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Quentin Tarantino reveals how close he came to making Casino Royale
Tarantino said that after Pulp Fiction he wanted to do his own version of Casino Royale, taking place in the '60s - but that he was scuppered by a rights issue.
Quentin Tarantino has revealed that he once came close to making an adaptation of James Bond novel Casino Royale, but that his plans were scuppered due to a rights issue.
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Speaking with Deadline's Baz Bamigboye, Tarantino said that while he never met with Barbara Broccoli, producer of the 007 franchise, he did plan to make the film during the long period of time when Eon didn't own the rights to the novel.
He explained: "We reached out to the Ian Fleming people, and they had suggested that they still own the rights to Casino Royale. And that’s what I wanted to do after Pulp Fiction, was do my version of Casino Royale, and it would’ve taken place in the '60s and wasn’t about a series of Bond movies.
"But then it turned out that the Broccolis three years earlier figured out somebody was going to try to do what I did."
Quentin Tarantino Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
Tarantino continued: "What they did is they just made a blanket deal with the Fleming estate and said that, ‘We have the movie rights to everything he’s ever written. We’re going to just give you a bunch of money. This is for every single thing he’s ever written. If anybody wants to make a movie out of it, they got to come to us.'
"Like every short story, every travel book. If I want to make a movie of Thrilling Cities, I need to go to the Broccolis. That’s for everything he wrote. To stop somebody from being a wise guy and trying to do what I did."
In the same interview, Tarantino also opened up about where he thinks the Bond franchise should go next, saying that they should "just do the books".
Meanwhile, the hunt for the next Bond star continues, with actor Rupert Friend having seemingly thrown his own hat into the ring.
He revealed that he was once in contention for the part, but considered himself too young. Now, he says that maybe he has "the scars and the bruises" to pull it off.
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James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
