His license to kill doesn’t seem to expire.
As of Feb. 20, actor Daniel Craig—who most recently starred in 2015’s Spectre— officially became the second longest-running James Bond actor, second only to Sir Roger Moore. That means Craig’s been molding his blonde, muscular, no-holds-barred version of the famed British spy now for 4,149 days (as of Feb. 22), eclipsing the day-total for mid-’90s Bond, Pierce Brosnan.
See the full breakdown below.
If you’re bothered, today is the day that Daniel Craig becomes the 2nd longest-serving #Bond actor. pic.twitter.com/sEjehwAmw2
— Adrian Stirrup (@adrianstirrup) February 20, 2017
Craig, however, still hasn’t officially signed on for the next Bond movie, and speculation has swirled about potential replacements, with everyone from Idris Elba and Tom Hardy to Tom Hiddleston in the mix.
But whenever he exits the franchise, Craig will leave behind plenty of great memories. Here are five of RCL‘s favorite:
(1) Enter the Dragon: Craig’s memorable black-and-white opening-sequence in his debut, Casino Royale, introduced worldwide audiences to a new type of Bond. One that would’ve eaten Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton for breakfast — washed down with a martini, of course.
(2) Parkour Chase/Fight Scene: This is still one of the more inventive chase scenes in the Bond franchise—and arguably, any action thriller. Also from Casino Royale, Bond’s stunt leap from the crane was once voted the top stunt in any Bond film ever.
(3) Paying Homage to Goldfinger: Although Quantum of Solace has proved one of the weaker titles in Craig’s run, this scene, where a female accomplice is killed by being covered in crude oil—mimicking the famed death scene in Goldfinger where a woman was suffocated in gold paint—made Bond fanatics get all sorts of giddy and nostalgic.
(4) Shot Glass Marksman: The much better follow-up, Skyfall—mainly because of a better ensemble cast and villain for the ages in Silva (Javier Bardem)—produced this incredibly anxious moment. Watch it to the end.
(5) ‘Bottoms Up’: There were quite a few incredible action sequences in Craig’s latest Bond movie, Spectre, but this one literally brought down the house.
—Will Levith for RealClearLife
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