Could this convince Daniel Craig to play Bond again?

DANIEL Craig famously said he’d ‘rather slit his wrists’ than play James Bond again. Could this move from the franchise’s producer make him change his mind?

Will Daniel Craig suit up again as Bond?

IN a Shakespearean twist, a hot theatre production of Othello could be the ticket that finally convinces fickle star Daniel Craig to sign on to another James Bond blockbuster.

Craig opens in Othello this week on stage in New York opposite Selma star David Oyelowo, and the production sold out in just hours back in October. But looking closer at the credits, the show’s producer is Barbara Broccoli, scion of the 007 franchise who brought in Craig in 2006 for the string of hits Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre.

Craig has made no secret of the fact he’s keen to leave the franchise behind.

But curmudgeonly Craig has publicly itched to exit the films, sniping in October 2015 that he’d rather “slash [his] wrists” than revisit the role. “I’m over it at the moment ... All I want to do is move on,” he huffed. Of others who might take over, he charmingly added, “Look, I don’t give a f **k.”

A week later, it was announced Craig was cast with Oyelowo in Othello. This year, as Othello approached, Craig changed his tune and said in October of playing Bond: “I would miss it terribly.” (He’s also allegedly been offered $150 million for two movies, which can’t hurt.)

Either way, a source told Page Six of Othello and Bond, “Daniel thinks of himself as a ‘serious actor,’ and he wants to stretch his artistic muscles. And Barbara really believes in his talent. For her to do this [play] for him is a gift — of course she wants him back — this is going to entice him to make another Bond movie.” The insider said Broccoli would ask Craig back for the next 007 film, Bond 25, sometime after the play’s run. Other insiders add that Craig is amenable to a return to Bond after a hiatus of a few years when he’ll tackle “more serious roles.”

Will Daniel Craig play Bond once more or hand over the reins to a new actor?

Of the heated speculation over actors who could take over the role — from Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston to Michael Fassbender and Jack Huston — a source said, “All those people are not in the running.”

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and appears here with permission.

Originally published as Could this convince Daniel Craig to play Bond again?