James Bond’s future on the big screen remains one of Hollywood’s biggest unanswered questions, but audiences, as it turns out, are going to see a very familiar face as the legendary MI6 agent in theaters again. Twenty years after Daniel Craig (Knives Out) made his debut as Bond, the movie that completely reinvented the character for a new generation is heading back to the big screen.
Casino Royale is officially returning to theaters in October to celebrate its 20th anniversary, putting Craig’s James Bond back on the big screen five years after his final appearance in No Time to Die. Produced on a reported budget of $150 million, Casino Royale emerged as the top-grossing Bond movie of all time until Skyfall, with a total global box office haul of over $605 million. The film introduced audiences to a young James Bond, freshly graduated and a new 00 having just earned his first two kills. Bond ends up on the trail of the enigmatic Le Chiffré, a financier with a lust for power and card games.
The movie is now sitting at a “certified fresh” 94% critics’ score and a 90% audience score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “Casino Royale disposes of the silliness and gadgetry that plagued recent James Bond outings, and Daniel Craig delivers what fans and critics have been waiting for: a caustic, haunted, intense reinvention of 007.”
Who Will Be The New James Bond?
That’s the big question, isn’t it? Speculation has been afoot for months now ahead of the announcement — due any day now — as to who will be the latest to take on the tuxedo, the martini and the Walther PPK. Names linked have included stars like Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Aaron Taylor-Johnson before they were whittled down to the likes of Jacob Elordi, Harris Dickinson and, in the eyes of many, the perfect choice in Slow Horses star Jack Lowden.
The new film is being produced by Amy Pascal and David Heyman while Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve will take over as director for the first movie to be released under the new Amazon MGM banner.
The re-release is being handled in the U.K. by Park Circus, with cinemas including Vue beginning screenings from October 2 and the wider anniversary release listed for early October.
via Collider