'Casino Royale' Set To Hit Theaters In October For 20th Anniversary

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The name’s Bond… James Bond! It’s officially been confirmed that the beloved James Bond film Casino Royale is returning to theaters for its 20th anniversary!

Based on the famous Ian Fleming novel of the same name, Casino Royale follows a more inexperienced Bond as he’s asked to partake in a high stakes poker game at the eponymous casino in Montenegro. Along the way, Bond encounters a mysterious woman named Vesper Lynd and goes toe to toe with the sinister Le Chiffre. Casino Royale came at a time when James Bond’s cinematic reputation was at an all time low. Dogged by critical failure, commercial underperformance, mass ridicule thanks to the Austin Powers franchise, and the arrival of the Bourne series, Bond was no longer the debonair big man on campus in the realm of action cinema. Eon Productions decided to reboot the franchise wholesale and craft a Bond for a new generation with a more serious tone, a younger Bond, and less reliance on over-the-top gadgets, theatrical villains, and sexually-named vixens. The film was directed by Martin Campbell, who helmed Pierce Brosnan’s most beloved Bond film GoldenEye. The cast was led by Daniel Craig as 007 himself, Eva Green as Vesper Lynd, Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, and Judi Dench as M, reprising her role from previous continuity. Released on November 17th 2006, the film received critical acclaim with praise towards the performances (particularly Craig’s), its screenplay, action sequences, visuals, more serious tone, and the musical score by David Arnold. It received 9 BAFTA nominations including Best Actor for Craig (the first actor to earn a BAFTA nomination for playing Bond), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Outstanding British Film, while winning for Best Sound. The film grossed over $606 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Bond film until the release of Skyfall in 2012. It was also the highest-grossing franchise reboot of all time until the release of The Amazing Spider-Man, also in 2012.

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Casino Royale began the Daniel Craig era of James Bond, which continued with 4 sequels; Quantum of Solace (directed by Marc Forster), Skyfall (directed by Sam Mendes), Spectre (also directed by Mendes), and No Time to Die (directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga). While Craig isn’t the longest tenured Bond in terms of installments (Roger Moore appeared in 7), he is the longest running Bond of all time, playing the character for 15 years. Quantum of Solace received mixed reviews with praise toward Craig’s performance and the action sequences but was deemed inferior to Casino Royale due to its screenplay and villains. Skyfall, like Casino Royale, received critical acclaim for the performances of Craig, Judi Dench, and Javier Bardem, the action sequences, cinematography, musical score, and emotional depth. Spectre received mixed reviews with praise towards the acting and visuals but received heavy criticism for its writing, pacing, and tone. It’s wildly considered to be the worst film of Craig’s era. No Time to Die received positive reviews primarily for the performances, action sequences, cinematography, and emotional send-off to Craig’s Bond, but received criticism for its length. All five of Craig’s films make up the top 5 highest-grossing films of the franchise, with Skyfall ranking first. Since their release, Casino Royale and Skyfall have been hailed as some of the best Bond movies ever made, some of the best action films of the 21st century, and as some of the best overall films of the 21st Century and of all time. Craig’s era also spawned hit songs; You’ll Know My Name by late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, Another Way to Die by rock legend Jack White and Grammy winning vocalist Alicia Keys, Skyfall by Grammy winning legend Adele, Writing’s on the Wall by Grammy winning singer-songwriter Sam Smith, and No Time to Die by Grammy winning superstar Billie Eilish. Adele, Smith, and Eilish all won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, with Eilish being the youngest winner in the category history.

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Source: Empire

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