UNITED KINGDOM: Star-studded presence helps Daniel Craig celebrate his world premiere as the first 'blonde Bond' in 'Casino Royale', attended by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip

London's Leicester Square was bursting with celebrities on Tuesday (November 14) as it celebrated the world premiere of Casino Royale. James Bond is back - this time he is blond, brutal and his heart gets bruised. British actor Daniel Craig has put a new spin on the old spy for "Casino Royale" in a gamble for a studio looking to give the 21-film franchise a makeover. The high-speed chases in an Aston Martin and beach beauties are never far away as Bond travels the world after Le Chiffre, evil banker to the world's terrorists - but there is more realistic action and emotion alongside the glamour and gadgets. The 38-year-old actor of stage and screen has won critical acclaim for his portrayal of the superspy ahead of the world premiere in London on Tuesday in front of Queen Elizabeth and celebrities including Elton John and Paris Hilton; but he was under a lot of pressure initially to prove that he could be Bond. "Let's get tonight out of the way and I think everything will be ok," he said. Hundreds of screaming fans waited along the red carpet in Leicester Square for a glimpse of Craig, who is enjoying his new life as a superstar. They all gave him high praise for his new role: "I have a feeling that Daniel Craig might just be the favourite Bond because he's really different, much more edgy, not as sophisticated but much tougher and rougher, he looks really interesting." "A bit of rough, we like the pants, the scene where he comes out of the sea. And he shows a six-pack. He's got lovely blue eyes. Come-to-bed eyes and we're waiting for the invitation." "Definitely (a good Bond), lots of sex appeal and great vibes." "I think he's gonna be deadly and that's what we want. Proper James Bond fans want a deadly Bond." The Bond story goes back to the beginning of 007's life as a spy and is based on the first Ian Fleming Bond novel from 1953. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson admit they took a risk in casting Craig, whose appointment in October 2005 was met with complaints from fans who said he was too blond, too unsophisticated and simply too ugly to carry off the role. With a budget of around 100 million US dollars and marketing costs almost as much, "Casino Royale", directed by New Zealand-born Martin Campbell, must be a hit to make money. "Die Another Day", the last Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan, earned an impressive 430 million US dollars at the box office, making it a hard act to follow. The 20 official Bond films have amassed nearly four billion US dollars in ticket sales worldwide. "Casino Royale" goes on general release on November 17 and will be full of surprises for Bond fans. A chiselled Craig emerges from the sea in a shot normally reserved for Bond girls, and there is real intensity in the relationship between 007 and leading lady Vesper Lynd, a prickly official at the British Treasury played by Eva Green. The secret agent gets his fair share of cuts and bruises, and is subjected to a form of torture that will have male eyes in the audience watering. The film-makers are even trying to drive the film into the record books. They say flipping and rolling Bond's Aston Martin seven-and-a-half times in one stunt using a special cannon has earned them a world record

ITN Source | November 15, 2006

Tags:. .subjected. .impressive. .emotion. .emerges. .worldwide