"Bond Is Back" was the ad campaign slogan for Devil May Care, the James Bond thriller written by Sebastian Faulks, but the suave British sleuth may not be coming to a screen near you any time soon.
Variety reported that "Eon Prods., the U.K.-based shingle behind the 22 pics in the Bond franchise, has passed on the opportunity to pick up the film rights to Devil from author Sebastian Faulks. That does not mean one of the film world's most profitable characters has suddenly become available to Hollywood's franchise-seekers. While producers could acquire the film rights to Devil, jointly owned by the Ian Fleming Estate and Faulks, they wouldn't be able to use the James Bond name, his 007 call sign, the James Bond theme or gun-barrel sequence. . . . Eon also has a major role in choosing who distribs the pics."