Published in 1953, the book merged the traditions of vintage British thrillers with the more realistic and brutal style of hardboiled American writers such as Dashiell Hammett.īut Craig’s debut was not the first attempt to film the novel, but the third. Craig’s Casino Royale was an adaptation of Fleming’s first novel. Much of the current creative renaissance stems from the decision to return to the spirit of Ian Fleming’s novels. The likes of Mendes, Logan, Paul Haggis and Marc Forster signing up to be involved is worlds away from even a decade ago, when the series seemed to be heading into self-parody. The Bond films have come a long way since 1962.

Next November, 50 years after the premiere of Dr No, the 23rd Bond film will be released, directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes, co-written by Oscar-nominated John Logan and starring Daniel Craig as the bare-knuckled Bond he debuted in 2005’s Casino Royale. As he admitted in 1992, he thought he’d signed up for 'another Grade-B Charlie Chan mystery'. When he took the part of Dr No in the first James Bond film, Joseph Wiseman had no inkling that the franchise would become such a success. Could it be the finest 007 thriller never made? The ‘Shakespeare of Hollywood’ wrote it, but the original screenplay of Casino Royale sat unread for years.

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