Publicist for Sam Mendes confirms Bond 23 talks, not finalised yet

Seasoned James Bond fans may have greeted yesterday's news of Sam Mendes boarding Bond 23 with their usual soup�on of suspicion, but any fog surrounding the fast-moving developments is clearing quickly.

Sara Keene, Mendes' British publicist, confirmed today that the director had met with EON Productions to discuss the 23rd film in the series, but said nothing had been finalised.

"I can confirm that he has had a meeting, but Sam always has lots of projects on the table that he might direct next," Keene said. "Sam's method is to have a number of projects as possible next films and at some point to confirm which film he's going to do."

But the reason the ink is not dry yet may have more to do with MGM's terrible financial status than anything else.

Reputable insider news source Deadline Hollywood revealed yesterday that EON are unlikely to sign a director yet as it will trigger a contractual payment from MGM, thereby giving the cash-strapped studio a stake in the movie, even if EON gain the right to move it to a safer home. Bringing Mendes on board as a 'consultant' keeps the lion away from 007 for the time being.

MGM has set a January 15th deadline for bidders to declare their interest.

Sources say Daniel Craig, who was reportedly unhappy with the critical reception of "Quantum of Solace", is the driving force behind Mendes joining the Bond team. Craig previously starred in Mendes' 2002 film "Road To Perdition".

For the record, "Quantum of Solace" ranked only 64% fresh on the critics aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, compared to an astonishing 94% for "Casino Royale". Mendes' "Road To Perdition" scored 82%.

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