James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli says she regrets not having Daniel Craig do more Bond films. Craig has starred in five Bond movies since 2006, including Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time To Die. The actor's original contract originally stipulated four films, but was extended for one final film to mark his final outing as 007, which was 2021's No Time To Die.
Broccoli has been a producer on the Bond series with her half-brother Michael G. Wilson since their father, famed Bond producer Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli, passed away. She and Wilson own the rights to the series through Eon Productions and have spearheaded the franchise ever since. Broccoli began working on the Bond series as early as 17 years old, eventually becoming an associate producer during the Dalton-era films and graduating to producer/owner in 1995 with GoldenEye, starring Pierce Brosnan as the famous spy.
In a podcast interview with Deadline, Broccoli expresses that she regrets not having Craig sign up for more Bond films. The producer addressed her regret while answering a question about Craig floating the idea of killing Bond off at the end of his run. The conversation took place in Berlin, just after the premiere of Casino Royale, as the two were driving back to the hotel, when Craig first asked about how many Bond films he'd have to do. Broccoli said "four," as that was what the contract stipulated, but admits she now wishes she had said "nine or ten," just to keep Craig around. Here's what Broccoli had to say:
"We had opened up [Casino Royale] and it was a big success and everybody embraced him and it was all great excitement. And, he and I were in the back of the car in Berlin, going from the screening there to the hotel. And, he brought the idea up then. He said, 'What about if I die at the end?' Well, first of all, he said, 'How many of these pictures have I got to do?' Which made me laugh. All the negotiating we'd been doing with the agents and everybody and we thought he was really up to speed, which he would've been, but he kind of put it to the back of his mind. And, he said, 'How many?' And, stupidly, I said four. I should've said nine or ten. I should've lied. But, I said four, which is what the deal was at the time."
Craig has moved on from the Bond series for good at this point. The actor sealed his fate in No Time to Die so that he couldn't return, and his days as 007 are definitely over. However, the actor has lined up a number of projects since, including a return to Rian Johnson's Knives Out series, where he'll once again play detective Benoit Blanc. In addition to that, Craig is starring in a Broadway adaptation of Macbeth with Ruth Negga, as well as the Todd-Field directed crime thriller The Creed of Violence.
It's interesting to think about what more Daniel Craig-led James Bond films would've been like, but it's just a nostalgic wishing well at this point. Craig always seemed apprehensive about continuing the role after he was established in it, so it's a wonder if it would've even been possible to get him to eek out more films during his tenure. Five films is still a great run, which is more than both Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton, although still shy of both Sean Connery and Roger Moore's legendary James Bond turns. Regardless, Craig more than made his mark on the iconic character, and his tenure won't be forgotten any time soon.
Source: Deadline