There's a rumour going around that Daniel Craig is in negotiations to play William the Conqueror, the British King who's well known for the date 1066 and the Battle of Hastings.

According to more gossip prone sources, there's a film coming that will follow the King's life to the point of his victory at the Battle of Hastings...oh, did I give away the ending? It's called history!

King William I of England was Duke of Normandy from 1035 and carried the nickname of William the Bastard due to his illegitimate birth. He became King of England from 1066 and remained so until his death in 1087 through which time he retained the moniker of William the Conqueror.

He wasn't just famous for the Battle of Hastings though, he also changed England in politics, law, language and the country's infrastructure. He's even responsible for the creation of the Doomsday Book.

However it was the Battle of Hastings he was most known for, which came about when the childless King Edward the Confessor died and three people contended the throne of England. Harold Godwinson, the Earl of Wessex, took the throne in January 1066 and William would not let that lie.

He wrote to the Pope and gained his support for the throne, then he amassed an army in Normandy while King Harold massed his on the south coast of England. While William's army waited for good weather to cross the channel King Harold's army was disbanding for harvest season and also to fend off another invasion from the other claimant to the throne, Harald III of Norway, had landed outside York.

William used this time to cross the channel and set-up a fortified base near Hastings, waiting for King Harold to return. When he defeated Harald III he turned for home and faced William's army in a battle that lasted all day and into the night and resulted in the death of King Harold.

However the English did not surrender and appointed a new King, King Edgar, and so William and his army marched upon London to take the throne personally.

It's a fantastic story, indeed many stories from these times are, and you can read all about William over on Wikipedia.

It'll certainly make for a great film, and actually I can see Daniel Craig playing the part of either character, and once again it continues his move towards shrugging off the typecasting cloak of Bond, something he's managing to do with surprising ease.

However I think that does have something to do with the fact that the latest Bond films are slipping away from the Bond's of the past and don't hold that iconic grip over their actors as they once did.

That aside, this casting is still a rumour. Craig has been mentioned as being in negotiations to take the role by WENN through IMDB, and a spokesperson for the film doesn't say anything about his involvement. They do say that they don't care if the lead is from America or Britain, well I have to say that I think the British might care just a jot.