James Bond guzzling a beer may be the equivalent of Popeye switching his allegiance from spinach to broccoli, but, as they say, business is business, and the Dutch brewer Heineken has paid $45 million to close one of the one of the biggest product-placement deals ever in order to have its brand featured in the next Bond film Skyfall. In an interview with Moviefone.com, Daniel Craig, who will play the British spy known for his finickiness about the preparation of his martinis, said that such deals are a necessary part of making an expensive movie. "The simple fact is that without them we couldn't do it," He said, "It's unfortunate but that's how it is. This movie costs a lot of money to make, it costs nearly as much again if not more to promote, so we go where we can. The great thing is that Bond is a drinker, he always has been, it's part of who he is, rightly or wrongly, you can make your own judgment about it. Having a beer is no bad thing, in the movie it just happens to be Heineken." The producers' deal with Heineken, Craig indicated, was one of a number of product deals that will help cover the film's production and marketing costs.

18/04/2012