Daniel Cann

With the 23rd film not due for release until 2011 it is not an insurmountable problem. But it does make me a little uneasy. The last time the series had problems (legal this time) back in 1989 there was a six year hiatus for the secret agent.

I can only cross my fingers and hope this latest drama is resolved and the cameras can roll on schedule, until they do I will not be convinced.

Meanwhile the good news is that acclaimed director Sam Mendes is connected with Bond 23 even if at this early stage it is only as a 'consultant.' Even he has expressed uncertainty about the film due to the problems facing MGM.

If things were resolved and Mendes was at the helm of Bond 23 then I would breathe a big sigh of relief. He has the pedigree to make a great film.

I think that in Daniel Craig the series has hit the right note at last and has escaped the 'formulaic' shackles it carried for so long. 'Casino Royale' was like getting a shot of adrenalin and I recall vividly an enthralled cinema audience that viewed Craig's debut with me back in 2006.

Readers of this website will know how I felt about the follow up 'Quantum Of Solace' which I felt was let down by director Marc Foster's idea of good action scenes requiring a camera so shaky that audiences would get motion sickness. I also felt this last entry was too reverential to the 'Jason Bourne' series and at times it felt that Bond was copying rather than setting the trend. It was fast paced but a shorter running time does not necessarily a good film make.

I hope Craig's third outing sees a more assured Bond, comfortable with itself and more importantly original. Granted it must be hard to keep coming up with new ideas but if all the series can do is imitate other spy films then perhaps its time to admit Bond has finally ran its course?

The stakes couldn't be higher then. So as a fan I hope someone comes to the rescue of MGM, Sam Mendes IS the director of Bond 23, Craig is on great form (as usual) and we have an installment that blows the opposition away. After all, the series is in safe hands, isn't it?