Bond is back...but only for an £18m fee
DANIEL Craig famously said he would rather slit his wrists than play James Bond again – but he has found 18 million reasons to change his mind.
The 50-year-old star is being paid $25million, around £18million, to reprise the role for the fifth time, according to reports in the US.
He announced last year he would come back for the as-yet untitled “Bond 25” film, despite previously insisting he was finished with 007 for good.
The news he was returning took many fans by surprise, as he had voiced his displeasure with the franchise before the release of Spectre in 2015. At the time, he told how he would “rather break this glass and slit my wrists” than return, adding: “I’m over it. All I want to do is move on.”
He added he had not given “any thought” as to what he would do next. He said: “For at least a year or two, I just don’t want to think about it.
“I don’t know what the next step is. I’ve no idea. Not because I’m trying to be cagey. Who knows? At the moment, we’ve done it. I’m not in discussion with anybody about anything.”
However, he went on to admit that if he were to do another Bond film, it would “only be for the money”.
The latest 007 movie is set for release on November 8 next year. Craig has not confirmed if he will return for a sixth film.
The star made his debut as the suave secret agent in 2006, starring in Casino Royale.
Two years later he returned in Quantum Of Solace and even helped finished the script for the film after a writers’ strike.
He also appeared in Skyfall (2012) and Spectre.
Speculation is rife over who will eventually take over from him, with Poldark star Aidan Turner and McMafia’s James Norton among the frontrunners. Turner previously broke his silence, insisting: “There’s someone else playing the role at the moment, but when it’s free I’ll have a look at it.”
Craig also revealed recently that he and actress wife Rachel Weisz, 48, are expecting a baby.
He is already a father to daughter Ella, 25, while Ms Weisz has an 11-year-old son.
Speaking of her joy at being pregnant, she said: “I’ll be showing soon. Daniel and I are so happy.
“We’re going to have a little human. We can’t wait to meet him or her.”
HAIL too to another British icon: James Bond and the man who plays him, Daniel Craig. It is wonderful news that he has signed up for the 25th film in the franchise: as someone said of one of his predecessors, nobody does it better. We’ve been expecting you, Mr Bond.