James Bond film crew ‘have it together’, reckons Rami Malek, villain in next movie, as troubles dog its shoot

Oscar winner, who’s been filming scenes in Norway without the injured Daniel Craig, says ‘they’re shooting what they can’ while Bond actor recovers from surgery

Film has already seen Danny Boyle replaced as director, Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge brought in to polish the script, and an explosives mishap on set

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Daniel Craig as James Bond in 2012's “Skyfall”. The shooting schedule for the next Bond film has been adjusted while Craig recovers from surgery on an ankle he injured filming for the spy series’ 25th instalment. Photo: Francois Duhamel/Columbia Pictures/TNS

Published: 4:00pm, 24 Jun 2019Updated: 7:44pm, 25 Jun 2019

Fresh off his Oscar win for a film plagued by drama, Rami Malek has again found himself working on a rather chaotic production. He’s been shooting scenes in Norway as the villain of Bond 25, a working title for the 25th instalment in the spy film franchise, but has yet to do so with James Bond himself.

That’s because star Daniel Craig had to undergo ankle surgery last month after hurting himself on set in Jamaica, the latest injury to afflict an actor who famously once said he would rather kill himself than play Bond again.

While filming a fight scene for 2006′s Casino Royale, his first outing as the fictional spy, Craig reportedly lost a couple teeth after getting hit in the face. Filming 2008′s Quantum of Solace, he both tore his shoulder and sliced off the tip of his finger. Production on 2015′s Spectre halted for a few days so Craig could undergo a minor procedure after injuring his knee on set. (This guy commits.)

It’s not unusual for production issues to set back a film – not even for Bond movies, given the mess that occurred with Quantum of Solace script revisions in 2007, when Craig himself stepped in to help after the Writers Guild of America went on strike for a few months. But everything has played out quite publicly with Bond 25, to the point where actors have even addressed the issues on the record.

Cary Joji Fukunaga and actor Daniel Craig. The director was brought in to replace Danny Boyle, who left over “creative differences”. Photo: Reuters

Malek insisted in an interview with the British news website Digital Spy this month that Craig’s latest injury doesn’t spell doom for the film, which Cary Joji Fukunaga (TV’s True Detective, Maniac) is directing.

“Daniel was injured, so they are shooting what they can,” Malek said. “I talked to Cary yesterday and the schedule has been altered. I know that. But with a franchise like this, I think they have it together.”