Daniel Craig’s casting as the smoothest secret agent of all
times, James Bond, may have been controversial a couple of years ago but he has
well risen to expectations and beyond.
“Quantum of Solace,” the 22nd installment in the James Bond
franchise, will have its world premiere in London
on October 29, opening in British theaters on October 31 and in the United States
on November 14.
Daniel Craig returns as 007, in a story directly continuing
that of 2006’s “Casino Royale,” which had serial womanizer James Bond fall
deeply in love with Vesper Lynd, portrayed by French actress Eva Green, only to
find himself betrayed and robbed.
According to early online reviews, the new installment is
even more packed with action than “Casino Royale.” Daniel Craig, 40, must have
truly channeled his character’s ruthlessness and determination as he performed
most of his stunts himself, being injured on a number of occasions. It was
reported in the media that the British actor accidentally sliced off the tip of
one of his fingers while filming one scene and required stitches and minor
cosmetic surgery for injuries sustained during the making of another scene. All
in the name of art.
Then again, “Casino Royale” marked Craig’s breakthrough in the
movie industry as a bona fide star. He was praised by film critics for his
performance as Bond and managed something neither of his predecessors did: he
was nominated for a prestigious BAFTA Award for Best Actor in 2006. “Casino
Royale” has also become one of the most successful Bond films, earning $594
million in ticket sales around the world.
Craig previously appeared in “Love Is the Devil: Study for a
Portrait of Francis Bacon,” “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” “Road to Perdition,” “Layer Cake” and “Enduring
Love,” among others.
It is only natural that he would wish to outdo himself
and prove to naysayers that he is as good a Bond, if not even better than, Sean
Connery, Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan. Craig’s co-stars in “Quantum of Solace” are Olga Kurylenko
as Russian-Bolivian agent Camille, Gemma Arterton as Agent Fields and Mathieu
Amalric as the villainous Dominic Greene. Dame Judi Dench returns as M, while
Jeffrey Wright reprises the role of Bond’s CIA ally Felix Leiter.
Ukrainian-born Kurylenko has had small roles in “Paris, je
t’aime,” “Hitman” and the recently released “Max Payne,” while Arterton has
appeared in “St. Trinian’s” and in the new Guy Ritchie film “RocknRolla.”
Amalric of course starred in last year’s critically praised “Le scaphandre et
le papillon.”
Marc Forster (“Monster’s Ball,” “Finding Neverland,” “The
Kite Runner”) directed from a script by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert
Wade. The title belongs to a short story published by James Bond creator Ian
Fleming in 1960, in the short story collection “For Your Eyes Only.”
Filming has taken the cast and crew around the world, in
locations such as Chile, Austria, Italy
and the UK.
Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli produced. Alicia Keys and The White Stripes’ Jack White teamed up to
create and perform the theme song for “Quantum of Solace.” The track, titled “Another
Way to Die,” is the first duet in Bond history.
