23rd May 2006 - Craig shapes up as new 007 in chase scene reports the Sunday Express.

Daniel, 38, has clearly been working out for the role and looked suitably fit throughout the three-hour late-night shoot. An onlooker said: "Daniel looks every inch James Bond.

"He spent three hours running across the hotel courtyard chasing the villains. He didn't even stop for breath and must be super fit. He was smiling and chatting to the crew between takes as if he had been James Bond for years. It shows that all the stories about him having problems with the part were wrong."

Filming resumed in the Czech Republic spa town of Karlovy Vary in the early hours yesterday after three days of torrential rain. Producers spent £1million transforming the resort into the fictional gambling paradise of Montenegro - the backdrop to Bond creator Ian Fleming's first novel Casino Royale.

One crew member said: "The scenes are supposed to be set on Montenegro, which in the novel is described as a sunshine casino resort for the rich and famous. But since we arrived it's only been sunny for one day - last Friday when we began to set up the shoot. It has rained for the rest of the time, making the shoot extremely difficult for everyone.

"There's nothing we can do to disguise the weather and no trickery with the lighting can make it look like the summer. We may as well be filming outside Pinewood Studios in the middle of winter."

The hotel's Russian owners allowed producers to change the name of the Grandhotel Pupp to the Hotel Splendide Montenegro during the shoot. The car park was packed with £2million worth of Maseratis, Ferraris, BMWs, Jaguars and Range Rovers - all given Montenegro number plates.

A disused 19th century spa next door was transformed into a spectacular casino complete with red carpet where Bond arrives in one of two new Aston Martin DB5s worth £140,000 each. The gadget-filled motors - the first off the production line - were driven to the shoot in a lorry.

Countering reports that Daniel demanded an automatic car, an Aston Martin source said: "I can assure you both cars have manual gearboxes. He knows how to drive an Aston Martin manually." He really is 007 through and through.

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