Bond is back for London world premiere

Actors Daniel Craig and Eva Green (L) of the film 'Casino Royale' sit for a portrait in New York November 6, 2006. [Reuters]

Daniel Craig has a date with double-O destiny.

"Casino Royale," the 21st official Bond movie and Craig's debut as agent 007, has its world premiere in London on Tuesday before an audience slated to include Queen Elizabeth II.

Craig, 38, whose recent screen credits include "Munich" and "The Jacket," is already being praised in some quarters as the best Bond since Sean Connery, who originated the role in 1962's "Dr. No."

The arrival of the new Bond has restored the buzz around a franchise that many felt was past its prime.

"With `Casino Royale,' we've not only got a new Bond, we've also got a new approach to the genre," said James Chapman, author of "Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films." "It's revisionist. It's going back to the roots of Bond's character."

The buzz is quite a turnaround. Last year's announcement that Craig would be the sixth actor to play Bond triggered gripes from many fans of the franchise, which has earned an estimated $4 billion worldwide. They said he was too blond, too craggy, too obscure to play the suave superspy.

An anti-Craig Web site — http://www.danielcraigisnotbond.com — urged a boycott of the movie. Craig supporters hit back with http://danielcraigisbond.com.

Producers say the film provides a tougher, grittier take on Bond, showing how he earns his license to kill. When asked if he prefers his martini shaken or stirred, the rougher-edged Bond replies, "Do I look like I give a damn?"

Craig has already signed up for the 22nd Bond film, due for release in November 2008.