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 the site believes it is imminent.
Sony, who took over MGM earlier in the year, have been turning down candidates all over the place. The casting of 007 is now 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 looks like it may have come to the conclusion that if it's not broke, don't fix it.
Despite the calls of critics and naysayers saying the franchise is dying, financially the series has never been healthier. Brosnan's films have outgrossed all the previous entries in the series by far, his first three taking between $340-360 million each worldwide, the most recent "Die Another Day" earning $432 million - well over $100 million a piece more than the films of the "Bourne" movie franchise which critics have been pegging as the modern successor to Bond.
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. On the subject of his pay demands (said to be £20m/$35m USD), Brosnan set the record straight with GQ Magazine: "Twenty million [pounds]? Oh no, rubbish. Oh for God's sake. Bollocks. No way. No, it was a handsome figure of maybe £10 million ($17m USD) or something like that (near equal to his "Die Another Day" paycheck). Given what the films make it was a spit in the bucket. I wasn't being greedy. The age issue? Bollocks to that, too."
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. 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.
The major shooting location for "Casino Royale" will move to the Bahamas, and not South Africa as originally planned says Commander Bond. Pre-production is on schedule and filming is still set to commence in early January 2006.
Thanks to 'Sean', 'John', 'Paul' & 'Vipul'
