Although the Ian Fleming novel on which the film is based was first published in 1953, the film’s setting is unmistakably contemporary. While the plot still centers on the villain Le Chiffre losing someone else’s money in a seemingly foolproof scheme and arranging a casino tournament to try to recoup his losses, the film trades in Cold Warera references, such as Bond’s nemesis, SMERSH, for the more up-to-date evil of international terrorist groups.
Another update on the Fleming novel is the game Bond and Le Chiffre play at Casino Royale. In the book, the game is Chemin de Fer, a variation of Baccarat. For the film, the game was changed to Texas Hold ‘em, in part because of the recent worldwide poker phenomenon, says Wilson, but also because poker is a game of bluff and strategy that offers more dramatic possibilities on screen.
The film’s marathon card tournament turned out to be even harder to film than some of CASINO ROYALE’S spectacular action set pieces, says Campbell. “This is the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to shoot: 10 players around a table, playing Texas Hold ‘em, all looking at their cards and each other. Maintaining the tension and the continuity was a nightmare. In fact, as an exercise it would be a very good test for film students to try. Luckily, producer Michael G. Wilson is a genius at poker and very good at numbers. I couldn’t have done it without him.”
Wilson describes CASINO ROYALE as the film that the franchise’s original producers Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman always wanted to make but couldn’t because the rights weren’t available to them. “Finally, in 2000, we obtained the rights to make the movie and went ahead with the script,” says the producer. “It’s Fleming’s first 007 novel, so it’s classic Bond.”
Wilson, who is Albert Broccoli’s stepson and has produced and/or co-written 11 Bond films, has seen the 007 series evolve over the last four decades. “In the 1970s the films got bigger and more fantastic until we reached Moonraker in 1979, which was in outer space. Then we brought it back down to earth in 1981 in For Your Eyes Only. With Die Another Day in 2002, the technology began to overwhelm the story and the characters, so we’ve come back down to earth again with a new, rawer Bond, whom we see earn his 00 status and take on his first mission for MI6.”
With CASINO ROYALE, says Wilson, the filmmakers wanted to take Bond “back to basics.” “We needed to reenergize ourselves after Die Another Day and, although we knew we’d have a guaranteed winner if we stuck to the same path, we would have lost what we think is important for the series.”
The producer praises director Campbell, with whom he previously collaborated on the 1995 hit GoldenEye, for his storytelling talents and unrelenting commitment to excellence. “Martin has boundless energy, and he pushes everyone else. He expects 100 percent from the cast and crew, and he gives more than 100 percent himself. He starts work two hours before anyone else, pacing the set and preparing shot lists. The fact that he’s already done a Bond film gives us all a shorthand method of working.”
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