Blond, James Blond

It seems the color of his follicles is the most newsworthy part of Daniel Craig becoming the new James Bond. But can we please get past the hair and look at the man attempting to fill the shaken, not stirred shoes? After all these are pretty big loafers - Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Bronsan, and, however briefly, Timothy Dalton & George Lazenby, all played the role with the famous digits.

And is Daniel Craig up to the task? He told Reuters that he was shopping when he received the telephone call confirming him as Bond. "I dropped what I was carrying. I went straight to the alcohol section and got myself a bottle of vodka, a bottle of vermouth and went back and made myself a Martini...or two." Okay, so he's off to a good start.

Craig's widest exposure to date was as the annoying son in The Road to Perdition. It was one of those roles that left an awful impression on the audience. Which was exactly the point. His character was spineless, undeserving and pathetic and his acting held up against Paul Newman, Jude Law and Tom Hanks. Perhaps others have seen him in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and The Jacket.

The role that impressed critics the most was from this year's Layer Cake. Craig plays a drug dealer hoping for early retirement with one more big score. It sounds basic enough but he gives an alluring performance. One of those quintessential "smartest guy in the room" kinds of roles that just oozes confidence.

It was probably Layer Cake that sold MGM on Craig donning the iconic suit of Bond. But here’s the thing, no one man makes or breaks a James Bond film. The director and screenwriter have as much influence on a successful, memorable film. And that is where the Bond franchise has done poorly in recent years. Can you truly separate Brosnan’s performances from one another? Is there a bad guy that stands out? Yes, I know Halle Berry looked good in the swimsuit but that is not enough for a movie franchise that should be in a class of it’s own.

So who is lucky and talented enough to direct? Martin Campbell, the director of The Mask of Zorro and its upcoming sequel. Campbell is also credited with Vertical Limit starring Chirs O’Donnell. But he probably got the job because of directing GoldenEye, Brosnan’s first Bond flick which helped resurrect the franchise a decade ago.

And then there are the writers, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. This writing team has collaborated for Die Another Day, The World is Not Enough and the spy spoof Johnny English. No college kid or movie buff is quoting lines from any of those movies. And yes, these two are the ones responsible for Denise Richards’ lines as Dr. Christmas Jones.

Shouldn’t the audience expect memorable one-liners, Bond Women who aren’t a joke, great villains, and cool gadgets (NOT invisible cars)?

According to the Associated Press, Campbell says, "more character and less gadgets." More character is a great idea, but we can't make a boring Bond movie. And less gadgets is like saying Christmas with less presents - what’s the point?

The film will be Casino Royale, which was previously made with Peter Sellers as James Bond and Woody Allen as Jimmy Bond. Kidding, almost. Casino Royale the movie was a spoof made in 1967 based on Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel published in 1953. The film will showcase Bond first becoming a "00" agent.

At least Ian Fleming will be involved somehow. Keep in mind most Bond films lately have not been based on his books.

It just seems there are obvious choices for director that actually bring something to the table. There was a rumor that Quentin Tarantino had been interested in the project. Another name that comes to mind are J.J. Abrams who has proved himself with Lost and Alias (the early years). Even Matthew Vaughn who directed Layer Cake would be a good choice. After all, we know he can get the most out of Craig. Or what about Joss Whedon? Not many people saw Serenity in the theater but he wrote an intelligent, interesting villain (the Operative) and had a no-name actor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) make him memorable. He could do the same thing for a Bond villain except this time people are guaranteed to go.

I think this is what bothers me the most - James Bond films are a guarantee at the box office. There should be a rotation of fantastic young directors who get to leave their mark on the franchise. Daniel Craig is a great choice for the next James Bond, but the Bond franchise is going to need more help than just a great leading man.