Despite having not yet cast two integral parts for the upcoming Casino Royale – Sony Pictures have had more important things on their plate over the past few days.
A leaked script, reviewed on the internet, drummed up reports that on his latest mission, 007 – played by Daniel Craig – shoots an unarmed terrorist bomb suspect, only to find he has killed an innocent man.
The parallels between the supposed plotline and the death of Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell tube station last year prompted family spokesperson Asad Rehman to issue a statement, saying that the family were shocked and concerned over the incident being glamorised.
In response to the swelling publicity, producers of the Bond franchise Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli released a statement that seems to suggest the plot has either been altered, or was never included in the first place.
“We categorically deny reports that the script of Casino Royale bears any resemblance to the tragic death of the innocent Brazilian citizen Mr Jean Charles de Menezes,” the producers said. “In the script of Casino Royale, James Bond does not kill any innocent people.”
Casino Royale is now in its third week of filming as the world’s media await the announcement of who is set to slip into the stilettoes of Bond girl Vesper Lynd and who will be strutting the casino floor as villain Le Chiffre.
After months of tenuous links to household names and Hollywood starlets, current female frontrunners are thought to be Eva Green (Kingdom Of Heaven) and Olivia Wilde (The OC). Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (King Arthur) tops the list of Bond’s potential adversaries.
