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Story by: Jack Foley
AFTER months of speculation surrounding the casting of a new
007, it has been confirmed that the 21st James Bond adventure
has been put on hold.
Current Bond, Pierce Brosnan,
has still not been ruled out for a final mission, but speculation
is mounting that a replacement is being sought.
What's more, a director has yet to be attached to the project,
forcing production company, MGM, to put back the film from its
planned November 2005 release.
Filming had been due to start early next year, but with so much
doubt still surrounding the project, it is not yet known when
a new start date can be pencilled in, even though a script has
already been written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, the duo behind
Die Another Day and The
World Is Not Enough.
As a result, producers, Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson,
and Eon Studios have been forced to move the release date to some
time in 2006.
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A spokesman for MGM told the BBC:
"We're not going to be the slave to a release date or shoe-horn
it in so we can make a date. We're still in the development process."
The spokesman went on to say that although Brosnan had fulfilled
his contractual agreements, he had not been ruled out entirely
from the project.
But speculation suggests that the time has come to find a younger
star who can carry the franchise forward for another few years.
Actors who have been mentioned include Troy
star, Eric Bana, and Brit favourite, Jude Law, although King
Arthur duo, Clive Owen and Ioan Gruffudd continue to crop
up in rumours.
As for a director, it has been reported that Layer
Cake director, Matthew
Vaughn, has emerged as a likely contender, given the critical
response to his first film as director.
Having also produced Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels and
Snatch, Vaughn is perceived as one of the hot new talents on the
British film-making circuit and certainly knows a thing or two
about style.
Vaughn has confirmed that he had held talks about the possibility.
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