In the spring of 1954, Fleming initially sold the option for an adaptation to producer Gregory Ratoff for a mere $1,000 (though reports suggest the amount might even have been as little as $600). The first filmed version of Casino Royale, coming just a year after the novel's original publication, was also the first on-screen depiction of James Bond. Indeed before the EON Casino Royale there had already been two other adaptations made decades before. Yet many of those sitting in cinemas, and watching it hence on whatever format, were likely unaware that it was in fact the most adapted Bond novel in terms of screen versions.
The first Bond adventure, published back in 1953, was finally adapted by EON in 2006 and served as the debut for Daniel Craig in the role of 007. None of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels took longer to be adapted for the screen by EON Productions than Casino Royale.
