AGENT OF CHANGE DANIEL CRAIG BRINGS A NEW FOCUS ON REALISM TO 007 ROLE.

Byline: Glenn Whip Film Writer

Shortly after -- the time span could be measured in hours, not days -- Daniel Craig was named the sixth actor to play James Bond, the Web sites began popping up. Craignotbond.com and the like. Boycotts were urged. British tabloids ran headlines like ``James Bland.''

There was outrage over Craig's hair color (blond) and a perceived lack of suitable looks (he's no pinup boy like predecessor Pierce Brosnan) and sophistication (Craig's more of a rough-and-tumble bloke).

Craig knew it was coming. ``You can't take an iconic role like this and expect everyone to approve,'' he says. ``So, yes, I did know there would be criticism. And, no, I didn't know it would be so ...''

Craig searches for the exact word. It doesn't come. So we'll finish the sentence for him. Certainly ``personal.'' But mostly, it's just misguided. The casting of Craig, known for playing stone-cold killers in movies like ``Munich,'' ``Road to Perdition'' and a drug dealer in ``Layer Cake,'' may be the first reason to get excited about a Bond movie in years, particularly if you're an old-school 007 fan who prefers the secret agent man to be closer to the deadly Sean Connery than the dapper Roger Moore.

Changing times

Let's face it. Bond's rote exploits, 44 years after ``Dr. No,'' have become increasingly irrelevant in an uncertain world that identifies more with Matt Damon's conflicted Jason Bourne than whatever stiff is inhabiting Bond's perfectly pressed tuxedo.

Yes, some people still went to the Brosnan Bond movies, but it was more out of obligation than a genuine sense of enthusiasm. (Outside of Halle Berry's orange bikini, does anyone remember anything about the last entry, 2002's ``Die Another Day''? Didn't think so.)

So, for the new flick, ``Casino Royale,'' 007 producers and safekeepers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson decided to start from scratch and make an origin story, showing how Bond became Bond and earned his 00 status. ``Die Another Day'' writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade banged out the script, but it wasn't until Oscar winner Paul Haggis (``Crash'') did a rewrite that Craig became interested.

``I wasn't going to become involved unless there was a lot of de-ritualizing,'' Craig says. ``If this franchise is going to go on, it has to adapt. There has to be a face-

lift. And Haggis had a lot of fun. There's some humor in it, but it's very dry. The familiar beats are there, but they've been (messed) with. It's an altogether different beast.''

On the distaff side 

And French actress Eva Green, who plays a woman who breaks Bond's heart, an event that sets the template for what Bond is to become, says, ``He's human when he meets her, he's not the killing machine. I find torment interesting. You get to see Bond before he becomes so detached and, in a sense, lost.''

Yes, ``Casino Royale'' will feature the requisite bevy of international babes and action set pieces, but Craig says the emphasis will be on realism and relevance. In other words: Denise Richards will not be playing a nuclear physicist. The plot has Bond battling a terrorist financier looking to destabilize the world's ecosystems.

The new reality

``At the beginning of the movie, the world needs saving,'' Craig says. ``At the end of the movie, the world needs saving. That's different for Bond. And it's certainly closer to the reality of things.''

Another reality: Craig is under contract for Bond movies No. 22 and 23. He's not going anywhere. The naysayers had better get used to the idea of a fair-haired Bond or go hop on the Bourne bandwagon. (Come to think of it, isn't Matt Damon's hair blond, too?)

``I totally respect people's concerns 7/8 sometimes they even come from a good place,'' Craig says. ``I get it. What I'd tell them is: `Go see the movie. If you get as much of a kick out of watching it as I had making it, we won't have any problems.' If not ...''

Craig leaves another sentence unfinished. This time, we'll let you fill in the blanks.

Glenn Whipp, [phone].

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``CASINO ROYALE''

NOV. 17