'Quantum of Solace' stars hit Moscow

Promo tour kicks off with Russian bow

By NICK HOLDSWORTH

Daniel Craig and Olga Korylenko pose during a photocall for the new James Bond film 'Quanturm Of Solace', on the roof of Ritz-Carlton hotel in Moscow.

MOSCOW — Seeking a modicum of comfort at a time of world financial crisis from strong international box office prospects for “Quantum of Solace,” the producers and stars of the new Bond movie kicked off the film’s worldwide promotional tour in the Russian capital, Monday (Oct. 13).

Producer Barbara Broccoli said launching the marketing campaign for “Quantum of Solace,” which opens here November 6, was a reflection of the importance of the Russian market.

“This is a key, emerging market for us and it is very exciting to be here,” said Broccoli, whose father Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli founded the Bond movie franchise in 1962 with “Dr No.”

“We shot in St Petersburg and had a wonderful experience. Russia is a country with a very strong film tradition and we are very much looking forward to the Russian reaction to the film.”

Broccoli, who was joined at a packed press conference at Moscow’s luxury Ritz Carlton hotel by director Marc Forster and stars Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko (Camille) and Anatole Taubman, said the new film – the 22nd in the series – would reveal a newly confident Bond.

“At the end of ‘Casino Royale’ Bond is devastated when the woman he loves is killed by an evil organization. The title of the new film reflects his journey to put things right and find a quantum of solace.”

Asked what the most challenging scenes in the film were, Craig – who does many of the stunts himself – said that a freefall sequence where he and Kurylenko leap out of a plane was among the most difficult.

“We did this in a wind tunnel with winds of 200 mph ripping around us and 20 cameras shooting from all around. That was one of the toughest days,” said Craig, adding that a stuntman badly injured during filming in Italy had now made an “almost full recovery.”

Michael Schlicht, the film’s Russian distributor, told Variety that he anticipated box office gross in the territory of “around $20 million” following its release on 800-plus prints.