James Bond in film "Die Another Day" was written and performed by Madonna, who also had a cameo appearance in the film as a fencing instructor. "Die Another Day" had a budget of $142 million and earned $431.9 million at the box office. In 1999 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer obtained the rights to the 1967 film "Casino Royale" from Sony Pictures Entertainment for $10 million in the out-of-court settlement of a lawsuit. The case was brought by MGM after Sony had announced a deal with Kevin McClory to produce a third version of the "Thunderball" novel, for which McClory held the film rights. McClory had previously acted
Die Another Day tracking down his betrayer and all those involved. The film, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and directed by Lee Tamahori, marked the "James Bond" franchise's 40th anniversary. The series began in 1962 with Sean Connery starring as Bond in "Dr. No". "Die Another Day" includes references to each of the preceding films. The film received mixed reviews. Some critics praised the work of Tamahori, while others criticised the film's heavy use of computer-generated imagery, which they found unconvincing and a distraction from the film's plot. Nevertheless, "Die Another Day" was the highest-grossing "James Bond" film up to