After more than a year of fevered speculation, during which the name of every single non-American leading man under the age of 56 has been bandied about with abandon, the next Bond has finally been cast – and, as expected, it will be Daniel Craig starring in Martin Campbell's Casino Royale.
He joins that small, fairly select group of actors to have officially played the role, following Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.
Craig has been a rising star in British cinema, especially over the last two years after the double whammy of Layer Cake and Enduring Love garnered him rave reviews and some box office success.
The 37 year-old takes over from Pierce Brosnan as the filmmakers go for a sort of "Bond Begins" approach, using Ian Fleming's first Bond novel as a basis to reinvent the character as a newly qualified 28 – 31 year-old who has just earned his 007 stripes. We are promised fewer gadgets, fewer cringe-worthy one-liners, and a Bond that has yet to have the edges knocked off him.
Click below for the first official picture of Craig as Bond.