Daniel Craig offered James Bond role by MGM, not Eon Productions - plus Matthew Vaughn on the directors job

IGN FilmForce got the chance to speak to Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn and star Daniel Craig yesterday. Both men addressed the rumors about their respective involvement with the James Bond series. Vaughn was reportedly on the shortlist to direct Casino Royale but ended up agreeing to helm X-Men 3 instead. Craig, meanwhile, has been pegged as the next 007 by the British tabloids.

Vaughn advised IGNFF that "it is true" that he was approached about directing Casino Royale. "It was a strange situation. The truth of the matter is I was offered it by MGM but not by the Broccolis. There was smoke or there was fire." Vaughn opted to concoct his own spy thriller instead; that project is currently in-development.

Daniel Craig spoke at length about the Casino Royale rumors. "It was a surreal time to have the studio phoning you up saying you've got the job and then the Broccolis saying nothing. ... I just let it go. I'm a big believer that if they want you… You don't want to fight, you want to all be on the same page from the very beginning. I think I would have probably been a bit too radical for it."



Ultimately, "I don't know what the deal is [with Bond], I don't know. There's a lot of rumors floating around. It's not a bad position to be in. If even half of them or a third of them are true, it's not a bad position to be in… I got a text message on my phone saying 'Congratulations.' I was like, 'What the (expletive).' That was news to me. I won't lie to you, there's been some sort of move in my direction but there's been a move in a lot of people's direction. Possibly it's a way of trying to raise debate. They throw out some names and then people start discussing it and then they can make a decision."

As for the ongoing rumors, Craig believes "they've got to keep the interest somehow." The Tomb Raider actor revealed that his reps "constantly talk and [are] doing work for me. I know [Bond producer] Barbara Broccoli, I mean I know her socially, so it's not like some big sort of myth going on over there."

From here on, the Bond questions veered into 007 geek country, including Craig being asked whether he'd have to dye his blondish hair for the role. "I don't know. I mean, look, you're asking me a question that's so hypothetical. It's like, 'Would I have to dye my hair?' In the Ian Fleming books he's described as dark. I mean, look, we're not even close to being that far down the line yet."

Craig is familiar with the Ian Fleming novels that spawned the Bond movie franchise. "I have read them. I have not read all of them, but I've seen most of the Bond movies. ... Goldfinger's my favorite Bond movie. Hence, Sean Connery's my favorite Bond."

Thanks to `Kyvan` for the alert.

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