It’s the ‘will he, won’t he?’ debate that refuses to relent. Daniel Craig, having donned the famous tuxedo and license to kill four consecutive times, looked set for the exit door after reportedly turning down $99 million to reprise the role of James Bond.
But Craig’s hesitance has only fuelled Sony’s desire to suss out a contract, it seems, with celebrity news website Radar reporting that the studio has now tabled a $150 million offer, which would seemingly secure Craig to the title role for a further two movies extending his tenure as 007 to six installments.
It’s hardly surprising that Sony is eager to put pen to paper – between them, Skyfall and Spectre pulled in close to $2 billion worldwide – but as Radar notes, getting Daniel Craig back on board for the immediate future would afford the studio ample time to zero in on a long-term replacement, thereby transitioning to a new Bond era in a way that simultaneously wraps up Craig’s own tenure as 007 in coherent fashion.
Per Radar:
“The studio is desperate to secure the actor’s services while they phase in a younger long-term successor. They will shoot two more films, which will be made virtually back-to-back, preferably featuring Daniel as 007 before he passes the figurative baton to someone else for a third movie that will mark the start of the new era.”
Since Spectre was met with middling reviews late last year, the Internet has been rife with speculation regarding which actor should be sworn in to replace Daniel Craig in the lead role – everyone from Tom Hiddleston to Idris Elba have been linked in recent months.
Live or let die? That’s the question Sony is left facing when it comes to Craig’s James Bond. $150 million is certainly an eye-watering valuation, but will it be enough to get the actor to sign along the dotted line?
