Cape Town ‘ready’ for 007 film if India troubles persist

CRAIG. Being the superspy is a high-class “problem” to have. RUBEN V. NEPALES

CAPE TOWN—South Africa’s Cape Town on Monday said it is ready to host British spy James Bond in his latest instalment of martini swilling and villain chasing, after reports of filming troubles in India.

“Cape Town welcomes James Bond whenever he decides to visit us,” said Cape Film Commission chief executive Denis Lillie.

The city said it had noted media reports of difficulties facing producers in the 23rd Bond movie, with producers said to have put forward Cape Town as an alternative.

“This demonstrates how a film project can very quickly go ‘off the rails’ if the coordination between city and government departments are not in place,” said Lillie.

“Cape Town would not be happy to benefit from someone else’s loss,” he said, but added that the city’s film-friendliness and bureaucratic coordination had been demonstrated during the 2010 football World Cup and its hosting of big films.

The scenic city is a popular location, drawing stars like Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, and has also been named for a local franchise of the popular American and British television show Law & Order.

South Africa’s film industry contributes 5.5 billion rands ($780 million, 537 million euros) to the province of the Western Cape, where Cape Town is situated, and 12.3 billion rands nationwide, Lillie said.

“Our city has all the facilities required for a shoot of this magnitude,” said councillor Grant Pascoe, a mayoral committee member for tourism, events and marketing.

“I would like to assure the producers that we stand ready.”

Media last week reported problems over filming permissions for railway scene stunts in India for the latest 007 leg, which is set for release next year.