First look inside the James Bond Pinewood set destroyed by huge explosions
EARLIER this month the James Bond Pinewood set was destroyed by three huge explosions that ripped through the area and left one member of the crew with a “minor injury”.
Photos of the building have just been released that reveal the extent of the damage to the famous 007 Stage at the Buckinghamshire site.
The blast damaged the outside of the area where the spy franchise is produced, taking off part of the roof and a number of wall panels of the multi-million pound complex.
It’s thought a member of staff was left crushed by part of the set which fell on him as he stood on a ramp outside the studios.
Crew on the film, which has been plagued with issues since the beginning of filming, were testing a stunt involving a fireball in a laboratory when the incident took place.
A Bond source said: "It was utter chaos.
"There were three huge explosions and it’s blown part of the Bond stage roof off and some wall panels off the stage. They were supposed to be filming.
"A fireball was supposed to go through the set. That was the stunt but something has gone horribly wrong.
"There were three loud explosions, one after another, and a member of the crew was lying on the floor outside the building injured.
"It went bang, bang, bang. The place is now on total lockdown."
A spokesman for the film said: "During the filming of a controlled explosion on the set of Bond 25 today at Pinewood Studios, damage was caused to the exterior of the 007 Stage.
"There were no injuries on set, however one crew member outside the stage has sustained a minor injury."
The explosion is the latest setback to hit the new movie – Bond’s 25th outing – which has seen repeated claims of crisis and infighting.
Daniel Craig, 51, tweaked ankle ligaments when he slipped over as filming wrapped in Jamaica just weeks ago.
Lowdown on Pinewood Studios
It was built on the estate of Heatherden Hall, hosted army film production units during WWII and became the home of the Carry On and Doctor films in the 1960s.
Recent times have seen Benedict Cumberbatch grace the stages of Pinewood for his role in Marvel's Doctor Strange, as well as the stars of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Filming was cancelled for over a week as the star recovered from his injury.
In march director Danny Boyle confirmed he quit Bond 25 after a script dispute.
He revealed that bosses weren’t impressed with the screenplay he had been working on with his regular collaborator John Hodge but he refused to work with another writer.
The Sun previously revealed that Danny left the franchise in a row over killing off the spy – an idea he considered "ridiculous".
Daniel Craig, who is said to be filming his final 007 movie, and producer Barbara Broccoli are believed to have wanted to Bond to die in a “spectacular finale”, according to sources.
He will bank an estimated £357,000 a minute for his final 007 movie, after claiming he would rather "slit his wrists" than reprise the role for a fifth time.
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