Quantum Of Solace Was All Daniel Craig’s Idea

October 16, 2008 at 9:31 pm | Posted in Bond, Movies | 1 Comment

[Via MI6]* Daniel Craig has disclosed that the name of the new Bond film, Quantum of Solace, was his idea – reports The Telegraph. The 007 star rejected more conventional titles during a brainstorming session with the producers.

Quantum of Solace is the name of a little-known short story by Ian Fleming, and its announcement last year as the title of the 22nd Bond adventure had fans scratching their heads. However, according to Craig, all Bond titles are essentially nonsense.

Asked if he agreed with fans who have laughed at the new name, Craig told GQ: “No, because I was involved in making the decision. Names were coming out, some ludicrous stuff was going back and forth – I can’t remember exactly, but you know the sort of thing: ‘The Blood On Your Face’. I knew I didn’t want ‘death’, ‘die’, ‘bleed’ or any of those things in the title.

“We had it written down on boards and we’d literally go and sit in rooms and stare at this title. If you look at ‘Q’s, they’re really weird in a title.

“As soon as it came out, people were saying, ‘Ooh, it sounds like Harry Potter.’ No, it’s Quantum of Solace. I was saying, ‘It’s a Bond title! The name of a Bond film is not about anything. Live And Let Die? Octopussy? What does it mean? It means very little. We’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Quantum of Solace was included in Fleming’s 1960 collection of short stories, For Your Eyes Only. The film’s makers have dispensed with the author’s original plot and retained only the name, which refers to “the smallest unit of compassion that two people can have”.

The 40-year-old actor also dismissed the idea of a ‘Curse of Bond’ despite a succession of accidents befalling the cast and crew of the latest 007 film. Craig needed eight stitches in a face wound and lost a fingertip while performing his own stunts on the film, which is due for release in November.

More seriously, a stuntman was left fighting for his life when the Alfa Romeo 159 he was driving collided with a lorry during filming of the opening car chase sequence, while another stunt driver accidentally swerved into Italy’s Lake Garda, escaping injury but writing off a £134,000 Aston Martin DBS.

However, Craig has angrily rebuffed the notion that Quantum of Solace is cursed. “The thing about the Curse of Bond is that it’s offensive, really. Let’s be honest,” he said. “There’s a risk to everything we do and we have literally the best people in the world who do this and every precaution is taken to minimise the risk, but there is a risk.”

The seriously injured stuntman, Aris Comninos, was airlifted to hospital and is making a good recovery. Craig said: “He was in a very bad way. We had a helicopter standing by with paramedics because that’s the way it works every time we do a sequence like that. And they literally saved his life.

“It was horrendous and the only thing that matters is that Aris is getting better. It knocked everybody, as you can well imagine. But taking my finger as part of a ‘curse’ – that’s offensive. This is what we do, this is what happens, but it gets magnified and completely taken out of context.”

Of his own injuries, he told GQ magazine: “It’s exactly what happens every time you do something like this. You get your finger trapped or your face split open… I had a boo-hoo, but it’s amazing how the human body can repair itself.” He joked: “I lost my fingerprint so I can now commit all sorts of crimes with that finger. I look forward to that.”

-End Of Lazy Block Quote-

Other things Daniel Craig claims credit for:

• He’s the reason the Large Hadron Collider didn’t destroy the world.
• He’s wrote a script for Casino Royale but was deemed too ridiculous. It was later renamed Oceans 13.
• 2008 hit musical Sweeney Todd is based on his life.
• He came up with the name Monscooch when referring to his crotchal area. He later offered the name to me to use as a brand name.
• He held back the electric car, he made Steve Gutenberg a star
• Due to scheduling conflicts, Alicia Keys could not appear in the video for Another Way To Die so Daniel Craig donned a black wig and some mascara to appear in her place. He also digitally added the fake shadows into every shot but they’re so real, you barely notice. Did I mention he also wrote the song? Well, he did. He didn’t have that much time so he used the same chords as You Know My Name. I’m surprised nobody has picked up on that.

*It feels pretty cool to say I’m quoting MI6 for this story when it’s actually just a Bond-dedicated blog. From next Monday, this blog will join in on the fun until the release of Quantum Of Solace.