MGM/Columbia has revealed that towheaded British actor Daniel Craig, 37, will replace Pierce Brosnan, 52, and become the screen's seventh incarnation of Ian Fleming's James Bond. Craig will star in the twenty-first Bond film, Casino Royale, which is currently budgeted at over $100 million and set to debut next year. David Niven played Bond in 1967's Casino Royale, but that film was a spoof, while the new film will be, according to director Martin Campbell (GoldenEye, The Legend of Zorro) much 'tougher and grittier.'

Audience may be familiar with Daniel Craig from his performances in Road to Perdition, where he played crime boss Paul Newman's crazed offspring, and Layer Cake, where he starred as a 'too smart by half' cocaine dealer.

The most recent Bond film, Die Another Day, took in $160.9 million at the domestic box office, indicating that the franchise is as popular as ever. While the announcement of a new actor playing the role of James Bond is certainly news, the upcoming announcement of who will be the next 'Bond Girl' is equally important.