Daniel Craig May Take One More 007 Assignment
by Erik Amaya
While The Mirror’s accuracy is around stopped-clock levels, the saga of actor Daniel Craig’s continued presence as James Bond is one endless fascination.
In the midst of the Spectre press tour, an exhausted Craig told TimeOut London that he would “rather slit my wrists” than play Bond again. Then came a flurry of reports citing a contract between Craig and EON Productions stipulating one more film commitment following Spectre. Then came word that Craig was on board for a two-part film — which was also the rumor prior to Spectre. Craig laughed at the prospect of trying to shoot two Bond films at the same time.
And honestly, after Spectre, I’d try to flee from the series as well.
But The Mirror (via IndieWire) suggests Craig’s temper has cooled and producer Barbara Broccoli has “secured Craig.” Their anonymous source said, “It’s taken time but Daniel has come round and the strong con–sensus in the Bond offices is that Mr Craig is 007 again.” The switch from “Daniel ” to “Mr. Craig” is one of those strange quirks you often see in quotes from anonymous sources.
The report also suggests Adele is being courted to return to sing the Bond 25 theme. Whether Craig comes back or not, this is the return I want to see happen. Skyfall is the best of the Craig-era Bond themes and Adele’s voice recalls the Bond series of old. In fact, I found it surprising EON would turn away from her for Spectre. The resulting song by Sam Smith is literally a non-starter lacking the bombast and class of a proper 007 theme.
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke subsequently revealed he wrote a theme for Spectre which featured the same mistakes as Smith’s offering.
Of course, I treat this particular report with plenty of suspicion, but I am an easy mark for Bond rumors. I suspect most Bond fans are. Sadly, after Spectre, I’d say it is time for the series to take a significant rest. While Casino Royale was a fine film and proved you could strip Bond down to the essentials, a lot of the charm and humor of the series disappeared. Filmmakers want the series to reflect the actual nature of intelligence gathering while neglecting the fact that Bond was always a fantasy.
But no matter who stars — or sings — James Bond will return.
