The insane deal to lure Daniel Craig back to Bond

HE FAMOUSLY said he’d rather slash his wrists than play Bond again — could this mega deal make Daniel Craig change his mind?

Will Daniel Craig’s resolve crumble for a big cash deal? Picture: Reuters/Benoit Tessier

WITH four James Bond movies under his belt, it seemed that actor Daniel Craig had bowed out from the iconic role following last year’s hit Spectre.

Craig infamously announced that he’d “rather break this glass and slash my wrists” than star in another Bond movie.

“I’m over it at the moment. We’re done. All I want to do is move on,” Craig told Time Out London in October last year.

The thought of slipping back into James Bond’s shoes makes Daniel Craig want to slash his wrists. Ouch.

But could the movie studios, eager to wring another couple of Bond films out of the bankable star, have made him an offer he can’t refuse?

Radar Online reports that Sony is offering Craig a deal of around $200 million to star in another two Bond films.

While that’s huge money in anyone’s terms, consider this: the last Bond film took in $880 million at the box office worldwide. Skyfall (2012) grossed more than a billion dollars. Craig has played Bond for the most profitable period in the history of the franchise.

Talk of enlisting Craig for more films comes after numerous reports of new actors being auditioned for Bond — among them former child star Jamie Bell, Taylor Swift handbag Tom Hiddleston and the ultra-suave Idris Elba, who would become the first black Bond.

He certainly wore those blue swimmers well.

However, Radar reports Sony is keen to plough ahead with more Bond films while they figure out who exactly will take the baton from 48-year-old Craig.

“The studio is desperate to secure the actor’s services while they phase in a younger long-term successor,” a source told Radar.

Craig “has played a genius hand,” said the source. “Everyone knows how much executives adore him, and the idea of losing him at such a crucial time in the franchise isn’t an option as far as all the studio honchos are concerned.”

Tom Hiddleston, one of the names being touted as a possible future Bond. Picture: Jono Searle

Reports surfaced earlier this year that Craig had already rejected an eye-watering deal to continue playing Bond — $137 million. Will this rumoured sky-high offer finally sway him?

Originally published as The insane deal to lure Daniel Craig back to Bond