McAvoy to Play 007 Creator, Ian Fleming

The chances of the slim 'n trim James McAvoy(Atonement, Wanted) ever getting a chance to play the suave superspy James Bond are slim now that Daniel Craig has a strangelhold on it, but at least now he might have a chance at something close to it. Pajiba is reporting that Palmstar Entertainment and Animus Films are currently developing a film based on the turbulent life of Ian Fleming, the man who would go on to create the James Bond character. While a biopic about an author is a dime-a-dozen nowadays, this one has some serious heat behind it. Not only is the red hot McAvoy in line to play Fleming, but the film has some serious financial backing to the tune of $40M.

Fleming's life is unlike that of most writers, in that he spent a good part of his youth living in the shadow of his father, a member of Parliament. That is until he found himself fighting in WWII as a member of the British Royal Navy. The film will chronicle these years in particular, adapted from Andrew Lycett's book Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond.

After dazzling critics with his performance opposite Forest Whittaker in The Last King of Scotland, McAvoy has proven he can do pretty much whatever comes his way. Ok, he kinda sucked as Tumnus in the Narnia movies. After seeing him play a soldier in Atonement, I think he's a dead on selection for this part, and now it's one I'll be keeping a close eye on. I wouldn't expect this until at least 2011, as McAvoy is going to be busy for awhile with Wanted 2 coming up.