Official: James Bond 007 #6 Is Daniel Craig

[©DURANMANIA Board Team]

[glow=red,2,300]Official: James Bond 007 #6 Is Daniel Craig 14th October 2005[/glow]

Official Press Release

<sup>Culver City, CA October 14, 2005 – It was announced today by producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. and Sony Pictures Entertainment, that DANIEL CRAIG has been cast in the role of the legendary British secret agent, James Bond, in the highly anticipated 007 adventure thriller CASINO ROYALE.

CASINO ROYALE reunites Wilson and Broccoli with Martin Campbell, who directed the 1995 Bond blockbuster GOLDENEYE. His most recent film, “The Legend of Zorro,” will be released on October 28, 2005.



Above: Daniel Craig has been cast as the sixth James Bond, following on from Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.


CASINO ROYALE will be the 21st James Bond film produced by the franchise holders, EON Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production begins shooting in January and is due for release worldwide on November 17, 2006. It will be filmed in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

Above: Daniel Craig has been cast as the sixth James Bond, following on from Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.

Neal Purvis and Robert Wade wrote the screenplay based on famed author Ian Fleming’s first novel. The script is currently being polished by Academy Award®-nominated writer, Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby).

Born in 1968, DANIEL CRAIG was raised on the Wirral nr. Liverpool. He moved to London to join the National Youth Theatre at the age 17 and continued his training at the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama. CRAIG has since become regarded as one of Britain's finest actors securing a variety of roles in television, theatre and film.

He is currently filming a thriller alongside Nicole Kidman, "The Visiting", and has two films in post-production; Steven Spielberg's "Munich" and Douglas McGrath's "Every Word Is True", co-starring Sandra Bullock and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Recent film credits include Sam Mendes' "The Road to Perdition", "The Mother", "Sylvia", and last year he received much critical acclaim for Matthew Vaughn's "Layer Cake" as well as Roger Michell's "Enduring Love".

Wilson and Broccoli said “It has been a long time ambition for us to film the first book in the series, CASINO ROYALE, which defined the complex character of James Bond. We are thrilled DANIEL CRAIG will play the character of 007. Daniel is a superb actor who has all the qualities needed to bring a contemporary edge to the role. CASINO ROYALE will have all the action, suspense and espionage that our audiences have come to expect from us but nevertheless takes the franchise in a new and exciting direction.”

“James Bond is a character without peer in motion picture history,” said Pascal. “He is a household name recognized in virtually every corner of the globe and because of this renown, the casting of the new 007 takes on a special importance. We believe that in DANIEL CRAIG we have found the ideal 21st century Bond and we couldn’t be more privileged to be working with Barbara and Michael, who are tireless champions and guardians of the James Bond legacy.”

Director Martin Campbell said, “The thing about James Bond is that each actor who has filled the role has brought his own style and imprint. With Daniel as our new Bond, I am thrilled to be returning to shepherd the new 007 in the new Bond adventure.”



Dan Taylor, President of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Inc, said: “All of us here at MGM are delighted that Daniel Craig, an actor of such high-calibre, has been chosen to be the next Bond. We are also very excited to be working closely with Barbara and Michael again and with Columbia Pictures on CASINO ROYALE, which we predict to be the biggest, best Bond ever.”</sup>



Prepare Yourself For Casino Royale In 2006!

[©DURANMANIA Board Team]

[glow=red,2,300]It's official, Daniel Craig is 007[/glow]
Friday, October 14, 2005; Posted: 4:57 p.m. EDT (20:57 GMT)


LONDON, England -- One of the worst kept secrets in the entertainment industry is no longer a secret.

<sup>Daniel Craig, a blue-eyed and blond British actor, is the new James Bond.

Sony Pictures on Friday confirmed media reports that Craig will replace Pierce Brosnan as the suave British spy of the silver screen. (Watch video of new 007)

Craig's selection -- revealed by having the actor travel down the River Thames aboard a military boat, wearing Bond's trademark suit and dark glasses -- ends months of speculation over the role of agent 007.

Later, at a news conference in London, Craig appeared to be at a loss for words about his new job.

"It's something else, I can tell you, really," he said.

Craig added that his first reaction when told by producers was to say, "I need a drink."

Producers said last year that they were seeking a replacement for Pierce Brosnan, 52, who has played the suave British spy in the last four Bond films.

Rumored to have also been in the running were British actors Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gerard Butler and Ewan McGregor. Irishman Colin Farrell and Australians Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger and Eric Bana were also mentioned.

But after all the guessing, it was Craig's mother that let the cat out of the bag.

"Obviously we are thrilled to bits," his mother Carol told the Liverpool Daily Post newspaper on Thursday.

"It has come at a very good time in his career. He has worked extremely hard all his life and this would be his biggest populist role," she was quoted as saying. "It will be life-changing".

Craig, 37, appeared in the 1990s TV drama "Our Friends in the North" and in such films as "The Mother," "Enduring Love" and "Layer Cake."

He also played Paul Newman's son in "Road to Perdition," was poet Ted Hughes opposite Gwyneth Paltrow's Sylvia Plath in "Sylvia" and appeared in this year's thriller "The Jacket" with Adrien Brody.

Craig's personal life has also been a source of media attention.

He has dated model Kate Moss and has been linked to Sienna Miller, his "Layer Cake" co-star and on-off fiancee of Jude Law.

Craig will appear in the 21st Bond film, a remake of "Casino Royale," which is due to be released next year.

"Casino Royale," published in 1953, was Ian Fleming's first Bond novel. The 1967 film version was a spoof starring Peter Sellers, and it was one of the few Bond adventures not to feature any MI6 gadgets.</sup>