He’s the £100m Bond . . . so why IS he so grumpy?
So tell us, Mr Craig... what could possibly have persuaded you to play 007 one last time?
FOR two years, he refused to crack and reveal the secrets his inquisitors were desperate to hear.
Like any good secret agent, Daniel Craig kept fans – and film bosses – guessing about whether he would return to our screens as James Bond
At one stage, presumably in a bid to throw everyone off the scent, the British actor even said he would rather kill himself than play 007 again. Other screen hunks were touted as likely replacements.
But now Craig has confessed, confirming he will play Bond for a fifth time. The reason the 49-year- old cracked appears simple. By agreeing to appear in the 25th instalment of the money-spinning franchise, set for release in November 2019, he stands to earn up to £100million
Since Craig’s last outing as Bond in Spectre in 2015, studio bosses have been desperate to secure his return. They have spent almost two years in
‘I just want to go out on a high note’
negotiations with him, even though at one point, it looked as though he had ruled out another outing as 007, telling an interviewer in 2015 he would ‘rather slash [his] wrists’.
But appearing on The Late Show in the US on Tuesday, Craig finally announced he had changed his mind. Craig revealed he had known for a ‘couple of months’ he was returning to the role, adding: ‘We’ve been discussing it, we’ve just been trying to figure things out. I always wanted to, I needed a break.’
Pressed on whether the next film would be his last, he said: ‘I think this is it. I just want to go out on a high note, and I can’t wait.’
Last night, it emerged his remuneration for the new film, which is as yet untitled, could turn into the most lucrative single film deal ever. Craig, who reportedly pocketed £48million for Spectre, is rumoured to have been offered £60million plus a percentage of box office takings. If, like Skyfall in 2012, the film grosses in excess of $1billion (£777million) and Craig were to get 5 per cent, he would make close to £100million.
The current record is shared by Tom Cruise, Will Smith and Bruce Willis, who made $ 100million – £93million at today’s exchange rate but around £60million at the time.
Jack Nicholson made $100million from 1989’s Batman – but only because he received a percentage from sequels he did not appear in. And Keanu Reeves made $156million from two Matrix films.
Oscar-winner Emma Stone has overtaken Jennifer Lawrence to claim top spot on Forbes’ latest list of highest-paid actresses.
La La Land star Miss Stone, 28, made £ 20.2million ($ 26million) between June 2016 and June 2017. Jennifer Aniston, 48, is second with £19.8million ($25.5million), while Miss Lawrence, 27, drops to third with £18.7million ($24million).