Merry Saltzman, whose father Harry produced nine Bond movies, is working on a new stage show featuring the superspy character, but she has met with opposition from the companies which own the rights to the 007 franchise, Danjaq and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, as well as Eon, the firm behind the films.

However, Saltzman insists she will not be put off the project and claims she can still go ahead with the show without their permission because it is parody, which is protected under U.S. law.

She tells Playbill.com, "We are producing a parody, no permissive rights are required from Eon, Danjaq, MGM et al to produce our show; it will not infringe on their intellectual property... The key word here is 'parody'. Parody, the courts have repeatedly upheld, is fully protected under the fair use principle of the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 and, as such, does not require permission from the owners of the intellectual property being parodied."

Daniel Craig's latest turn as Bond in new movie Spectre is due for release later this year (15).