Heineken brings James Bond scavenger hunt

Leighton Levy, Gleaner Writer

Before they get a chance next week to see Skyfall, the latest instalment in the 50-year-old James Bond movie franchise, fans of the British super spy will get a chance to be like him during a scavenger hunt that will take place across the city today.

James Bond might be British, but he has his roots right here in Jamaica. The first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, was written right here in Jamaica and published in 1953.

Over the next decade, Fleming, by then a retired British military man, penned 11 more novels and two sets of short stories featuring Bond from his now world-famous property, Goldeneye, in St Mary.

In 1962, the same year Jamaica gained Independence, the first Bond film, Dr. No, was released.

shot in Jamaica

Portions of the film were shot in Jamaica and featured late Jamaican actor Reggie Carter, who would later gain fame among younger Jamaicans as Ted Blackburn in the local soap Royal Palm Estate. In some of the earliest Bond films, a number of scenes were shot in Jamaica, further deepening ties between the tropical paradise and the legendary sleuth.

It is in honour of this shared legacy that Heineken, a company that has invested heavily in the latest instalment of the franchise, is launching this scavenger hunt. According to Heineken brand manager Nasha Douglas, fans participating will have to bone up on their Jamaican and James Bond history if they intend to be successful in cracking the case once the hunt begins.

Fans - in teams of four - who want to crack the case, Douglas says, can sign up for free on the Heineken Facebook page www.facebook.com/heineken. Those four-member teams will meet this morning at 9 a.m. sharp at Jo Jo's on Waterloo Road where they will watch a short film on Jamaica and James Bond that will provide valuable information needed for the hunt. Douglas warns teams that they need to be there on time as they will lose time on the hunt if they are late.

Each four-member team will also be given a bag of spy gear which they will use to solve the clues and

crack the case.

The teams will also be able to access a mobile app that will help them solve the clues. The winning team will get an all-expense paid getaway at a Sandals Hotel plus tickets to the premiere of Skyfall next week. Douglas says more than 70 teams have already registered.