By Laura Serrano-Conde

 

Rome, Mar 1 (EFE).– James Bond, the world’s most famous spy, has taken over Rome, participating in car chases along the banks of the Tiber River and parachuting over the Sisto bridge during the filming of his new adventure, “Spectre.”

 

The Eternal City has catered to director Sam Mendes’s wishes since Feb. 19, with shooting taking place in the EUR district and its Roman Culture Museum, which was turned into a cemetery for some scenes.

 

Daniel Craig, who is starring in his fourth Bond film, has already left the Italian capital, but the crew will continue shooting until March 12.

 

Mendes has been making every effort to keep the film’s plot secret and security teams are being deployed in every neighborhood where shooting takes place to keep the public at a distance.

 

Some curious members of the public, however, have gotten a look at the filming, with one scene featuring Craig and Italian actress Monica Bellucci in a cemetery as she mourns a loved one.

 

Tourists and Romans have also enjoyed thrilling car chases along the Tiber’s banks, with several gray Jaguars hitting heart-pounding speeds while cameramen filmed the action from boats positioned in the river.

 

The British spy has also used his sporty Aston Martin, the brand most associated with Agent 007, to drive on the streets around the Colisseum and near the Baths of Caracalla.

 

But he encountered a big problem – the Italian capital’s cobblestoned streets.

 

Craig has had to tone down his driving, with the cobblestones preventing him from going over 70 kph (43 mph) and the post-production team saying it would have to do some extra work to reduce the noise from the Roman streets.

 

The actor had a minor accident while speeding down Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, one of the main arteries in the capital.

 

Craig’s Aston Martin skidded on the pavement in one scene and he sustained a minor head injury, Italian media reported.

 

In the 24th installment of the James Bond series, Agent 007 will battle the Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion, or SPECTRE, and arch villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

 

Blofeld’s character first appears in Ian Fleming’s “Thunderball” and the villain has been featured in several Bond films.

 

Bellucci and Lea Seydoux are the latest Bond girls, while Austrian actor Christoph Waltz plays Blofeld.

 

Craig also starred as 007 in “Casino Royale,” “Quantum of Solace” and “Skyfall.” EFE