The Search for the New James Bond

Highlighted by a flurry of unconfirmed reports from a variety of different sources, the quest for the actor to replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond attracted a great deal of high-profile media attention after rumours began to surface in the Autumn of 2004 that Pierce Brosnan would not be re-signing with EON Productions to play agent 007 in Casino Royale. Brosnan confirmed this on October 14, 2004, stating "It's absolutely over," and that he considered himself "fired" from the role.

A spokesperson for EON Productions issued a statement on April 17, 2005 that it would "definitely not be Pierce Brosnan." Despite this and numerous public denials that he would return, various media continued to report that Brosnan was still in contention for the role. Throughout 2004 and 2005, an endless stream of potential new Bonds — both unknowns and established Hollywood actors — were rumoured and even announced by some media. Some of the popular names mentioned to be in actual consideration by EON Productions, a list at one point claimed by Michael G. Wilson to be over 200 names long are:

Christian Bale
Eric Bana
Orlando Bloom
Gerard Butler
Henry Cavill
Daniel Craig
Jack Davenport
Colin Farrell
Ralph Fiennes
Rupert Friend
Ioan Gruffudd
Hugh Jackman
Jude Law
Ewan McGregor
Julian McMahon
Alex O'Loughlin
Clive Owen
Adrian Paul
James Purefoy
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
Colin Salmon
Dougray Scott
Ewan Stewart
Karl Urban
Goran Višnjić
Dominic West
Sam Worthington

Names in bold indicate actors who confirmed that they auditioned for the role.
Of note, Eric Bana, Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, and even Daniel Craig were at one point confirmed to have been signed or to have been offered the role by various news outlets. More than any other candidate, Clive Owen had been a staying name while the search was continuing, likely due to his previous 1999 film, Croupier and his role in BMW's short film series, The Hire where in both he played a Bond-like character.

Rumours surrounding Owen intensified in early 2005 after he was awarded a Golden Globe and a BAFTA and nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his 2004 film, Closer. By July 2005, the list of names was down to a mere four, popularly known as "the final four", according to the tabloid, The Sunday Mirror. It was claimed that the shortlist had been whittled down to Henry Cavill (22), Alex O'Lachlan (28), Ewan Stewart (47) and Goran Višnjić (32) [1]. The list was premature and by September 2005 during a press junket for The Legend of Zorro, Martin Campbell claimed the list to have consisted of 8-10 names.


Promotional photo of Daniel Craig as James Bond released on October 14, 2005.
As early as April 2005 rumours began to swirl around Layer Cake star Daniel Craig. In May, Craig stated that MGM had assured him that he had the job, but that the Broccoli family hadn't approached him. Similarly, the director of Layer Cake, Matthew Vaughn stated that he had been offered the job of directing the film by the studio, but not by the Broccolis [2].

By August 2005, the 37-year-old Daniel Craig was still considered by many to be in the running and by some insiders, EON Production's preferred choice. On October 11, the Daily Mail confirmed that Daniel Craig had been signed for the role; however, no official confirmation was made until October 14, 2005 during a news conference held by EON Productions and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The conference was held at noon in London at HMS President, a Royal Naval Reserve station at St Katharine Docks, on the banks of the River Thames downstream of Tower Bridge.