BOND 23 Spoilers! Major Action Sequence in India Revealed

By Matt Holmes / August 23, 2011

The Times of India have revealed a possible spoiler for a major train stunt action sequence planned for James Bond 23 that will be happening in January-February, either in India or South Africa, depending on Government permission. Pravesh Sahni of India Take One Productions gave away the scoop, quoted saying;

"This could be one of the biggest Hollywood movies shot in our country. Trains are the backbone of the film. We'll pay for the shooting and also mention Indian Railways in the credit line. The shooting was supposed to happen in October-November. Now, we've postponed it to January-February. For the past three months, we've been trying to get things in order. The film has Daniel Craig doing stunts on a freight train. While the Indian Railways has given us permission to shoot, I need to meet someone and explain how important it is for us to block two tracks for eight hours a day over five to six days. For the past 15 days, I've been trying to get someone to hear me out. South African authorities are waiting to provide everything that is required to support this movie. If we can't get this cooperation from India, the film will no longer be shot here."

From the sounds of things it will be up to Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi to give the go-ahead for the India shoot on the Ahmedabad and Goaor tracks (the issue seems to be over the closing of public railways) which if denied, production will be moved to South Africa.

The 738km Konkan Railway along the coast of India has some stunning scenery as MI6-HQ have pointed out.

Sahni said;

"One can always divert trains if one is convinced about the importance of shooting this international movie in India. We shot "" in Mumbai and the roads had to be blocked because we couldn't have shot stunts with a car speeding down the road at 180 km/hr amidst regular traffic," Sahni said.

It€™s been 28 years since Bond was last in India for Roger Moore€™s sixth outing, Octopussy in 1983. Filmed on location in Udaipurit proved then to be a highly memorable location not least for the superb tuk-tuk chase through the city streets. Expectations are high for this next instalment and it would seem that Bond 23 is shaping up to be an exciting prospect. With an A-list director on board (Sam Mendes), star Daniel Craig well established in the lead role, Javier Bardem as the villain with Ralph Fiennes in a major role and a welcome return for classic characters (Naomie Harris as Miss Moneypenny leading to the hope that Q might be back) it has the potential to be something special.