Is Craig Close to Becoming 007?
No, Daniel Craig is not James Bond #6. But if the recent seismic activity surrounding his candidacy is to be believed, he might be closer to landing the plum role of Agent 007 in Casino Royale than any other actor.
Daniel Craig’s candidacy has been one of the more mysterious aspects of the James Bond casting drama. Craig was “announced” as Bond by the worldwide news media in April of this year. Even CNN reported this as fact. But when CBn tried to investigate the Craig question, we were told Craig was not in the running.
Bond candidate
Daniel Craig
Craig later told IGN.com he was offered the part by the studio (then MGM) but not Eon. Recently the Hollywood Reporter claimed that Barbara Broccoli liked Craig, but Michael G. Wilson did not (a CBn source disputes this, suggesting director Martin Campbell is the holdout on Craig, not Wilson).
Then, early this month, CBn broke the news in its monthly podcast that Daniel Craig was back in the running “in a major way” and would receive a screentest. At the time it was assumed this would be just one of several new screentests in the continued search for the new 007. However, no other names have emerged in this regard except the name of Daniel Craig.
Yesterday LDWJ Films announced that a “Pinewood insider” told them Daniel Craig was, indeed, the new James Bond. A CBn source in the Bahamas reports that the people associated with the Casino Royale location scout are also saying Craig is the new 007.
Likewise, the very reliable Stax over at IGN FilmForce reports, “IGN FilmForce has also heard from reliable sources that Craig is the man for the job but have not been able to confirm.” In their report, IGN offers up a picture of Hoagy Carmichael — whom Fleming said was his ideal model of what 007 should look like — noting the similarity in appearance to Daniel Craig.
Fleming’s Bond:
Hoagy Carmichael
Some Bond fans discount Craig’s chances after screenwriter, Paul Haggis, leaked news that the James Bond in Casino Royale will be 28-years-old. Daniel Craig is 37.
However, in Layer Cake — the film that appears to have brought him to the attention of Eon — Craig successfully plays a 30-year-old. Also, Haggis may be working off a draft written when the Bond search was actively focused on casting a twentysomething Bond.
The critical aspect of the current Casino Royale storyline seems to be less about age and more about Bond’s first mission as a double-oh agent. Therefore, it is not inconceivable that a man who has already reached the rank of Commander in the Royal Navy, and has logged at least three successful missions as an SIS agent (one must kill three times to become a double-oh), would be in his thirties. In fact, might even be more conceivable.
Despite all the heat, CBn has not been able to confirm via its most trusted sources that Craig has officially been offered the role of 007. But we have been able to confirm that this latest buzz is not based on unfounded rumour. Craig’s candidacy IS genuine, and, at this moment, people close to the production appear to be holding their collective breath waiting for the next shoe to drop.
Will that shoe be the official announcement of Daniel Craig as James Bond? Or could it still be Henry Cavill, Alex O’Lachlan, or even Pierce Brosnan? Or will we all be surprised when a complete unknown steps on stage and assumes the role of the world’s greatest secret agent?
If all the endless speculation hasn’t made you tune out already…
Stay tuned!