TF: Some have suggested that the success of the Bourne films, and their stripped-down style, may have coloured your approach to Bond.

MW: Well, I don’t think we had any big, conscious ideas of doing that. Strictly to update Casino Royale, we just followed the book.

We did put in the free running at the beginning, but I think that was more in a Bond style than Bourne style.

BB: We kind of looked within our own group of films for inspiration and I think we wanted to go back more to a From Russia With Love-style film.

That was part of our template.

TF: Quentin Tarantino was quite vocal in claiming that he helped the film get made by publicly suggesting that he would like to make Casino Royale.

Would you ever have considered a director with his stylistic tendencies for the film?

BB: You know, we are big fans of his work, love his movies but, as we said, Cubby and Harry wanted to make Casino Royale for a long time. [Laughs]

It’s the first; the one that defines the character. We decided to make it then because of what’s going on in the world.

When Harvey Weinstein mentioned Quentin, we had actually already decided we were gonna do it.

I think Quentin was right – it was the right thing to do – but it wasn’t like it hadn’t occurred to us…

Next: The Quantum organisation