Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (long-term writers for the James Bond series) have been left in the lurch since MGM's financial crisis has stalled 007's return. But the screenwriting duo have already got themselves another script to play with. One that involves terrorism, energy conspiracies and African tribes - business as usual, then.

Producers Michael Lieber and Walter Parkes thought up the basic plot, which involves West Africa's Taureg tribes, who live in a Uranium-rich area. Which obviously gets a lot interest from both major energy corporations and terrorist folks.

Into the fray steps an American anthropologist, who's trying to reach a former research subject in the Sahara, who is trapped by terrorists. Parkes explains the concept: "At its heart, this is an action movie set within a world that is morally complex, alluring and completely real - which is why Robert and Neal, whose work spans James Bond to John Le Carre, are uniquely suited to bring a project like this to life."

Before becoming a producer, Parkes was in anthropologist who spent time in Africa, so presumably the screenplay will be pretty accurate. Either way, it's nice to Purvis and Wade still in work. Even if they did write Die Another Day and Plunkett and Macleane.