The rumours have been swirling for ages — and even Craig himself has been hilariously vocal about it — but after a decade of killing under licence, Daniel Craig may be done with James Bond. (That is, if highly speculatory reports are to be believed.)
The news, which was breathlessly circulated throughout the UK earlier this week, comes via British tabloid The Daily Mail — so for now, it’s best to take this with a necessary pinch of salt. The Mail, speaking to undisclosed sources, claims that Craig has turned down a £68 million deal that would have seen him star in two more Bond pictures. Reports from the BBC in the wake of The Daily Mail‘s reporting claim their own sources say that Craig has yet to make a final decision regarding a return to the role.
While the news may come from an unofficial source, it would not be totally surprising if — and with the Mail, that’s a big if — it’s true. Like I said, Craig has spent a good long time saying he’s pretty much done with the role, no matter the money thrown at him to return. He spent almost the entirety of SPECTRE‘s publicity campaign telling everyone how little he gave a shit about doing more Bond movies, or the person who would replace him as Britain’s most famous fictional spy:
Look, I don’t give a fuck. Good luck to them! All I care about is that if I stop doing these things we’ve left it in a good place and people pick it up and make it better. Make it better, that’s all.
Charming.
As for who could replace Craig in Bond’s immaculately tailored tuxedos? As ever with British-based casting rumours, our best bet is to look to the bookies: several betting offices put the highest odds on Thor actor (and internet boyfriend) Tom Hiddleston, even to the point that some have stopped taking bets on the actor, usually a sign of near-inevitability. Other high-odds candidates include Aidan Turner (The Hobbit‘s Kili), Tom Hardy (Mad Max) and, everyone’s favourite casting choice for seemingly everything, Idris Elba.