LONDON: Excitement mounted Wednesday ahead of the world premiere of the new James Bond film "Quantum of Solace," with Princes William and Harry joini
ng stars at the red-carpet gala screening in London.
007 star Daniel Craig, Bond girls Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton, and Oscar-winning actress Judi Dench from the movie were to greet the huge crowds expected to gather outside the Odeon Leicester Square cinema.
The 22nd official Bond film is Craig's second outing as the fictional British spy and the new movie continues where "Casino Royale" left off -- a darker portrayal of Bond but still with plenty of gritty action and glamorous locations.
Bond travels to Panama, Chile, Italy, Austria and Mexico in a movie packed with rooftop chases, hand-to-hand combat and stunts involving bikes, boats, jets and cars.
Craig, who performs as many of his own stunts as possible, has been injured in the line of duty.
The 40-year-old severed a fingertip and had eight stitches in his face after being accidentally kicked on set.
His right arm has been in a sling following a shoulder operation and will likely be greeting fans with his left hand.
Leicester Square is the traditional home for film premieres in Britain and the Odeon is the largest single screen cinema in the kingdom.
Thousands of fans were expected to pack the square to welcome the film's stars, despite the chilly autumn weather.
"Quantum of Solace" was the name of a short story in Bond creator Ian Fleming's 1960 anthology "For Your Eyes Only".
"Casino Royale" - the most lucrative of all Bond films, clearing more than 300 million dollars (200 million euros) at the box office worldwide - depicted Bond at the start of his career.
The story in the new film begins just an hour after the last one ends with a heartbroken Bond tracking down the mysterious Mr. White.
"It's not a revenge movie," Bond series producer Barbara Broccoli has said of director Marc Forster's film.
"It's much more complicated than that. There's much more action and it also deals with the inner turmoil of Bond following 'Casino Royale'."
Judi Dench, in her sixth outing as M, the boss of Britain's overseas intelligence agency MI6, said cinema-goers would see her in a stand-off with Bond and their relationship would be "pretty prickly".
With Remembrance Day approaching, William and Harry asked for funds raised at the glitzy premiere to go towards supporting two charities that help war veterans.
As part of the London Film Festival, ordinary fans will be given a chance to see the new movie, with a public screening minutes after the end credits roll at the premiere.
The movie is released on Friday in Britain and Ireland, November 14 in North America and November 19 in Australia.
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