Pierce Brosnan has starred in four James Bond films

Paul Haggis, who is working on the script for Casino Royale, said: "It's going to be good.

"We're trying to reinvent Bond. He's 28 - no Q, no gadgets."

Producers have still not decided who will play the spy in Casino Royale, which is due out next year. The most recent star, Pierce Brosnan, is 52.

A wide array of actors, including Daniel Craig, Clive Owen and Dougray Scott, have been mooted as possible contenders.

Paul Haggis wrote Oscar-winning film Million Dollar Baby

The book was also one of the most violent in the series, with the heroic secret agent taking a beating from his rival Le Chiffre, and gadget-master Q was not present.

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

The new film, which will be the 21st in the franchise, will be directed by Martin Campbell, who was in charge of GoldenEye.

Paul Haggis has been receiving critical acclaim for his movie Crash, which is set against the backdrop of Los Angeles and deals with racism.

The Canadian-born film-maker also wrote the screenplay for the Oscar-winning Million Dollar Baby.