The first published rumour of Bond 21's possible schedule was revealed this week in the "Bond List" newsletter by Matt Sherman from 007Forever.

In the context of speculation that Pierce Brosnan may attend the 6th Bond Collector's Weekend, it was revealed that Pinewood has reportedly been reserved from 1st August 2003 onwards for Bond 21 pre-production.

Update: Pinewood Studios have now confirmed this in a statement:

"The Bond offices have been pencilled in, and the stages where all the filming takes place have been booked by Eon Productions."

Tomb Raider 2 has wrapped recently, and Thunderbirds - which was delayed due to "Die Another Day" overrunning - is currently shooting across 5 stages at Pinewood.

Shooting would not be likely to start until January 2004 at the very earliest.

MI6 have received intel from three reliable sources that EON are targeting a December 2004 release for Bond 21. This would give the production one month longer than the filming period that "Die Another Day" encompassed.

This news contradicts statements from MGM chiefs that they want a 2005 release and another three year gap in the hope of emulating the box-office success of "Die Another Day". The flagging movie studio has been quick to distance itself from relying on the Bond franchise cash-cow after each of the last three Brosnan outings.

The rumoured release date of 2004 should please 71% of Bond fans, who voted for it as part of the MI6 Bond 21 survey.