Land Rover Defender to star in 2012's new James Bond film Skyfall

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Search-Results/Motoring-issues/Land-Rover-Defender-to-star-in-2012s-new-James-Bond-film-Skyfall/

Land Rover’s Defender will be one of the star vehicles of the new James Bond film Skyfall, due in cinemas this winter. The venerable 4x4 will be driven in a chase sequence by Naomi Harris’s character, Eve. And the assignment is shaping up to be one of the toughest in the Defender’s 64-year history, says Skyfall co-producer Andrew Noakes.

‘We are really going to test that car,’ says Noakes, ‘do things to it it’s not normally designed for. Some of the stuff is so hairy and dangerous, we have to use a stuntman in a pod on the roof to do the driving. We’ve had to crank up the suspension, and the Defender is going to work very, very hard.’

It’s not the first time the Defender has appeared in a Bond chase: the 4x4 ended up plummeting from the rock of Gibraltar in the 1987 film The Living Daylights.

Jaguar-Land Rover is providing some 70 vehicles to the film: some are production support cars, others like the XJ and Evoque are set to figure on the screen. James Bond himself is set to drive an Aston Martin once more, but whispers suggest it might be a classic instead of a current model. DB5 anyone, with a nod back to 1964 and Goldfinger, as the franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary?

Noakes says the production company, EON, is delighted with the support of Jaguar-Land Rover. ‘The films may be made with American money and producers, but James Bond is British and we try to make associations with British companies. Land Rover is one of the oldest and most well-known. We’ve had offers from other companies but we’d prefer not to take James Bond out of a British environment.’ It sounds like the BMWs of the Pierce Brosnan era won’t be making a comeback anytime soon.

Great.

Given that we've seen other Land Rovers - the Evoque, I think - being shot in and around London, I'm guessing the Defender will be used for an off-road sequence of some kind.

Spoiler:

Can we get Skoda next?

I want a return to the glory days of Seiko watches.

Erica Ambler wrote:

Can we get Skoda next?

If the Defender is intended to be used in an actual off-road sequence, what should Bond drive instead?

You take all this far too seriously.

Have a drink, have a fuck, enjoy yourself.

Excuse me for thinking that you might be capable of having an intelligent conversation.

Mrs Aural Sects wrote:

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Search-Results/Motoring-issues/Land-Rover-Defender-to-star-in-2012s-new-James-Bond-film-Skyfall/

Land Rover’s Defender will be one of the star vehicles of the new James Bond film Skyfall, due in cinemas this winter. The venerable 4x4 will be driven in a chase sequence by Naomi Harris’s character, Eve. And the assignment is shaping up to be one of the toughest in the Defender’s 64-year history, says Skyfall co-producer Andrew Noakes.

‘We are really going to test that car,’ says Noakes, ‘do things to it it’s not normally designed for. Some of the stuff is so hairy and dangerous, we have to use a stuntman in a pod on the roof to do the driving. We’ve had to crank up the suspension, and the Defender is going to work very, very hard.’

It’s not the first time the Defender has appeared in a Bond chase: the 4x4 ended up plummeting from the rock of Gibraltar in the 1987 film The Living Daylights.

Jaguar-Land Rover is providing some 70 vehicles to the film: some are production support cars, others like the XJ and Evoque are set to figure on the screen. James Bond himself is set to drive an Aston Martin once more, but whispers suggest it might be a classic instead of a current model. DB5 anyone, with a nod back to 1964 and Goldfinger, as the franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary?

Noakes says the production company, EON, is delighted with the support of Jaguar-Land Rover. ‘The films may be made with American money and producers, but James Bond is British and we try to make associations with British companies. Land Rover is one of the oldest and most well-known. We’ve had offers from other companies but we’d prefer not to take James Bond out of a British environment.’ It sounds like the BMWs of the Pierce Brosnan era won’t be making a comeback anytime soon.

disappointed that there's no "shaken and stirred" in this article.

yay for Land Rover

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

Erica Ambler wrote:

Can we get Skoda next?

If the Defender is intended to be used in an actual off-road sequence, what should Bond drive instead?

I think Ambler is more opposed to the general notion of having a "star vehicle" in a Bond movie, rather than its specific brand.

But that line was already crossed - and then some - when they made Bond flog a watch in dialogue.

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

Erica Ambler wrote:

Can we get Skoda next?

If the Defender is intended to be used in an actual off-road sequence, what should Bond drive instead?

To spell out the fucking obvious, Land Rovers, Skoda, and Seiko watches aren't what comes to mind when one thinks of Bond. It reminds me of when the Ford Bondeo was announced to star in CR. Look how that turned out?

Sharkissimus Maximisimus: Official spokesperson for the Erica Ambler 3000 since 2010.

Sharky wrote:

To spell out the fucking obvious, Land Rovers, Skoda, and Seiko watches aren't what comes to mind when one thinks of Bond. It reminds me of when the Ford Bondeo was announced to star in CR. Look how that turned out?

That was like a cameo. This one is described as being used in an actual action sequence. The pre-title to The Living Daylights wasn't a let down either when it used a 4x4. I'm optimistic...

Everytime Aural's arse blocks out the sun my day brightens.

Sharky wrote:

To spell out the fucking obvious, Land Rovers, Skoda, and Seiko watches aren't what comes to mind when one thinks of Bond.

Yes, I'm aware of that. But, like I said, we've seen the Evoque all through production, particularly in London. Now they're changing to the Defender. Since both cars are four-wheel drives, one has to wonder why they've felt the need to change. Andrew Noakes' comments clearly state that the Defender will be doing things it was not intended to do in the first place, and since the Defender is a much hardier vehicle than the Evoque, that to me suggests that the Defender will be used for scenes that the Evoque could not do - or which audiences would not accept that the Evoque could do. Like serious off-roading.

So, if that is the case, with the scenes calling for heavy-duty off-roading, then please, suggest a suitable alternative to the Defender that would be more befitting of Bond.

Sharky wrote:

It reminds me of when the Ford Bondeo was announced to star in CR. Look how that turned out?

The Bondeo failed because of the product placement. QOS tried a similar tack, with Bond in a Volvo (when he arrived in Austria) and I think it worked. Why? Because the scene called for Bond to tail Dominic Greene from the airport to the opera house. And while an Aston Martin or a bentley might have been more Bondian, they also would have been a lot more conspicuous.

When Bond arrived in the Bahamas in CR, he was tracking the origin of the text message to Mollaka. When he killed Mollaka, Le Chiffre and his people became aware that someone had discovered them. They would no doubt watch very carefully for something out of the ordinary to happen. A newcomer arriving at The Ocean Club in a sports car and asking too many questions would fit that definition. Therefore, the Mondeo was an appropriate choice.

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

When Bond arrived in the Bahamas in CR, he was tracking the origin of the text message to Mollaka. When he killed Mollaka, Le Chiffre and his people became aware that someone had discovered them. They would no doubt watch very carefully for something out of the ordinary to happen. A newcomer arriving at The Ocean Club in a sports car and asking too many questions would fit that definition. Therefore, the Mondeo was an appropriate choice.

Yeah, 'cause Bond's actions in Nassau were so subtle and inconspicuous.

When M invites him to "go and bury your head in the sand", she clearly pulls all support for him (even though she knows he's onto something, she cannot be seen to be aiding him). He has to travel to the Bahamas on his own dime (even if he is reimbursed later), and I very much doubt that any car rental agency in Nassau would have a range of Aston Martins and Bentleys for hire. Even so, the point of the scene is that Bond travels largely incognito. He does not want to attract attention to himself until he absolutely has to. The Mondeo in CR - like the Volvo in QOS - is an appropriate choice of vehicle for the situation.

But that still doesn't answer my question - which car would be a more-appropriate choice for Bond to do some serious off-roading than the Defender?

A moon buggy.

It would be more accurate to say Jaguar-Land Rover is a British subsidiary of an Indian company (Tata Motors Ltd.) than an English company (as Car magazine phrased it). Jaguar hasn't been British owned since 1989 and Land Rover hasn't been British owned since 1994.

Not a criticism of the film, nor of the vehicles featured in the movie. Ford bought Jag in 1989, BMW bought Land Rover in 1994, later sold it to Ford. Ford bundled Jaguar and Land Rover together and sold it to Tata in 2008.

Better question: Any word on whether Bond is driving an Aston in this film, apart from the DB5?

Pretty sure it's just the DB5.

Sharky wrote:

Pretty sure it's just the DB5.

That's my understanding. Aston Martin is no longer affiliated with any major automaker (Ford owned it from 1987 until 2007). So Aston doesn't have much to offer the filmmakers in terms of promotional power. While an Aston was in The Living Daylights, the main automotive product placement in that movie was with Audi.

Don't think this Bond can be entrusted with another DBS.

Hilly wrote:

Don't think this Bond can be entrusted with another DBS.

Well at least his first spin wound him up in the Guinness Book of World Records... :face:

Mrs Aural Sects wrote:

Hilly wrote:

Don't think this Bond can be entrusted with another DBS.

Well at least his first spin wound him up in the Guinness Book of World Records... :face:

Quite true :) Good thing there wasn't a Q about, he wouldn't have wanted to spend hours hammering the kinks out.

Given Dan's track record with the Astons, one fears for the DB5 in Skyfall.

It'd be nice to see Bond in a vehicle that is comparable or actually worse than his pursuers (or those he pursues) so that real driving skills come into play....although this seems to be suggesting its Naomie doing the driving I assume Bond will take the wheel at a vital stage (unless hes chasing her however).

Some decent chases without gimmicky stunts would be a welcome change for the series.