http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1501119/...jectid=10492645
Al Pacino set to play Bond villain

[b]11:14AM Friday February 15, 2008
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(IMG:http://media.apn.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/al_pacino.jpg)
Al Pacino

Al Pacino is set to play James Bond's nemesis in the new 007 spy movie 'Quantum of Solace'.

The legendary actor is believed to be making an appearance as the head of the terrorist group in the latest instalment of the British spy franchise.

A source revealed: "Al Pacino has been approached about playing a Bond bad guy. It will be a brief but extremely important role. Movie bosses are hoping he will be the best Bond villain yet."

Pacino is expected to film his scenes at London's Pinewood Studios in April or May.

In the movie, starring Daniel Craig as the British super spy, Bond is hunting down the terrorists responsible for the death of his love Vesper Lynd.

Pacino, 67, will follow in the footsteps of stars including Christopher Walken, Christopher Lee and Robert Carlyle who have all portrayed a Bond nemesis.

Earlier this month, it was claimed Amy Winehouse was set to write and perform the theme tune for the hotly-anticipated film.

The movie - based on the books of author Ian Fleming - is to be released on November 7, 2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_of_Solace
Quantum of Solace is the 22nd spy film in EON Productions' James Bond film series, due for release on 7 November 2008. It is the sequel to the 2006 film Casino Royale, which rebooted the series. It is directed by Marc Forster, and features Daniel Craig's second performance as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade returned as writers. In the film, Bond battles Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a member of a cover organisation called Green Planet, seeking revenge for the death of Vesper Lynd. Greene intends to stage a coup d'état in a Latin American country. Bond is assisted by Camille (Olga Kurylenko), who also wants revenge against Greene. The title was chosen from an unrelated short story in Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only (1960).

Producer Michael G. Wilson created the film's story whilst Casino Royale was shooting. The film was originally scheduled for a 2 May 2008 release, but it was pushed back to allow more time when Roger Michell dropped out as director. Second unit filming began in August 2007 at Siena and Madrid, before principal photography began in January 2008 at Pinewood Studios. Production designer Dennis Gassner took over from Peter Lamont, who retired after working on eighteen Bond films. He designed the five major Pinewood sets, which stand in for Siena, Bolivia and the MI6 headquarters. Gassner's designs are close to the modernism of Ken Adam, the first Bond production designer. Location filming will take place at Panama, Chile, Peru, Italy and Austria, before moving back to Pinewood in June. There will be more gadgets than in Casino Royale, though they will still aim to be realistic.