Everyone has his price. Even James Bond it would appear. In the next James Bond movie ‘Skyfall’ Bond will be seen drinking a beer instead of his traditional “shaken, not stirred” martini.
Daniel Craig as James Bond
The price … $45 million.
That is what Heinekin are reported to have paid for their ‘Skyfall’ product placement campaign and thus downgrading Bond for the suave martini sucking spy to just another bloke on a big screen.
The deal includes Daniel Craig’s Bond persona to be used on the beer bottles worldwide and a television commercial starring Craig and directed by Skyfall director Sam Mendes to be produced.
This isn’t the first time Bond has been sold off to major corporations. In ‘Casino Royale’, Bond drove a Ford instead of his trademark Aston Martin.
In fact, the Bond franchise has been a Mad Men pot of gold dating back to the Sean Connery years. Connery’s Bond flew Pan Am, drank Smirnoff and that Aston Martin was originally product placement as well.
In 2002’s ‘Die Another Day’ James drank Finlandia Vodka but at least he was still drinking a martini. Rolex, Sony Erricsson, Virgin Atlantic, Calvin Klein, Kodak, 7UP, Samsonite, Mattel, Revlon and Omega have all funded Bond movies in the past.
‘Skyfall’ is the 23rd James Bond movie. It will be released in November.
