Depending on who you read, Daniel Craig, as well as the cast and crew of Quantum of Solace (aka Bond 22), were either caught up in the middle of a gang turf war down in Panama ... or they're completely safe without a worry in the world. Oh yes, I definitely said gang turf war -- and if the Daily Mail is right (which they're probably not), things seem to be getting hella dangerous down on the Panama set of the next James Bond film. DM says, "Daniel has had to dodge the crossfire as gangsters spray bullets at each other on the set. Bond girls Gemma Arterton, 22, and Olga Kurylenko, 28, are also under armed guard, while terrified crew are having to brave the deadliest warzones as they struggle to get the blockbuster "in the can." And that's not all -- a little above that quote, they claim Craig's guards have already "taken out" one gangster in a hail of bullets. How do you say ... AWESOME DVD extras in (what do they speak down in Panama?).

Now, according to a statement from producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, this whole thing is just a big misunderstanding. In a joint statement, they say, "The filming of 'Quantum of Solace', with director Marc Forster at the helm, is on schedule and will continue as planned in Panama. None of the cast or crew have ever been in danger. Reports of troubles with gangs are untrue. The protests are to do with the fatal shooting of a construction worker in Colon and are unrelated to our filming activities. Our cast and crew have not been threatened and no thefts or muggings have occurred. These scurrilous and irresponsible reports in The Daily Star have caused distress to the UK families of our filming unit."

Really? I wonder why? Was it the part where they quote an anonymous crew member saying, "Quite a few of the crew are considering clearing out because they fear for their lives. It's chaotic." Regardless, I think someone needs to evaluate what the hell is going on in Panama right now -- last thing we need is James Bond being "taken out" when he still has a few more films to shoot.

I guess no one ever said James Bond was a master of disguise. The gentleman you see to the right of the picture, in the Panama Jack hat and sunglasses, is Daniel Craig. The two people he's walking with are long-time Bond series producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. And they're not walking down some cobble-stoned street in London, but in L.A., a stone's throw away from the Sony offices in Culver City. The picture, which was taken last week, was recently sent in to Bond website MI6. With Craig's crazy schedule these days, there was no way the Bond team would have gotten significant face-time with him unless he were being asked to come and personally approve a new director for you know what -- and today the Hollywood Reporter confirms it. Marc Forster has the gig.

The director of Finding Neverland, Stranger than Fiction and Monster's Ball, Forster was the most likely candidate for the job ever since a credible source claimed the offer had already been put to him. Also, he makes sense. He's well-respected and his movies do okay, but he's not an auteur who is going to come in and tell Barbara Broccoli which end is up. He'll stick to the script and try to make it sing. Sadly, my candidate, Anthony Minghella, got left out in the cold, which is really too bad. Minghella could have done great things with this one. He's a master of epic filmmaking -- the George Stevens of today -- and great with romance. He's also a writer, and could have put his own stamp on this thing without overwhelming it. And he really needs a hit. Oh well -- the director speculation is over now. We can go back to counting the minutes until Carice van Houten is confirmed.