BOND 23 Opening Sequence In Istanbul, Villain's Girl is Turkish?
Two key details for the next James Bond film have been revealed... but we are still awaiting a title.
With preparations well underway for the 23rdJames Bond film to begin shooting in November this year, the locations that will be used are all beginning to be finalised. First it was confirmed on Monday that South Africa would be welcoming the crew instead of India for a major portion of the film and now, according to mi6-hq.com, the opening scenes will be filmed in Istanbul, Turkey. Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson met with Ertugrul Günay, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister, yesterday to finalise their plans to shoot part of the film in their city. Günay confirmed; Such is the appeal of the series that many of the locations where Bond films have been filmed in the past have continued to attract Bond fans to visit many years down the line. The fact that the opening scene of the film will be made in Turkey will contribute to Turkish tourism.
A small pre-production crew is already in Istanbul finalising the logistics of the scene and a casting call has been issued for Turkish actresses' to fill the position of the villains girlfriend. Locations are set to include the citys historical neighbourhood Sultanahmet Square as well as the waterside and shores of the Bosporus. Wilson told reporters, it really feels like we are coming home as Bond returns to the city first used by the film franchise in 1963 for From Russia With Love. On that occasion Istanbul was used for the majority of the films location shooting with Bond author Ian Fleming even joining the production to watch scenes being shot at the Hagia Sophia Mosque and Sirkeci Train Station. More recently Bond returned to Istanbul during The World Is Not Enough in 1999. 
Expectations are really high for this next instalment and it would seem that Bond 23 is shaping up to be an exciting prospect which we know has a title but EON are waiting for their usual press conference before they will unveil. With an a-list director on board (Sam Mendes), Daniel Craig well established in the lead role, Javier Bardem looking likely as the villain with Ralph Fiennes in a major role (could he be Blofeld?) and a welcome return for classic characters (Naomie Harris as Miss Moneypenny leading to the hope that Q might be back) things are shaping up very nicely indeed.