 |
| |
Expecting someone else? Pierce Brosnan is set to
return as James Bond in "Casino Royale"
if studio pressure holds out...
|
|
Pierce Brosnan Set For James Bond Return
12th September 2005
Expecting someone else? As the saying goes in Bond-lore, "never
say never"!
The turf war over the casting of James Bond
for the forthcoming movie "Casino Royale" is about
to end. If the trade press reports are anything to go by,
Sony, who took over MGM earlier in the year, have been turning
down candidates for the "vacant" 007 role proposed
by the producers right, left and centre.
The casting of 007 is down to four people: Amy Pascal (Sony),
Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli (Eon Productions
producers), and Martin Campbell (director of "Casino
Royale"). Each party have had their favourites, and
due to the much reported failure to find a suitable replacement
by the producers, despite their wide reaching casting calls,
Sony has come to the inevitable conclusion: if it's not
broke, don't fix it. |
|
 |
Pierce Brosnan has been hinting to the media over the past few
days that the situation has changed and he was willing to step
back into the tuxedo for a fifth and final time - if the call
from the producers came.
Following his `Editors
Special Award` earlier this month, Brosnan gave an interview
with GQ that revealed the true state of affairs.
On the subject of his pay demands for a fifth movie, which was
over hyped and overblown by the tabloid press to a staggering
figure of £20m ($35m USD), Brosnan set the record straight:
"Twenty million? Oh no, rubbish. Oh for God's sake. Bollocks.
No way. No, it was a handsome figure of maybe £10 million
or something like that. Given what the films make it was a spit
in the bucket. I wasn't being greedy. The age issue? Bollocks
to that, too."
MI6
exclusively reported back in February that the figure Brosnan
was allegedly asking for was actually £10m ($17m USD) -
a figure now confirmed by Brosnan himself and not that staggering
considering he was reportedly paid around $16.5m USD (~£10m)
for "Die Another Day". The "too old" rumours
which first started in the tabloid press and internet sites back
in February 2004 have also been quashed many times.
 |
|
So what do Sony think about their newly
acquired franchise being stalled due to the vacant lead
role?
Brosnan candidly explained, "Sony are pulling their
hair out over it, apparently. I was in their offices just
a few weeks ago pitching Thomas Crown 2. They said, "come
back" and I said "it's not up to me, guys."
"I think I was caught up between the egos of the producers
and the studios, really. They (the producers) didn't know
whether to go younger, they didn't know what to do, period.
I don't know what the truth is. It could be as honest as
that, but it seems strange, especially as each film made
more and more money."
|
But Eon Producers have been silent on the whole affair ever since
the first headlines speculated that Brosnan's tenure as 007 was
over. "Maybe it's all a big, clever ploy just to bang the
drum. We've seen it over the years with Sean and Roger" said
Brosnan in the GQ interview.
Latest News
MI6 has learned that Pierce Brosnan is now the top contender for
the role of James Bond in "Casino Royale" after all,
due to studio pressure and the lack of an obvious candidate to
replace him. No date has been set for an official announcement
on the role, but news it imminent.
The major shooting location for "Casino Royale" will
move to an Atlantic island off the east coast of the USA, and
not South Africa as originally planned. Pre-production is on schedule
and filming is still set to commence in early January 2006.
Related Articles
Casino Royale Coverage
