CULVER CITY, Calif., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- It was announced today by
producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios,
Inc, and Sony Pictures Entertainment that EVA GREEN has been cast to play the
enticing Vesper Lynd opposite Daniel Craig in his debut appearance as James
Bond in the highly anticipated 007 adventure thriller, CASINO ROYALE.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060216/LATH108-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060216/LATH108-b )
It was also announced that renowned Danish-born actor MADS MIKKELSEN has
accepted the role of Le Chiffre, Bond's nemesis in the film and JEFFREY WRIGHT
has joined the cast as Felix Leiter.
CASINO ROYALE reunites Wilson and Broccoli with Martin Campbell, who
directed the 1995 blockbuster GOLDENEYE, and will be the 21st James Bond film
produced by the franchise holders, EON Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures
production began shooting in January this year and will be released worldwide
on November 17. It will be filmed on location in the Czech Republic, the
Bahamas, Italy and the UK.
Wilson and Broccoli said, "We are thrilled that Eva and Mads have joined
the cast of CASINO ROYALE completing a first rate international cast. They
bring exceptional talent to the characters Ian Fleming described so vividly in
his first James Bond novel.
After an extensive search we have found the perfect actress. Eva is one of
France's most accomplished young actresses, now receiving international
acclaim. She brings to the complex role of Vesper an exciting combination of
enigmatic and seductive beauty.
Likewise Mads has such a compelling onscreen presence and his riveting
performances in "Open Hearts" and "Adam's Apples" convinced both us and
director Martin Campbell that he was ideal for the role of Le Chiffre."
Neal Purvis and Robert Wade wrote the screenplay based on author Ian
Fleming's first novel. Additional writing was contributed by Academy Award-
nominated writer, Paul Haggis ("Crash"/"Million Dollar Baby").
"Vesper is a pivotal role in Casino Royale and it takes much more than
beauty to make this role work," said Amy Pascal, Chairman of the Columbia
Pictures Motion Picture Group. "When you think about the great James Bond
adventures, of course you think about action and espionage, but you need to
have palpable sexual tension in the movie and in casting Vesper, we really
needed to up the ante, because this character is very much an equal to Bond
and central to our story. We believe Eva as Vesper, Mads as Le Chiffre and
Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter are perfect additions to our cast and we
couldn't be more excited about the way this project has come together."
Described by Bernardo Bertolucci as "so beautiful it's indecent," Eva
Green is one of the most intriguing actresses today. Born in Paris, France,
she made her debut in Bertolucci's critically acclaimed "The Dreamers." Green
then starred opposite Kristin Scott Thomas and Romain Duris in Jean-Paul
Salome's French-language film, "Arsene Lupin." In 2005 she made her Hollywood
debut, starring as the female lead in Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven" with
Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson.
Mads Mikkelsen made his American debut opposite Clive Owen and Keira
Knightley in Disney's "King Arthur," directed by Antoine Fuqua ("Training
Day") and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Mikkelsen has won many Scandinavian
awards for his work on screen and television. He is best known for his
starring role in Susanne Bier's "Open Hearts" for which he was nominated for
"Best Actor" for the Robert (Danish Academy Award) and "Bodil" (Danish Film
Critics' Award) in 2003.
Mikkelsen has recently appeared in Anders Thomas Jensen's "Adam's Apples,"
Susanne Bier's "After The Wedding" and the Swedish thriller "Exit," directed
by Peter Lindmark, due for release later this year.
The acclaimed stage actor, Wright, who first came to film audiences'
attention as the doomed artist Jean Michel Basquiat in "Basquiat," has
subsequently garnered critical acclaim in his Emmy-winning performance in
HBO's miniseries "Angels in America," and in such films as "Shaft," "Ali,"
"The Manchurian Candidate," "Broken Flowers," "Syriana" and HBO's recent
"Lackawanna Blues." He will soon be seen in "Lady in the Water" and "The
Visiting."
The producers are delighted that the cast is rounded out by talented
international actors in feature roles, including; Giancarlo Giannini as
Mathis, Caterina Murino as Solonge, Simon Abkarian as Dimitrios, Tobias
Menzies as Villiers, Ivana Milicevic as Valenka, Clemens Schik as Kratt,
Ludger Pistor as Mendel, and Claudio Santamaria as Carlos.
ABOUT THE FILM MAKERS:
EON PRODUCTIONS
Eon Productions/Danjaq, LLC, is owned by the Broccoli family and has
produced twenty James Bond films since 1962, including "Die Another Day." The
Bond films, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, make up the
most successful franchise in film history and include the recent blockbuster
films "GoldenEye," "Tomorrow Never Dies," and "The World Is Not Enough." Eon
Productions and Danjaq, LLC, are affiliate companies and control all worldwide
merchandising of the James Bond franchise.
COLUMBIA PICTURES
Columbia Pictures, part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, is a
Sony Pictures Entertainment company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a
subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based
Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production
and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content
creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment
acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of
new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of
filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be
found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.
METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER INC.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is actively engaged in the worldwide production
and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video,
interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the
world's largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,000 titles.
Operating units including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.,
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television
Entertainment Inc, MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International
Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM
ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition,
MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching nearly 110
countries. MGM ownership is currently as follows: Providence Equity Partners
(29%), Texas Pacific Group (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast
(20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). For more
information, visit http://www.mgm.com.
Contact:
Steve Elzer
Senior Vice President, Media Relations
Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group
(310) 244-7142
SOURCE Columbia Pictures
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Related links:
http://www.sonypictures.com
http://www.mgm.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060216/LATH108-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060216/LATH108-b
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Steve Elzer, Senior Vice President, Media
Relations of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group,
+1-310-244-7142
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