Made in The Dominican Republic

The 37-year-old Craig takes over the billion-dollar Bond franchise from 52-year-old Pierce Brosnan, who found himself shuffled out of the job earlier this year.

Craig was introduced to the world Friday in typically flamboyant 007 style, swept up the River Thames on a power launch to a news conference, escorted by Royal Marines boats.

Sony Pictures had plans to keep the identity of their newest Bond a secret, but as The Hollywood Reporter's Michael Rechtshaffen told Canada AM, the mystery began to unravel earlier this week.

"This was supposed to be this big splashy 'Guess who we've brought in to replace Pierce Brosnan?'" he said. "But we've known about this for like, at least a week.

"His own mom, Daniel Craig's mom, was talking to a Liverpool newspaper two days ago saying, 'Oh, we're thrilled to bits about the news'."

Craig will star in next year's Casino Royale, the 21st Bond film, which begins shooting in January.

the Bond franchise began more than 40 years ago with Dr. No, only five actors have played the British spy: Sean Connery and Roger Moore, who were the most well-loved mainstays; Brosnan, who appeared in four Bond films; George Lazenby, who appeared in just one Bond film; and Timothy Dalton, who appeared in two