Shaken And Stirred

According to an article in today's Hollywood Reporter by Tatiana Siegel and Borys Kit, the 21st James Bond film, Casino Royale begun filming in Prague last Friday. But it has done so without having 2 key franchise ingredients in place--the all important "Bond Girl" and the villain. Director Martin Campbell seems like he's got everything well in hand though:

...a source familiar with the...production said scenes involving James Bond's love interest don't begin for more than a month, and the studio still has some breathing room before compromising the film's schedule..

Noted Hollywood writer and recent Oscar nominee Paul Haggis, is trying to get some answers for us:

"They're talking to three to four girls right now"... "Every week I read there's a new Bond girl, and I call them and they say, No, you idiot."

An agent close to the process says that this delay in casting major roles, puts the studio in a tough spot, this late in the game:

"To be that exposed is unheard of," the agent said. "(The actor or actress) can have them over a barrel. Not to have your two principal leads (by now) is awfully strange."

I would agree. I'm surprised that Sony Pictures would let this go on for so long without a resolution. This is James Bond after all--A very lucrative crown jewel in the Sony Empire. I guess that the new Bond, Daniel Craig and his boss M, Dame Judi Dench have a lot of scenes together in the film...Since no other principals have been cast yet...

You can read the full article by clicking here.