James Bond SKYFALL Fun Facts

Did you know James Bond's iconic car the Aston Martin DB5 has only made six appearances in the 007 franchise including the 23rd film SKYFALL? And did you know the SKYFALL's cast shot off 200,000 rounds of ammunition during their training sessions.  Learn more interesting tidbits about the James Bond franchise and interesting facts behind the latest 007 film starring Daniel Craig.

SKYFALL Fun Facts

-M’s house in the film is the former home of the legendary Bond composer John Barry. Filmmakers thought it would be a lovely tribute to the late composer, who passed away in 2011.

-When it came time to casting Silva’s mercenaries, Sam Mendes wanted actors rather than stuntmen. In order to find actors that could fit the physical bill, Gary Powell set up a stunt training camp. Starting with forty-two men, the group had to learn how to throw punches, react to punches, hold guns and react to being shot. The group was eventually narrowed down to the seven men who looked most natural.

-Skyfall marks the first film for ten-time Oscar®-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins to shoot on a digital camera. Deakins describes the Arri Alexa, “This camera has brought us to a point, where digital is simply better.”

-Multiple British rally car champion Mark Higgins, was Naomie Harris’ driving stunt double for wide-angle shots of the Land Rover weaving through traffic.

-This is the sixth Bond film that the Aston Martin DB5 has been featured in. It first appeared in Goldfinger way back in 1964 and subsequently appeared in Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Casino Royale. 

-It took 9 weeks and 250 crew to build the underground MI6 Headquarters on the 007 stage.

-Undergoing weapons training, the cast went through 200,000 rounds of ammunition.

-Patrice’s gun, GLOCK 18, holds 100 rounds of ammunition and fires 20 rounds a second.

-Bond has 85 repeats of his Tom Ford opening sequence suit.

-Bond’s tie had to be weighted for the motorbike chase. The weight kept the tie from flying around when he drove at high speeds.

-Coca Cola was sprayed on the tarmac of the streets in Istanbul to keep the bikes from sliding.

-Stunt Coordinator, Gary Powell, comes from a dynasty of stuntmen.  Between them, the Powell family have covered every James Bond film since DR NO in 1962.  His father, Nosher Powell, and uncle Dinny, worked on all the Connery and Lazenby films, his brother Greg worked on all the Moore and Dalton films, and Gary has worked on all the Brosnan and Craig Bond films to date.

-In order to film the chase in Istanbul, the production team had to remove the existing tiles from the bazaar and replace them with rubber tiles just in case the stunt didn’t go as planned. Once the filming was finished the original tiles were then put back in place.

-At college Skyfall production designer, Dennis Gassner was a highly talented linebacker and was offered to try-out for the LA Rams!  However, he refused the offer in favor of continuing his studies in graphic design and is now an Oscar® winning production designer.

-Our exterior Whitehall shots, halfway through the chase between Bond and Silva, we had 750 extras, 100 background vehicles, 300 film crew and Multipal agency co-operation - Westminster City Council / TFL  / TFL Buses / Met Police  / CHX Police / London Underground / Herts Traffic Management / MOD / Royal Parks / Common and Foreign Wealth Office / Network Rail