Daniel Craig: The New James Bond, 007

Ian Fleming created the penultimate secret agent, James Bond, in Casino Royale in 1953 to moderate acclaim. The following adventures were eagerly gobbled up by a fascinated audience. Still, that same audience yearned for more and in 1962, thanks to EON Productions, it got what it wanted. Sean Connery was branded into the public eye as James Bond- 007. From Dr. No onward, each James Bond film was waited for with baited breath.

Unfortunately in latter years, despite box office returns, James Bond has become less about escapist fun and more about gags and gadgets and the audience has voiced its disappointment. Pierce Brosnan was always just a good James Bond and would always be, even if he had had better material. The heirs to the original production team at EON Productions noticed this and went back to the drawing board. Pierce Brosnan was given the axe, making him the first James Bond actor to officially be canned by the producers instead of bowing out himself. EON Productions second act of rebirth was to bring Ian Fleming's first novel, Casino Royale, to the big screen.

Casino Royale had been seen by audiences twice before. In the 1950s, Barry Nelson took on the role of "Card Smart Jimmy Bond" for a live television performance. Then again in 1967 with David Niven, Peter Sellers, Woody Allen and a slew of others playing "James Bond" in the non-hilarious spoof of James Bond, Casino Royale. Both films are interesting, the former being the better of the two thanks to the decision to stay close to the source material, but they're not the James Bond fans know. This is the absolute first time fans will get to see Casino Royale nearly the way Ian Fleming intended. With all of this accomplished, EON Productions had one more hurtle to leap: the casting of a new James Bond.