'The villain was always an Italian': James Bond producer denies that Spectre script was made more pro-Mexican in return for financial incentives while filming there
- Leaked emails reportedly indicated pressure from Mexico about Spectre
- It's said officials made suggestions on nationality of actress and the villain
- Producer Michael G Wilson denied that the script was changed as a result
- Filming in Mexico for the Daniel Craig flick is due to begin on Thursday
The producer of the new James Bond thriller Spectre denies that the script was changed to get incentives in Mexico.
Earlier, it was reported that leaked emails indicated that Mexico made suggestions on the nationality of an actress and the villain, the villain's intended victim and some film shots. Implicitly, Mexico's incentives for the film were at stake, it said.
Producer Michael G. Wilson said Wednesday: 'There is nothing in the script that we hadn't had before. The villain was always an Italian ... we already shot that in Rome.'
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Producer Michael G. Wilson and Bond girl Stephanie Sigman arrive for a photo call ahead of a press conference to discuss Sigman's role in the upcoming 007 film Spectre in Mexico City
Asked about Mexico's purported insistence on a Mexican actress in a role known as Estrella, Wilson said, 'We always had a Mexican actress playing this part.' The film has cast Mexican actress Stephanie Sigman in the role.
Officials in Mexico City have declined to comment on possible incentives offered on the movie, which is scheduled to begin its Mexico filming Thursday.
Relying on emails leaked as part of the recent hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment, website Tax Analysts said that the target of the villain Sciarra should be an international leader rather than Mexico City's mayor and that a 'special police force' should appear in the film instead of Mexican police.
The film has cast Mexican actress Stephanie Sigman as a character called Estrella
Actor Daniel Craig as 007 filming an action scene in Solden, Austria, for new bond film Spectre
Wilson confirmed there are incentives.
'Everywhere we go we have incentives,' he said at a news conference. 'Sometimes they're taxes; sometimes they're other kind of incentives. You can get cooperation, you can get things you would usually pay for for free and all that.'
But it wasn't just incentives. Wilson confirmed that Mexico's 'Day of the Dead' traditions will be seen in the film, or at least a Bond version - 'where everything is sort of magnified.'
Mexicans remember departed relatives and friends on the Day of the Dead at the beginning of November with orange flowers, candy skulls and other death-related decorations.
'The writers thought the day of the death would be an excellent background in the opening sequence, very colorful, very mysterious,' Wilson said. 'You can only do that in Mexico. There is no other place that offers that but Mexico.'
Spectre sees Daniel Craig as 007 going up against a sinister organisation. The film is due out in October this year.
Car chase scenes being filmed on the set of Spectre by the Tiber River in Rome
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Mexican officials paid Sony and MGM $20million to rewrite new James Bond film 'Spectre' to make their country look good
- Mexico officials are offering Sony Pictures Entertainment and MGM millions to portray a positive image of the country in the new 'James Bond' film
- To save money, the studios have allowed Mexican officials to make changes in casting, characters' ethnicities, and characters' occupations
- News of the 'Mexican Deal' surfaced during the recent Sony hack
Mexico officials are offering Sony Pictures Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. up to $20 million to portray a positive image of the country in the upcoming 'James Bond' film, 'Spectre.'
Among many private documents leaked by hackers in the recent Sony hack were emails between Sony and MGM officials regarding the upcoming 'James Bond' film, looking for ways to save money, according to Tax Analysts.
As part of, what the e-mails referred to as, the 'Mexican Deal,' producers are making several changes to the film to secure up to $20 million from Mexican officials including script rewrites and casting changes.
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Millions: Mexico officials are offering Sony Pictures Entertainment and MGM millions to portray a positive image of the country in the new 'James Bond' film (photographed is Daniel Craig as James Bond in 'Spectre')
In one email, Jonathan Glickman, president of MGM's motion picture group, wrote that producers are facing a budget for 'Spectre' far beyond what was expected.
Now more than $300 million, Glickman said producers are under 'immense' pressure to reduce the film's budget to $250 million.
'This is not about 'nickel and diming' the production,' Glickman wrote. 'As of now, our shooting period is $50M higher than 'Skyfall' and the current gross budget sits in the mid $300Ms, making this one of the most expensive films ever made.'
Desperate to save money, producers have reportedly given up a measure of creative control.
They are so desperate in fact, that the studio allowed Mexican officials to dictate characters' ethnicities, make casting decisions, and change the occupation of an unnamed character that never appears on screen, the Independent reports.
Cast: Mexican officials requested that a Mexican actress be cast as a Bond Girl; Mexican actress Stephanie Sigman has joined the cast of 'Spectre' as Estrella
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2998344/Spectre-Mexico-officials-pay-Sony-MGM-20M-make-country-look-good-new-James-Bond-film.html#ixzz3UsmORzgf
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