When director Marc Forster found himself sidelined on set as the entire third act of his 2013 movie World War Z was being re-written and re-shot, it wasn’t the first time that he’d experienced something this tumultuous. Some years prior, he’d directed the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, which infamously entered production with an unfinished script, and had to be patched together on set by him and star Daniel Craig. Years later, Craig would go on the record and describe the film’s production as a “sh*t show,” noting the lack of a proper script and the difficulties that they faced on set. The star also had to live up to the expectations put upon him by the critical and commercial success of his first film as Agent 007, Casino Royale. Quantum of Solace is currently streaming for free on the Pluto TV platform domestically, but it won’t be available for too long, as it leaves at the end of the month.
Released in 2008, the movie cost a whopping $230 million to produce, and grossed around $585 million at the global box office. It fell slightly short of its predecessor in terms of revenue, and vastly short in terms of critical reception. On the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Quantum of Solace is now sitting at a 63% score, making it the lowest-rated film of Craig’s tenure as Bond, along with the 2015 dud Spectre. The site’s consensus reads, “Brutal and breathless, Quantum Of Solace delivers tender emotions along with frenetic action, but coming on the heels of Casino Royale, it’s still a bit of a disappointment.” Craig would go on to redeem himself with 2012’s Skyfall, directed by Sam Mendes; it’s not only the highest-rated movie of his Bond stint, but also the only Bond film in history to make more than $1 billion worldwide.
Daniel Craig Really Didn’t Enjoy Making ‘Quantum of Solace’
Reflecting on the chaotic process in a 2011 interview with Time Out, Craig said, “On Quantum, we were fucked. We had the bare bones of a script and then there was a writers’ strike and there was nothing we could do. We couldn’t employ a writer to finish it. I say to myself, ‘Never again’, but who knows? There was me trying to rewrite scenes – and a writer I am not.” More recently, in 2021, Craig said on the Empire podcast, “The trouble with Quantum of Solace, it was a bit of a shit-show, to say the least, the full weight of it was there. I kind of think that made me probably lock up.” Craig’s tenure as Bond ended with No Time to Die, and he is now enjoying the success of his new franchise, Knives Out, whose third installment debuted recently to positive reviews. You can watch Quantum of Solace on Pluto TV till the end of the month, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Release Date
November 14, 2008
Runtime
106 minutes
Director
Marc Forster