The latest James Bond movie, No Time To Die had its London premiere on Tuesday night, and fans turned out in droves to catch a glimpse of the cast on the red carpet.
The movie has been a source of constant speculation and anticipation for months now after its release was substantially delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the news has broken that No Time To Die will be Daniel Craig's final appearance as the martini-drinking British secret agent, most of the internet is abuzz with speculation about who will be next to fill the much-contested 007 shoes.
But after the movie's UK premiere this week, the notoriously controversial British news broadcaster Piers Morgan had an entirely different question on his lips. Craig surprised many fans of the spy-thriller franchise when he showed up on the red carpet in a velvet hot pink suit.
For many, it was a welcomed move from the actor, with one Twitter user writing, "Pink is warm. Pink is hot. Pink is also bad a**! Bond approved." But Morgan took a very different stance on the Knives Out actor's choice of outfit.
The former Good Morning Britain presenter tweeted a photo of Craig in the offending suit and captioned it, "O dear O (7) dear. James Bond would never wear a garish pink suede dinner jacket. You're supposed to be a steely-eyed assassin with exemplary sartorial taste, Mr Craig... not an Austin Powers tribute act."
But fans of Craig did not let Morgan's comments go unchallenged. One even directly contradicted the assertion that Bond did not wear pink, sharing a photo of past 007 actors, including Sean Connery and Roger Moore, rocking pink tones in previous movies.
While another ridiculed Morgan for the highly publicized and dramatic exit he made from his television hosting gig earlier this year. They wrote, "Daniel Craig does his own stunts, losing 2 teeth, a torn shoulder, sprained ankles and knees, tore both calf muscles and continued filming with a broken leg. He can wear what he likes. You walked off live TV because you didn't like a question from a weatherman."
And another fan joked that Morgan's tweet seemed to directly equate Craig with his character in the recently released movie, tweeting, "Does Piers Morgan know that James Bond isn't real?" Many Twitter users also praised Craig for donning a color that is not usually seen on men, especially in formal settings. One wrote, "A color can't be controversial. It just can't. And raspberry pink is Daniel Craig's color — it just works for him."
It is perhaps worth noting that Morgan recently posted a shot on Twitter of himself outside an early screening of the new Bond movie, alongside the caption, "BREAKING: Daniel Craig's replacement as 007 finally revealed...."
Perhaps we can chalk his criticism of Craig's premiere look up to just plain old jealousy. After all, as some fans have noted, it is doubtful that Morgan himself could pull off such a daring ensemble.