Sony reportedly set summer 2010 date for 23rd James Bond film

You read that correctly. This is the first news item on the 23rd James Bond film - not the next one due out on November 7th 2008, but the one after that... Bond 23 will be Daniel Craig's third outing as 007, and according to his contract, the last he will be obliged to make (after that, he's reported to be optioned for a fourth, as was Pierce Brosnan for "Die Another Day").

A piece in Variety today reports that summer 2007 season is just a little more than half over for Hollywood, but studio chiefs are already anxious about their plans for another season of eye-popping tentpoles. We're not talking about next summer; we're talking 2009 - and 2010.

With demands for ever-more-elaborate special effects, the expectation of bigger and better megapic events and the threat of a crippling strike, studios are being forced to plot out their release strategies even farther into the future. Studios are jockeying to stake their claim to the best prospective dates, clashing into each other in some cases.

While director Marc Forster is just now working with writer Paul Haggis on the next 007 film for 2008 (Bond 22), there's a 2010 date for the one after that (Bond 23).

That 2010 Bond pic exemplifies the latest trend. Many studios, with dates lined up for '09 and the year after that, have set marketing and merchandising plans in motion and have started talks with visual effects houses. In many cases, the only thing they lack are a director, stars, script or even a story outline.

Whilst there is no mention of exactly what the 2010 date is for Bond 23, the report implies that Sony have put their metaphorical beach towel on a preferred sun lounger to keep rival tentpole movies at bay.

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