BRITAIN: English actor Daniel Craig was named as the next James Bond yesterday, ending months of speculation over who would take over from Pierce Brosnan.
In typically flamboyant 007 style, the 37-year-old swept up the Thames in a launch to a news conference, escorted by Royal Marines boats.
The first blond Bond wore a blue suit and red tie and posed for photographers in the shadow of Tower Bridge.
Craig was hot favourite in the run-up to the announcement, and his appointment to star in the next Bond film, Casino Royale, was all but confirmed when his mother let the secret slip to a newspaper earlier in the day.
While little known in the US, Craig will be more familiar in Europe after appearing in the gangster caper Layer Cake. He promised to bring something new to a role immortalised by earlier incarnations Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Brosnan. - (Reuters)