The 007 Stage at Pinewood was built to house massive Liparus supertanker
set for 'The Spy Who Loved Me'.
After a search across Europe, the producers failed to find a stage large
enough to house the three submarines the scene required, so they decided
to build a new stage and tank specifically for that film. Designed by
the Academy Award-winning production designer Ken Adam, the stage
enabled massive sets to be constructed under cover and away from prying
eyes. For the earlier James Bond adventure 'You Only Live Twice'
the scaffolding exterior of the set for Blofeld's volcano base was an
eyesore, and resulted in numerous complaints from nearby residents.
The construction cost $1.8million (in 1976).
The stage has been destroyed by fire twice.
In July 2006, just after 'Casino Royale' had finished shooting the
Venice scenes, fire broke out again, this time allegedly caused by an
oxyacetalyne torch being used to dismantle the structure supporting the
Venice sets.
PInewood Studios publicity claims this is the largest stage in Europe,
but as this is a silent shooting stage (with no soundproofing),
Cardington Shed 2 (used by Christopher Nolan on his recent projects) is
considerably larger.
Title |
Released |
Director |
IMDB |
The Spy Who Loved Me [Feature Film] |
1977 |
Lewis Gilbert |
|
The 007
Stage was constructed to house the massive Liparus Tanker set. |
Superman [Feature Film] |
1978 |
Richard Donner |
|
007 Stage -
Fortress of Solitude and Artic exterior with lake and glaciers
(tank holding 800,000 gallons of water). |
Soundstage
sets:
- Daily Planet offices
- Lex Luthor underground lair and pool
A Stage - Flying Unit |
Moonraker [Feature Film] |
1979 |
Lewis Gilbert |
|
007 Stage |
Superman II [Feature Film] |
1980 |
Richard Lester, Richard
Donner |
|
007 Stage:
Fortress of Solitude interiors |
Clash of the Titans [Feature Film] |
1981 |
Desmond Davis |
|
007 Stage |
For Your Eyes Only [Feature Film] |
1981 |
John Glen |
|
007 Stage:
St. George's Vessel - underwater wreck |
Krull [Feature Film] |
1983 |
Peter Yates |
|
One of the
first (if not the first) to feature CGI morphing effects when
the goose transforms. |
Twenty-three
sets were built for the film, covering ten sound stages at
Pinewood Studios, including the 007 Stage (used for the swamp
scenes). |
Octopussy [Feature Film] |
1983 |
John Glen |
|
007 Stage:
Kamal Khan's palace. Black Park was also used. |
Duran Duran: Wild Boys [Music Video] |
1984 |
Russell Mulcahy |
|
This
ground-breaking music video was shot on the 007 Stage, and cost
over $1 million at the time (1984). |
Supergirl [Feature Film] |
1984 |
Jeannot Szwarc |
|
The town of
Midvale was built from scratch on a back lot at Pinewood
Studios. Most of the film was shot on soundstages including the
007 Stage. |
A View To A Kill [Feature Film] |
1985 |
John Glen |
|
007 Stage:
Max Zorin's silicon mine |
Arena [Feature Film] |
1985 |
Russell Mulcahy |
|
This
extended music video / concert performance by Duran Duran was
shot on the 007 Stage. |
Legend [Feature Film] |
1985 |
Ridley Scott |
|
A massive
fire during production (on 27th June 1984) destroyed the Legend
forest sets, camera equipment and lighting rigs, as well as the
007 Stage at Pinewood. |
Santa Claus [Feature Film] |
1985 |
Jeannot Szwarc |
|
007 Stage:
Santa Workshop |
Aliens [Feature Film] |
1986 |
James Cameron |
|
007 Stage:
Sulaco space ship cargo bay |
The Little Shop of Horrors [Feature Film] |
1986 |
Frank Oz |
|
007 Stage:
Skid Row set
A Stage: Interior Mushniks Shop |
The Living Daylights [Feature Film] |
1987 |
John Glen |
|
007 Stage |
Alien 3 [Feature Film] |
1992 |
David Fincher |
|
007 Stage:
Blast Furnace and other interiors |
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles [Feature
Film] |
1994 |
Neil Jordan |
|
007 Stage -
Theatre of the Vampires |
Mission: Impossible [Feature Film] |
1996 |
Brian De Palma |
|
007 Stage:
Channel Tunnel chase & general interiors |
Event Horizon [Feature Film] |
1997 |
Paul W.S. Anderson |
|
The Engine
Room was built in the 007 Stage. |
The Fifth Element [Feature Film] |
1997 |
Luc Besson |
|
007 Stage -
spaceship/shootout/London and Hong Kong hotels |
Tomorrow Never Dies [Feature Film] |
1997 |
Roger Spottiswoode |
|
007 Stage:
Elliot Carver's stealth boat and HMS Devonshire underwater
wreck. |
Still Crazy [Feature Film] |
1998 |
Brian Gibson |
|
007 Stage:
Rock Concert |
The Avengers [Feature Film] |
1998 |
Jeremiah S. Chechik |
|
007 Stage:
Sir August Winter weather machine |
Entrapment [Feature Film] |
1999 |
Jon Amiel |
|
007 Stage:
Petronas Towers skywalk |
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat [Feature
Film] |
1999 |
David Mallet |
|
007 Stage |
The World is Not Enough [Feature Film] |
1999 |
Michael Apted |
|
The Russian
nuclear testing facility was built in the 007 Stage. |
The Caviar
Factory was built on the Paddock Tank at Pinewood. |
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider [Feature Film] |
2001 |
Simon West |
|
007 Stage:
Cambodian Temples |
Die Another Day [Feature Film] |
2002 |
Lee Tamahori |
|
The massive
Ice Palace interior set was built on the 007 Stage [March 2002] |
Moon
Compound (pre-title) was shot on the Pinewood backlot (January
2002) |
Interiors
(including the Q Workshop [Jan 2002] and Gene Therapy Lab [Feb
2002]) were shot at Pinewood |
Alexander [Feature Film] |
2004 |
Oliver Stone |
|
007 Stage:
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Indian Palace. Extensive
shooting on the backlot. |
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory [Feature
Film] |
2005 |
Tim Burton |
|
007 Stage:
Chocolate River Room |
Casino Royale [Feature Film] |
2006 |
Martin Campbell |
|
007 Stage -
Venetian Piazza
D Stage - Miami airport miniatures
Paddock Tank - Venetian Sinking house exteriors
Ugandan rebel camp scenes were shot in adjacent Black Park. |
The Da Vinci Code [Feature Film] |
2006 |
Ron Howard |
|
007 Stage:
The Louvre Gallery interior |
Mamma Mia [Feature Film] |
2008 |
Phyllida Lloyd |
|
The first
film to be shot on the new 007 Stage following the fire after
Casino Royale (2006) wrapped. The whole Greek villa and
surrounding village was built on the 59,000 sq ft stage,
surrounded by a bluescreen which was replaced by sky / sea views
in post-production. |
Quantum of Solace [Feature Film] |
2008 |
Marc Forster |
|
007 Stage |
Ford: Kinetic Design [Commercial] |
2009 |
Nick Lewin |
|
007 Stage |
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time [Feature
Film] |
2010 |
Mike Newell |
|
007 Stage |
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 [Feature
Film] |
2011 |
David Yates |
|
Dark Forest
and Battlements sets were built on the vast 007 Stage. |
Hogwarts
Entrance Staircase set and Kings Cross set was built on D Stage. |
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides [Feature
Film] |
2011 |
Rob Marshall |
|
UK base for
the production.
B Stage: Captains Quarters set.
E Stage: Captains Daughters pub.
H Stage: Exterior of the longboat at Whitecap Bay.
R Stage: LPS, the interior of St James' Palace.
007 Stage: The cave for the Fountain of Youth.
North Lot: London dockyard street. |
Prometheus [Feature Film] |
2012 |
Ridley Scott |
|
007 Stage, C
Stage, L Stage, M Stage, R Stage, S Stage, TV One Stage, North
Lot |
Skyfall [Feature Film] |
2012 |
Sam Mendes |
|
A section of
the London Underground (explosion scene) was recreated on the
007 Stage. The construction of the underground Mi6 HQ on the 007
Stage took 9 weeks and 250 crew. The lake approach to the Golden
Dragon Casino was filmed on the Pinewood Paddock Tank. Also used
A Stage, B Stage, C Stage, D Stage, F Stage, G Stage, L Stage, S
Stage, Underwater Tank. |
Jack Ryan [Feature Film] |
2013 |
Kenneth Branagh |
|
007 Stage:
New York Subway System flood. The Richard Attenborough Stage was
also used. |
007 Stage:
New York Subway System flood |
Jack Ryan [Feature Film] |
2013 |
Kenneth Branagh |
|
007 Stage:
New York Subway System flood. The Richard Attenborough Stage was
also used. |
007 Stage:
New York Subway System flood |
Maleficent [Feature Film] |
2014 |
Robert Stromberg |
|
The movie
was shot entirely at Pinewood Studios using various locations
including A Stage, B Stage, M Stage, N/P stage, Paddock Lot,
North lot, 007 Stage and Black Park. |
Cinderella [Feature Film] |
2015 |
Kenneth Branagh |
|
C Stage, E
Stage, F Stage, M Stage, 007 Stage, backlot (Castle Exteriors).
Adjacent Black Park was also used for forest sequences. |
Everest [Feature Film] |
2015 |
Baltasar Kormákur |
|
007 Stage -
mountainous crags constructed using styrofoam and chips of soap/potato
as snow, backed by huge green screens. |
The Pinewood Studios Group will launch today the official website for
the revitalized 007 Stage to mark the practical reopening of Europe's
largest sound stage, it was announced by Nick Smith, Sales and Marketing
Director.
Said Nick Smith, "It's fantastic news that our largest stage is back up
and running. The 007 Stage and Pinewood are such an integral part of the
British film industry. This official website gives both professionals
and the public alike a chance to discover for themselves the rebuilt
stage and its new features. The website not only covers the practical
information about the stage but also the rich filmmaking history
associated with it."
The stage which has been rebuilt following a fire in July 2006 is
currently the largest stage in Europe with an internal area of 59,000 sq
ft and an immense tank capable of holding 5.25 million litres. A number
of features that have been incorporated to enable filmmakers to get the
most out of the stage include a vehicle access ramp directly into the
tank, aircraft hangar style loading doors and improved sound proofing.
The stage is perfect for film, TV and events and now has a capacity of
2000 people. At launch, the 007 stage website will feature exclusive
content on the stage's state of the art redevelopment, including never
before seen images of the fire in July 2006 and custom made video,
animation and interactive elements detailing its impressive grand
redesign. Professionals and consumers alike will be able to register to
receive monthly newsletters containing updates on the studios by email.
The world famous 007 stage at Pinewood was built in 1976 for the Bond
movie The Spy Who Loved Me and has since housed some of the
most spectacular sets in cinema history. Cambodian Temples for Lara
Croft Tomb Raider, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon for Alexander,
The Louvre Gallery for The Da Vinci Code and The Chocolate
River forCharlie and the Chocolate Factory to name but a few.
More recently, Pinewood Studios' 007 Stage was home to several
spectacular scenes from Casino Royale.