Casino Royale at 20: Celebrating Daniel Craig's First Bond

Casino Royale celebrates its 20th anniversary this November. Kerwin sits down with Tom Pickup, host of the Really 007 podcast, to look back at Daniel Craig's first outing as James Bond and why it still means so much to fans two decades later.

What is Casino Royale? It's the 21st James Bond film from Eon Productions and a full reboot of the series, with Daniel Craig as a younger Bond earning his 007 status. It opened November 16, 2006 in the UK and November 17 in the US, and earned over $600 million worldwide, the highest-grossing Bond film up to that point.

Bond fandom often gets passed down through families, and that's where this conversation starts.

Kerwin and Tom talk about:

- How Daniel Craig won fans over after a tough casting announcement

- The black and white opening and the missing gun barrel

- Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" and David Arnold's score

- Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, Eva Green as Vesper Lynd, and Judi Dench's return as M

- The Madagascar parkour chase and Martin Campbell's practical stunts

- How the film keeps a long poker game exciting

- Why Casino Royale is Kerwin's favorite Bond film

- What comes next: the new Bond, Denis Villeneuve, Steven Knight and the Amazon era

Find Tom and the Really 007 podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you listen.

Watch more Father.Son.Galaxy. interviews on all streaming platforms. Find us at fathersongalaxy.com and @fathersongalaxy on Instagram, Facebook and X.