Now that Daniel Craig’s rough and rugged 007 has — SPOILER ALERT! — been blown to smithereens by his own rockets, attention has turned to see how EON Productions and Sony can reinvent the character again, and more importantly, just who will take over the iconic role of suave, super-spy — James Bond. Various names have been dropped in relation to the coveted role recently — Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Richard Madden, Tom Hiddleston, Bridgerton’s Rege-Jean Page, Outlander star Sam Heughan, Daniel Kaluuya, Henry Golding, along with Supes and the Witcher himself Henry Cavill — to note just a few. Perhaps, as producer Barbara Broccoli recently hinted at, albeit very vaguely, the new Bond could be non-binary, or perhaps a woman? Only time will tell…
With the world needing a new Bond to carry on the franchise, what better time than now to pitch the last movie to successfully relaunch the character, 2006’s CASINO ROYALE, against arguably the other strongest entry in the Craig series, 2012’s SKYFALL. When Daniel Craig was unveiled as the new Bond in a massive media event in 2005, which Craig would later go on to describe as a ‘f*cking train wreck’, fans were up in arms over the actor wearing a life-jacket aboard the Royal Navy boat that brought him down the Thames, apparently chewing gum, being too blonde, and also being a little short to embody their beloved James Bond. Just imagine being cast as the legendary spy in today’s more advanced digital world of instant public opinion… daunting! However, Craig went on to defy his critics in what was a muscular and franchise-saving turn as Bond, and although a writers’ strike partly affected the quality of follow-up Quantum of Solace in 2008, Skyfall brought a more human Bond to the franchise and is regarded as of one of the greatest Bond movies of all time.
So, grab a Martini, shaken not stirred of course, as we discover which of these Bond behemoths will win the day and which will sink faster than a Venetian apartment block because you know by now what it’s time for… FACE OFF!
This episode of Face Off is written by Adam Walton, narrated by Shawn Knippelberg, and edited by Adam Walton. Let us know in the comments which 007 Craig outing is your favorite — Casino Royale or Skyfall?