The makers of the upcoming James Bond movie, Skyfall, were filming in Istanbul. A stuntman was doing a scene in the Grand Bazaar for the movie, when he lost control of his motorcycle.
The stuntman was able to avoid hitting extras or other people on the road, but ultimately crashed into a crystal glass window of a local jewelry shop. The shop was 330 years-old.
The owner of the shop, Mete Boybeyi, said, “it is very nice for the Grand Bazaar to be chosen as a location for shooting this kind of movie. But the bazaar's administration . . . didn't notify us the shooting would be like this.”
The owner explained that the bazaar is regulated by the Council of Monuments which places strict rules on any kinds of modifications to the buildings. His concern was that the crash would make it very difficult to cut through the Council's bureaucracy and make necessary repairs. As long as the store went unrepaired, it would have to remain closed.
Boybeyi continued, “no one from the movie crew came to ask, 'what are your losses?'” So he went to the local police station and filed a complaint.
Skyfall is set to release in October of this year.