I agree, Lady Rose. Craig is hot stuff right now, which makes sense that MGM/Sony would want him. But Craig seems too savvy to be pinned down to four non-existent screenplays. It certainly goes against everything he's said before about wanting a good script before he signed.
Since the decision is essentially Eon's, and all we had so far are two more articles essentially eating from the same trough with no real confirmation (even the first story wasn't quoting Sloan), my suspicion is that this story isn't accurate.
Scratch the surface of both starts, and GE and CR have only their relative successes in common. IMHO. GE was about aggrandizing what came before, CR about starting anew. Big difference, also in how they went about it: there wasn't much of Bond in GE that was Brosnan and only Brosnan, he did a pretty good job with the material but it was a plug-n-play role IMO. I can imagine Dalton doing that film, Purefoy, even a young Moore (barely), it was generic Bond (by design IMO, exactly what Cubby wanted). In contrast I can't imagine anyone but Craig doing the Bond in CR and hitting the highs he did, not Butler, not West, etc. Someone else could have done it, sure, but it would have been a markedly different film IMO. Dalton in GE would've been pretty much the GE we all know and love.
GE jazzed up the existing Bond; CR recreated him. I can totally understand Craig wanting to run with that horse, what a challenge to keep it fresh for a run of five films when the series has been so flat for so long. If his films become pig-swill so be it, but I don't see much of Cubby's EON running things these days, so I don't have that expectation. I'd expect another couple films continuing and finishing the CR story arc, then a couple stand-alone films ala GF--and all of them in the smaller size like CR, a film about beating a terrorist at cards...
It really is like starting over, we're getting a Bond we haven't seen since the early 60s, and it's a big hit. Doubt they jump to late 70s story-lines, that was another time/place. Not sure where this Bond will end up (pretty much knew where Brosnan's/Dalton's/Moore's would), which is a very nice feeling to have.
I believe CR is only the second Bond film to have Bond not end up in bed (or wherever) with the girl? I'd lay odds Craig gets the girl in the end of 22, but can't say I'm 100% sure of that. If EON/MGM told Craig, sign for 4 more of the same, don't see why he wouldn't. Great gig, pays well too.
superadoRegent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
I see the artistic significance and the vision to keep the high standard of creativity going, since I still stand awed by EON's resistance to public and fan pressures in 05, but I wonder how if the same outside forces will reappear again even in different forms. One "anti" maxim from that time is still a valid one, which is marketablity and the role it plays in big business; this aspect in the form of internally established performance benchmarks came into play with studio decisions about a sequel for Superman Returns, as an example. Even decisions at those levels are subject to executive changes, differing viewing trends, etc.
The same team that fought for and gave new vibrant life to the Bond franchise through CR, also gave us DAD, at least in terms of decision making and managing agreements with the resident studio/owner. With everything else equal and it comes down to upholding "the vision," would EON have the staying power per se to stay to course? Then of course, you can practically count on those other external factors not being exactly the same, though in the face of it all, the thing that you can count on being the same will be the focus on the studio's bottom line.
"...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
I'm not sure if Craig would really sign himself off for that long without knowing what the scripts or plot lines were about.
That's a good point; perhaps Eon have sketched out a rough strategic plan as to where they want Bond to go over the next four films, and made this a part of their business proposal. It's what I'd probably do, if I were them; a means of assuring him that everyone's on the same page, creatively speaking...
Of course, they wouldn't have the actual scripts yet, which is where a bit of a leap of faith on the actor's part must take place...and where an 'opt-out' clause would be pertinent...
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
What's the big deal here? Connery had a 5 picture contract back in the 60s. Not sure about Moore's. Besides, I doubt there is anyone registered at the website that would refuse to see ANY future Bond movie. A lot of gnashing of teeth over nothing.
As superado mentioned, the bottom line is what Eon and Sony shoot for. I suppose it would be nice to outline a 'strategy' for the next four films, but (Bond) history has always shown that 'the next project' is always targeted toward the mass appeal. Hence we get Moonraker when the 'plan' was to make For Your Eyes Only. Hence we get CR on the heels of DAD. The pendulum franchise swings wildly, and I have a suspicion that it's not 'stuck' in CR mode. It might hold for a film or two, but if Craig makes five films, I wouldn't be surprised to see him in a YOLT-type film come 2014.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
As superado mentioned, the bottom line is what Eon and Sony shoot for. I suppose it would be nice to outline a 'strategy' for the next four films, but (Bond) history has always shown that 'the next project' is always targeted toward the mass appeal. Hence we get Moonraker when the 'plan' was to make For Your Eyes Only. Hence we get CR on the heels of DAD. The pendulum franchise swings wildly, and I have a suspicion that it's not 'stuck' in CR mode. It might hold for a film or two, but if Craig makes five films, I wouldn't be surprised to see him in a YOLT-type film come 2014.
True, it's a very fluid business, and the best laid plans tend to go awry...that's why I say: Plan For The Outlandish!
In fact, I'd probably have Craigger's final outing as Bond take place in space (!), chasing our nebulous Main Villain to his final lair on the dark side of the moon
From a card game to a SPECTRE moonbase, in the space of five films---now that's an arc! ) How could Craig refuse??
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
edited November 2007
And, speaking of SERIOUS gravitas , Contact Music is now running with the Craig/Bond 5 picture deal:
Apparently the Daily Mail have said something about it, as well...
I'll not address the rumoured salary, as that would be unseemly ;%
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
After Wilson's quotes post-DAD, seems they are very committed to the path they've carved out for themselves with Craig/CR. Craig having just signed for five would seem to bolster that POV. How I read it all, anyway.
About the Bond pendumium or swing - most of the massive swings have come after times when people have complained about the previous outing. Whatever financial success YOLT, MR or DAD had - they were corrected the year after. Movies that werent complained about - DN, TB, GE, FYEO, TSWLM - their follow ons seemed aimed much in the same direction.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
edited November 2007
I see the pendulum as one that swings slowly but surely (in either tone or scale) from one extreme to the next: DN to YOLT, LALD to MR---and FYEO to DAD, which got rather erratic in the middle, as Moore gave way to Dalton, who gave way to Brosnan as the franchise seemingly searched (IMRO) for a consistent direction, and the films varied more in tone than scale.
There are moments in-between, of course, when it swings more quickly and acutely (the YOLT-to-OHMSS-to-DAF lurch being the most jarring, and it could be argued that the actors who did one, two or four films stand on their own), but I see it more as a gradual 'ebb and flow' of the tides.
Obviously, CR is the first installment of a new 'swing' of this strategic pendulum :007) If Craig does do five, he'll be in the top tier (top 50%) of tenured Bond actors...and you'd better believe the pendulum will swing back during his tenure---because it has never failed to swing over the course of five films.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Problem is, Craig's whole persona and looks suggests he can't do that outlandish YOLT style Bond, I can't see it happening. That's why the three film deal seemed the best for a more realistic treatment.
This statement is more a financial one, a way of the studio saying, look this is what we've got, kudos.
It's unwise in other terms, because if Craig departs earlier it's a case of a) He's been fired or b) He's quit because the scripts are bad and they've reached some agreement rather than create ill feeling.
In fact, I'd probably have Craigger's final outing as Bond take place in space (!), chasing our nebulous Main Villain to his final lair on the dark side of the moon
I'm there at the moment. Nice place; wish you were all here.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
I do too, actually. Craig continues to be sold short and underestimated. It's certainly easy to predict the wheels coming off this wagon over the course of five pictures, but who knows? It might work out!
Like I said, I'm convinced it will...and if Craig actually does five, he'll be on board when it does :007)
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I do too, actually. Craig continues to be sold short and underestimated. It's certainly easy to predict the wheels coming off this wagon over the course of five pictures, but who knows? It might work out!
In my mind, it's not so much that Craig can't do a YOLT, but will he?
He's shrewd as to what he will or won't do, to which we can attribute much of his current success. It seems unusual for him to agree to doing five more pictures, when Eon's track record for five straight films is so inconsistent.
In fact, I'd probably have Craigger's final outing as Bond take place in space (!), chasing our nebulous Main Villain to his final lair on the dark side of the moon
From a card game to a SPECTRE moonbase, in the space of five films---now that's an arc! ) How could Craig refuse??
Whilst trawling through the internet, I saw this and thought of you Loeffs .... The whole article is quite funny. Heckerspray have a wonderful way with words )
'Looking at Daniel Craig's new deal objectively, it's hard not to get excited. The five-movie canon of James Bond films will give Daniel Craig the perfect 007 career trajectory - after the hungry reimagining of Casino Royale, there'll be the triumphant follow-up, then the complacent third movie, then the fourth movie that nobody goes to see and finally the fifth re-reimagining where a paunchy 50-year-old Daniel Craig teams up with German ladyspy Mingey McOrgasm and uses his laser cufflinks and invisible helicopter to try to save the world from a crazed madman who lives in a cave made out of diamonds in the centre of the Earth's core and wants to rule the world by pulling the moon out of the sky with a big rope.
And that's the James Bond movie we want to see.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
edited November 2007
Very good, Rose my dear ) Very good indeed. Thanks for sharing -{
Meanwhile, the more things change, the more they stay the same...
I do too, actually. Craig continues to be sold short and underestimated.
No, Craig is short and overestimated...
...for four more Bond films {[]
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
superadoRegent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
Along with many here who exercise a healthy doze of hopefulness, I ultimately wish success and enduring excellence for the series. But wow, I wish I had the crystal ball that some others here have so I can make a killing in the stock market and give Bill Gates a run for his money! Because, as I mentioned earlier, so many factors come into play, how can anyone confidently predict even a ballpark range of success (if not a specific outcome) beyond mere wishful thinking?
"...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
Don't see why predicting four more Craig Bond films at least as good as CR is "wishful thinking," anymore than thinking so after Connery's first Bond film, or Moore's, or...I mean it's kinda our job as fans, isn't it? To get excited for more? I'm sure the last batch of Bond fans were as hopeful after GE, just human nature IMO. We like, we like more of the same: Craig signed for 5 is better than Craig signed for one. {[]
Yeah, things have gone to hell in the past, and odds are, will so again. However this is the first time in the series EON has reset Bond so drastically, and never have they had such success with the earlier partial-resets. IMHO it's a brave new Bond world, and with more reason to be "wishful" than at any point in the Bond past. And, even with the gone-to-hell caveat, I'd argue that for the most part, the best of each actor's tenure is microcosmed in their first film, more or less: classic Connery, classic Moore each had at least a good four film run of quality Bond, and even Brosnan's four (and Dalton's two) become measuable stretches of Bond IMHO, with each actor's first film a pretty good measure of (in hindsight) what was to come. Four more of CR, more or less, can't be anything other than great Bond times four. IMHO. :007)
superadoRegent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
Don't see why predicting four more Craig Bond films at least as good as CR is "wishful thinking," anymore than thinking so after Connery's first Bond film, or Moore's, or...
There's a big difference between hindsight and foresight, and one of them is not 20/20. I guess Noah was an exception, though he did receive a highly reliable tip.
I mean it's kinda our job as fans, isn't it? To get excited for more? I'm sure the last batch of Bond fans were as hopeful after GE, just human nature IMO.
Sure, I agree with your wholeheartedly, since that's pretty much what I previously posted. The degree of hopefulness among the likeminded is precisely what sets them apart as fans. Though to parse "fan," one can expect the more radical perspectives from the fringe, looking at the CnB camp for example as well as those who venture into the fortune telling business.
Four more of CR, more or less, can't be anything other than great Bond times four. IMHO. :007)
Hmmm, positively hopeful, or predicting an absolute range of outcomes? I suppose the saving caveat there is the situational "if" that presupposes a strong correlation between CR and the next 4 movies...
...again, such are the perfect outcomes that flow through the minds of the Fortune 500 money men in the moments before they wake up in the morning.
"...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
Puts Eeyore hat on... The buzz on The Golden Compass ain't good, maybe Craig's stock will fall with that and The Invasion. Or maybe it's the Nicole Kidman factor... Must admit I prefer the 'for the time being' scenario...
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
superadoRegent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
As superado mentioned, the bottom line is what Eon and Sony shoot for. I suppose it would be nice to outline a 'strategy' for the next four films, but (Bond) history has always shown that 'the next project' is always targeted toward the mass appeal. Hence we get Moonraker when the 'plan' was to make For Your Eyes Only. Hence we get CR on the heels of DAD. The pendulum franchise swings wildly, and I have a suspicion that it's not 'stuck' in CR mode. It might hold for a film or two, but if Craig makes five films, I wouldn't be surprised to see him in a YOLT-type film come 2014.
Yes, I agree. Ultimately, quality and excellence takes a back-seat to box office. Afterall, EON and Sony are not in the non-profit media business. As far as they're concerned, there's no doubt about the series' continuing profit potential particularly for the next 4, which they could count on in advance as much as their predecessors did for AVTAK, DAD, etc. irregardless of quality or even critical success. But if these execs are worth their 7 figure salaries, what I can safely predict is that their new agreement with Craig was formulated to serve as an options contract of sorts, though not explicitly or technically called that, and what I ultimately call that is astute business sense.
Maybe compared to Craig's predecessors, his contract is different in form, but was very likely drawn out to serve the same purpose, to ultimately guarantees the studio his services with some sort of elaborately built-in "out" should they see reason to prematurely end that agreement. That would not be different than what recently went before.
"...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
I'm pleased that Craig is doing 4 more films, if they are as good as CR then its a new generation of Bond.
What counts is what the heroine provokes, or rather what she represents. She is the one, or rather the love or fear she inspires in the hero , or else the concern he feels for her, who makes him act the way he does.
Author of 'Pussy Galore - A Representation of Women in James Bond Films'.
Active tweeter and tumbler - https://twitter.com/surrie_fullard
Seems EON has discovered--for the first time since the early 60s--they can make a quality Bond film AND make money with it. Other film companys do the same thing all the time, now that the new EON has figured it out (rediscovered it...) not sure why I'd be thinking they'd spin back to the other way of doing things, I mean Cubby isn't in charge anymore and he was the one driving the same-old same-old boat.
Being as objective about Bond as a Bond fan can be (IMHO), predicting more of the current same, which is in so many ways so very different from the last 30 years of Bond, seems a safe bet. EON has evolved IMO, and while they could revert back to flinging their poo I'd be really sad if that were to happen. Nothing really points to that (except a history that is dead) IMO, but I guess we'll see. Just think there are reasons it's more than wishful thinking to expect more of CR. Different strokes. {[]
Comments
Hate to be a party pooper but surely GE started the PB era off in exactly the same way and look where that went! |)
I'm not sure if Craig would really sign himself off for that long without knowing what the scripts or plot lines were about.
Since the decision is essentially Eon's, and all we had so far are two more articles essentially eating from the same trough with no real confirmation (even the first story wasn't quoting Sloan), my suspicion is that this story isn't accurate.
GE jazzed up the existing Bond; CR recreated him. I can totally understand Craig wanting to run with that horse, what a challenge to keep it fresh for a run of five films when the series has been so flat for so long. If his films become pig-swill so be it, but I don't see much of Cubby's EON running things these days, so I don't have that expectation. I'd expect another couple films continuing and finishing the CR story arc, then a couple stand-alone films ala GF--and all of them in the smaller size like CR, a film about beating a terrorist at cards...
It really is like starting over, we're getting a Bond we haven't seen since the early 60s, and it's a big hit. Doubt they jump to late 70s story-lines, that was another time/place. Not sure where this Bond will end up (pretty much knew where Brosnan's/Dalton's/Moore's would), which is a very nice feeling to have.
I believe CR is only the second Bond film to have Bond not end up in bed (or wherever) with the girl? I'd lay odds Craig gets the girl in the end of 22, but can't say I'm 100% sure of that. If EON/MGM told Craig, sign for 4 more of the same, don't see why he wouldn't. Great gig, pays well too.
The same team that fought for and gave new vibrant life to the Bond franchise through CR, also gave us DAD, at least in terms of decision making and managing agreements with the resident studio/owner. With everything else equal and it comes down to upholding "the vision," would EON have the staying power per se to stay to course? Then of course, you can practically count on those other external factors not being exactly the same, though in the face of it all, the thing that you can count on being the same will be the focus on the studio's bottom line.
That's a good point; perhaps Eon have sketched out a rough strategic plan as to where they want Bond to go over the next four films, and made this a part of their business proposal. It's what I'd probably do, if I were them; a means of assuring him that everyone's on the same page, creatively speaking...
Of course, they wouldn't have the actual scripts yet, which is where a bit of a leap of faith on the actor's part must take place...and where an 'opt-out' clause would be pertinent...
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
True, it's a very fluid business, and the best laid plans tend to go awry...that's why I say: Plan For The Outlandish!
In fact, I'd probably have Craigger's final outing as Bond take place in space (!), chasing our nebulous Main Villain to his final lair on the dark side of the moon
From a card game to a SPECTRE moonbase, in the space of five films---now that's an arc! ) How could Craig refuse??
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/craig%20signs%2060%20million%20bond%20deal_1048444
Apparently the Daily Mail have said something about it, as well...
I'll not address the rumoured salary, as that would be unseemly ;%
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
There are moments in-between, of course, when it swings more quickly and acutely (the YOLT-to-OHMSS-to-DAF lurch being the most jarring, and it could be argued that the actors who did one, two or four films stand on their own), but I see it more as a gradual 'ebb and flow' of the tides.
Obviously, CR is the first installment of a new 'swing' of this strategic pendulum :007) If Craig does do five, he'll be in the top tier (top 50%) of tenured Bond actors...and you'd better believe the pendulum will swing back during his tenure---because it has never failed to swing over the course of five films.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
This statement is more a financial one, a way of the studio saying, look this is what we've got, kudos.
It's unwise in other terms, because if Craig departs earlier it's a case of a) He's been fired or b) He's quit because the scripts are bad and they've reached some agreement rather than create ill feeling.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
) ) ) )
Great, Tee! I sort of felt the same way. )
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I do too, actually. Craig continues to be sold short and underestimated. It's certainly easy to predict the wheels coming off this wagon over the course of five pictures, but who knows? It might work out!
Like I said, I'm convinced it will...and if Craig actually does five, he'll be on board when it does :007)
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
In my mind, it's not so much that Craig can't do a YOLT, but will he?
He's shrewd as to what he will or won't do, to which we can attribute much of his current success. It seems unusual for him to agree to doing five more pictures, when Eon's track record for five straight films is so inconsistent.
No, Craig is short and overestimated...
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Whilst trawling through the internet, I saw this and thought of you Loeffs .... The whole article is quite funny. Heckerspray have a wonderful way with words )
http://www.hecklerspray.com/daniel-craig-to-be-james-bond-for-a-very-long-time/200710702.php
'Looking at Daniel Craig's new deal objectively, it's hard not to get excited. The five-movie canon of James Bond films will give Daniel Craig the perfect 007 career trajectory - after the hungry reimagining of Casino Royale, there'll be the triumphant follow-up, then the complacent third movie, then the fourth movie that nobody goes to see and finally the fifth re-reimagining where a paunchy 50-year-old Daniel Craig teams up with German ladyspy Mingey McOrgasm and uses his laser cufflinks and invisible helicopter to try to save the world from a crazed madman who lives in a cave made out of diamonds in the centre of the Earth's core and wants to rule the world by pulling the moon out of the sky with a big rope.
And that's the James Bond movie we want to see.
Meanwhile, the more things change, the more they stay the same...
...for four more Bond films {[]
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Yeah, things have gone to hell in the past, and odds are, will so again. However this is the first time in the series EON has reset Bond so drastically, and never have they had such success with the earlier partial-resets. IMHO it's a brave new Bond world, and with more reason to be "wishful" than at any point in the Bond past. And, even with the gone-to-hell caveat, I'd argue that for the most part, the best of each actor's tenure is microcosmed in their first film, more or less: classic Connery, classic Moore each had at least a good four film run of quality Bond, and even Brosnan's four (and Dalton's two) become measuable stretches of Bond IMHO, with each actor's first film a pretty good measure of (in hindsight) what was to come. Four more of CR, more or less, can't be anything other than great Bond times four. IMHO. :007)
There's a big difference between hindsight and foresight, and one of them is not 20/20. I guess Noah was an exception, though he did receive a highly reliable tip.
Sure, I agree with your wholeheartedly, since that's pretty much what I previously posted. The degree of hopefulness among the likeminded is precisely what sets them apart as fans. Though to parse "fan," one can expect the more radical perspectives from the fringe, looking at the CnB camp for example as well as those who venture into the fortune telling business.
Hmmm, positively hopeful, or predicting an absolute range of outcomes? I suppose the saving caveat there is the situational "if" that presupposes a strong correlation between CR and the next 4 movies...
...again, such are the perfect outcomes that flow through the minds of the Fortune 500 money men in the moments before they wake up in the morning.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Yes, I agree. Ultimately, quality and excellence takes a back-seat to box office. Afterall, EON and Sony are not in the non-profit media business. As far as they're concerned, there's no doubt about the series' continuing profit potential particularly for the next 4, which they could count on in advance as much as their predecessors did for AVTAK, DAD, etc. irregardless of quality or even critical success. But if these execs are worth their 7 figure salaries, what I can safely predict is that their new agreement with Craig was formulated to serve as an options contract of sorts, though not explicitly or technically called that, and what I ultimately call that is astute business sense.
Maybe compared to Craig's predecessors, his contract is different in form, but was very likely drawn out to serve the same purpose, to ultimately guarantees the studio his services with some sort of elaborately built-in "out" should they see reason to prematurely end that agreement. That would not be different than what recently went before.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20071102/ten-x-factor-emily-quits-over-attack-5f8abb3_1.html
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Author of 'Pussy Galore - A Representation of Women in James Bond Films'.
Active tweeter and tumbler - https://twitter.com/surrie_fullard
Being as objective about Bond as a Bond fan can be (IMHO), predicting more of the current same, which is in so many ways so very different from the last 30 years of Bond, seems a safe bet. EON has evolved IMO, and while they could revert back to flinging their poo I'd be really sad if that were to happen. Nothing really points to that (except a history that is dead) IMO, but I guess we'll see. Just think there are reasons it's more than wishful thinking to expect more of CR. Different strokes. {[]