Ian Fleming's first novel, then made into a spy spoof movie, will be the next James Bond flick, the BBC is reporting.

It will be directed by Martin Campbell, who did Goldeneye, the 1995 Bond film that was the first to star Pierce Brosnan (which makes him responsible for what I saw as the goofiness of the opening sequence).

An excerpt:

It will be the 21st James Bond film to hit the big screen, and speculation has been rife over who will play the lead.

Casino Royale was turned into a spoof spy movie by John Huston in 1967, with David Niven in the lead role.

Pierce Brosnan led the past four Bond films but said producers axed him after offering him the chance to return.

Among the favourites to take over the coveted role are Scottish actor Dougray Scott, Oscar nominee Clive Owen and Australian star Hugh Jackman.

Producers say no decision has yet been made on who will become the seventh actor, including Niven, to play Bond on film.

Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino had talked of wanting to take on the Casino Royale project, and said he had spoken to Brosnan about it.

David Niven's turn as James Bond was disliked by fans

Shooting on Casino Royale is expected to begin once Campbell has finished work on The Legend of Zorro, a sequel to The Mask of Zorro, starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Antonio Banderas.