LONDON, Oct. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- A new face was finally found on Friday for James Bond, a superman in Britain's greatest international spy series of 007.

    Daniel Craig was the name after a hard selection among 200 Bond contenders.

This photo made available in London Oct. 14 shows actor Daniel Craig as the latest James Bond.  (AP)

    "My first thought was I need a drink," Daniel said after getting the phone call telling him the role was his.

    He refused to answer a cheeky question about who his ideal Bond Girl would be out of Kate Moss and Sienna Miller, following reports of flings with both stars, according to BBC.

    However, together with the Bond film producers he promised to take the film "somewhere... maybe where it's never been before".

    For the last 18 months there has been speculation and rumors about just who would win the role of the world's best-known secret agent.

Blond-haired, blue-eyed British actor Daniel Craig has been unveiled as the next James Bond, becoming the sixth incarnation of the playboy spy in one of the movie world's most profitable franchises. (AFP)

    Daniel, the first blond Bond, has always been a strong contender but other favorites were Clive Owen, Gerard Butler, Hugh Jackman and even Robbie Williams.

    And then there was the long-running hope that Pierce Brosnan would patch up his differences with the Bond producers and step into the tux for one last movie.

    He recently said he was all set for his fifth Bond movie when he was dropped in one "highly disappointing" phone call.

    But in the end it was 37-year-old Daniel, established star of movies such as Layer Cake, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Road To Perdition, who turned the producers' heads.

    They are keen to make 2006's Casino Royale more about the character of 007, and not rely so heavily on gadgets and special effects.

    With his piercing-blue eyes and cold stare, Daniel is likely to be an edgier Bond than previous incarnations, with an emphasis on the assassin over the ladies' man.

    Daniel is the newest face for the superstar Bond ever since 1962 when Sean Connery started to play the hero till 1983.

    And then there were George Lazenby (just 1969 as Bond), Roger Moore (1973-1985 as Bond), Timothy Dalton (1987-1989), Pierce Brosnan (from 1995 to present). Enditem