Halle Berry is poised to star alongside Pierce Brosnan as the femme fatale in the next James Bond film, which is fast mobilising for a January 14 start at Pinewood Studios in England, according to Reuters.
MGM will release the Lee Tamahori-directed film on the British secret agent, created by thriller writer Ian Fleming, for the 2002 holiday season.
Actress Berry has been rumoured for the role for several weeks and by all accounts very much wants to play the villainess.
This latest James Bond film will be the 20th in the series and the 40th anniversary of the 007 franchise.
Potential scheduling conflicts are the reason a deal hasn't yet been closed. She is locked in to reprise her role as Storm in the X-Men film sequel, which Bryan Singer will direct early next year for Fox. X-Men, a film about a group of mutan superheroes, was a runaway success this year.
Because the sequel's shooting schedule is still being worked out, Berry's reps haven't been able to work out a scenario in which she could do both roles.
Berry, whose last film was Swordfish, is generating buzz for her latest effort, Monster's Ball, which opens on December 26.
Berry may play the new Bond vamp
