Latest news with #QuantumofSolace


Perth Now
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Britt Ekland believes next Bond girl should be a 'natural beauty'
Britt Ekland believes the next Bond girl should be should be chosen for her "natural beauty". The hunt is currently on for a new James Bond to take over from Daniel Craig - who stepped down from the role after his fifth film No Time To Die in 2021 - after long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson handed over control of the franchise to Amazon MGM Studios and The Man with the Golden Gun star Britt has now explained what the new Bond bosses need to look for in a female lead. She told The Times newspaper: "She should be attractive ... chosen for her natural beauty. And she should be athletic. "I think that's very important because the role generally involves running, jumping, a little bit of fighting. It involves moving your body." However, fellow former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko - who appeared opposite Craig in 2008's Quantum of Solace - told the publication choosing a new Bond girl has to be about more than just looks. She told the publication: "It's not just about the looks. What I see on Instagram is that girls are inspired to be as naked as they can be ... "A Bond girl doesn't take selfies. Her goal is thinking about strategy, about how she's going to complete her mission. "A Bond girl is witty, she's smart. She has her own agenda, she has a serious occupation, and that's what makes her sexy. It's not enough to just have an attractive face or a body if it's an empty vessel." It was recently suggested the James Bond franchise could return with an "origins" movie and a "very young" new star amid rumours 007 will be getting a massive shake-up with the character being taken back several decades. The rumour was shared by actor Daniel Mays who revealed he'd heard some details about what Amazon are planning for Bond. During an appearance on the We're Not Getting Any Younger podcast, he said: "Bond is a big deal right, that going to Amazon ... I heard a rumour they're going to cast someone very young and go sort of back to the origins. "They're going to sort of '60s, you're going to have all the retro cars and that sort of stuff - and start again. I think that would be kind of cool."


Sunday World
04-07-2025
- Sunday World
Kinahan cartel chief Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh could be stripped of fortified mansion
Kavanagh's £1 million fortified UK mansion, which was fitted with bullet roof windows, has been placed under a court freezing order. Kinahan Cartel heavyweight Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh could be stripped of his fortified UK mansion and hundreds of thousands of pounds of other assets later this month when a Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation hearing finally takes place. Kavanagh, 57, who headed UK operations for the mob and cartel lieutenant 'Flash' Gary Vickery 42 face the legal proceedings later this month at Ipswich Crown Court where they were both convicted of conspiring to import class A and B drugs and money laundering offences in March 2022 over a €36m drug smuggling racket. The case is set to be heard at the court on July 24. Kavanagh's £1 million pile in Tamworth, which was fitted with bullet proof windows, has been placed under a court freezing order, which prevents its sale with approval from the CPS, since April 2020 as revealed by the Sunday World last September. His wife, Joanne, sister of notorious Kinahan associate Liam Byrne, who is joint owner of the property, is also prevented from selling her interest in it under the order. The couple jointly purchased the luxury pad for £565,000 after his Dublin home was earlier seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) in Ireland. Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh. Photo: National Crime Agency There is no suggestion she had any involvement in or knowledge of her husband's criminal activities. Other assets that were seized during a January 2019 raid on the address, include designer goods estimated at £500,000. It included about one hundred pairs of designer shoes, 120 handbags, 36 pairs of Armani jeans, Hugo Boss suits, Canada Goose and Moncler jackets and expensive watches and jewellery. About £40,000 cash was also found stuffed in a sofa and in Moschino, Gucci and Chanel handbags. National Crime Agency investigators, together with the CPS, will have been trying to establish any other assets held by Kavanagh and Vickery. This will include looking at spending on high-end designer store cards believed to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds in the case of Kavanagh and the dealings of his former car sales business TK Motors Birmingham. They are also likely to have looked at any foreign assets held by the pair. Kavanagh is thought to have invested with others in property and businesses in Majorca, where he is understood to have owned a stunning villa, and Ibiza, where he and Byrne are understood to have invested in property and businesses. Before being extradited to the UK from Lanzarote in November 2021, Vickery, had a limited-edition Sunseeker Superhawk power boat, which had featured in the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace plus other luxury boats, including a private yacht. He was also investing in the local pleasure cruiser industry. Vickery and his wife Nicola O'Connor, who had no involvement in or knowledge of her husband's criminal activities, were living in a stunning gated villa in Macher on the island, and renting other properties. Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 4th Vickery had two UK-registered limited companies which were registered to an address in Solihull, near Birmingham. Vickery Services Limited, which was recorded as being involved in 'temporary employment agency activities', and vehicle sales firm Sigma Cars and Commercials, were both forcibly struck off the Companies House register in January 2021 and March 2022 respectively. The confiscation proceedings have been delayed by a series of criminal prosecutions. On January 12 2019 Kavanagh was arrested at Birmingham airport as he returned from a holiday in Mexico. In September 2019 he was jailed at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court for three years for possessing a 10,000-volt stun gun disguised as a torch, which was found with other weapons during the raid on the house. In July 2020 Kavanagh, Vickery and Canning pleaded guilty to major drugs importation and money-laundering offences at Ipswich Crown Court. Due to major discussions over their basis of plea, and Kavanagh pretending to become an NCA informant, the three were not sentenced until March 2022. Judge Martyn Levett sentenced Kavanagh to 21 years, Vickery to 20 years and Canning to 19 years and six months. In August 2023 Kavanagh and Liam Byrne, 44, and Shaun Kent, 39, from Liverpool, were charged with firearms offences in connection with an informant plot which was hatched while the former was in jail over the stun gun conviction. Kavanagh later admitted at the Old Bailey that he had plotted to fool the NCA by saying in May 2021 that he had intelligence about where a stash of weapons from Holland was hidden buried in a field in Newry, Northern Ireland, in the hope of getting a lighter sentence in the drugs conspiracy case. The firearms, seven machine guns, three automatic handguns, and an assault rifle and ammunition, were recovered by police, but the men had discussed the plot on the encrypted mobile phone system EncroChat, which was infiltrated by French police in April 2020, meaning the NCA had access to the messages. In October 2024 Kavanagh was sentenced to six years in prison to be served consecutively to his twenty-one year sentence. Byrne was sentenced to five years while Kent got six years in prison. It is not clear yet if Canning will face a confiscation hearing in connection with his role in the drugs conspiracy. The NCA has been asked.


Daily Record
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Controversial Daniel Craig Bond film ranked higher than Sean Connery favourite on TV tonight
The James Bond film, which sees Daniel Craig reprise his role as the fictional MI6 agent, will air on STV in Scotland and ITV in England this weekend - and it's ranked higher than a Sean Connery classic on Rotten Tomatoes This weekend, catch Daniel Craig 's second performance as the iconic MI6 agent, James Bond, in Quantum of Solace on television. Tune into STV 3 (ITV 1 in England) at 8pm on Saturday, June 21, to witness the thrilling follow-up to Casino Royale (2006), which is also the 22nd instalment in the esteemed James Bond series, originally released in 2008. Helmed by Marc Forster and penned by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade, the film features an impressive cast including Dame Judi Dench, Mathieu Amalric, Giancarlo Giannini, Olga Kurylenko, and Jeffrey Wright taking on pivotal roles. The globe-trotting production of Quantum of Solace took place across six countries: the UK, Italy, Austria, Chile, Panama, and Mexico. David Arnold makes his fifth consecutive return as the composer, enhancing the film's espionage vibe. Making its grand debut at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on October 29, 2008, the premiere was graced by Royalty—with Princes William and Harry among the distinguished attendees—and ticket sales contributed to the noble causes of the Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes, reports the Express. With a whopping $589.6 million amassed globally, Quantum of Solace stood tall against its hefty $230 million production budget. Even though it surpassed Sean Connery's Diamonds Are Forever and Roger Moore's Moonraker on Rotten Tomatoes' ranking of Bond films, it holds a middling 63 per cent critics' approval rating on the site. A critic described it as "one of the most listless Bond films" they had ever watched. A reviewer sarcastically remarked: "I'm so turned off by this, I don't even have the energy to trash it. Why should I think of something clever to write? The authors clearly didn't see that as a mandate." In a similar vein, another critic added: "Let's hope this is a one-off aberration, because though it's all very efficient it lacks heart and soul and substance." In an episode of The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast in November 2024, Daniel Craig shared that his experience working on the film, which was his second appearance as Bond, was a "f-ng nightmare". This was largely due to the disruption caused by the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike, which halted production mid-way. Craig explained: "Paul Haggis did a pass on the script. Then, he went off and joined the picket line and we didn't have writers. So, we didn't have a script. We should never probably have started production, but we did. I ended up writing a lot of that film, which I probably shouldn't say. I do not want the credit. It's fine." Reflecting on how the film was received, Craig observed: "There are some amazing stunt sequences in it. I'm still wearing the pins to prove it. In that sense, there's a lot of great stuff in it, but it just didn't quite work. The storytelling wasn't there. That's the abject lesson. Going to start a movie without a script is not a good idea." His second Bond outing fared terribly with viewers, scoring a paltry 58 per cent audience approval rating from over 250,000 ratings. Furthermore, this Bond film's reception with viewers was even more unfavourable as it recorded a meagre audience approval score of just 58 per cent with more than 250,000 ratings. One viewer expressed disappointment, commenting: "This film just feels like an extended post credit scene for Casino Royale. It is fun to watch but not enough story to make it interesting." Another viewer was less than impressed, labelling it as "Craig's worst movie as agent 007". Dissatisfaction with the film's direction by Marc Forster was evident when a viewer remarked: "This Bond film is truly groundbreaking for multiple reasons: the most poorly edited action sequences ever, the worst opening title song ever, and the absence of the James Bond action music until, get this, the credits roll at the end of the film! Beyond shocking after the brilliance of Casino Royale. Don't ever let this director anywhere near another Bond film." STV is set to air Quantum of Solace on Saturday, June 21, at 8pm.


Scotsman
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Quantum of Solace cast: who is in Bond film? Full list
Quantum of Solace is on TV this weekend - but who is in the cast? 🕵️♀️ Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Quantum of Solace is set to be broadcast on TV this weekend. It was the second 007 film to feature Daniel Craig. But who else was in the cast of the classic movie? James Bond is one of the most iconic characters in the history of film and Daniel Craig made quite the impression when taking on the role. Across five movies and 15 years he put his own spin on the legendary spy. One of his first outings as 007 is set to be broadcast on terrestrial TV this weekend. Quantum of Solace has secured a prime Saturday night slot on ITV. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Rumours continue to swirl around who will take on the mantle of James Bond next, following Craig's final film in 2021. But while you wait, why not re-watch one of the more modern films in the franchise. Here's all you need to know: When is Quantum of Solace on TV? Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace which began production during the 2008 Hollywood writers' strike. The 22nd Bond film - and second with Daniel Craig as 007 - will be broadcast tonight (June 21) on ITV. It is set to begin at 8pm and will run for around 2 hours, including adverts. Who is in the cast of Quantum of Solace? It has been 17 years since the film first came out in cinemas, so you might have forgotten who was in the movie - outside of Daniel Craig of course. The cast includes: Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Daniel Craig - James Bond Olga Kurylenko - Camille Montes Mathieu Amalric - Dominic Greene Giancarlo Giannini - René Mathis Gemma Arterton - Strawberry Fields Anatole Taubman - Elvis Jesper Christensen - Mr. White David Harbour - Gregg Beam Rory Kinnear - Bill Tanner Tim Pigott-Smith as the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Joaquín Cosío - General Medrano Jeffrey Wright - Felix Leiter Judi Dench - M Fernando Guillén Cuervo - Carlos Paul Ritter - Guy Haines Neil Jackson - Edmund Slate Simon Kassianides - Yusef Kabira Stana Katic - Corrine Veneau Glenn Foster - Craig Mitchell Oona Chaplin - Perla de las Dunas's receptionist Lucrezia Lante della Rovere - Gemma Jesús Ochoa - Lieutenant Orso The film also featured appearances from fellow directors Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón - the latter played a helicopter pilot. Del Toro lent his voice to multiple roles. You might have spotted actors who you've become far more familiar with in the years since you last watched the movie. Not least of all David Harbour, who will return for the final season of Stranger Things later this year. What is Quantum of Solace about? The synopsis for the film, via Radio Times , reads: 'Following betrayal by his lover, secret agent James Bond embarks upon a globe-trotting mission to discover the truth. Soon, 007 comes into contact with the shadowy Quantum organisation, whose intentions are decidedly sinister…'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Man denies breaching restraining order by contacting ex-007 producer
A man has denied 11 counts of breaching a restraining order by contacting former James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli. Daniel Wilson was prohibited from contacting Ms Broccoli, 64, by an order put in place at Isleworth Crown Court on July 3 2017. Ms Broccoli, 64, and her half-brother Michael G Wilson, 83, produced the James Bond franchise after the death of her father Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli in 1996 until February this year. Amazon MGM Studios gained creative control of the franchise in March this year. It is alleged that Mr Wilson, 36, from Lambeth, south London, acted in breach of the restraining order by attempting to contact Ms Broccoli 'without reasonable excuse' on 11 dates between April 2022 and April last year. Mr Wilson appeared on video link and pleaded not guilty to each charge at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday. The court heard Mr Wilson, who wore glasses and a patterned jacket during the hearing, is currently in hospital. Bail conditions had been put in place at an earlier hearing and Judge Sally-Ann Hales KC ordered that they would continue. She told Mr Wilson he could not 'be in possession of any device that can access the internet' or contact Ms Broccoli directly or indirectly. He must also live and sleep each night in a location directed by the NHS, she said. His trial was set for July 19 2027, and Judge Hales added: 'I'm afraid that is the earliest date that the court can accommodate.' She granted that Ms Broccoli can give evidence behind screens 'given the nature of the allegations'. Mr Wilson is charged with acting in breach of the restraining order on April 1 and 19, May 19 and 25, June 30 and July 6 in 2022. He is also accused of doing so on March 10, April 12, 17, 20 and 22 in 2024. The 007 franchise had been controlled by members of the Broccoli family, either single-handedly or in partnership with others, since the first Bond film Dr No in 1962. Ms Broccoli and her half-brother produced the past nine Bond films, including Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Spectre and No Time to Die. They have been made CBEs and won the outstanding British film Bafta for 2012's Skyfall along with director Sir Sam Mendes. Amazon gained creative control of the British spy franchise following a deal which saw Eon Productions, run by Mr Wilson and Ms Broccoli, become co-owners with Amazon MGM Studios. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.