Daniel Craig Joins 'Golden Compass'

After the rigors of taking over the role of 007 agent James Bond, Daniel Craig has gained a new assignment. Craig will jump from the set of Casino Royale into his new role as Lord Asriel in the upcoming adaptation of Golden Compass, according to Variety.

Internet speculation had been rampant about the adaptation of the Phillip Pullman His Dark Materials trilogy. The first installment, entitled The Golden Compass has already locked down Dakota Blue Richards (Lyra) and Nicole Kidman (Mrs. Coulter), but the confirmation of Daniel Craig debunks the rumors that Paul Bettany would be taking the role of Lord Asriel. Dark Horizons calls Lord Asriel "a ruthless and mysterious adventurer who is the uncle of Lyra Belacqua, the young girl who journeys to a parallel universe to save her best friend. The character appears in all three books." Asriel has also been compared to the devil in Milton's Paradise Lost.

Along with Daniel Craig, writer/director Chris Weitz as also nabbed Craig's Casino Royale co-star, Eva Green. Eva Green will take the role of a witch in the trilogy, which features three parts: The Golden Compass/The Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.

Production on The Golden Compass will begin on September 4 in the United Kingdom with the film already scheduling to have a release date of November 16th, 2007. The budget, according to Zap 2 It, is rumored to be in the range of $150 million, making The Golden Compass the biggest project for New Line since The Lord of the Rings trilogy changed that studio's future forever.

Daniel Craig has been an actor on the rise. Craig has landed roles in Layer Cake, Enduring Love and Munich, with several other projects on the go. Craig's role as James Bond in Casino Royale will place him in an elite crowd of ators to play the 007 agent, including Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton, George Lazenby, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan. By signing on to the second film, Craig will surpass Lazenby's tenure as James Bond, which saw him featured only in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Daniel Craig will go back to the James Bond franchise when he returns to shoot the tentatively titled Bond 22, which is set for release on May 2, 2008.

[Additional Sources: Variety, Dark Horizons, Zap 2 It]