Ian Fleming's original novel provided the basic framework: A short, grim story about a secret agent who neither saves the world nor gets the girl. The 2006 adaptation of Casino Royale retains a single holdover from the Brosnan movies: Judi Dench's M-presumably because Casino Royale's creative brain trust correctly intuited that no actor in the world was better suited to the role. Ian Fleming's original novel provided the basic framework: a short, grim story about a secret agent who neither saves the world nor gets the girl. Today, the idea of a dark and gritty reboot has correctly become a much-derided cliche, but after surfing down a glacier and fencing against Madonna, Bond was desperately in need of a dark and gritty reboot.

The decision to reboot the franchise was a kind of preemptive strike-a recognition that that Jack Bauers and Jason Bournes of the world were starting to make James Bond look a little creaky. Die Another Day, Brosnan's final turn-often written off as a flop today-was actually the highest-grossing James Bond movie of all time.

The decision to reboot the franchise and start fresh with Casino Royale was bolder than it might seem today.