Tomorrow Never Dies
25th Anniversary 1997-2022

Principal photography began at Frogmore on April 1, 1997 with close-ups of Pierce Brosnan as he exits the exploding arms bazaar to match the location filming captured in The Pyrenees three months earlier. This was followed by the scenes involving Judi Dench, Samantha Bond, and Colin Salmon - making his series debut as Charles Robinson - a role he would reprise in the next two Pierce Brosnan 007 films.

In mid-April Pierce Brosnan filmed the printing-press fight sequence at Harmsworth Quays Printing in Rotherhithe, and Westferry Printers on the Isle of Dogs in East London, which doubled for the interior of Elliot Carver’s Hamburg print facility. On 21/22 April 1997 Desmond Llewelyn reprised his role as the much-loved Q for the sixteenth time in his scenes with Pierce Brosnan, filmed at the Business Aviation Terminal as Stansted Airport, again standing in for Hamburg. The next day saw Pierce Brosnan and Teri Hatcher film Bond’s seduction of Paris Carver at Stoke Park Golf Club, which had previously been the location for the memorable golf match in Goldfinger (1964).

The first and second units then travelled to Thailand and started shooting the spectacular motor bike chase on May 14th. Whilst in Thailand the unit also captured part of the sequence where Bond and Wai Lin escape from Carver’s Saigon headquarters by jumping off the building and holding onto the ropes of a giant banner. The sequence was completed back at Frogmore Studios where a five-storey mock-up of the building had been constructed. Filming concurrently with the first and second units was the miniature effects unit supervised by John Richardson; this unit spent over a month at the Baja Studios in Mexico using the world’s largest water tank, which had originally been built for the filming of James Cameron’s Titanic (1997). The unit captured all the footage involving the British naval frigates and Carver’s stealth vessel. Ironically both Titanic and Tomorrow Never Dies were released in US cinemas on the same day in 1997. James Cameron’s epic retelling of the 1912 Titanic disaster would become the highest-grossing film of all time up to that point, and kept Tomorrow Never Dies off the top spot at the US box-office throughout their theatrical release.

Back at Frogmore Studios co-producer Michael G. Wilson made his cameo appearance as Tom Wallace, Vice-President Special Projects - one of the Carver Media Group Network employees addressed by Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) in a video conference call. The video unit filmed various components for the sequence on June 5th. A week later long-time James Bond aerial stunt specialist B.J. Worth began filming the H.A.L.O. (High Altitude Low Opening) sequence in Florida, but was hampered by adverse weather and mechanical problems with various aircraft.

Another major action sequence was filmed at the Brent Cross Shopping Centre multi-storey car park in North London, standing in for Hamburg. Second unit director Vic Armstrong used 17 silver BMW 750ILs during the sequence, which took three weeks to complete. Outdoor sets required to complete the Vietnamese market for the motorbike action sequence were constructed at Frogmore, with filming starting on July 3rd. The interior of a bicycle shop was also built for a fight sequence showcasing Michelle Yeoh’s skilful martial arts talents. Pierce Brosnan was injured two weeks later whilst filming the climactic fight on board Carver’s stealth ship when a stuntman’s metal helmet caught the right side of the actor's face, leaving a deep gash above his top lip. Later filming cleverly masked his injury by shooting from different angles, and a judicious use of make-up.

CONTINUED

FACT FILES