MI6 News, devoted to news and opinion on all things spy-related, has been covering rumors and related information about the Ian Fleming Trust’s plans to publish an original Bond novel in the spring of 2008 to coincide with the centenary of the author’s birth. They’ve already ruled out Stephen Fry, Frederick Forsyth, John Gardner, Lee Child, John le Carré, Charlie Higson and Ken Follett and now focus on a new possible candidate: Sebastian Faulks.

What leads MI6 to its new conclusion? Both Faulks and the centenary novel bulletins have the same PR contact; the author of ENGELBY (which will be out in the US this fall) published PISTACHE, a 2003 collection of short literary parodies including a hilarious piece where Ian Fleming takes James Bond shopping. He has also critiqued Bond films for the British press, including a rather negative take on 1999′s “The World Is Not Enough”. No confirmation, but Faulks would be an interesting choice if the rumor does turn out to be true…