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.

The role ultimately went to what can only be called a controversial choice. Daniel Craig was not the face that popped into mind when people mentioned James Bond. It's true that the actor is not as polished as his predecessors, but Fleming's Bond was never meant to be. Daniel Craig brings to the role the sort of edginess that exists only in the Fleming novels. He fights like a street brawler, the same way Fleming's Bond does, and he isn't exactly politically correct either.

Many fans were up in arms immediately. Most were die hard Pierce Brosnan fans that thought their man had been slighted for inferior goods. Brosnan could never really act though and he always seemed like he was posing more than he was acting during his tenure as 007. A website was created, www.craigsnotbond.com, and a petition was signed telling EON Productions that many fans were going to boycott the film because of their "terrible" choice. The media, disenchanted with Craig when he refused to play for the cameras at his announcement, played up the stories and continue to do so, making life a living Hell for the actor and his young daughter, who undergoes taunts every day at school thanks to the coverage.

What the media doesn't cover though is that the great majority of fans and regular movie goers are very happy and interested with the choice of Daniel Craig. We do not feel the need to boycott. We do not feel the need to belittle a man because he doesn't live up to our standards. We're happy we're finally going to get a James Bond that is more real than he has been for a very long while. That's what EON Productions is giving us with Daniel Craig.

Craig's a superior actor; he is probably the most skilled actor ever to play James Bond and he's not all that ugly. From what people have seen from the released teaser trailer and on-set videos, Daniel Craig is shaping up more nicely in his first outing as 007 than a couple of the James Bond actors ever did in all their films put together. The truth is fans should really enjoy this Bond, because he may be the last. Bright days will be seen during Craig's tenure at MI6, but what happens when he too will leave the role. It is always said that before something dies, it enjoys a final burst of great energy, and that is what is happening with the new James Bond.