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James Bond: Goodbye, Daniel Craig, Hello Tom Hiddleston And Taylor Swift?

By Plutarc Sicat
Published on: 23:12 PST, Jun 11, 2016

Daniel Craig quit playing James Bond because of the extreme pressure to be perfect, reveals a former Bond girl. Caterina Murino worked with Craig on his first Bond film, Casino Royale. Murino has been recently named as the new face of the 007 fragrance for women.

In Casino Royale, Bond girl Murino would play plenty of steamy scenes with Daniel Craig according to Mirror. But thanks to the genius of co-star Craig, he would not only encourage her to bring out her best; Daniel Craig would also help transform the Bond girl into a three-dimensional character. Murino explains a day in the set of a James Bond film shoot as follows.

“I remember the scene where I arrive at the casino and my screen husband is about to move his playing card. We shot that same scene and played the same card over and over for two days straight.”

If Daniel Craig were a perfectionist, he was certainly well-rewarded for his efforts. He is not only the highest paid James Bond, Daniel Craig has also starred in Bond flicks that have made the most money for the franchise. For example, Spectre made $900 million worldwide, according to Forbes. Craig made a total of four Bond movies (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre) which taken together have grossed $2.819 billion.

Murino was well aware that producers had offered Daniel Craig a huge raise if he would only return to the set of the next James Bond opus, but to no avail. Says Murino, “After a while those actors don’t really think too much about the money.”

The paycheck that Daniel Craig reportedly turned down was a whopping $131 million, which would practically make him the highest paid actor in Hollywood. To help put this in proper perspective, Robert Downey Jr. is the reigning highest-paid actor at $75 million for Iron Man.

Daniel Craig appears crazy to have turned down such an enormous paycheck, but he has his reasons. In two words: job burnout. The fact is, Craig has been so serious about playing James Bond that he would give each film more than his one hundred percent. It’s the same syndrome that plagued Sean Connery, according to Entertainment Weekly.

In his own words, Daniel Craig revealed to Variety his line of reasoning for turning down any future James Bond projects, as follows.

“Now? I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists. No, not at the moment. Not at all. That’s fine. I’m over it at the moment. We’re done. All I want to do is move on.”

Daniel Craig said all that in October 2015, and apparently his position has not changed since. To get Craig back on the James Bond bandwagon will be like pulling teeth. The interesting question here is whether the producers will offer the same paycheck to the upcoming James Bond replacement, who is reportedly Tom Hiddleston according to Murino, who happens to be a close friend of the Broccolis.

However, Hiddleston being offered the position remains to be seen. Most memorable as Loki, Thor’s fiendish brother in The Avengers movies, Tom Hiddleston may need to prove himself first in order to earn or deserve the gorgeous paycheck that Daniel Craig has turned down. It seems that Hiddleston’s role in the BBC TV series, The Night Manager serves as his “passport” to becoming the new 007.

Was “Loki’s” avid dancing with singer Taylor Swift during the Met Gala any help in getting Tom’s foot on James Bond’s door? After all, dancing is one of the skills required of a British Intelligence spy. But, it would be more traditional dances like the tango or cha-cha that would be asked for in a James Bond resume. Maybe rock and roll or modern dancing will help update the 007 screen personality to the millennials’ more contemporary taste.

While on the subject, perhaps it’s not a bad idea to nominate Taylor Swift as the new Bond Girl? She did show great potential in her music video “Bad Blood,” don’t you think? Her moves are eerily similar to Halle Berry. Plus, Taylor Swift’s short role, yet luminous presence in the futuristic movie The Giver should be enough to demonstrate her acting prowess.

An added credit to Taylor would have to be her wonderful chemistry with Tom Hiddleston during the Met Gala dance marathon — and we already have the building blocks of a new James Bond casting ready to roll. Is it time to say “goodbye” to Daniel Craig, and “hello” to Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift? “Shake it Off” not stirred?

[Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images]

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