A Date at 'Casino Royale'
In an article discussing the closure of the Sony / MGM deal, The Hollywood Reporter notes that the next instalment of the James Bond franchise, Casino Royale, is at the top of the list of MGM’s remaining productions, with a Friday 17 November 2006 release date being eyed.
While Dame Judi Dench confirmed earlier this month that production on the film would begin early next year, an exact date has not been known. Producers delayed the film last year from its original 2005 release date after failing to sign a director. Martin Campbell was announced for the project earlier this year.
The article mentions that the release date is a tentative one, however it does fit with the pattern of release dates for the Pierce Brosnan-era Bond pictures. Curiously, Brosnan’s first Bond film, GoldenEye, which Campbell also directed, was released in the US on Friday 17 November back in 1995.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, casting has not yet taken place for Casino Royale, with the role of James Bond still unfilled.
Based on Ian Fleming’s first novel of the same name, the current Casino Royale script explores Bond’s formative years at MI6.