S said Pierce Brosnan suffered a groin strain and kindly consented to step aside in favour of David, considering the latter's immense popularity, especially among Asian audiences.

"There's a tremendous demand for David following his recent form. We know audiences will be screaming for more and we plan to bank on that. The World Cup is not enough," she said.

The studio is sticking to the original plot, which is about how Bond twarts the assassination of a Korean president, aided by never-before-seen fellow agents 010 and 011. Butt it has decided to scratch the original morbid title "Die Another Day" to the more upbeat "Live Another Day".

Oscar winner Halle Berry will still play the role of Jinx, alongside Beckham's Bond.

"We even considered replacing Berry with Mrs Beckham but since she's in a family way it will be difficult to fit her in our storyline. The ex-Spice Girls, however, have promised to get together again to contribute a song for the soundtrack," said S.

S added that Bond for the first time will also be seen driving a Volvo 480 Cabriolet, while the film will be shot in new exotic locations this time including Buenos Aires, Stockholm and Abuja city, Nigeria.

"We are also considering Rio De Janeiro, where Beckham will do the samba with Berry, but our Belgian location agent has yet to confirm that," she said.