James Bond's trademark drink of choice, the vodka martini, won't be shaken at all in the upcoming 23rd Bond film Skyfall, with the news that beer company Heineken USA has cut a multi-million-dollar deal to be the new Bond beverage in the film.
According to trade magazine Ad Age, current 007 Daniel Craig will also appear in character in a TV commercial for Heineken, and on the side of special packs of beer. The global marketing deal is thought to be around $45 million.
"James Bond is a perfect fit for us. He is the epitome of the man of the world," says Lesya Lysyj, chief marketing manager of Heineken USA.
But fans and some media outlets are more sceptical of the move. Daily Mail claims the suddenly lager-loving Bond "has developed a more down-market taste", while Bond fan @Engekiman was one of many to tweet his outrage:
"Heineken over Martini? Is nothing sacred? 007 ditching the martini 'shaken, not stirred' for a Heineken," he said.
Bond drank Heineken in Goldfinger (1964), and the beer brand also popped up in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, but Skyfall will be the first film with a complete drink swap.
Bond has been synonymous with the vodka martini since saying the line "shaken, not stirred" twice in the first 007 film, Dr. No, which starred Sean Connery as the secret agent.
It's not the first brand change for the Bond franchise; in 1995's Goldeneye, Pierce Brosnan drove a BMW instead of an Aston Martin, leaving some die-hard fans disappointed that he went for a German rather than a British car.
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