They seem to have picked up rumours that have been flying around the press in the last couple of years

Eon Productions

Website Bond20.com claimed to be displaying leaked script previews from the forthcoming film, which it says will be called Final Assignment.

The film will star Pierce Brosnan as 007, Nigel Havers as his enemy David Saten, and John Cleese as MI6's new technical gadget man R.

The site claims Bond will find out that his father, Andrew Bond, was also an agent who worked with Q in the early days - and did not die, as he thought, with his mother in a climbing accident.

The action is said to take place in four main locations - France, Sydney in Australia, Tokyo in Japan and New York in the US.

Bond films are always packed with stunts

The film, which will be the 20th Bond movie, will include a helicopter chase through New York's skyscrapers and a fight to the death on the crown of The Statue of Liberty, the site adds.

On this occasion the threat to the world is not posed by bombs or laser beams but by the internet.

Rumours

David Saten will reportedly attempt to hack into UK and US Government and private-sector computer systems - in a bid to use the ultimate cyber-terrorism against the free world.

But Eon Productions say that the website rumours are nothing to with the film makers.

"They seem to have picked up rumours that have been flying around the press in the last couple of years and incorporated them," said the spokeswoman.

'Lampoon'

Graham Rye, of the James Bond International Fan Club and Archive, was also sceptical.

"I'd say it was a lampoon," he told BBC News Online.

"Can you really believe they'd name the next Bond villain David Saten?"

"I think it's someone out there with too much time on their hands," said Mr Rye.

Trade newspaper Variety recently reported that New Zealander Lee Tamahori - who directed The Edge and Along Came A Spider - is likely to direct the film for MGM, which will start shooting early in 2002.