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Daniel Craig has reportedly extended his contract
to four new James Bond films following
the 2006 blockbuster Casino Royale...
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Daniel Craig Extends 007 Contract
26th October 2007
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According to trade paper The
Hollywood Reporter, James Bond star Daniel Craig
has extended his contract to play 007 for four new films
following his record-breaking debut in "Casino
Royale" (2006).
MGM chairman and CEO Harry Sloan broke
the news at the Forbes MEET II conference at the Beverly
Hills Hotel on
Thursday, amongst a swath of other plans relating to the
studio.
Daniel Craig had previously stated that he had initially
signed up to three Bond outings: Casino
Royale (2006),
Bond 22 (2008) and Bond 23 (TBA). Official details on the
original deal were not revealed until Bond
22's delay, but Craig confirmed the plans during the
US publicity tour for Casino Royale back in November 2006.
It was later revealed that, due to the success of Casino
Royale, Craig's
pay deal had been upped to £5 million for Bond
22 and £8 million for Bond 23 - double the original
sums.
If the new contract is completed, Craig will now play
Bond in a total of five films, up to and including Bond
25. His second outing, the as-yet untitled "Bond
22",
is scheduled for release on 7th November 2008. Filming
is expected to commence in early January. |
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A Brief History Of Bondage
Sean Connery originally signed up to play 007 in six films starting
with "Dr No' (1962), but
was released from his contract one film early following "You
Only Live
Twice" (1967). George Lazenby was then cast as the first replacement,
completing "On Her Majesty's
Secret Service" (1969) before walking
away from a contract for more. Connery was lured back to the
role for "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971) and a record fee of £1.25
million which he donated to charity. Roger Moore then took the
helm with "Live And Let Die"
(1973), the third successive film in the series that had a change
in the lead role. Moore
steadied the ship and went on to complete a record total of seven
outings, culminating in
"A View To A Kill" (1985).
His contract was originally for four films, but Moore and Broccoli
negotiated on a per-film basis
thereafter. Timothy Dalton, who had been previously considered
for the role, was cast for three films, starting with "The
Living Daylights" (1987). After "Licence
To Kill" (1989), a
six year hiatus followed due to studio legal disputes, leaving Dalton
walked away from a possible third film. Pierce Brosnan -
who had
narrowly missed out on
the role in 1987 due to an NBC contract
renewal - debuted as 007 in "GoldenEye" (1995). His tenure was
set for three films with an option for a fourth, which he completed
with
"Die Another Day" in 2002. Brosnan was not recalled, and after
a four year break, Daniel Craig made his debut in "Casino
Royale"
(2006).
Writers Strike
MGM chairman and CEO Harry Sloan also predicted that there will
be no writers strike beginning November 1st. If it does go ahead,
it
could affect Paul Haggis who is currently completing the shooting
script for Bond 22. Sloan told attendees that, with
the latest proposal
from studios, he sees "the beginning of a constructive discussion." But
while Sloan is predicting that WGA members won't strike the moment
their current contract runs out Halloween night, that's
not to say they wouldn't walk out later. The point he was making,
he said, is that for maybe the first time there "are signs
of progress." "I really don't think that our side is
as dark and anti-union as the studios are being portrayed," he
said.
Related Articles
Casino
Royale (2006)
Bond
22 (2008)
