James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli was one of the guests at a gala dinner organised by the Doha Film Institute (DFI) and Media City Qatar (MCQ) on the sidelines of the Venice Film Festival on Monday evening.

The veteran producer’s presence has added fuel to recent reports that she is trying to secure Qatari financing for a thrilling film project by former James Bond actor Daniel Craig. Othelloand credible sources on Monday evening suggested that talks were underway.

Broccoli, who co-heads James Bond production company Eon Productions with Michael G. Wilson, has reportedly been working with Craig on the project, billed as a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic set in a US military barracks in Iraq.

There have been suggestions that an incentive for investment would be the appearance of James Bond in Doha, which would give a boost to Qatar’s plans to become a key film producer in the region.

The Doha Film Institute (DFI) focuses primarily on supporting and funding independent cinema from the Arab world, but occasionally co-finances larger international projects such as: Loving Vincent, Prophet, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Capernaum AND This must be heaven.

James Bond has not travelled to the Middle East since visiting Egypt. The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977, after an earlier trip to Beirut The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974. He has never been to the Persian Gulf.

The Middle East rumours come amid ongoing speculation about who will play James Bond following Daniel Craig’s departure. The latest name to be cast is Aaron Taylor-Johnson. No word has been given on plans for another film in the series.

Deadline has reached out to EON Productions to confirm the rumored deal with Qatar.

Broccoli was one of 150 guests at the gala dinner at the Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti in Venice, alongside Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, CAA agent Maha Dakhil and prominent lawyer and former Qatar 2022 World Cup boss Hassan Al-Thawadi, as well as many professionals from the Arab cinema world.

The dinner was also attended by film crews working on DFI-supported Venice films, including Tunisian director Mehdi Barsaoui Aicha and Palestinian filmmaker Scandar Copti Happy Christmas in the Horizons Festival line-up and Sudan, remember us Hind Meddeb in Giornate degli Autori.

Palazzo Franchetti is also hosting the Qatari exhibition “Your Ghosts Are Mine – Expanded Cinemas, Amplified,” which explores themes of memory and identity through over 40 films and installations by artists from the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia.