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LONDON - James Bond is back. This time he is blond, brutal and his heart gets bruised.
And when asked if he wants his Martini cocktail shaken or stirred during a high-stakes game of poker, he breaks the Bond mould by petulantly replying: "Do I look like I give a damn?"
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 today in front of Queen Elizabeth and celebrities including Elton John and Paris Hilton.
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.
"It's fantastic, fabulous, absolutely fabulous," he told reporters at the premiere.
When asked to describe Casino Royale, he said: "It's emotionally more interesting. He goes on to make a few mistakes, but at the end of the day he becomes Bond."
Asked if she had taken a fancy to her new Bond, British actress Judi Dench, who reprises her role as spy master M, replied: "I'm old enough to be his grandmother."
The 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.
"It didn't really bother us because we knew we had the right guy," Broccoli said. "The controversy didn't really disturb us."
When asked about Craig's next Bond movie, expected to be released in 2008, Wilson added: "One at a time, one at a time."
With a budget of around $100 million 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 at the box office, making it a hard act to follow. The 20 official Bond films have amassed nearly $4 billion in ticket sales worldwide.
Casino Royale goes on general release on November 17 and will be full of surprises for Bond fans.
A chiseled 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.
- REUTERS
