cheerfulSo, OK, the producers of the Bond movies have picked their new 007, Daniel Craig -- and the initial fan response seems to be are you f***ing nuts?
Me, I'm prepared to give Craig the benefit of the doubt, at least for the moment. Especially because the director, Martin Campbell, has indicated they'll take a Batman Begins-type approach (somewhat ironically, since Christian Bale is said to have been among the 200+ actors considered for the role) and go back to Bond's first missions as a 00 agent. He'll also be grittier and edgier, closer to the character as Ian Fleming imagined him -- except, reportedly, in the matter of smoking.
The movie will be based on Fleming's first Bond novel, Casino Royale, to which EON Productions only just gained the rights (the rights previously being separate from the other Bond novels was what led to the non-EON crap-by-committee 1960s parody version with David Niven, Peter Sellers and Woody Allen). It sounds like it has potential. I'm just not sure about the report that they'll substitute Texas Hold-'em for baccarat as the game at which 007 sets out to bankrupt Le Chiffre...
BTW: The userpic is from an EON Productions photo of Craig in an initial costume/makeup test. They say they'll settle the matter of hair color (much being made, of course, of Craig being blond) at more extensive makeup tests early next year.
