History Trivia / Skyfall

* DevelopmentHell: Production stalled for a while as MGM went bankrupt and Eon decided to wait until the studio got back on their feet... The entire creative team agrees that the delay gave them the time to fine tune the script. Plus, the eventual release date ended up coinciding with the franchise's 50th anniversary.

Exposition scenes that explained that Sévérine sets up targets interested in buying stolen paintings only for them to be assassinated and the money stolen.

* DeletedScene: Just prior to post-production lock-off, about ten minutes of footage were cut out of the film due to the picture's extensively long running time. These scenes and sequences include MI6 agents after the MI6 HQ explosion; a funeral procession for MI6 agents; Sévérine at Shanghai International Airport; an M and Mallory scene; early scenes with M's Assistant Vanessa; Bond running through Regent's Park; and scenes involving Sévérine's activities.

** [[http://ca.ign.com/articles/2012/11/07/sean-connery-skyfall-cameo-was-discussed Sean Connery]] was the director's first choice to play Kincade, but he ultimately wasn't approached for fear that it would take the viewers out of the movie. Some of Kincaid's lines suddenly take a whole new meaning when one realises Connery was envisioned for the role. Especially the one where Bond asks him if he's ready, and Kincaid replies "I was ready before you were born". Daniel Craig was indeed born 6 years after 1962's ''Film/DrNo.

* AllStarCast: Stars an unusually high number of award-winning actors for a Bond movie, including: Creator/DanielCraig, Creator/JudiDench, Creator/RalphFiennes, Creator/JavierBardem, Creator/NaomieHarris, Creator/BenWhishaw, Creator/HelenMcCrory, and [[Film/MillersCrossing Albert Finney]].

* MilestoneCelebration: The film was released in 2012, the 50th anniversary of [[Film/JamesBond Bond in film]]. In honor of this, the movie's cast was first revealed on Nov. 3, 2011; the exact date fifty years previous that SeanConnery was first announced to be Bond in ''Film/DrNo'', and the film itself contains [[ContinuityNod multiple]] [[MythologyGag references]] to previous films in the series. And prior to the closing credits a special 50th anniversary logo is shown above "James Bond will return."

** [[http://ca.ign.com/articles/2012/11/07/sean-connery-skyfall-cameo-was-discussed Sean Connery]] was the director's first choice to play Kincade, but he ultimately wasn't approached for fear that it would take the viewers out of the movie. Some of Kincaid's lines suddenly take a whole new meaning when one realises Connery was envisioned for the role. Especially the one where Bond asks him if he's ready, and Kincaid replies "I was ready before you were born". Daniel Craig was indeed born 6 years after 1962's "Dr. No".
** Director Sam Mendes has stated he originally planned to open the film with the BondGunBarrel sequence, but realized it would have conflicted with the shot of Bond walking into focus in the first scene. (In a case of making lemonade from lemons, placing it at the end allowed the film to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the franchise).
** Sam Mendes may have at one point considered Creator/KevinSpacey for the role of the main villain.

* AllStarCast: Stars an unusually high number of award-winning actors for a Bond movie, including: Creator/DanielCraig, Creator/JudiDench, Creator/RalphFiennes, Javier Bardem, [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Naomie Harris]], Creator/BenWhishaw, Creator/HelenMcCrory, and [[Film/MillersCrossing Albert Finney]].

* BillingDisplacement: Severine is plastered all over promotional materials for the film and is heavily implied to be the main romantic lead. However, her screentime in a two-hour movie is about fifteen minutes, and [[spoiler:she lasts just long enough to reveal her tragic abusive background, and is murdered by Silva in front of an indifferent Bond.]]. Eve, meanwhile, is far more significant to the plot and stays around from beginning to end, but her face never appears on any posters, and she's only in the tv spots for about a split second.

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** [[Creator/RalphFiennes Gareth Mallory]] is actually [[Film/HarryPotter He Who Must Not Be Named]], [[Film/SchindlersList Amon Goeth]]. He was also [[Film/StrangeDays Lenny Nero.]] And don't forget [[Film/InBruges fackin' Harry.]] And [[Film/TheAvengers1998 John Steed]]. And [[WesternAnimation/TheCurseOfTheWereRabbit Victor Quartermaine]].
** [[Film/NoCountryForOldMen Anton Chigurh]] is the villain, Silva.
** [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Tia Dalma]] / [[Film/TwentyEightDaysLater Selena]] is Eve [[spoiler:Moneypenny]].
** [[Film/TheBourneSeries Dr. Albert Hirsch]] / [[Film/AmazingGrace John Newton]] / [[{{Film/Annie1982}} Daddy Warbucks]] is Kincade.
** [[Series/TheHour Freddie Lyon]] / [[Film/LayerCake Sidney]] / [[Film/BrightStar John Keats]] gets to be Q.
** [[Film/HarryPotter Narcissa Malfoy]] is the Minister of Defence who goes on a tirade against M. Bonus points: [[Film/HarryPotter Voldemort]] chairs the committee!

* EasterEgg: If you pay close attention to the title sequence, [[spoiler:Silva's torture is in there too, right after the Chinese dragons. Notably, it's fire themed, as opposed to Bond's parts, which started with a water theme.]]

** An early script had BOND as the one to kill M. [[http://news.yahoo.com/lost-james-bond-film-would-have-resulted-in-judi-205259954.html]]

* FakeNationality: Somewhat. He is a Scot, and he's played by an Englishman. (Ironically, Fleming's original conception of Bond was as an Englishman, but he was so impressed by Connery's performance that he gave Bond Scottish ancestry in the next book.)

* MilestoneCelebration: The film was released in 2012, the 50th anniversary of [[Film/JamesBond Bond in film]]. In honor of this, the movie's cast was first revealed on Nov. 3, 2011; the exact date fifty years previous that SeanConnery was first announced to be Bond in ''Film/DrNo'', and the film itself contains [[ContinuityNod multiple]] [[MythologyGag references]] to previous films in the series. And prior to the closing credits a special 50th anniversary logo is shown above "James Bond will return".

* RecycledScript: It's similar in concept to ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough''; both involve an abduction victim left to their fate by M, whom they view as a quasi-maternal figure, and M is forced to deal with the consequences of her decisions [[spoiler:when said victim wants revenge]]. They are also the only Bond movies where M is actually part of the story rather than just giving Bond his briefing and sending him on his way. Both also feature scenes in Istanbul as well as a chase scene in London (a rarity for the franchise, despite London being in nearly every film), an explosion at the MI6 building, MI6 being temporarily relocated, Bond recovering from a shoulder injury sustained in the BondColdOpen, the introduction of a new Q, a female lackey who is terrified of her male terrorist employer, Bond pursuing a bad guy underground, a helicopter destroying Bond's car, Bond using gas to blow up a helicopter, and the bad guy [[spoiler:being impaled by a metallic object]].
* TheRedStapler: The demand for the Wild and Wolf scrabble mug Q was using in the film soared soon after the movie's release.

* RecycledScript: It's similar in concept to ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough''; both involve an abduction victim left to their fate by M, and she's forced to deal with the consequences of her decisions [[spoiler: when said victim wants revenge]]. They are also the only Bond films where M is actually part of the story rather than just giving Bond his briefing and sending him on his way. Both also feature scenes in Istanbul as well as a chase scene in London (a rarity for Bond movies, despite London being in nearly every film); the introduction of a new Q; and Bond recovering from a shoulder injury sustained in the BondColdOpen.

** Director Sam Mendes has stated he originally planned to open the film with the BondGunBarrel sequence, but realized it would have conflicted with the shot of Bond walking into focus in the first scene.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: PlayedForLaughs. The radio tracker Bond receives looks like the one he was given in ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}''. Back in 1964, such a device was a state-of-the-art high tech gadget. In 2012, it's explicitly ordinary.

** [[Series/TheHour Freddie Lyon]] / [[LayerCake Sidney]] / [[BrightStar John Keats]] gets to be Q.

** [[Creator/RalphFiennes Gareth Mallory]] is actually [[Film/HarryPotter He Who Must Not Be Named]], [[SchindlersList Amon Goeth]]. He was also [[StrangeDays Lenny Nero.]] And don't forget [[InBruges fackin' Harry.]] And [[TheAvengers1998 John Steed]]. And [[TheCurseOfTheWereRabbit Victor Quartermaine]].

* AllStarCast: Stars an unusually high number of award-winning actors for a Bond movie, including: Creator/DanielCraig, Creator/JudiDench, Creator/RalphFiennes, Javier Bardem, [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Naomie Harris]], Creator/BenWhishaw, HelenMcCrory, and [[Film/MillersCrossing Albert Finney]].

** After assessing Ben Whitshaw's Q, Bond asserts that it's a [[TheTempest "Brave new world."]]

* FakeNationality: Somewhat. He is a Scot, and he's played by an Englishman.

** [[Creator/RalphFiennes Gareth Mallory]] is actually [[Film/HarryPotter He Who Must Not Be Named]], [[SchindlersList Amon Goeth]]. He was also [[StrangeDays Lenny Nero.]] And don't forget [[InBruges fackin' Harry.]] And [[TheAvengers1998 John Steed]]

** [[Film/TheBourneSeries Dr. Albert Hirsch]] / [[Film/AmazingGrace John Newton]] is Kincade.

* AllStarCast: Stars an unusually high number of award-winning actors for a Bond movie, including: Creator/DanielCraig, JudiDench, Creator/RalphFiennes, Javier Bardem, [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Naomie Harris]], BenWhishaw, HelenMcCrory, and [[Film/MillersCrossing Albert Finney]].

* NamesTheSame: Fans of ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' will be amused to notice that Kincade did not miss a single shot.