In the process, he saves his former lover, Valérie Mathis (a mix of Vesper Lynd and René Mathis), who was posing as Le Chiffre’s girlfriend, and the two escape–a much less grim ending than Fleming’s novel.Ĭasino Royale 1954 arrived only one year after the novel’s release, thus beginning the slew of James Bond actors and adaptations that would follow over the next 70 years. Rather than a SMERSH assassin killing Le Chiffre, 1954’s Casino Royale has Barry Nelson’s James Bond take out the villain himself. The live television episode marked the first on-screen appearance of the iconic 007, following American agent James “Jimmy” Bond as he gambles against Soviet spy Le Chiffre in an attempt to make his leaders “ retire” him. While Tarantino’s Bond would have likely been a film to remember, it could have spelled potential doom for the official Bond franchise.The first official adaptation of Casino Royale wasn’t on the big screen, but rather as a 50-minute television installment of the anthology series Climax! in 1954. Brosnan, however, would have been at a distinct disadvantage with no previous Bond films to his name and found himself engaging against the work of one of the most celebrated directors of the time. Though the Bond franchise had previously encountered a similar conflict, when Roger Moore’s Octopussy was released in the same year that Sean Connery returned for Never Say Never Again, Moore was already firmly established in the role and had long since proven his bona fide energy. Instead, it would have been likely that Tarantino’s Bond would compete directly against Pierce Brosnan’s own Bond debut in 1995’s Goldeneye. Had Tarantino been successful in attaining the film rights for Casino Royale, his movie would have joined the likes of 1967’s Casino Royale and 1983’s Never Say Never Again as another unofficial Bond film that wouldn't count in the canonized entries produced by Eon Productions.

While Tarantino’s plans for his own James Bond film have long been a hot topic among the director’s fanbase, his movie could have potentially caused significant problems for the official Bond franchise.

Casino royale explained