Separating the Bond truth from 00-hooey, Barbara Broccoli closes the loop

13-Nov-2006 • Casino Royale

Separating the Bond truth from 00-hooey, reports The Chicago Sun Times.

RUMOR: The Bond producers dumped Pierce Brosnan and let him read about it in the press.

FACT: Producer Barbara Broccoli says, "We were very happy with 'Die Another Day,' and we loved Pierce. He made four great pictures for us. But when we sat down to figure out what to do with Bond 21, we felt like we had reached the point of new return. The world was much too serious, and we were trying to figure out where to go. Once we decided to do 'Casino Royale,' we knew that it was Bond's first mission and it couldn't be Pierce again."

As for Brosnan hearing about it secondhand, Broccoli says, "We discussed the change with Pierce before the news broke. He was very gracious about it. He's a great guy and a great Bond."

RUMOR: Clive Owen was really cast as Bond, but he wanted too much money and was released.

FACT: "Michael and I wanted Daniel from the very beginning," Broccoli says. "He's an astounding actor. I won't comment on who we met or didn't meet. It's like saying who you [dated] before you got married."

RUMOR: There's a list on the Internet where every actor considered to be Bond is rated by the producers and dismissed for various reasons.

FACT: "There is no such memo or list," says Broccoli. "It's a total fabrication. Unfortunately, when something appears so quickly and you can't stop it."

RUMOR: Bond is naked in this film.

FACT: Broccoli says you don't see anything much except a side view of Craig. "We knew that scene had to be in the film. It was shot very skillfully."