Daniel Craig & Sam Mendes Talk ‘Skyfall’

[UPDATE: scans removed by request] With the new October edition of Empire Magazine arriving in stores today, a number of images and quotes have emerged online from  the cover story feature on the forthcoming 23rd James Bond adventure, ‘Skyfall.’ Sitting down with director Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig, the pair revealed to Empire just how 007′s latest adversary, Silva, will be more than a match for MI6′s finest. “[Silva] is larger than life in one respect but full of surprises – never entirely, at any given moment, exactly what you think it is. Javier takes some risks,” explains Mendes. “But he’s an amazing actor and I think he gives you something you may consider to have been absent from Bond movies for a long time,” he adds. “Silva’s up there with the greats, for me, and that’s why I worked very hard to persuade one of the great actors of the world to do it…” As for whether he considers this a revitalisation of the franchise, Mendes says, “…There are quite a lot of new things in this movie, but I never had the intention to reinvent the wheel.”

Daniel Craig also spoke on how it felt to put on James Bond’s dinner jacket once more, telling Empire that he takes it very seriously indeed. “When I’m doing the movie I’m totally single-minded,” Daniel Craig said. “…I keep my energy levels as high as I can all the time. I want to inspire, and be inspired. And I’m lucky enough to work with some incredible people with vast experience. I was standing on top of a train in Turkey with this crew of people, I looked around and I thought, ‘You know, this is the best place to be for an actor.’ So I kind of give it all I’ve got, and then collapse for a while!” The October issue of Empire heralds the arrival of their yearly winter preview, alongside ‘Skyfall,’ the likes of ‘Lincoln,’ ‘Cloud Atlas,’ ‘The Master,’ ‘The Flight,’ ‘Zero Dark Thirty,’ ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ and ‘Django Unchained,’ are also featured.

Directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road, Road to Perdition), ‘Skyfall’ sees Daniel Craig and Judi Dench continue their roles as James Bond and M. The cast also includes Naomie Harris as a field agent named Eve, Javier Bardem as Silva; the stories leering and sinisterly creepy lead villain, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw as Q; MI5′s resident gadgets man, Tonia Sotiropoulou, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner; the MI6 Chief of Staff, Ola Rapace, Bérénice Marlohe as the “glamorous and enigmatic” Sévérine, and Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory - who’s been described as “darkly complex.”

I’ve got high hopes for ‘Skyfall,’ I loved the trailers and I’m a huge fan of Daniel Craig’s more gritty and intense incarnation of James Bond. This latest 007 chapter was shot at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, Scotland, Whitehall in London, Shanghai and Istanbul. The screenplay is written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. ‘Skyfall’ will begin its worldwide roll-out in the UK and Ireland on October 26th, with a North American release following on November 9th. The Director of Photography is Roger Deakins, a nine-time Oscar nominee who previously shot the films ‘Jarhead’ and ‘Revolutionary Road’ for Mendes. Composer Thomas Newman will score the film.  Some scans (via CBM) from the ‘Skyfall’ feature can be viewed below, providing us with new looks at Daniel Craig’s James Bond, Bérénice Marlohe’s Sévérine, Javier Bardem’s Silva, Naomie Harris’ Eve, Judi Dench’s M, and Ben Whishaw’s Q.

In SKYFALL, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. SKYFALL marks the return of Daniel Craig as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007, as well as Judi Dench reprising her role as M. The film also stars franchise newcomers Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem and Naomie Harris. The film is directed by Sam Mendes from a screenplay written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are producers.

‘Skyfall’ will begin its worldwide roll-out in the UK and Ireland on October 26th, with a North American release following on November 9th. The Director of Photography is Roger Deakins, a nine-time Oscar nominee who previously shot the films ‘Jarhead’ and ‘Revolutionary Road’ for Mendes. Composer Thomas Newman will score the film. The Production Designer is Dennis Gassner, who previously designed ‘Quantum of Solace’ and collaborated with Mendes on the films ‘Road to Perdition’ and ‘Jarhead.’ The Editor is Stuart Baird, A.C.E., whose many credits include ‘Casino Royale.’ Jany Temime, whose many credits include the Harry Potter series, ‘In Bruges,’ and ‘Children of Men,’ is the Costume Designer. Action specialist Alexander Witt is the 2nd Unit Director. Gary Powell is Stunt Co-ordinator, Chris Corbould is SFX Supervisor and Steve Begg is Visual Effects Supervisor, all of whom have worked on previous Bond films.

The IMAX release of SKYFALL will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.