Looking back on that now, that seems ridiculous. When it was announced that Craig, who at that point had garnered strong notice as the villain in The Road to Perdition and as a drug-dealing gangster in Layer Cake, would be the next James Bond, the 007 faithful and the British tabloids were aghast that a blond-haired, blue-eyed actor of rugged look would be the successor to suave fan favourite Pierce Brosnan. Indeed, one of the most memorable fan freakouts was when Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond in the film series relaunch Casino Royale. Daniel Craig has left some pretty big shoes to fill… But fans didn’t always see things that way. Film history has proven time and again that the reactions from passionate fans towards a new casting announcement of their favourite character can be extreme to the point of comical.įrom fans burning effigies of Michael Keaton after he was cast as the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman movie, to Wonder Woman fans complaining that Gal Gadot did not have the right “body type” to portray the Amazon super-warrior, examples of over-the-top backlash from fans have been legendary in their petty silliness.Īt the moment, speculation over who will be the next actor to take up the mantle of James Bond – arguably the most famous character in film – has almost reached fever pitch.