Casino Royale Premiere hits London

Thousands of James Bond fans braved the cold English weather to greet the stars of the new James Bond film Casino Royale at its royal premiere in London’s Leicester Square.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh joined James Bond stars past and present to mark the release of the new 007 film.

Daniel Craig, in his first outing as Bond after Pierce Brosnan, was one of the first celebrities to arrive on the red carpet and took plenty of time to sign autographs and pose for photos. London tabloids report Craig seemed a little miserable and dour, perhaps this is also part of what we will come to expect with the new meaner 007? Early critical reviews have praised Craig’s gritty and complex performance and have been overwhelmingly positive.

Casino Royale is an adaptation of Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel and was first made as a Bond spoof.

Daniel Craig arrived to sounds of the 007 Bond theme tune and was greeted with applause and roars of delight from Bond fans who had stood for hours just to catch a glimpse of the stars. James Bond will change Daniel Craig’s acting life, not everyone approved of the choice, early signs however are good all round and potentially good news for box office returns.

“I’m just very excited,” the 38-year-old actor said. “These sort of things happen once in a lifetime and I’m just trying to enjoy it.”