Popcorn Reel production notes: "Casino Royale"

SHAKEN, STIRRED AND RARING TO GO: DANIEL CRAIG IS IAN FLEMING'S JAMES BOND 007 IN MARTIN CAMPBELL'S

Which trump card will you play? The stakes are high. The demands are intense. The price is life. The game is money. The risk is a deadly gamble.
(Photos: Jay Maidment/Sony Pictures)

All the publicity suggested that Daniel Craig was in for a "right roasting" as some of the Londoners would say as he prepared to take the mantle of the world's most durable super-spy agent from Pierce Brosnan, the man who handled the role for four films and won lots of acclaim for doing so. Craig had not previously been considered as the top man to play James Bond, at least in the public's mind. Clive Owen, a fellow British actor, was foremost in people's minds. Craig, a solid and impressive actor in his own right in such films as "Road To Perdition", "Sylvia", "The Mother", "Enduring Love", "Layer Cake" and "Munich", emerged as the winner of the Bond sweepstakes and has now been hailed by some critics as the best Bond since Sean Connery, against whom the standard for Bond-esque stature has been marked. Reportedly, Craig has already been snapped up for a second go-round as James Bond in a film that will be released on November 7, 2008, earlier than usual for a Bond release. Before then, audiences will see for themselves just how Mr. Craig stacks up against his predecessors -- as well as how good "Casino Royale" is. The title is from Ian Fleming's first Bond novel, and as the production notes of the film (which is distributed in a joint partnership of MGM and Sony's Columbia Pictures) state that the new film sticks very closely to Fleming's novel. Says Craig: "In this film, James Bond is a darker character, which is how Ian Fleming originally wrote him."

Testing the waters: Eva Green and Daniel Craig in Martin Campbell's "Casino Royale". Horizontal affairs: Caterina Murino and Daniel Craig in "Casino Royale".

The rugged actor uses immense physicality in some of his roles, but nothing prepared him for the challenges of playing James Bond. Craig underwent a strenuous physical fitness regimen to prepare for the production of "Casino Royale". "I wanted to do as much of the action work as I could so that the audience can see it's me and it's real," says the 38-year-old actor. "I feel like I became a sportsman of sorts, and that meant acquiring injuries and carrying on, bashing through to the next level of pain." Craig acknowledged and praised the hard work of Gary Powell and his stunt team to ensure safety on the set at all times, and added, "if you don't get bruised playing Bond, you're not doing it properly."

"Casino Royale" director Martin Campbell, who directed Pierce Brosnan in "Goldeneye" (which also was Brosnan's debut as Bond) has a prediction to make for the worldwide audience that is expected to make "Casino Royale" a major box-office success this winter. "Daniel will be a revelation to the audience . . . he combines toughness with charm and a sense of humor, and because this is a much more character-driven story, his depth and gravitas are a perfect match for the role. At the same time, he's in great physical shape and proved himself to be excellent in the action scenes."

Mr. Craig sings the praises of his director: "Martin fires everyone up. You obviously need that level of energy in the action sequences, but it's equally valuable in quieter, dramatic scenes like the poker tournament."

The film boasts an international cast -- American actor Jeffrey Wright, French actor Eva Green, and British actor Dame Judi Dench (all pictured at the top of this page), among others, including Italian acting legend Giancarlo Giannini. Typically, the film like many of its predecessors, was shot in multiple locations around the world, including the Bahamas, England, Italy and the Czech Republic.

007 is busy exploding onto movie theater screens worldwide, and principally in North America right now, in "Casino Royale".

TPR