There's no end to tidbit facts and interesting trivia surrounding the Bond franchise. Each movie brings with it a whole wealth of behind-the-scene bizarreness - but this is especially so for Craig's first Bond film, Casino Royale. Whether you're just a casual fan or a Bond fanatic, below are some bits of information you really should know. . . . . . . . The Casting Daniel Craig was considered an unusual casting decision, with vehement opposition from devoted Bond fans who thought Craig would neither look nor act the part. Though Craig's rougher appearance and blond hair certainly differed some the suave look Pierce Brosnan or Sean Connery sported, casting directors felt he suited the reboot's interpretation of Bond as a younger, less experienced and more vulnerable spy. Both Ralph Fiennes and Clive Owen were considered for the role at the same time as Craig.



The Guinness World Record Bond films have a reputation for breaking Guinness World Records. In Casino Royale, Bond is in a dramatic car crash which sees his Aston Martin flip seven times. This scene took a lot of practise (and a lot of Aston Martins) to get right. The seven flips set the record for highest ever number of barrel rolls by a car. The previous record was held by a stuntman on British TV program Top Gear.



The Poker Partner The Bond franchise has established a wealth of partnerships with luxurious brands over the years, from Omega to Tom Ford. With Casino Royale's poker-driven plot, a number of big poker sites wanted their brand promoted in the movie. PokerStars came close to closing such a deal, even promoting 007-themed poker merchandise in anticipation, but producers decided last minute to end negotiations. Had the deal gone through, we would have seen PokerStars' logo at various points throughout the casino scenes.



The Vesper Martini Named after his love interest in Casino Royale, the 'Vesper Martini' has become known as Bond's drink of choice. Yet it is unlikely Craig could have actually ordered the famous 'Vesper Martini' in the rebooted Casino Royale, as Kina Lillet (a main ingredient in the cocktail) has been discontinued since 1986, now replaced with a less bitter version called simply 'Lillet'. The recipe required three measures of Gordon's, one measure of vodka and then half a measure of Kina Lillet. Unless the Montenegro casino bar had a rare bottle of original Kina Lillet stored somewhere, the cocktail Bond ordered would have been different from the original drink as patented by Ian Fleming.



The Rain Casino Royale was the first movie with rain. Exactly why all other Bond films have avoided bad weather is unknown, but the rain certainly suits Casino Royale's darker, gritty vibe - marking a depart from some of the more light-hearted and trivial aspects in the franchise's past.



The Director Bizarrely, Quentin Tarantino had expressed interest in making a version of Casino Royale. The director wanted Pierce Brosnan as Bond, with a storyline that would depict a continuation of events after On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Despite Tarantino presenting a finished script and great deal of enthusiasm to EON studios, the project was never approved. Instead Martin Campbell, who had already directed GoldenEye, was chosen to direct a different script for Casino Royale.



The Chip Easily missed if you're not paying close attention to the poker game; the chip with which Bond tips the dealer is worth half a million - making the dealer's nonchalant response all the more amusing.



The Tears of Blood Le Chiffre's creepy eye condition, whereby he weeps blood, is called haemolacria. It's a rare condition; a symptom of various possible diseases. In many cases a sufferer's tears will be tinged only slightly red from the blood. Le Chiffre's tears are a dramatic dark red and the result of a damaged vessel in his eye. To make Le Chiffre even more unsettling, Mads Mikkelson was told not to blink in any scenes.



The Predecessor Before the 2004 reinvention, Casino Royale had been the basis of a spy parody movie starring Peter Sellers in David Niven 1967. The movie also starred Ursula Andress, who won a Golden Globe for her portrayal as the first on-screen Bond girl in Dr. No. Though the film was a financial success, many actors and writers expressed dissatisfaction with the script's "messiness." Today, the film scores a mere 5.2 on IMDB.



The Missing Characters Though Casino Royale is unique in many ways and reinvents several components of the franchise's traditional formats, perhaps the key aspects which makes Casino Royale stand out is its exclusion of key character Q and Miss Moneypenny. This was the second time Q had not been featured in a Bond film, but the first for Miss Moneypenny. Both characters returned for Skyfall.







