Why Daniel Craig Returned to Play James Bond

Daniel Craig’s announcement that he would be back to play James Bond led to many questions, none bigger than “WHY?” No doubt, many in the media latched onto his 2015 comments to Time-Out, that he’d rather “slash his wrists” than play Bond again. Maybe they shouldn’t have. 

Now, that same media is trying to figure why Craig has “changed his mind.” Can that even be addressed? Many news outlets have.

The Money Theory

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During that same Time-Out interview, Craig said (joked?) that he’d only come back for the money. Now, speculation is that he has done just that, though his giddiness during the Stephen Colbert interview suggests otherwise. Both Maxim and The Telegraph have suggested that the money is key. The Daily Mail is reporting that Craig would take in $135 million for playing 007 in Bond 25.

The Sam Mendes Theory

The Sun reported that Craig had creative differences with Sam Mendes and that he couldn’t commit to Bond 25 until Mendes had officially left the franchise. Again, if demeanor means anything, this theory is hard to swallow. Craig and Mendes conducted a number of interviews and photo-ops when Spectre was released, and there did not seem to be any tension between them.

The Tom Hardy Theory

Under this theory, pushed by another tabloid, The Express, Daniel Craig committed to doing Bond 25 after learning that Tom Hardy would succeed him if he didn’t. This suggested that Craig did not approve of Hardy. The two co-starred in Layer Cake, and there has never been any reports that the two did not get along. Furthermore, was Craig threatened by a Hardy-played 007? Who knows.

The Longevity Theory

In another Express report, citing an “inside source” (which could be anyone), Craig has returned to beat Roger Moore’s record for playing Bond for the longest number of consecutive years. Might this be the reason for a 2019 release, as opposed to a 2018 released? In any case, Craig’s 13-year tenure as Bond would beat Moore’s by one year, even though Moore starred in seven films; Bond 25 will be Craig’s fifth.

So what is the real reason behind Craig’s decision to return? Perhaps this can all be solved by applying Occam’s Razor: that the simplest explanation is the best explanation. Daniel Craig is returning because he truly does enjoy playing the role of James Bond, something he has stated often, over  years. And repeated it last year:

"“There is no other job like it…if I were to stop doing it, I would miss it terribly.”"

We’ll take his word for it.