Pierce Brosnan may yet play the secret agent again, but no actor has been officially signed up to play the part.

Film company MGM says it also has to find a director for the 21st film of the series, meaning it definitely won't be ready for release in November 2005.

Earlier this year Brosnan told journalists he wasn't sure if producers wanted him to play Bond again.

Lots of actors including Jude Law and Eric Bana have also been linked to the role.

The script for the next film is ready and producers hope to get the film out sometime in 2006.

A spokesman for MGM said: "We're not going to be the slave to a release date or shoe-horn it in so we can make a date.