Bond 25: Go Behind The Scenes Of The Film's Jamaica Set

Bond is back, and he's burning up the Caribbean.

A short video from the set of the as-yet unnamed 25th film in the James Bond franchise gives us a look at the film's locale, along with director Cary Fukunaga and star Daniel Craig hard at work. The video was posted to the James Bond 007 YouTube Channel.

The minute-long, music video-style spot doesn't tell us much about the film's plot, but it does feature a couple of key supporting cast members, including Jeffrey Wright (reprising his role as Felix Leiter from 2008's Quantum of Solace) and Captain Marvel's Lashana Lynch as a new character named Nomi. It also gives us an idea of the kind of vibe Bond 25 will sport (in a word: sweltering), and it seems to suggest that production is now humming along smoothly on a film that has had more bumps in the road than any Bond picture in recent memory.

First and foremost, it was a neat magic trick just to get Craig to return for a fifth outing as 007. After the release of Spectre in 2015, the actor famously had a rather extreme reaction when asked in an interview with Time Out if he could picture himself saddling up for another outing. "'Now? I'd rather break this glass and slash my wrists," the actor said at the time. "No, not at the moment. Not at all. That's fine. I'm over it at the moment. We're done. All I want to do is move on... if I did another Bond movie, it would only be for the money."

Of course, the A-list actor probably didn't find himself destitute at any point over the next couple years, but in 2017, he announced he'd be making his return while seeming mortified over his previous statement. "I just want to go out on a high note. I can't wait," Craig said during an appearance on Late Night with Stephen Colbert. With regard to the infamous Time Out interview, he said, "Instead of saying something with style and grace, I said something really stupid." (via Vanity Fair)

Once Craig and his adjusted attitude were firmly on board, Bond 25 began moving ahead in earnest. In May 2018, it was announced that Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle would helm the picture from a script he was to co-write with frequent collaborator John Hodge; unfortunately, that script became a point of contention between director and studio, and Boyle exited the project only three months later.

Boyle's departure was a factor contributing to the film's release being pushed back not once, but twice — originally slated for release in November of this year, the flick was first shuffled to February 14, 2020, before landing in its current slot of April 8, 2020. The production did score a major talent in Boyle's replacement; Fukunaga has turned in excellent work in features such as 2015's Beasts of No Nation and television productions like HBO's True Detective and the Netflix original series Maniac. But his shoot didn't exactly get off to a smooth start; in May, Craig suffered an ankle injury which sidelined him for two weeks, and just days later, a crew member was hurt during the filming of a controlled explosion.

On top of all this, Fukunaga has had to deal with rumors (which have been debunked by cast and crew) that he himself caused production delays by goofing off playing video games, which... honestly, the guy is shooting a Bond movie in one of the most beautiful countries on Earth. Somehow, we really doubt he's been glued to his PlayStation. 

At any rate, the law of averages dictates that this film has now likely had its entire share of difficulties, and it will be wide open road ahead from here on out. Bond 25 will almost certainly be Craig's swan song in the role, and as always, he has an excellent cast around him. In addition to Wright, returning players include Ralph Fiennes (M), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny), Lea Seydeoux (Madeleine Swann), Rory Kinnear (Tanner), and Ben Whishaw (Q). Joining the cast alongside Lynch are Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Dali Benssalah (A Faithful Man), Billy Magnussen (Velvet Buzzsaw), Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049), and David Dencik (Chernobyl).

The flick will see Bond drawn into international intrigue yet again while he's simply in the midst of trying to enjoy a little R&R. Its official synopsis: "Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology."

We'd like to take this opportunity to extend our wishes of good luck to the cast and crew, and to remind them that curses are in no way real. We appreciate their hard work on 007's latest adventure, and we can't wait to see what Fukunaga and company have in store for us when Bond 25 hits the big screen next April.