Official word has broken on which actresses were candidates for the Vesper Lynd role in Casino Royale. MI6 tracks back the rumours...

Casino Royale Bond Girl Candidates
7th July 2006

Towards the latter half of 2005 and into early 2006, much debate was had over who would be playing the Bond Girls in the new James Bond film "Casino Royale". With Daniel Craig cast as 007 back in October '05, the media had months to fill with speculation over his female co-stars. Eva Green was eventually unveiled as Vesper Lynd on February 16th, but dozens of names had been touted by the press beforehand.

Casting director Debbie McWilliams revealed in an interview this week who the big names were that came close to starring in "Casino Royale". MI6 now tracks back the rumours...

"The two [actresses] who were very strongly considered were Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron", confirmed McWilliams. "I met Cécile De France, too, and she was lovely, but her English wasn't really up to scratch for us."

Above: Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron were the two big name actresses lined up for "Casino Royale". Both turned the part down.

Angelina Jolie
A favourite with the media and public alike, rumours of Angelina Jolie appearing in a Bond movie are not new, and have appeared before "Casino Royale". However, thanks largely to the Halle Berry-effect in "Die Another Day", she was seriously considered for a role this time around. Press reports covered her candidacy, feedback on the role and also her reasons for turning it down due to pregnancy.

Charlize Theron
A favourite of former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, who reportedly tipped her as a potential Bond girl on his later films, South African actress Charlize Theron was also considered for the role in "Casino Royale". Media reports correctly identified her as a strong candidate and also announced her turning the role down.

Célice De France
Cécile De France was considered for a role based on the strong track record of French-speaking leading ladies in the series to date. The Belgian actress was turned down due to her weak English though, according to McWilliams. Movie sites correctly announced her audition and also her failure to land the part.

Rumour Timeline

Angelina Jolie	Charlize Theron	Célice De France
02-09-04 Angelina Jolie dreams of being a Bond villain
17-08-05 Angelina Jolie named top candidate for a Bond Girl by AMC viewers	17-08-05 Charlize Theron named second favourite candidate for a Bond Girl by AMC viewers
18-10-05 Angelina Jolie casting rumour reloaded		18-10-05 Cecile De France named as contender for Bond Girl role
		01-11-05 Cecile De France named on IMDB listing
		06-11-05 Cecile De France auditioned but unsuccessful
15-11-05 Angelina Jolie wants role `toughened up` before she accepts
	05-12-05 Charlize Theron rumoured as Bond Girl lead
	20-12-05 Charlize Theron `turns down role`
02-01-06 Angelina Jolie pregnancy cited as reason for role refusal
16-02-06 Eva Green officially announced as Vesper Lynd

Produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli (Eon Productions) and directed by Martin Campbell, CASINO ROYALE is scheduled for release November 17, 2006. Principal photography started on January 30th 2006, with locations in the UK, Czech Republic (Prague), Italy, and the Bahamas. It will be British actor Daniel Craig’s first outing as James Bond. He is the sixth actor to play the 007 role in the franchise.

The film also stars Judi Dench, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, Tobias Menzies, Ivana Milicevic, Clemens Schik, Ludger Pistor, Claudio Santamaria and Isaach de Bankole.

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