Daniel Craig is an even tougher act to follow asJames Bondthan Sean Connery was. Craig is the longest-tenured actor to play James Bond, despite only starring in five 007 movies. Craig’s first movie was 2006’sCasino Royaleand his final film as Bond was 2021’sNo Time To Die.Daniel Craig’s run as James Bondgrossed a combined $3,958,969,397 at the worldwide box office, with 2012’sSkyfallranking as the highest-grossing Bond movie ever with $1.1-billion worldwide. By every measure,Daniel Craig was an incredible success as James Bond.
One of the reasons Daniel Craig was unique among his fellowJames Bondactorsis his 007 exists in a rebooted universe.Every previous James Bond movieprior toCasino Royale -from 1962’sDr. Nostarring Sean Connery to 2002’sDie Another Daystarring Pierce Brosnan - posited that it was the same James Bond who had all of those adventures.Casino Royalekicked off a brand new 007 canon, beginning with how Craig’s younger James Bond earned his 007 status and license to kill.No Time To Diethen did the previously unthinkable: it ended James Bond’s storyby having Craig’s 007 sacrifice his life to save the world.
Why Daniel Craig Is A Tougher Act To Follow As James Bond Than Sean Connery
Craig’s Rebooted Bond Brings Complications
Sean Connery was the originalJames Bondactor, and he was widely popular in the 1960s, but Daniel Craig is an even harder act to follow. Craig’s run as Bond was acclaimed by critics and audiences, andDaniel redefined 007, combining the elegance of the gentleman spy with a grit and modernity that perfectly suited the 21st century.Casino Royaleis routinely hailed as one of thebest James Bond moviesever made, whileSkyfalldestroyed 007’s box office records. HadNo Time To Dienot been released during the COVID-19 pandemic, it might have inched closer toSkyfall’s billion-dollar box office, or at least exceededSpectre’s gross.
2006
$606,000,064
2008
$589,580,694
2012
$1,108,561,013
2015
$880,674,609
2021
Cary Joji Fukunaga
$774,153,007
With Daniel Craig’s tenure concluded, EON Productions has yet to solve the conundrum of how to follow Daniel’s James Bond. Should the007 saga rebootagain, and create a third James Bond timeline starting with the new 007’s origin? Should the next Bond saga ignore Craig’s run and restart the original 007 timeline that ended with Pierce Brosnan’sDie Another Day?Perhaps Daniel Craig’s Bond could be resurrected but with a new actor taking over the role? There are no easy answers that guarantee success, andthis is a much more challenging predicament than replacing Sean Connery was in the 1960s.
James Bond Tried To Duplicate Sean Connery With George Lazenby
Sean Connery began to tire of the James Bond role as each movie became bigger and more globally popular. Connery decided that 1967’sYou Only Live Twicewould be his swansong as Bond. With Roger Moore not available because he was starring in a similar spy TV series,The Saint,007’s producers decided to hire Australian model George Lazenby as Connery’s replacement as Bond in 1969’sOn Her Majesty’s Secret Service.It was an outright attempt to duplicate Connery, including giving Lazenby a similar haircut.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Servicehas been reassessed by Bond fans in the decades since its release, and it’s now considered one of the best 007 movies.
Unfortunately, George Lazenby did not take a shine to the role of James Bond, believing the character was irrelevant as the calendar turned to the 1970s. Similarly,audiences didn’t buy Lazenby as Sean Connery’s successor.Lazenby quit the James Bond franchise, and Connery returned for another outing as 007, starring in 1971’sDiamonds Are Forever. While Connery would play Bond one final time in 1983’s non-canonicalThunderballremakeNever Say Never Again, the James Bond films found their true replacement in Roger Moore.
Roger Moore Was A Very Different Bond Than Sean Connery
Moore’s 007 Was A Huge Success
In a way,Roger Moore was as radical a reinvention of James Bond as Daniel Craigproved to be in 2006. Moore was decidedly unlike Sean Connery. Roger brought more gentlemanly charm to James Bond, compared to Connery’s rough edges, and Moore veered more toward comedy as his James Bond films became bigger spectacles, relying on gimmicks and gadgets. In truth, Moore’s 007’s had a lethal edge of his own, but Roger is eternally remembered as a lighthearted and even silly James Bond.
Every Roger Moore James Bond Movie, Ranked Worst To Best
Roger Moore is the James Bond movie franchise’s longest-serving 007, and here are all seven of his adventures ranked from worst to best.
Regardless,Roger Moore’s tenure as James Bond was wildly successful. Before Craig eclipsed him, Moore was the longest-serving James Bond actor, from 1973’sLive and Let Dieto 1985’sA View to a Kill.Moore also starred in 7 James Bond movies, the most of any actor unless one counts Sean Connery’s ‘unofficial’ Bond,Never Say Never Again. Replacing Roger Moore was a relatively simple matter for 007 producers: they just went the opposite direction and cast the grim and grittyTimothy Dalton as the next James Bond.
Would Casting An Actor The Opposite Of Daniel Craig As James Bond Work?
Who Should The Next James Bond Be?
The potential success (or failure) ofJames Bond begins with his casting, and this is the first major issue EON Productions has yet to solve in terms of how to follow Daniel Craig. Does EON search for an actor that can equal Craig’s rugged looks and emotional vulnerability, ordo they reinvent Bond yet again and move in a new direction? Should the next 007 be younger? Is a more comedic Bond, the way Roger Moore had a lighter touch than Sean Connery, the right way to move 007 forward? Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s name has often been mentioned as the next James Bond, as is Idris Elba. While it’s likely neither will be cast, those are two very different ideas for James Bond.
No Time To Die killing Craig’s Bond off was a daring creative move that painted the 007 franchise into a corner.
The pressures of finding a new James Bond actor who can then successfully continue 007 as a potential billion-dollar movie franchise is immense. Succeeding Daniel Craig isn’t simply a matter of finding another actor who looks smashing in a tuxedo or can order a martini with panache.Craig took James Bond to a new stratosphere of success and universal acclaim, andNo Time To Diekilling Craig’s Bond off was a daring creative move that painted the 007 franchise into a corner. Replacing Sean Connery asJames Bondwas relatively easy compared to finding the next 007 to follow Daniel Craig.
