“The Bourne Legacy” in a 45-day shoot in the Philippines; Film release set for Summer 2012

No Comments January 30, 2012 – 2:25 am

The hit franchise known for trotting around the globe, from France and Italy to India and Morocco, is adding a new location to its roster: the Philippines. Universal Pictures’ “The Bourne Legacy,” the fourth movie based on the Robert Ludlum novels, started filming in Manila, the country’s capital, two weeks ago.

Scheduled to be released in theaters Aug. 3, the latest installment in the spy series was written and is being directed by Tony Gilroy — who penned the first three films -– and will be the first without Matt Damon playing the title role. Bourne is not a character in the new movie. Jeremy Renner, instead, will portray an agent in the same line of business as Bourne, with Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton co-starring.

The production, which has a budget of more than $100 million, will spend about 45 days in the Philippines. Scenes have already been shot in New York and Alberta, Canada, since filming began last September.

via Los Angeles Times by Dima Alzayat

3 Filipino actors in ‘Bourne Legacy’

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Philippines: 8th world’s friendliest country according to expats; Who’s No.1?

1 Comment January 17, 2012 – 3:11 am

From an article on Forbes by contributor Beth Greenfield, the Philippines ranked number 8 in the HSBC’s Expat Explorer Survey, released last month. “This country is friendly on wallets, too: 47% report an increase in access to luxuries, including domestic staff, swimming pools, and owning properties,” the survey revealed.

And I thought we were ranked number one or somewhere in the Top 3! (Nah, not really…)

The top three nations dubbed as friendliest of all countries ranked highest in the following: they are the easiest to befriend locals, learn the local language, integrate into the community and fit into the new culture.

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