Daniel Craig speaks: no decision yet on Bond 25

Last night Daniel Craig was interviewed on stage by Nicholas Schmidle for the New Yorker Festival. And during the 90 minute chat about his career the conversation inevitably turned towards 007. 

Daniel Craig - New James Bond movie Casino Royale

Sporting a bleach blond look for his current role in Lucky Logan, Craig indicated that he certainly hasn’t yet quit the role. Concerning Bond 25 he said:

“There’s no conversation going on, and genuinely because everybody’s just a bit tired.”

He went on to note that Barbara Broccoli is co-producer of Othello for the New York Theatre Workshop. Craig is due to play Iago alongside David Oyelowo in the title role. The play is set to run between 22nd November and 18th January 2017.

He also set the record straight about the widely circulated rumour that he had been offered $150 million to appear in two more Bond movies. That figure never stood up to any scrutiny.

Asked about the now infamous “rather slash my wrists” quote from July 2015, from an interview a couple of days after SPECTRE had wrapped filming, Craig said:

“When asked 20 feet from the end of a marathon: will you do another marathon? The answer is simple: no, I won’t.”

Hear him for yourself in the video below, taken by Phil Nobile Jr. (who attended the event and penned this article for Birth Movies Death.


Also in the video about, Craig says:

“I got the best job in the world doing Bond. The things I get to do on a Bond movie and the type of work it is, there’s no other job like it.”

Notice he continues with “if”:

“If I were to stop doing it – just say – I’d miss it terribly. It’s one of the most thrilling things as an actor you can do.”

At a Q&A session at the end, a fan asked about the end of SPECTRE, “Is that the end?”

Craig replied:

“Yes, at that moment in SPECTRE, that’s what he thinks. But it always says ‘to be continued.'”

Although Daniel Craig failed to settle whether he will do Bond 25 or not, he does still appear to be in the frame. It was also useful for him to end the speculation about that $150 million that clearly made no sense but was being spouted as fact by much of the world’s media.

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. When it comes down to it the strength of the script may have a huge part in convincing him to return.

One more thing, regarding his supposed contract to do one more film. I’ve been told by a lawyer that if it does exist, Eon/MGM may find it difficult to enforce. As it amounts to a work contract, they can’t force him to work if he wants to quit, but they can’t fire him without compensation.

Sources: Birth Movies Death and Timeout

David Leigh founded The James Bond Dossier in 2002. A fan of 007 since the age of 8, he is also author of The Complete Guide to the Drinks of James Bond. You can order a copy here if you don't own it already.

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