James McAvoy to star in IAN FLEMING Biopic

All the way back in May of '08 it was announced that Leonardo Dicaprio's Appian Way production company would be developing a movie based on the life of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. Nothing new has come out since that announcement and Appian Way may have to get their engines turning as Palmstar Entertainment and Animus Films are developing their own Ian Fleming biopic. And according to Pajiba they already have a star attached!

Currently working under the title, Ian Fleming,James McAvoy (Wanted, Atonement) will take on the title role of the famous author.

The movie will be about the man behind James Bond, specifically focused on the years that gave him inspiration for the Bond character.

Years before creating Bond, Fleming struggled and floundered under the shadow of his family name (his father was a member of Parliament, and his siblings were also well-known, as well, including Peter — a travel writer). Likable but lost, Fleming was little but an aimless playboy, until his experiences in World War 2 changed his life, and it was those autobiographical experiences during war time that inspired James Bond, who was based — in part — on Fleming.

The movie will work off a script by Matt Brown (Ropewalk) who adapted the book, Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond, by author Andrew Lycett (who has also written books on Arthur Conan Doyle, Dylan Thomas, and Rudyard Kipling.) Ian Fleming has been independently financed with a budget of around $40 million, with producers still searching for a director to take the helm. 

Though the the film is a high priority project, it is unknown where it will fall into McAvoy’s schedule. The actor just wrapped filming on Robert Redford's The Conspirator and is already set to star alongside Seth Rogen in the comedy I’m with Cancer and the long in the works sequel, Wanted 2. (He's has also been one of the many names thrown around the well of Bilbo casting rumors for The Hobbit.)

I can't really say I'm all that familiar with Fleming other than his books. BUt since he based the Bond character somewhat on himself, I imagine McAvoy will have to possess and portray many of those Bond-esque traits???He's got a knack for the wit and charm, and we know he can wield a gun with the best of them. But he's certainly not the badass that Daniel Craig is... not that he needs to be.

The film could be a lot of fun for Bond fans. I'd love to see the events that inspired the man behind one of the most iconic and beloved characters of all time. 

What do you think of James McAvoy starring in an Ian Fleming biopic?