Bond will be Funny as hell in Skyfall says Craig

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Forty nine years to the day after Sean Connery filmed From Russia With Love in Istanbul, the Skyfall crew have returned to the exotic Turkish city to film the opening scenes of Bond’s 23rd outing.

Total Film flew out to catch the action and quiz the notoriously secretive team about 007’s latest mission.

"What Fleming created was a very conflicted character," director Sam Mendes said of the dramatic arc of Bond’s character in Skyfall .

"Some of those things are explored in this movie, because Daniel as an actor is capable of exploring them.”

Mendes and Craig revealed to the gathered press that they emailed each other for months before the project got underway – playing with new angles for the character to go in his 50th anniversary year.

"We couldn't shut up,” Craig recalled. “It was a chance for us to re-read Ian Fleming, and we started emailing each other, 'What about this and what about this?', and that's how it snowballed."

Though the duo weren’t giving away any plot points during their chat at the Ciragan Palace on the banks of the Bosphorus, they insisted that after the dourness of Quantum Of Solace , Skyfall would put a spring back in Bond’s step.

007 will have a ‘rich’ romantic life and will be bringing the funny back. “He’s as funny as hell in this movie,” Craig assured.

For more Skyfall check out the next issue of Total Film , out on 11 May.