Daniel Craig Returning As James Bond Because Money

In news that shouldn’t surprise anyone if you visit this site on a daily basis – and shame on you if you don’t – Daniel Craig will be returning for Bond 25.

Craig confirmed the news on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Last month it was reported that Bond producers were confident that Craig would return for a fifth film. Feeling good about their chances of Craig returning, they turned their attention to securing Adele, who provided the theme for Skyfall. While it’s still unknown as to whether or not Adele will rejoin Craig, at least they’ve solved half the equation.

When Colbert asked Craig about wanting to “slash his wrists” rather than returning as James Bond, Craig had a logical answer.

He had just finished shooting Spectre and was exhausted. I get that. Every time I finish a two mile run, I’m like “I’m never running again. Kill me if I try to run again.” But then I go for another run a few days later. Running is a lot less work than doing James Bond stunts. Also a lot less pay.

Come to think of it, the millions of dollars Craig will make from this movie probably influenced his decision to return. He reportedly turned down a $150 million deal for two more films following Spectre. Logic says he’s making at least $75 million to do Bond 25 and I wouldn’t be shocked if the figure was closer to $100 million.

No wonder he’s returning.

Craig mentioned that the next Bond film will be his last, but we’ll see if that’s true three years from now when they offer him $200 million.

The new Bond film won’t hit theaters until November 2019 and is still in search of a production studio. Sony’s deal with the franchise ran out after Spectre. Warner Bros. is the front-runner, but my guess is that every studio in Hollywood will be beating down Eon Productions door for a shot at this film.

It’s the 25th Bond movie. Arguably the best Bond ever is returning for the last time. And the last two films brought in nearly $2 billion worldwide. James Bond has a license to kill and Bond 25 is going to have a license to print money.