Producers ‘Confident’ Daniel Craig Will Return For Fifth James Bond Film

Devilishly debonair Daniel Craig has been hinting he’s done with the role of James Bond and even came under fire for comments he previously made when he told an interviewer from TimeOut London he’d “rather break this glass and slash my wrists” than play 007 again. His comment prompted Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo to tweet that the actor “needs a reality check.”

This dude needs a reality check https://t.co/adi4RYRXg3

— Ellen Pompeo (@EllenPompeo) October 8, 2015

Daniel later said he had just finished filming Spectre when he was interviewed and was “exhausted and hurting physically.”

Despite Craig’s seeming reluctance to continue on as 007, producer Michael G. Wilson told the Mirror on Friday he’s confident he’s secured the actor for three more years to make at least one more film. While Wilson is sure that Craig will return for a fifth film, Craig isn’t legally bound because he has yet to sign a contract.

“We think we’ve got him but we don’t have a contract,” Wilson said.

Bond producer Barbara Broccoli also thinks Craig will return to make a fifth film and also excuses Daniel’s lack of enthusiasm when asked about returning to play Bond.

“We had an eight-month shoot and he was tired. I think we all feel at the end of a movie that the thought of doing another one right away is always a little bit too much to contemplate. It’s like childbirth. You don’t ask a woman who’s just given birth, ‘oh when are you going to do it again?'”

Broccoli also told Vanity Fair, “Maybe I’m in denial, but I don’t want to think about another Bond.”

Spectre director Sam Mendes, who won’t be directing another James Bond film, told Deadline he understands Daniel Craig’s “slashing wrists” comment.

“[My] analogy is, you’re running your first marathon, and 200 yards from the finish line, some guy shouts, ‘Are you going to run another one straight away?’ I get why Daniel responded the way he did.”

Spectre, which hit theaters in the U.K. two weeks ago and hit theaters in the U.S. this weekend, is Daniel’s fourth film as James Bond and has made $300 million globally over the last two weekends.

Brent Lang for Variety reports if Daniel Craig is planning on leaving the James Bond franchise behind, he “should seriously reconsider.” Lang cites the amount of money Spectre has pulled in and mentions that 2012’s Skyfall was the first Bond film to make over $1 billion worldwide. The other films Daniel has acted in haven’t come close to bringing in that amount of money, for example, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which only made $232 million worldwide in comparison.

Jeff Bock, a box office analyst with Exhibitor Relations, explains why he believes Craig may continue doing James Bond films.

“He’s not going to be getting offered a lot of starring roles in great films. He’ll be able to attend 007 conventions until he dies, but the Bond role hasn’t usually done wonders for people’s careers. You step outside of the tuxedo and some of the magic goes away.”

Daniel Craig wasn’t a popular choice for the Bond films when he was announced as the next 007, but he pushed himself to get ready for his role. There are reports of the intensity with which Daniel Craig prepared for each of the four films. Daniel took “extreme measures” to get ready for filming Spectre, such as eating a controlled diet at all times, going to bed early at 9 p.m., and transforming his body by adding 10 inches to his thighs and chest, according to producer Michael G. Wilson.

With his intense preparation, it isn’t any wonder then that another film is likely the last thing on Craig’s mind at this time. It wouldn’t be a stretch to understand that his extreme exhaustion contributed to his strong “slash my wrists” comment.

Do you think Daniel Craig will return for a fifth 007 film?

[Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images]