The production on the new Bond movie, according to reports, has been delayed on account of the impending sale of MGM Studios as well as producer Michael Wilson’s decision to shoot the next Bond film in stereoscopic 3D.

Sam Mendes, the Oscar-winning British director, is reportedly in negotiations to direct the next Bond film – which will be the 23rd in the immensely successful James Bond franchise series. Sam Mendes had won an Oscar for his debut film tilted American Beauty (1999).

If the deal goes through, the production for the next James Bond spy movie will start this June 2010, and will possibly be released in 2011, according to the publication The Hollywood Reporter.

In a statement, Sara Keene, the British publicist for director Sam Mendes, said Mendes did have a meeting regarding the new James Bond film, but he “always has a lot of projects on the table that he might direct next.”

It was after the enormous success of James Cameron’s movie Avatar that the trend of shooting in stereoscopic 3D gained traction. Related story: Avatar 3D movie DVD to have deleted sex scene

Other films in 3D slated for release in 2010 are Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, and DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek Forever After and How to Train Your Dragon.

Quantum of Solace teaser

The latest James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace, which is ready for an October 31, 2008 release, has stirred up quite a bit of action. Coca Cola has negotiated a multimillion-pound tie-up with Quantum of Solace. As part of the tie-up, Coca-Cola Zero will be rebranded as Zero Zero 7. Meanwhile, according to Guardian, the new Quantum of Solace song has also been released, and will be used in Coca-Cola’s new global campaign. The Quantum of Solace song – Another Way to Die – has been composed by Jack White and Alicia Keys.

The new Coca-Cola ad, that will be aired in mid-September 2008, is inspired by the pre-credit sequences of Bond films. In the ad, James Bond will take on baddies as he chases a woman for a Coke Zero bottle.

The new ad will be aired in 30 countries worldwide.

Bobby Brittain, the brand director for Coca-Cola Great Britain, has been quoted as saying that the campaign “combines the drama of James Bond with the essence of Coca-Cola Zero in a stylish and contemporary fashion.”

Coca-Cola also has a tie-up with Harrods. As part of the campaign, Harrods department stores will sell limited edition Quantum of Solace bottles with the popular James Bond image, of Bond holding a gun, surrounded with Bond girls.

Quantum of Solace teaser poster

James Bond has always been a sought-after icon for product placement and brand associations. There were nine brands vying for product placement, in the 2002 Die Another Day, the last Bond movie with Pierce Brosnan. In Casino Royale, brands like Smirnoff (Bond now likes vodka martinis), Sony, Omega, Heineken, and Ford motor were all there.

James Bond Aston Martin ad

In Quantum of Solace, you can expect products like a mettalic gold Ford Ka apart from Coca Cola Zero.

In the meantime, the Quantum of Solace theme song, Another Way to Die, has evoked mixed responses. Composer Jack White of The White Stripes, is not happy about the Coke Zero ad using the Quantum of Solace theme song. Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher is walking around expressing his outrage, in rather graphic terms, about Bond music being composed by Americans. Others are having a good laugh at the tacky lyrics, of the Quantum of Solace theme song, peppered with phrases like “Another blinger with the slick trigger finger for Her Majesty.”