Daniel Craig is James Bond
Friday, 14 Oct 2005 12:43
The name's Blonde, James Blonde
His name's Bond, James Bond. And he's blonde. Yup, Daniel Craig has been named as the next 007, ending months of speculation about our next MI6 super-agent.
The 37-year-old Layer Cake star was the front-runner for the sought-after role, and beat off competition from gym-slip spy, 22-year old Henry Cavill.
A fine menagerie of spy prospects have been mentioned in connection to the role in the last year, after Pierce Brosnan announced that Die Another Day would be his last outing in the famous tuxedo.
Amongst the possible replacements for Brosnan were Ewan McGregor, Sin City's Clive Owen and hell-raiser Colin Farrell.
However, it was Craig who was finally chosen and who accepted, though in the past he had voiced concerns about the role.
Earlier this year he said: "Well, the emotional level is not there and that's important for me.
"I'd want that to change but I don't know how ready they'd be to change."
Clearly something has changed – perhaps the fact that this version of Bond is going to be a younger, darker version of his previous outings.
Bond's next film is Casino Royale, and its screen-writer Paul Haggis has told audiences to expect a more pared down 007, who will have to rely more on guile than the myriad gadgets he has been lumbered with in his last few adventures.
While the official identity of the new James Bond has remained a closely-guarded secret, Daniel Craig has been the favourite to become the country's most famous civil servant for some time.
The cat was pretty much let out of the bag earlier this week, when his mother told the Liverpool Daily Post: "We are thrilled to bits.
"He could bring something very interesting to the part. It will be life-changing."
Craig will become the sixth actor to play 007, after Sir Sean Connery, Sir Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.
