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17
October 2005
Daniel Craig
Takes On 007 Mantle
Actor
Daniel Craig has been confirmed as the new
James Bond.
The
English star of gangster film Layer Cake,
who arrived at a press conference in
London by speedboat, will play a tougher,
grittier and darker 007.
"It's a
huge challenge. Life is about challenges
and this is one of the big ones as an
actor," said Craig, 37, who will be the
sixth James Bond.
He joked
he "had a couple of Martinis" when he got
the role. Casino Royale is due to start
filming in January.
"We've
got an incredible script and that's my
first line of attack," he said. "Once I'd
read that, I realised that I didn't have a
choice. I had to go for it."
He
admitted taking the role was a big
responsibility but added: "I've just got
to step up to the plate and deal with
it."
Bond was
"a huge iconic figure in movie history and
these things don't come along very often",
he said.
Director
Martin Campbell said the 21st Bond film
would be "definitely darker, more
character, less gadgets".
Craig
told reporters: "Together with Martin, I
want to make the best film we can, the
most entertaining film we can."
The
actor said he was not looking to redefine
the role, but added: "It's a question of
taking it somewhere maybe where it's never
gone before."
Craig
said he had received encouragement from
predecessor Pierce Brosnan and had tried
to think of it "like any other
job".
He also
admitted there was a danger of being
"trapped" by being stereotyped in the
role.
But he
said: "I'm not allowing myself to think in
that way. I'm thinking about the agenda
ahead and the agenda ahead is to make the
best movie we can."
Producer
Michael G Wilson said the film-makers
considered more than 200 actors from
around the world over two years before
settling on Craig.
Neither
Q nor Moneypenny will appear, Mr Wilson
added, but M will return. However, it was
not confirmed whether Dame Judi Dench will
play the spy chief.
Producers
are now setting their sights on finding a
female star to fill what Mr Campbell said
would be the "best Bond girl part"
ever.
Casino
Royale will be an adaptation of author Ian
Fleming's first James Bond novel, in which
the spy was introduced as a more youthful
and cold character than he has been
portrayed on film.
"I
certainly think it will be a little bit
darker - that's not to say it won't have
its sense of humour, of course it will
have that," Mr Campbell said.
Mr
Wilson also revealed work had already
started on the 22nd James Bond film, which
would be Craig's second as 007.
The
actor's first major role was in the BBC
Two drama Our Friends in the North in 1996
and he rose to prominence in Hollywood
alongside Tom Hanks in Road To Perdition
in 2002.
He has
since played poet Ted Hughes opposite
Gwyneth Paltrow in Sylvia and headlined
Layer Cake, which co-starred Sienna
Miller.
He is
also to appear in Steven Spielberg's new
drama Munich, about the Olympic massacre
of 1972.
Craig
will follow in the footsteps of previous
Bond stars Pierce Brosnan, Sir Sean
Connery, Sir Roger Moore, George Lazenby
and Timothy Dalton.
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