LONDON, England -- One of the worst kept secrets in the entertainment industry is no longer a secret.Daniel Craig, a blue-eyed and blond British actor, is the new James Bond.Sony Pictures on Friday confirmed media reports that Craig will replace Pierce Brosnan as the suave British spy of the silver screen. (Watch video of new 007)Craig's selection -- revealed by having the actor travel down the River Thames aboard a military boat, wearing Bond's trademark suit and dark glasses -- ends months of speculation over the role of agent 007.Later, at a news conference in London, Craig appeared to be at a loss for words about his new job."It's something else, I can tell you, really," he said.Craig added that his first reaction when told by producers was to say, "I need a drink." Producers said last year that they were seeking a replacement for Pierce Brosnan, 52, who has played the suave British spy in the last four Bond films.Rumored to have also been in the running were British actors Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gerard Butler and Ewan McGregor. Irishman Colin Farrell and Australians Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger and Eric Bana were also mentioned.But after all the guessing, it was Craig's mother that let the cat out of the bag."Obviously we are thrilled to bits," his mother Carol told the Liverpool Daily Post newspaper on Thursday. "It has come at a very good time in his career. He has worked extremely hard all his life and this would be his biggest populist role," she was quoted as saying. "It will be life-changing". Craig, 37, appeared in the 1990s TV drama "Our Friends in the North" and in such films as "The Mother," "Enduring Love" and "Layer Cake."He also played Paul Newman's son in "Road to Perdition," was poet Ted Hughes opposite Gwyneth Paltrow's Sylvia Plath in "Sylvia" and appeared in this year's thriller "The Jacket" with Adrien Brody.Craig's personal life has also been a source of media attention.He has dated model Kate Moss and has been linked to Sienna Miller, his "Layer Cake" co-star and on-off fiancee of Jude Law.Craig will appear in the 21st Bond film, a remake of "Casino Royale," which is due to be released next year."Casino Royale," published in 1953, was Ian Fleming's first Bond novel. The 1967 film version was a spoof starring Peter Sellers, and it was one of the few Bond adventures not to feature any MI6 gadgets. (MI6 goes online in plea for spies)Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.