Get ready to bond with 007 in ‘Casino Royale’

Company News, November 2

MUMBAI

Sony Pictures Entertainment invites you to participate in an adrenaline-filled, roller coaster ride in the much-awaited global release of CASINO ROYALE, the 21st James Bond adventure from the longest running franchise in Hollywood history. Filled with high-octane action, exotic locales, beautiful women and the legendary James Bond this film promises to keep the audience glued to their seats.

Over 500 prints of the film are being rolled out making it the BIGGEST EVER PRINT COUNT for a Hollywood film in India, surpassing Sony's own Spider-Man 2, which went out with 304 prints. CASINO ROYALE will be dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu thereby creating an opportunity for the masses to see 007 in action.

Says Mr. Uday Singh, Managing Director, Sony Pictures Releasing India, “ We are delighted to be distributing Casino Royale in India. James Bond has a huge equity in this country and his films have always been a hit here. November 17, will see the biggest roll out for any Hollywood film in India as we would like to give our audiences the thrill of seeing Casino Royale along with the rest of the world. Our endeavour is to make it the biggest, best Bond film ever.”

ABOUT CASINO ROYALE

CASINO ROYALE traces the early career of James Bond and tells the audience about his first “007” mission, which leads him to Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), banker to the world’s terrorists. In order to stop him, and bring down the terrorist network, Bond must beat Le Chiffre in a high-stakes poker game at Casino Royale. Bond is initially annoyed when a beautiful Treasury official, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), is assigned to deliver his stake for the game and watch over the government's money. But, as Bond and Vesper survive a series of lethal attacks by Le Chiffre and his henchmen, a mutual attraction develops leading them both into further danger and events that will shape Bond’s life forever.

Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions presents Daniel Craig as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 in CASINO ROYALE. With a screenplay by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Oscar® winner Paul Haggis, the film is directed by Martin Campbell and produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. A United Kingdom – Czech Republic – German – USA Co-Production, CASINO ROYALE was produced under the combined banners of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Columbia Pictures with filming in Prague and Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic, on New Providence and Paradise Island in The Bahamas. Filming also took place at Lake Como and Venice in Italy, before returning to the UK. Back in the UK, the production filmed at Dunsfold Airfield in Surrey, Eton College in Winsor, Buckinghamshire’s Black Park and on the legendary 007 stage at Pinewood Studios.

Daniel Craig, a British actor takes on the mantle of James Bond in CASINO ROYALE, supported by a strong international cast. Dame Judi Dench returns as M, the Head of the British Secret Service. Vesper Lynd, the first woman with whom James Bond falls in love, is played by French actress Eva Green, and Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen takes the role of Le Chiffre, international money launderer and Bond’s rival in the high stakes poker game at the heart of the film.

American actor Jeffrey Wright plays Felix Leiter, Bond’s ally in the CIA, and distinguished Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini takes the role of Mathis, his MI6 contact. Caterina Murino, also Italian, plays Solange, the beautiful but unhappy wife of one of Le Chiffre’s villainous associates, who succumbs to Bond’s charms.

Featured in the film is the new Aston Martin DBS (in special finish “Casino Ice,” which will not be available for sale until 2007), alongside the Bond favorite Aston Martin DB5. And Bond reveals the recipe for his favorite martini, “The Vesper”.

Director of action blockbusters, The Mask of Zorro and The Legend of Zorro in addition to Golden Eye, Martin Campbell, says he was excited about taking the helm of CASINO ROYALE because of the transformation the secret agent character undergoes. “This is Bond’s first 00 mission and he has a lot to learn. He makes mistakes early on and is reprimanded by M. He’s thinking more with his heart than with his head, and things go wrong. But by the end of the movie he’s becoming the man we know. We see Bond fall in love with Vesper, but he is also involved in some truly brutal violence. This is more realistic and more emotionally involving than previous films.”

About Sony Pictures Releasing India:

Sony Pictures Releasing of India Limited is a part of Sony Pictures Releasing International, which in turn is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE).

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