20 Things You Didn’t Know About Casino Royale (2006)
12. The Man With The Golden Eye
Peter Lamont was originally hired by Sir Ken Adam as a draughtsman on Goldfinger and gradually rose through the ranks to become the series' regular production designer starting with For Your Eyes Only.
He also designed several James Cameron films, including Aliens (1986) and Titanic (1997). The latter earned him an Academy Award for Best Art Direction, but also led him to miss out on Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).
He was originally going to retire after Die Another Day, but when Martin Campbell agreed to direct Casino Royale, he remembered how much Lamont had helped him during GoldenEye. The production designer also considered that telling the story of how James Bond became Double-0 Seven would be a fitting end to his career.
It was a worthy challenge for him, encompassing familiar locations such as Nassau and Venice, as well as new ones such as Barrandov Studios in the Czech Republic, where most of the film’s soundstage scenes were shot. However, Lamont’s retirement was sadly also marked by the destruction of the Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios whilst the Venetian palazzo set was being dismantled.
Although he wanted to return for Quantum of Solace, Marc Forster sadly replaced him with Dennis Gassner. However, Lamont retired on an undeniable high note.