Daniel Craig is reportedly ‘done’ with James Bond
It’s starting to look like 007’s famed Walther PPK and the non-stirred martini will be in new hands.
The Daily Mail is reporting Daniel Craig has rejected a huge contract extension to return as James Bond, telling executives he’s “done” playing the world’s most famous secret agent. The publication states that the four-time Bond turned down an estimated $100 million to return, including profit sharing, producing credits and endorsement deals.
“Daniel is done – pure and simple – he told top brass at MGM after Spectre. They threw huge amounts of money at him, but it just wasn’t what he wanted,” a source told The Daily Mail. “He had told people after shooting that this would be his final outing, but the film company still felt he could come around after Spectre if he was offered a money deal.”
Since Craig took over as the face of the franchise, his four movies have grossed an unadjusted $3.2 billion worldwide. That said, his most recent film, Spectre, took in only $880 million, while the previous film, Skyfall, grossed $1.1 billion.
If this is the end of Craig, the odds-on favorite to replace him is Tom Hiddleston. Both Sky Bet and William Hill have Hiddleston as 1:4 while Ladbrokes has Loki at 2:5. Other favorites are Aidan Turner, Tom Hardy and Idris Elba. Bookmaker Coral has suspended betting on Hiddleston after a flurry of bets were placed on him last weekend.