Filming of the new James Bond movie in the Highlands entered full swing yesterday as a Range Rover went flying through the air during a car chase scene.
The jaw-dropping stunt was filmed in the Laggan area, with a helicopter circulating above to capture the very best action possible for the hotly anticipated release.
The chase scene involved two vehicles, a grey Range Rover and a sand coloured four by four.
Images showed the Range Rover being pushed off the road into an embankment before careering off a rock face 30ft into the air, coming to an abrupt halt some 300ft away after bundling over with at least two full rotations.
The high-speed chase scene came after the brand new £1.5 million Aston Martin Valhalla – which can reach speeds of up to 200mph – was spotted in the Highlands after the car manufacturing company lent is prize asset to the production crew for inclusion in the upcoming release.
The vehicle will not be available for general purchase until 2021, with only 500 being produced worldwide, but some eagle-eyed movie fanatics managed to capture the first glimpse of the vehicle in the wild during filming on Saturday, as a 15-minute road closure was put in place in Laggan to allow for shots to be undertaken.
Producers of the latest venture have remained tight-lipped over any early announcements relating to the movie, with it solely listed as Bond 25 on all advertising platforms ahead of its release in April.
Rumours have been circulating in recent weeks that James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, will have his famous 007 number stripped, with the code name instead being handed to British actor Lashana Lynch and her currently unknown character.
Filming near to Laggan has been going on in the past few weeks after it was revealed that a make-shift hotel had been erected in the Aviemore area to house 300 crew members.
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The news was welcomed by business leaders across the region, who anticipated a multi-million-pound boost to the area.
Stewart Nicol, chief executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, described the arrival of production crews to Aviemore as “fantastic news”.
He added: “It is really a significant benefit to the whole region. It is not just the production period that brings a substantial economic boost, as they will be spending in the area, but it is the global effect afterwards.
“Bond fans and people who see the landscape want to come and see where it was filmed. Activity like this is really welcome in this area.”
The Highlands is no stranger to hosting production crews, with the Bond franchise returning after a previous visit in the run-up to the 2012 release of Skyfall, which was shot in and around the Glencoe area, including the famed Glen Etive.
Bond 25 is expected to be the final outing for Daniel Craig as the notorious secret agent.