Casino Royale Movie

THE crew expected a set crawling with sex kittens but what they got instead was a couple of grizzled stuntmen and a chiseled blond Bond. "When the crew realized there were not going to be any naked girls on-set, some were a bit upset," admits Daniel Kleinman, the title designer behind the opening credit sequences for the last five James Bond films, including "Casino Royale," which opened Friday.

The penguins and James Bond are rare birds indeed. In an unusual show of strength, the animated penguin musical "Happy Feet" and the Bond thriller "Casino Royale" dominated the movie box office for the third straight weekend. Warner Bros.' "Happy Feet" hung on to the top spot with an estimated gross of $17 million in the U.S. and Canada, ahead of Sony Pictures' "Casino Royale," which brought in $15.1 million, studio estimates show.

Chris Cornell, frontman of the rock band Audioslave, will record the theme song for the James Bond film "Casino Royale." Cornell's song, "You Know My Name," will open the movie, which marks Daniel Craig's debut as Agent 007. It is set to open Nov. 17. Cornell, 42, is a former singer and guitarist with Seattle grunge band Soundgarden. He joins a list of Bond vocalists that includes Paul McCartney, Madonna, Sheryl Crow and Shirley Bassey.

The new man in the James Bond penguin suit was a box-office hit, but it was the dancing penguins that stole the show this weekend. Families flocked to Warner Bros.' "Happy Feet," buying $42.3 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada for the animated musical about Antarctic penguins, according to Sunday's studio estimate. Close behind was "Casino Royale," with Daniel Craig taking over the role of British secret agent 007 from Pierce Brosnan. It came in second with a gross of $40.

The new James Bond now has his Bond Girl. Eva Green, whose screen credits include Bernardo Bertolucci's erotic drama "The Dreamers," will costar as the enticing Vesper Lynd in "Casino Royale" opposite Daniel Craig. Craig is making his debut appearance as Bond in the film. Directed by Martin Campbell, "Casino Royale" is expected to be in theaters Nov. 17.

It's Craig, Daniel Craig. Little by little, news is leaking out that British-born actor Daniel Craig will be tapped to play James Bond in "Casino Royale," the 21st installment in the multibillion-dollar film franchise based on the popular Ian Fleming novels featuring that debonair spy, Agent 007. The blond-haired Craig, 37, will be the sixth Bond -- and first blond Bond.

Between shaken martinis over the years, James Bond has saved the planet from the evils of Ernst Blofeld, Dr. No and Hugo Drax. Now, the British secret service agent has a new mission: to secure Hollywood's box-office rebound this year -- a particularly challenging task because there's a new man in the tuxedo. Hitting theaters in November, "Casino Royale," the 21st Bond film, is considered the front-runner in this year's all-important holiday box-office derby.

THERE has always been something adolescent about 007. Sure, Britain's best-known secret agent occasionally bears the fate of the free world on his deltoids. What he hasn't shouldered, as he's whizzed from one adventure to another over the last 44 years, is the ordinary responsibilities and commitments of a modern adult male.

The penguins and James Bond are rare birds indeed. In an unusual show of strength, the animated penguin musical "Happy Feet" and the Bond thriller "Casino Royale" dominated the movie box office for the third straight weekend. Warner Bros.' "Happy Feet" hung on to the top spot with an estimated gross of $17 million in the U.S. and Canada, ahead of Sony Pictures' "Casino Royale," which brought in $15.1 million, studio estimates show.

Help wanted: Secret agent with youthful appearance. Must have a taste for dry martinis, voluptuous women, and look dashing in a tux. Martial arts knowledge, ability to operate lethal gadgets a plus. Contact MGM. The worldwide search for an actor to play Agent 007 is about to get underway now that MGM has signed Martin Campbell to direct "Casino Royale," the 21st film in the Bond franchise.

THE crew expected a set crawling with sex kittens but what they got instead was a couple of grizzled stuntmen and a chiseled blond Bond. "When the crew realized there were not going to be any naked girls on-set, some were a bit upset," admits Daniel Kleinman, the title designer behind the opening credit sequences for the last five James Bond films, including "Casino Royale," which opened Friday.

THERE has always been something adolescent about 007. Sure, Britain's best-known secret agent occasionally bears the fate of the free world on his deltoids. What he hasn't shouldered, as he's whizzed from one adventure to another over the last 44 years, is the ordinary responsibilities and commitments of a modern adult male.

In the upcoming "Casino Royale," the British secret service sends in its best card shark -- James Bond -- to clean out a private banker to the world's terrorists in Texas hold 'em. Sony Pictures Entertainment is in a high-stakes poker game of its own with the movie. Having pushed about $250 million of its chips onto the table, the studio will release its first Bond film next Friday in the biggest bet yet in the franchise's 44-year history.

IT'S somewhat odd that Martin Campbell, director of the 21st James Bond installment that opens Nov. 17, describes "Casino Royale" as "the perfect opportunity to reboot the series and go back to basics." Reboot? The Bond franchise was hardly stalled, at least not financially. In 2002, "Die Another Day" starring Pierce Brosnan grossed $432 million worldwide, the most any Bond movie has earned since 007 first appeared on screen 44 years ago.

Between shaken martinis over the years, James Bond has saved the planet from the evils of Ernst Blofeld, Dr. No and Hugo Drax. Now, the British secret service agent has a new mission: to secure Hollywood's box-office rebound this year -- a particularly challenging task because there's a new man in the tuxedo. Hitting theaters in November, "Casino Royale," the 21st Bond film, is considered the front-runner in this year's all-important holiday box-office derby.

A large fire seriously damaged the set of the latest James Bond movie Sunday, caving in the roof of a soundstage transformed into a replica of Venice for the production of "Casino Royale." Pinewood Shepperton, the company that owns the studio complex where the fire erupted, said filming for the Bond production had been completed. "Its film sets were in the process of being removed," the studio said in a statement. The cause of the fire was unknown.

The new man in the James Bond penguin suit was a box-office hit, but it was the dancing penguins that stole the show this weekend. Families flocked to Warner Bros.' "Happy Feet," buying $42.3 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada for the animated musical about Antarctic penguins, according to Sunday's studio estimate. Close behind was "Casino Royale," with Daniel Craig taking over the role of British secret agent 007 from Pierce Brosnan. It came in second with a gross of $40.

A large fire seriously damaged the set of the latest James Bond movie Sunday, caving in the roof of a soundstage transformed into a replica of Venice for the production of "Casino Royale." Pinewood Shepperton, the company that owns the studio complex where the fire erupted, said filming for the Bond production had been completed. "Its film sets were in the process of being removed," the studio said in a statement. The cause of the fire was unknown.

Chris Cornell, frontman of the rock band Audioslave, will record the theme song for the James Bond film "Casino Royale." Cornell's song, "You Know My Name," will open the movie, which marks Daniel Craig's debut as Agent 007. It is set to open Nov. 17. Cornell, 42, is a former singer and guitarist with Seattle grunge band Soundgarden. He joins a list of Bond vocalists that includes Paul McCartney, Madonna, Sheryl Crow and Shirley Bassey.

The new James Bond now has his Bond Girl. Eva Green, whose screen credits include Bernardo Bertolucci's erotic drama "The Dreamers," will costar as the enticing Vesper Lynd in "Casino Royale" opposite Daniel Craig. Craig is making his debut appearance as Bond in the film. Directed by Martin Campbell, "Casino Royale" is expected to be in theaters Nov. 17.