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So this is now getting picked up by multiple outlets, which means we probably should talk about it.
According to Yahoo! News, sourcing other tabloids, Daniel Craig has turned down a two picture deal worth about $100 million to reprise his role as James Bond.
Here’s the article:
For the record, I’m not all too convinced by the accuracy of these reports. But as the wind blows, there’s going to be one of two outcomes: Either Craig, 48, signs on for a 5th installment, or he retires from the part.
This is the equivalent of Sean Connery‘s last “willing” entry in the series in You Only Live Twice, before he was begged back to the role with a massive salary he donated to charity for Diamonds are Forever.
And it’s important to remember that Pierce Brosnan only made it through four pictures, with Die Another Day as his last adventure.
The difference is that Brosnan appeared willing and able to go for a 5th film but the producers had other plans.
Craig seems to be demonstrating a Connery level of finicky-ness.
In his interview with TimeOut while doing press for SPECTRE, when asked if he could imagine doing another Bond movie, he exclaimed, “I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists.”
That’s the controversial part of the quote that made headlines, which some feel tarnished the good momentum behind SPECTRE before it’s release, resulting in a solid, but slightly underwhelming box office return.
In reality, Craig’s quote was as follows, “Now? I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists. No, not at the moment, not at all.”
Earlier in the interview, Craig talked about how the producers at one point discussed the idea of shooting two films back to back and he told them that was basically impossible, given how grueling his schedule would be.
Taken out of context, Craig appears to be bitter and fed up, but in actuality, he was really saying he was exhausted after a grueling 6-month shoot and he just wants to go on vacation and be left alone before he could think about going back into the role.
And I think that’s fair enough.
Everyone wonders how long Robert Downey, Jr. can continue to play Iron Man considering he is now 51 years old.
I don’t know, I watched Captain America: Civil War and saw a whole lot of Downey, Jr. standing around talking while a computer-generated Iron Man did most of the heavy lifting. Yeah, he can continue to play Iron Man for years to come if he wanted to. He has Industrial Light and Magic backing him up.
But the bread and butter of a Bond film is in its practical action with physical stunt work, and it requires its leading man to do just about everything, including physical action. While Iron Man was flittering about with Spider-Man pretend-fighting Captain America, Bond and Hinx had just about the most primal fight I’ve ever seen in the entire history of the franchise.
So now again, we have negative publicity surrounding Craig and the reports of his turning down the role for a massive salary.
What’s to believe???
There are two ways Daniel Craig can go about this.
I remember when they announced him for the role. It came as a surprise to those of us who felt Brosnan was short changed an installment or two. He got a lot of heat for being a “blonde Bond.” The media ripped him to shreds when, during his inaugural press conference where he was to arrive dramatically on a speed boat with military personnel, the insurance executives demanded he wear a life jacket. All of a sudden, Bond couldn’t swim. Bond couldn’t drive a stick shift. Bond didn’t even have the right hair.
What happened after that?
Casino Royale came out.
And everyone said, “Ohhhhhhhh! So that’s what they had in mind!”
Suddenly, a Pierce Brosnan who fixes his tie underwater in a Q-Boat in The World is Not Enough doesn’t seem nearly as badass as a completely ripped Daniel Craig who performs death-defying mid-air stunts and just beats the living shit out of his enemies.
For the record, Brosnan wanted to go, and could have gone, more gritty, but it simply wasn’t in the cards for him.
Craig, though, seemingly, has been battling the naysayers ever since he landed the role.
He has been fantastic in each installment, and he earned his Connery-level of respect with Skyfall.
But this is gut-check time for him.
This isn’t Kobe Bryant the rookie trying to win his first Championship.
This is Bryant the multi-year veteran proving to the world, as he did in the Pau Gasol Championship years, that he still has it, and he’s going to do what it takes and will his team to victory.
We saw Daniel Craig bring it in Casino Royale.
But the action is SPECTRE was notably absent.
Sure, we saw Bond crashing a plane through the trees in the snow to catch up to the bad guys who kidnapped his love interest.
But there’s a big difference between Bond sitting behind the wheel steering the plane, and Bond literally clutching onto the wing of the plane for dear life, then jumping down onto a truck to get to his nemesis, like in License to Kill.
Daniel Craig has two ways of going about this.
First, he can retire gracefully.
If he truly has decided he’s had enough, then he can depart from the role with dignity and be proud of what he has accomplished. He has done his bit for Queen and Country. Like Pierce, he will have made it through four outings, and will be regarded as one of the great Bonds of all-time.
But you can’t tell me that 5th adventure isn’t at all tempting.
It’s one thing to be associated with Brosnan and Timothy Dalton.
Now we’re getting into Connery and Roger Moore territory.
A 5th Daniel Craig Bond still has him one shy of Connery and two shy of Moore, but puts him in very rare company indeed.
This is a chance for history. A chance for legendary greatness.
In my opinion, it’s a chance worth fighting for.
The other way of going about this, then, is for Craig to channel his inner Casino Royale, fend off all the naysayers, and deliver a Bond film with some fantastically inspired action that has audiences going, “Holy crap, I can’t believe Daniel Craig just pulled that off.”
This isn’t getting to the Finals for the NBA Championship then phoning it in and losing.
This is making it there, then showing the world true greatness and winning the Championship ring.
I think Daniel Craig has it in him.
I hope he goes for it.