Casino Royale
20th Anniversary 2006-2026

As Casino Royale celebrates its 20th Anniversary, KEVIN HARPER looks back at the production of the 21st James Bond film which marked the start of the Daniel Craig era, and reinvented the franchise for a whole new generation of fans.

Following the release of Die Another Day in November 2002, Pierce Brosnan’s fourth James Bond outing quickly went on to become the most successful film in the franchise up to that point when not adjusted for inflation, although critics were less than kind, singling out the over-the-top storyline and highlighting the use of some sub-standard computer generated effects. EON Productions had reached a crossroads and were now faced with a dilemma. In which direction should Bond go next?

This situation was of course nothing new for EON, who had faced the same criticism levelled at Moonraker when it too was released to massive box-office success in 1979. Their solution was to go back to basics and return Bond to earth and a more realistic storyline. EON had eventually acquired the rights of Ian Fleming’s debut novel CASINO ROYALE in 1999 as part of a deal after Sony Pictures exchanged them for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's rights to Spider-Man. The James Bond author had originally sold the rights to his first novel in 1954, which resulted in a one-hour US television adventure made by CBS as part of their dramatic anthology series Climax! However, as CASINO ROYALE was essentially an origin story it made no sense for EON Productions to make the film with the actor then established in the role of James Bond, despite the fact his four films had grossed over $1-billion at the global box-office following the release of Die Another Day (2002). Producers Michael G. Wilson & Barbara Broccoli therefore made the difficult decision to recast the role of James Bond and dropped Pierce Brosnan, as his four-film contract had then been fulfilled. In the interim, Pierce Brosnan had starred in the video game James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, released in February 2004, allowing for his likeness to be used, as well as supplying the voice-work for the character one final time.

Work on a screenplay for Casino Royale began in January 2004, with series’ regulars Robert Wade & Neal Purvis adapting Ian Fleming’s first novel, with early drafts including elements from the short stories THE HILDEBRAND RARITY and 007 IN NEW YORK. The latter story included the character of Solange, who was later incorporated into the final version of Casino Royale. Director Martin Campbell, who had successfully rejuvenated the series a decade earlier with GoldenEye (1995), agreed to return and introduce another new 007. Campbell also suggested hiring Canadian Paul Haggis, best known as screenwriter and producer for consecutive Best Picture Oscar winners Million Dollar Baby (2004) and Crash (2005) [which he also directed] to undertake a rewrite of the Purvis & Wade screenplay, with all three writers agreeing to keep the storyline as close to Ian Fleming’s original novel as possible. At the time it was not cost-effective to base the film in the UK, and it was decided that studios in Prague in the Czech Republic were best suited for the bulk of interior filming.

In July 2005, the first round of screen tests were held at Pinewood Studios under strict secrecy. After hundreds of actors were considered the Producers and Casting Director Debbie McWilliams whittled the number down to 10, and finally just three. 22-year-old Henry Cavill tested on 26th and 27th September, 2005, followed by 29-year-old Australian-born Sam Worthington the following day. On September 29, 2005, 37-year-old English actor Daniel Craig auditioned for the role playing Bond’s first meeting with Vesper Lynd, and the From Russia With Love hotel room scene with Tatiana Romanova. Daniel Craig received the news he had been chosen as the new Bond as he was filming The Invasion (2005) with Nicole Kidman in Baltimore. The actor flew back to the UK and the blond-haired sixth incarnation of Ian Fleming’s secret agent was first seen at mid-day on Friday October 14, 2005, racing down London's river Thames in a Royal Marine speedboat wearing a BRIONI suit, sunglasses and a lifejacket! After a gruelling press conference on board HMS President, a Royal Navy Reserve station at St. Katherine’s Docks on the banks of the Thames downstream from Tower Bridge, the world’s media got to work on the next day’s front pages. The Daily Mirror ran the headline ‘Bland, James Bland’ based on the actor’s low-key and abrupt answering of questions hurled at him by the hordes of journalists. ‘Blond, James Blond’ was another headline that made an issue of Daniel Craig being the first natural blond to play Bond. Other complaints about him were that he was too short; his eyes were too blue, and even that he was too ugly to play Bond. A publicity still taken during the auditions showing an unshaven Craig with slicked-back longer hair and holding a silenced gun was released to the press and later reshot as filming got underway to show Craig as he appeared in the finished film.

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