Could James Bond film in Ireland?

Barbara Broccoli, producer of the James Bond films, has praised Ireland as a filmmaking hub as she is in the country working on international spy thriller The Rhythm Section.

Ireland is doubling for several locations in the feature, which stars Blake Lively as a bereaved woman who seeks revenge on the killers who murdered her family.

Filming began in early November on The Rhythm Section in Dublin and Wicklow. Broccoli told Irish broadcaster RTE: "In the story it's not Ireland. Ireland plays many different things in this movie.

“It shows you how versatile it is, that it can be many different places. We love being here, we love the Irish crew… It's just the people; it's the welcoming spirit of the people that's just so lovely."

She added she would happily return for other projects: "It's a great place to make movies. You've got wonderful talent. You've had some of the greatest talent in the world here. So you have great talent both in front of the camera [and] behind the camera.

“Let's see, maybe we'll try and get Bond here at some point. I must say, having experienced it, I would love to come back."

She went on to confirm that there is no firm deal in place for a director on the next Bond film, which will star Daniel Craig as 007.

Irish locations often double for other places around the world. Dublin’s grand Georgian architecture has recently played Oxford in the Mel Gibson and Sean Penn film The Professor and the Madman, while period drama Vita & Virginia has been filming Dublin for 1920s London.

The country offers a generous tax incentive of 32% with a per-project cap of €70m. For more on filming in Ireland, head over to our production guide.