drug-busting team in the country began acting as a consultant for the Bond franchise last summer.

That's pretty flimsy "evidence". Further proof that the Grauniad is turning into The Sun without the topless models.

[katied]

Eh, it might mean there's less of the "they ought to remake(insert name of movie here)" type posts elsewhere(among other ridiculous fanboy requests) and that's a good thing!

[CaptainLewis]

Online reports have suggested that the next James Bond film may find 007 fighting in Afghanistan.

Speculation started on Bond fansites after a Foreign Office worker in the Helmand province signed up to work as a consultant for the spy franchise.

The individual has reportedly signed a confidentiality agreement to prevent them discussing the follow-up to 2008's Quantum Of Solace.

Bond previously visited Afghanistan in Timothy Dalton's 1987 outing The Living Daylights, in which the secret agent was imprisoned in a Russian camp in the country.

Eon Productions has refused to comment on the rumours.

The 23rd Bond movie is expected to be released at some point in 2011. It will be Daniel Craig's third outing as the spy.

Website: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a159 ... istan.html

I suppose it is better than water being held hostage in Peru.

[John Drake]

This sounds a bit grim to me and Cbn are reporting that Haggis is likely to be back too. It looks like Bond 23 is going to be a laugh riot. Zzzzz...

[Kristatos]

This sounds a bit grim to me and Cbn are reporting that Haggis is likely to be back too. It looks like Bond 23 is going to be a laugh riot. Zzzzz...

I don't believe anything I read at this stage in a Bond film's production. 99% of it turns out to be complete bollocks.

[katied]

I don't believe anything I read at this stage in a Bond film's production. 99% of it turns out to be complete bollocks.

This is true..there were a lof of rumors last time-and they get taken an gospel even if they come from less than reliable sources(like, say, the Sun )

[Kristatos]

I don't believe anything I read at this stage in a Bond film's production. 99% of it turns out to be complete bollocks.

This is true..there were a lof of rumors last time-and they get taken an gospel even if they come from less than reliable sources(like, say, the Sun )

The ones that annoy me the most are when it's the same d**n rumours every time and people still believe it, like the "previous Bond actor (usually Connery) to come back as a villain" rumour.

[katied]

The ones that annoy me the most are when it's the same d**n rumours every time and people still believe it, like the "previous Bond actor (usually Connery) to come back as a villain" rumour.

Or the (insert name of actress) for Bond girl or (insert name of band or artist) for the theme rumors.