007 not stirred by 3-D, no plans for 3-D Bond

[October 19, 2012]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Celebrating his 50th birthday, James Bond has been learning some new tricks -- but 3-D isn't one of them.

Producers of the spy franchise say they have no interest in a making a Bond film in 3-D. The upcoming "Skyfall" is the first Bond film to be released since "Avatar" made 3-D a common and often lucrative practice for blockbusters.

"3-D is fantastic for the right material, but we're not sure Bond is the right way to go," said "Skyfall" producer Barbara Broccoli in a recent interview. "With our movies, there's a lot of challenges to 3-D, particularly when you've got a lot of action and a lot of quick cutting."

Broccoli and her half-brother Michael G. Wilson have shepherded the last seven Bond films, preserving the franchise as a family business. "Skyfall," which premieres next week in the U.K. and opens Nov. 9 in the U.S., follows 2008's "Quantum of Solace" -- released a year before James Cameron's 3-D epic.

"It has to be right for our story," said Broccoli. "Unless you can do something as well as ('Avatar'), it's probably not worth looking at."

Wilson said there has been interest in converting some of the old Bond films into 3-D, which he called "more of a novelty."

Shooting in 3-D, which requires larger cameras, can be cumbersome, and quick action shots can be awkward because viewers' eyes don't adjust rapidly enough. But 3-D, for which higher ticket prices are charged, can also bring in more box office.

Bond films, more classical in their 2-D, go for spectacle instead with IMAX. "Skyfall" will be released a day early, Nov. 8, in North America on IMAX screens.

Still, Broccoli left the door open for things to change. Daniel Craig is signed for at least two more Bond films, which will be the 24th and 25th in the franchise. Neither is currently being planned in 3-D.

"Who knows?" she said. "We'll see if things change in the future."

[Associated Press; By JAKE COYLE]

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