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Mystery writer Raymond Chandler says that James Bond is "what every man would like to be and what every woman would like to have between her sheets." Perhaps it's this quality that has allowed the character to survive for more than 40 years, through various actors and generation gaps. Over the years, Bond has practically defined the careers of performers such as Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan. Eventually, the torch is handed over to someone new, as the Broccoli family keeps making Bond films and MGM (soon to be under the umbrella of Sony) is happy to oblige with distribution and financing.

For the 21st film in the Bond series, the producers and director Martin Campbell (who brought the series back to life with GoldenEye) will look to the very first novel in the Ian Fleming series, Casino Royale. Previously created as a spoof of the series starring Peter Sellers and David Niven, this time the story will be given the action-packed Bond approach that fans of the series have become accustomed to.

The book had Bond assigned to a seemingly posh task - preventing a Russian spy known as Le Chiffre from his attempt to win 50 million French francs. It seems Le Chiffre needs to regain some KGB cash that he lost as a result of an investment in a chain of brothels. Since 007 is known to be the best gambler in Her Majesty's Secret Service, he's selected to go out and break Le Chiffre's bank at the gaming tables of the French Riviera's Casino Royale.

Given the current popularity of poker and gambling in all its forms, Casino Royale promises to be an excellent choice for storyline. It may require updating in this post-Cold War World, but even if it is kept in a framework of the past, the idea should work marvelously. After a long, drawn-out process where a variety of actors were rumored to be in line for the role, Daniel Craig was awarded the part. Although he's not well-known in the U.S., he's a popular actor in Great Britain, with his starring turn in Layer Cake establishing that he can be both suave and engaging. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Vital statistics for Casino Royale Main Cast Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Mads Mikkelsen Supporting Cast Eva Green, Jeffrey Wright Director Martin Campbell Screenwriter Paul Haggis Distributor Sony/Columbia Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/casinoroyale/site/ Rating PG-13 Screen Count 3,434 Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Casino Royale
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Die Another Day	11/22/02	47.07	48.93	3314	14204.00	14204.0	160.93	167.31	3.42
xXx	8/9/02	44.51	46.27	3374	13191.00	13191.0	141.20	146.80	3.17
World is not Enough, The	11/19/99	35.52	42.32	3165	11223.00	12813.7	126.93	151.26	3.57
Goldeneye	11/17/95	26.21	36.33	2667	9828.00	13104.0	106.43	147.53	4.06
Tomorrow Never Dies	12/19/97	25.14	33.02	2807	8956.00	11316.9	125.28	164.58	4.98