Daniel Craig began his stint as James Bond in style with 2006’s Casino Royale, an origin story for the character that details how he gained Double-O status. It was lauded by critics for its refreshingly gritty tone, and thanks to its terrifying villain played by Mads Mikkelsen and complex Bond girl played by Eva Green, it’s arguably still Craig’s best outing as 007.
After introducing Pierce Brosnan’s Bond in similarly awesome fashion with 1995’s GoldenEye, director Martin Campbell was recruited to introduce Craig’s in Casino Royale. The story of the movie’s production isn’t quite as thrilling as the movie itself, but it’s not far off.
Quentin Tarantino Was Interested In Directing A ‘60s-Set B&W Casino Royale With Pierce Brosnan
When Casino Royale was in development, Quentin Tarantino expressed interest in directing it. However, he wanted to set it in the ‘60s, shoot it in black-and-white, and feature Pierce Brosnan’s Bond. Since the producers wanted to reboot the franchise and start from scratch, they rejected Tarantino’s pitch.
Bringing back Brosnan for a fifth movie was briefly considered, but he was deemed too old and would’ve cost the producers $30 million. Matthew Vaughn was considered to direct, having worked with Daniel Craig on Layer Cake, but was thought to be too inexperienced.
Henry Cavill Was The Runner-Up To Play Bond, But Was Deemed Too Young For The Part
According to Martin Campbell, the only actor considered as seriously for the role of 007 as Daniel Craig was Henry Cavill, but he was ultimately deemed to be too young at just 22. Hugh Jackman turned down the part, because he was committed to an X-Men film shooting at the same time.
Before Craig was cast, the producers looked at Christian Bale, Orlando Bloom, Gerard Butler, Ewan McGregor, Dominic West, Sam Worthington, and Karl Urban, among others.
Daniel Craig Initially Turned Down The Role Of Bond
There was a widespread controversy in the Bond fan base when Daniel Craig was cast, because 007 is traditionally dark-haired while Craig is blond. He was even dubbed “James Blond.” These dissenters shut up, of course, after the movie was released and praised as one of the franchise’s best entries.
When Craig was first offered the role, he turned it down, because he felt that the franchise had become stagnant and stuck in its ways. He changed his mind after reading the script and seeing its dark, gritty tone.
The Parkour Chase Took Six Weeks To Shoot
The opening parkour chase is one of Casino Royale’s most spectacular set pieces– one of the most exciting in the entire franchise, in fact– and it took a whopping six weeks to shoot.
The man that Bond chases in the sequence is played by Sébastien Foucan, who definitely brought a certain expertise to the scene as he was actually one of the inventors of Le Parkour.
There’s A Ton Of Off-Camera Paparazzi During Daniel Craig’s Iconic Speedo Scene
One of the most iconic moments in Casino Royale sees Bond emerging from the ocean in a speedo. This was believed to be a nod to Honey Ryder’s bikini moment in Dr. No, but it was actually because Daniel Craig stepped on a sandbank and had to get out of the water.
What the audience doesn’t see in this scene are the dozens of paparazzi who were just off-camera and the crew members trying to keep them away.
The Miami Airport Scene Was Filmed At Three Different Airports In Three Different Countries
In the second act of Casino Royale, Bond goes to an airport in Miami and ends up in a car chase on the runway. During the scene, there’s an announcement for flight 007 as a little Easter egg.
According to the DVD special features, this sequence was actually filmed at three different airports in three different countries— Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey, England; Nassau International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas; and Ruzyne International Airport in Prague, Czech Republic.
The Cast And Crew Played Poker During Downtime On The Set
During the downtime between takes, the cast and crew of Casino Royale appropriately took to playing poker. This continued after filming was complete. One wonders if everyone would've tried playing the much more complicated baccarat that Bond plays in both the original novel and the previous film adaptation if he had still played in this version.
Gambling on the set of Bond movies is pretty common. Famously, Roger Moore and producer Albert R. Broccoli played backgammon on their breaks.
Daniel Craig And Eva Green Nailed The Shower Scene In A Single Take
The scene in which Bond arrives to comfort a devastated Vesper Lynd in the shower after she witnesses her first death was nailed in a single take.
In classic 007 movie fashion, the script called for Vesper to be in her underwear in the shower— but Daniel Craig had it changed for her to be fully clothed, because he didn’t think she’d take the time to undress before getting in the shower.
The Aston Martin Barrel Roll Broke The Record For Most Cannon-Assisted Barrel Rolls
The barrel roll stunt performed in an Aston Martin DBS in this movie broke the record for the most cannon-assisted barrel rolls ever done by a car. The DBS’ racing specifications meant that a ramp wouldn’t be enough to make it roll, so the stunt team had to install a cannon behind the driver’s seat to give it the extra push it needed.
This allowed the car to roll seven times, which earned it a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. In a single afternoon of filming this sequence, three DBS cars– each worth $300,000, provided to the filmmakers for free– were destroyed.
Pinewood Studios’ 007 Stage Burned Down Right After Filming Was Completed
The climactic sequence in which a Venice building sinks into the water took three weeks of nine-hour days to shoot. The last scenes filmed for the movie were the Venice interiors. These scenes were shot on the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios. Just a week after production wrapped, the stage burned to the ground.
This had actually happened before, ahead of the production for A View to a Kill. Luckily, this time, filming was completed when the fire broke out.