20 Things You Didn't Know About Licence To Kill (1989)

4. The Things He Does For England

James Bond Timothy Dalton Carey Lowell Pam Bouvier Licence To Kill
MGM/UA

Licence to Kill marked the first time that virtually no scenes in a Bond film were shot in Great Britain, even though London's Whitehall features in a brief establishing shot.

The removal of the UK's Eady Levy in 1985 resulted in the higher taxation of foreign filmmakers, forcing the production to relocate. This also meant that Bond had to vacate his symbolic home of Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire for all but post-production and sound re-recording services.

Cubby Broccoli negotiated for Licence to Kill to be primarily based in Mexico at Estudios Chrusbusco, which had once been owned by his old friend and famed recluse, Howard Hughes.

However, when they arrived at the studios, the production team found it to be quite behind the times, even to the extent that they had to instal a telephone system. Nevertheless, their hard work paid off as the film still carries an exotic look befitting both a 1980s action movie and an entry in the James Bond franchise.

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