Bond favorite emerges, but 007 mystery persists
LOS ANGELES/LONDON (Reuters) – The makers of the next James Bond movie are doing their best to keep the identity of the man who will play 007 a secret but a new favorite emerged on Tuesday: English actor Daniel Craig.
Just days ahead of an expected official announcement, Craig was named as the first “blond Bond” in a report in the Daily Mail. The paper said Craig even underwent a screen test wearing a tuxedo and passed with flying colors.
British bookmaker William Hill closed wagers on Bond after bettors rushed to back Craig thanks in part to the report.
Hill had taken bets on no less than 39 pretenders for the part, several “winners” have been named in recent months and media and Bond Web sites have been awash with gossip.
At U.S.-based online movie ticket seller Fandango.com, fans gave Craig only a one percent shot at being 007. Englishman Jason Statham, star of “Transporter 2,” topped the Fandangolist with a 33 percent chance.
Dozens of others have been mentioned as possible successors to current Bond Pierce Brosnan, including Britons Clive Owen and Jude Law, Australia’s Hugh Jackman and Croatia’s Goran Visnjic.
With shooting of the 21st Bond film, “Casino Royale,” due to begin in January, speculation has only intensified. A delay in announcing the casting has been portrayed as a crisis that could cause costly production delays.
Craig’s agent in London declined to comment, and a spokesman for Sony Pictures Entertainment, which will release the film, said the company did not comment on rumors.
“The decision hasn’t been made yet. They are casting and that takes however long it takes,” was the reply from an EON spokeswoman clearly tiring of fielding the same question.
Only five actors have donned 007’s tuxedo since the first film, “Dr. No,” more than 40 years ago, when Scotsman Sean Connery played the suave secret agent with a license to kill. For the filmmakers there is more at stake than how to prepare Bond’s martini (shaken, not stirred).
THE BOND BRAND
Not only is Bond a national institution in Britain, but he is also one of history’s most profitable film franchises. It has netted nearly $4 billion in ticket sales of which Brosnan’s four films grossed $1.5 billion, industry figures show.
Hollywood producers and directors familiar with casting an iconic action hero like Bond say a relative unknown was most likely to take over.
Avi Arad, who runs Marvel Studios with its “Spider-Man” and “X-Men” movies, said the main criterion for his heroes was simply an ability to act, and that big stars were unnecessary for such a strong brand name as Marvel.
The same could be said of Bond or Batman.
“It’s such an iconic franchise and such a huge part of American culture,” John Papsidera, casting director for “Batman Begins,” said of the caped crusader.
“Inherently, (the filmmakers) felt the audience would be there as long as we didn’t screw it up.”
In the end, Christian Bale, who honed his acting skills in independent films like “The Machinist” and “American Psycho,” was chosen and proved a critical and commercial hit as Batman.
Brosnan has said he would be willing to play Bond for a fifth time, and experts believe that Sony, mindful of the Irishman’s box office clout, would welcome him back.
But Web sites devoted to all things Bond say producer Barbara Broccoli wants fresh blood, with Casino Royale returning to the start of the spy’s career on Her Majesty’s secret service.
James Page, director of Bond Web site (www.mi6.co.uk), agreed Brosnan was likely to be replaced with a lesser known actor. “They did this with Sean Connery originally. Roger Moore was the only (Bond) actor who came in with any stature in the film industry,” he said.
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