Are you excited for the newest installment of the classic James Bond action series? Pumped to watch the suave Englishman dodge bullets, uncover truth and seduce a beautiful woman? If you are a fan of both James Bond and Panama, you’ll be in luck this coming November. The newest installment of the high octane adventure movie, Quantum of Solace, starring Daniel Craig as Bond takes place in Austria, Italy and South America. However, the “South America” scenes in the movie were actually shot in Panama. Rumor has it the streets of Panama City will double for a city in Bolivia in the film.
Shooting for the film started in Panama last February. Main filming locations were scattered around Panama City, serving as backdrops for Bond escaping assassination attempts, dodging bullets, and romancing a beautiful, and maybe dangerous, woman. Gun battle scenes were shot at former U.S. Howard Air Force Base. Panama City’s International Institute of Culture building was transformed into the “Grand Andean Hotel.” Featuring refurbished interiors, the building serves as the location of one of the movie’s biggest action sequences, providing the backdrop for Bond’s escape from an assassination attempt in the elevator of the hotel. The streets of Casco Viejo were also used in the movie, doubling for a city further south in Latin America.
Movie tourism has been a growing industry in recent years. Since the Lord of the Rings Trilogy created what locals called a “Frodo economy” in New Zealand, James Bond may bring Americans (and their dollars) to Panama. With an immensely wide audience and large following, the Bond movie could inspire hoards of tourists to head to this Central American destination. The question will be if the Bond movie will lure as many visitors to the isthmus nation to influence a whole micro-economy like in New Zealand. My guess is not, since only part of the movie is shot in the Panamanian streets and the city plays the role of another Latin America country. Either way, however, the movie is sure to bring newspaper travel sections to Panama and will inject the country with more American visitors.
>>For more information about Quantum of Solace, or to watch the trailer, visit the Official 007 Web site
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