First things first on the new Bond movie, ''Quantum of Solace'': Director Marc Forster initially disliked the title, too.

''Then it started growing on me,'' Forster says. ''I felt a relief there wasn't any dying or death in the title. So many of the series' titles have that.

''I read the Ian Fleming short story where it comes from, and there's a great passage in it when Bond talks (about) that quantum of solace, a quantum of comforting someone.

''It's interesting that it has caused such a big discussion among people,'' Forster says. ''Ultimately, I think it might be a positive thing for the movie.''

Not that Bond needs much help these days. The 2006 franchise reboot grossed nearly $600 million worldwide and went a long way in making Bond relevant for the 21st century.

If hiring Daniel Craig to play Bond was the gamble last time, putting Forster in the director's chair is ''Quantum's'' creative risk. The German-born director has a varied resume (''Monster's Ball,'' ''Finding Neverland,'' ''Stranger Than Fiction'') that includes just about everything save an action movie.

Forster overcame his initial reluctance by making an interesting connection between making a franchise film and working under a repressive regime.

''If you look at the work of artists who work under political censorship, some of their work is astounding,'' Forster says. ''They work within the very tight parameters of storytelling. And I felt like the challenge here was similar. You are working within a framework of the Bond franchise. You have the villain, the girls and so on, things the fans expect and want.''

One notable difference this time: The movie's story begins literally an hour after the ending of ''Casino Royale.''

''That place is very intriguing,'' Forster says. ''Bond lost someone he loved. He's very vulnerable. At the same time, it's Bond, who you expect not to be attached to a woman, not to be that vulnerable. There were a lot of challenging and interesting points one could explore more.''