Daniel Craig has reportedly turned down a £68 million offer, telling studio bosses he will not return as 007.
Obviously, speculation has now been ramped up even further as to who will replace the 48-year-old with bookmakers calling off bets on Tom Hiddleston becoming the next Bond, reports the Daily Mail.
Craig has played the role since 2005, earning a reported £38million for himself and banking over £2billion in box office revenues for MGM.
Sources claim Craig turned down the £68million offer which included endorsements, profit shares, and a role for him as a co-producer.
One LA film source told the Daily Mail:
Daniel is done – pure and simple – he told top brass at MGM after Spectre.
They threw huge amounts of money at him, but it just wasn’t what he wanted.
He had told people after shooting that this would be his final outing, but the film company still felt he could come around after Spectre if he was offered a money deal.
Another source said that MGM executives had eventually agreed to let Craig go after growing tired of him badmouthing the franchise – last year he told interviewers he would rather ‘slash my wrists’ than do another Bond film.
On top of that, the actor has been repeatedly troubled by a knee injury sustained while filming a fight scene for Spectre.
A source said:
With knee problems and general exhaustion, he felt it was a journey with an ending.
So who is it going to be, they’ve certainly got a tough act to follow…
