Have gun, will travel: Daniel Craig
Question: Why is everybody saying this new guy can't be James Bond because he's blond? Roger Moore was blond!Answer: Thank you, Sharron! Yes, Roger Moore was indeed dark blond, as is Daniel Craig. And while fans are entitled to be as skeptical as they want, facts are facts: The Bond series has been going on for more than 40 years, and in order for it to continue, the actor playing Bond has to be replaced periodically. There have already been five James Bonds: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and
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Daniel Craig in Casino Royale
The upcoming Casino Royale will present a completely new version of Agent 007, and not just because it's Daniel Craig's debut. Tracing the spy's not-so-super beginnings, the franchise's 21st entry will open with a black-and-white prologue, depict James Bond's first two hits — one of which goes awry and is thus "very messy" — and show him earning his license to kill, ultimately leading to "the emotionally shut-down beautiful machine that Bond has become," director Martin Campbell told reporters this week. What's more, Royale will feature neither Q nor Moneypenny, and will employ only "a little bit of gadgetry." Sounds like Q has been replaced by Zzzzzz.
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A cadre of James Bond enthusiasts have launched CraigNotBond.com, a website protesting (albeit at a rather late date) the casting of blond Brit Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. Calling Craig "a terrible choice," the site posits that Bond fans will boycott the new 007 film-franchise entry. Not helping Craig's perception, surely, is a New York Daily News report that the actor has already broken two front teeth during a fight scene and was utterly stymied by the manual gearshift of Bond's trademark Aston Martin.
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Turner Broadcasting has secured the broadcast-premiere rights for King Kong, scheduled to swing on to TV in 2008.... Universal Pictures is working on a big-screen adaptation of Robert Ludlum's The Sigma Protocol, about an American economist targeted by professional assassins.... Per Variety, the current front-runners to be the Bond girl in Casino Royale are Eva Green (The Dreamers) and Olivia Wilde (The O.C.).... Crime author Patricia Cornwell is donating at least $500,000 to help researchers solve the mystery of the sinking of the Confederate submarine Hunley. If only she invested as much in the ending of Trace. Grrrr.
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Spidey has a new honey; now how about that certain secret agent? Per the New York Daily News, Wicker Park beauty Rose Byrne is said to have the lead over the likes of Thandie Newton in the race to be cast as Bond girl Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, Daniel Craig's debut 007 outing. Damn you, Scarlett Johansson, for getting all wrapped up in this "serious" film phase. Grrr.
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With production slated to start Jan. 30 on Casino Royale, the newest James Bond film and first starring Daniel Craig, producers are scrambling to flesh out the cast — namely, the role of the installment's requisite Bond girl. Per Variety, the short list supposedly includes Commander in Chief's Natasha Henstridge and Aussie Kimberley Davies. None other than Angelina Jolie topped the wish list at one point, but unless Mimi Maternity now offers bulletproof pregnancy jeans, that's looking unlikely.
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Question: Has Julian McMahon ever been in the running to be the next Bond? He's the only actor I can think of who'd be as perfect a fit for the role as Pierce Brosnan.Answer: The legendary search for Scarlett O'Hara has nothing on the quest for Bond, James Bond. Julian McMahon, the charismatic, Australian-born star of TV's Nip/Tuck has been mentioned as a candidate for the role in the upcoming Casino Royale and, presumably, the next several entries in the 007 franchise. But as far as I can tell, just about every handsome, athletic English/New Zealand/Scottish/Welsh/Australian actor in the 30-40ish age range has been proposed for the part. The candidates have included Australians Hugh Jackman
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