The stage was originally conceived in 1976 by production designerKen Adam to house the set he had designed for the interior of the Liparussupertanker in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. The stage's construction cost $1.8 million.[1] During filming, Adam told American Cinematographer that other filmmakers were interested in using the new "007 Stage". During a ceremony attended by former British Prime MinisterHarold Wilson, Roger Moore and other The Spy Who Loved Me actors, and many actors who had worked at Pinewood including Hayley Mills and Kenneth More, Broccoli's wife Dana christened the stage by breaking a champagne bottle on one of the submarines in the film[2] on 5 December 1976. In contrast to the volcano crater set Adam had built for You Only Live Twice in 1966, the 007 Stage was to be a permanent structure that could be rented out to other productions.
The 1976 stage measured 102 by 41 metres (335 by 135 ft) and was 12.5 metres (41 ft) high. It had a maximum 4,220 square metres (45,400 sq ft) floor space. The stage featured a water tank measuring 91 by 22.5 by 2.7 metres (300 by 74 by 8.9 ft). According to 007stage.com, the water tank was an existing studio feature and the stage was created by constructing a building to completely enclose the tank. Technically, because it had no soundproofing, it was a "silent stage", the largest ever built.[citation needed]
The 007 Stage burnt to the ground on 27 June 1984[3] towards the end of filming of Ridley Scott's Legend.[4] It was rebuilt, and reopened in January 1985,[5] with the new name, "Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage", in time for filming to commence on A View to a Kill (1985).
Another fire occurred on 30 July 2006.[5] The fire occurred just after production ended on the Bond film Casino Royale while the Venetian piazza set was being dismantled. Eight fire engines took 90 minutes to bring the fire under control; a spokesman for the local fire brigade said gas canisters may have exploded inside the building. Filming had been completed on the stage several days before and it was being dismantled, so it did not delay production or release of the film.[5] The damage to the building was extensive, causing the roof of the building to collapse.[6] On 31 July 2006, Pinewood issued a statement indicating that the stage "will need to be demolished and rebuilt" and that there had been no casualties in the incident.[6] The fire-damaged stage was demolished on 13–14 September. Construction on the new stage began on 18 September and was completed in under six months.[7] The new stage was redesigned and included a number of new features including an increased working floor space area, enclosed stairwells to the gantry, a vehicle ramp into the tank, aircraft hangar-style loading doors, increased electrical power and better insulation. The new stage is 374 by 158 feet (114 by 48 m) and 41–50 feet (12–15 m) high. The stage is[when?] the biggest in Europe at around 59,000 sq ft (5,500 m2).[citation needed]
An explosion shot in the sound stage on 4 June 2019 caused extensive damage to the external wall of the stage.[8]
Quantum of Solace (2008): Sienese art gallery; cisterns and MI6 safehouse; sink hole; hotel elevator; three levels of walkways and staircases for ECO hotel[20]
Intel Ultrabook: Egypt Commercial (2012):[21] New York street and Egyptian street [22]
Prometheus (2012): Pyramid entrance, tunnels, and ampule chamber with giant statue head; set was so big that the 007 Stage had an annex added to its north side to accommodate 150 foot sloping incline towards entrance;[23] ampule chamber later revamped to become pilot chamber with "jockey chair"[24]
Skyfall (2012): MI6's underground headquarters; Shanghai skyscraper atrium and offices with working elevator;[25] underground platform; tunnels; and train crash[20]
Everest (2015): Mountainous crags constructed using styrofoam and chips of soap/potato as snow, backed by huge green screens[29]
Spectre (2015): M's office and corridor; Palazzo Cadenza hall interior;[30] full-scale replica of Westminster Bridge, laid with real tarmac,[31] for full-scale helicopter crash and subsequent scenes.[32]
Assassin's Creed (2016): United Nations set;[33] Abstergo complex including patient's room, hallway, recreation area, corridor and security room with exposed walls that make it look like it is built within an old Spanish church[34]
No Time to Die (2021): Mock-up of research laboratory Porton Down.[38] Controlled explosion resulted in partial damage to stage and injury of crew member outside stage[39]
^Frayling, Christopher (2005). Ken Adam and the Art of Production Design. London/New York City: Macmillan Publishers. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-571-22057-1.
^"Behind the Scenes of The Spy Who Loved Me — Plus Pinewood's 007 Stage - The American Society of Cinematographers". American Cinematographer. May 1977. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
^"PINEWOOD STUDIO FIRE". ITN Source. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
^Interview with Ridley Scott, Starlog No. 101, December 1985.
^ abc"Fire wrecks James Bond film stage". BBC News. 30 July 2006. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
^ ab"Bond film stage 'will be rebuilt'". BBC News. 31 July 2006. Retrieved 31 July 2006.
^"007 Stage construction completed". Pinewood Studios. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
^"'Explosion' on Bond set injures one". BBC News. 5 June 2019.
^"Pinewood: The Story of an Iconic Studio" by Bob McCabe; Cinefex 41, p.11 "the bat cave... was built on the largest stage at Pinewood;" one source says the Batcave was built on D stage at Pinewood, a stage a third of the size of 007 Stage
^Lee, Linda (20 January 1997). "My Kingdom for a Sound Stage". The New York Times.
^"Donny's 'Dreamcoat' hits the video shelves". DeseretNews.com. 31 March 2000.
^ abcdefgh"007 Stage (PW) Pinewood Studios | United Kingdom studio sound stage", Pinewood Shepperton plc. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
^"Intel Ultrabook: Egypt". 26 October 2012 – via www.imdb.com.
^"JOHN EBDEN » Intel – Egypt / Rattling Stick / Dir Danny Kleinman". Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
^Prometheus: The Art of the Film by Mark Salisbury ISBN 9781781161098
^"Prometheus: rebuilding hallowed vfx space". 13 June 2012.
^Bond By Design: The Art of the James Bond Films ISBN 9780241185995
^"Credits | Pinewood - Film studio facilities & services", Pinewood Shepperton plc. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
^"Credits | Pinewood - Film studio facilities & services", Pinewood Shepperton plc. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
^"'Cinderella': Behind the Magic With Oscar-Winning Production Designer Dante Ferretti". The Hollywood Reporter. 17 March 2015.