Ian Fleming's James Bond novel Casino Royale was first published on April 13 1953 and there is an intriguing tale behind the original screenplay of the 007 film adaptation.
The second attempt to film Casino Royale was altogether different. Also in 1954, Gregory Ratoff bought a six-month film option on the novel, and the following year bought the rights outright. An extravagant bear of a man who had fled Russia at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution, Ratoff was a well-known actor, producer and director – he had directed Ingrid Bergman's first Hollywood film, Intermezzo, in 1939. He was also a close friend of Charles K. Feldman, the playboy producer and super-agent
Furious that he had not come to an agreement with Broccoli and Saltzman, Feldman
approached Connery to see if he would be interested in jumping ship. Connery
said he would for a million dollars, but this was too much for Feldman’s blood
and he turned him down. He decided to take a new tack, signing an unknown
Northern Irish actor, Terence Cooper, who he kept on salary for two years, and
recruited Orson Welles, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, Woody Allen
and several others.
