“Bond. James Bond.”
Believe it or not, but Daniel Craig may have uttered those iconic words for the last time in last year’s polarizing Spectre. (I caught it on the plane to London and enjoyed it, but who wouldn’t in that sitch?) A source at The Telegraph reports that the 48-year-old actor, whose appeared in four 007 films, has turned down a $68 million dollar offer from MGM.
Most fans shouldn’t be too surprised; after all, Craig did say he’d rather “slash [his] wrists” than don the suit, drink martinis, fight saucy hunks, and slum it with sexy babes. Granted, he later said he would do it “for the money,” but apparently future knee injuries aren’t worth the cash, especially since he’s already made $40 mil playing the special agent.
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“Daniel is done – pure and simple – he told top brass at MGM after Spectre,” the source explained. “They threw huge amounts of money at him, but it just wasn’t what he wanted. 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.”
This would seem to go in tandem with recent reports that Gala Coral Group suspended any bets on actor Tom Hiddleston as a replacement after “a flurry of bets” came in. It doesn’t hurt that Loki was spotted with director Sam Mendes earlier this week, according to The Daily Mail. All of this makes Hiddleston a 2-1 favorite with bookies. Not shabby.
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We’ll find out soon enough, though.