new James Bond to be announced Friday

[Guest thebigjig]

from Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - James Bond, 007, is back. Or, at least he will be on Friday.

 

Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Hollywood studio backing new Bond film "Casino Royale,"said on Wednesday that the actor who will portray the suave secret agent with a license to kill would be named at a news conference in London on October 14.

 

No further details were disclosed, and the mystery remains over who will star in the film franchise that has grossed nearly $4 billion at global box offices since the first Bond flick, "Dr. No," hit the silver screen in 1962.

 

Reports in London have identified English actor Daniel Craig, who recently starred in the gangster film, "Layer Cake," as the new Bond, but that could not be confirmed.

 

The new actor will succeed Pierce Brosnan, who first donned Bond's tuxedo for 1995's "Goldeneye" and ended his run with 2002's "Die Another Day."

 

Four others have portrayed Bond. Sean Connery and Roger Moore had successful outings as the secret agent while George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton bombed in the role.

 

"Casino Royale" is scheduled to begin production in January and is expected to be in movie theaters in the fall of 2006.

 

Sony Pictures Entertainment is a unit of Japanese electronics company, Sony Corp.

[cabbageboy 0]

I can't think of anything offhand that this guy Craig has starred in that I have seen, but when I read this a while back I couldn't help but think "Is this really the best they can do?"

[Dandy 0]

He was Connor in "Road to Perdition." Paul Newman's son that caused the events that shaped the movie.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I would be more pleased with Clive Owen.

[KTID 0]

Well, its Daniel Craig.

[Guest MikeSC]

Wow, isn't that a terrible choice?

[Guest Reservoir_Kitty]

Bleah! James Bond should be handsome and suave... they could've done way, way better. Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, hell, I would've taken Colin Farell over this guy. What a downgrade in Bond quality.

[Guest thebigjig]

I LOVE the choice.

 

The producers finally showed some real balls when it came to picking a Bond. Casino Royale is going to be a Batman Begins-ish movie that will go back to the basics of the franchise, tone down the ridiculous action, completely steer clear of all of the horrible one liners, and turn Bond into a serious, cold, arrogant character... the way he was originally written. Craig is perfect for the choice. I'm kind of angry that all of the nay sayers have been brainwashed into believing that Bond must look like a GQ or Calvin Klein model. Craig IS handsome, he's just not "pretty" in the Pierce Brosnan sense.

 

Casino is going to turn Bond back into a killer again. When I see Craig, I see a guy who could get the girl and not think twice about putting a bullet in your head. When you look at Pierce Brosnan, or even Hugh Jackman, do you get that feeling? Do they really look menacing? Not to me. Craig is going to finally put some real depth into a character that's been a joke for longer than I care to stomach.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Bigjig is right. I want Bond to be faithfully done as Fleming intended.

[Zorin Industries 0]

Won't judge till I see him in the role, learn't my lesson after judging Christopher Eccelston as Doctor Who before I saw him do it.

 

I'd say i'm quietly optimistic though

[AmericanDragon 0]

Cast Connery as Le Chiffre so we can see him beat Daniel Craig's balls with a carpet beater.

[cabbageboy 0]

Yeah but the thing is this dude Craig just seems like....some guy off the street. Sure Connery was originally an unknown but the series itself wasn't known at that point so it didn't matter. The public didn't exactly warm up to George Lazenby (though the one he was in was excellent in my view, one of the best in the series), but he was seemingly a total unknown brought in to be a 2nd rate Connery. Roger Moore was already a fairly well known star of some US films and UK TV series, so people at least knew who he was. Brosnan was around forever and had been in stuff and also Remington Steele. Timothy Dalton wasn't insanely well known but he was the 2nd choice behind Brosnan (and wasn't just out of nowhere).

 

This Craig dude? I can't recall him in anything, and I've even seen Road to Perdition. Don't remember him at all in it, but it's been a while since I saw it. Jude Law's creepy killer who takes pictures of his victims was more notable in that movie.

 

They might go for a more Ian Fleming style in the next movie, but is that what will really draw money or please fans? Bond book fans and Bond movie fans aren't quite the same beast. Bond movies are the definition of formula movies (over the top villain, hot chicks, gadgets, etc) and when a film deviates from that (like License to Kill) the public tends to stay away. Unlike the Batman franchise, I don't think Bond really needs a huge overhaul...just some minor tweaking and a bit more serious tone.

[Guest thebigjig]

Yeah, but Christian Bale wasn't exactly the most well known guy before Batman Begins, either... sure, he was in American Psycho and the Machinist, but those films weren't very big hits, and whenever he was announced as the new Batman, I remember thinking... "isn't that the bad guy in that horrible Shaft remake?"

 

There is nothing wrong with casting an unknown.

 

And while you think he looks like some guy off the street now, just wait until they put him in a tux and strike up the Bond theme.

 

I think he looks badass... much more intimidating than Brosnan, who let's face it, looked like a pussy

[DMann2003 0]

I wish someone would take my idea for the James Bond franchise- "James Bond" is merely the code name for the best 00-agent the British government has and he assumes the identity of James Bond, and since the James Bond Program began in 1962 there have been six agents to don the moniker.

[Guest El Satanico]

From what I've heard, he was great in Layer Cake. I'd also assume him being cast was based on that movie.

[The Niggardly King 0]

Layer Cake was great, and so was his performance.

 

I still think he'd make a better villian

[Guest thebigjig]

I wish someone would take my idea for the James Bond franchise- "James Bond" is merely the code name for the best 00-agent the British government has and he assumes the identity of James Bond, and since the James Bond Program began in 1962 there have been six agents to don the moniker.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That idea has actually already been used...

 

Casino Royale (1967), the spoof film starring Woody Allen and David Niven had practically the exact same plot.

[Black Lushus 0]

I wish someone would take my idea for the James Bond franchise- "James Bond" is merely the code name for the best 00-agent the British government has and he assumes the identity of James Bond, and since the James Bond Program began in 1962 there have been six agents to don the moniker.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I've had that same idea as well, hence why I've suggested a black James Bond, but then the shit would REALLY hit the fan...

 

the only problem with that, canon-wise, is that both George Lazenby and Roger Moore mourned the death of what's-her-name: On Her Majesty's Secret Service, when the death actually occured and, I believe, The Spy Who Loved Me when Moore's Bond visits the gravesite...implying that James Bond has always been one man...

[Der Kommissar 0]

I figured I'd bump this as, apparently, the villain and his henchman have been cast.

 

Looks to be two relative unknowns, but, they seem to, at least, look like a good choice to me. It certainly seems better than a lot of other rumored choices I had heard for the roles.

[AmericanDragon 0]

It would have been funnier if Connery was cast as the villain so we could see him bash Bond's balls with a carpet beater, but that's assuming that they're including that scene.

[2GOLD 0]

I figured I'd bump this as, apparently, the villain and his henchman have been cast.

 

Looks to be two relative unknowns, but, they seem to, at least, look like a good choice to me. It certainly seems better than a lot of other rumored choices I had heard for the roles.

 

The villian looks like he would have been a better choice than Steve Martin for the remake of "The Pink Panther".

[Anya 0]

It is For Your Eyes Only that has Moore as Bond visiting the grave of his dead wife.

 

Bond isn't the only one that has changed actors a bunch of times. Blofeld was the villain in most of the earlier movies and always looked different. Felix Liter has been in a bunch of different movies in different decades played by actors of various ages. They've even recast actors. Joe Don Baker was a villain in The Living Daylights and played a CIA agent 2 movies later. There's no need to explain any of this. It's something the audience accepts and goes along with. It's part of the fun of the series.

[cabbageboy 0]

Well yeah but Joe Don wasn't the same character by any means.

 

I think the line of reasoning with Leiter is that nobody really cares about him anyway so they can just sign some dude off the street to play him. Hell, in the unofficial Never Say Never Again Leiter was suddenly black (Bernie Casey).

 

Personally when I think Blofeld, I think of the Donald Pleasance Blofeld as the definitive Blofeld. I also liked Telly Savalas and the one he was in was one of the best Bond movies (On Her Majesty's Secret Service). By the time Charles Gray played Blofeld with hair and somewhat of a drag queen, I think it was due to him getting surgery and having doubles to evade Bond.

[CBright7831 0]

UPDATE:

 

 

There's your Casino Royale poster.

 

And here's the French teaser trailer for the movie.

 

I may go see this after all.