Danny Boyle quit the new Bond film weeks before filming was due to start after a dispute over the film's Russian villain, the Telegraph understands.

Producers are understood to have been in the midst of making final decisions on casting when it was announced that the Oscar-winning director behind Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting had quit over "creative differences".

Rumours that the film's script was the source of the disagreement have been reported, with producers alleged to be unhappy with the decision to focus on contemporary political tensions with Russia and a "modern-day Cold War".

However one industry source told the Telegraph the split was due to a fall out over whether to cast Tomasz Kot as the lead villain. The 41-year-old Polish actor stars in Cold War, a love story set in 1950s Europe, and was described as a "left-field" decision for a Bond enemy.

"Craig has a big say in all the casting decisions. None of the Bond girls have been chosen without his say so," the source said.