Cannes Film Festival 2013

Will Daniel Craig really make eight James Bond films total?

That's what the producer of the franchise wants, anyway

<p>Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem go head-to-head in 'Skyfall,' the new James Bond movie.</p>

Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem go head-to-head in 'Skyfall,' the new James Bond movie.

Credit: AP Photo/Joel Ryan

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Five more movies with Daniel Craig.

That's the dream of the producers of the James Bond franchise, anyway, as revealed in a recent Michael Wilson interview with The People, a London-based newspaper.  He's apparently very happy with the way "Skyfall" is coming together, and he's ready to start pinning down the star of the series for a truly epic eight total films as James Bond.

That means he'll do as many movies as the character as there were in the entire "Harry Potter" series.  As someone who was thrilled by "Casino Royale" and who loves certain things about "Casino Royale Part 1 and a Half," it's exciting to think about what sort of narrative opportunity there is if they're now aware that they've got five movies to play with.

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Let me ask something of EON now, though.  If they're really going to do this, and Craig agrees, and they gear up for a mad dash through five films, which could take as long as eight to ten years to pull off, then please tell me that there will be some real continuity with real consequences for Bond.

I was not there when "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was released, but I can only imagine the audience reactions to the end of the movie.  I wish I could have had that pop culture moment, and I think it packs a punch even removed from its moment.  James Bond finally had something taken away from him, and it made him cold and ambitious in hunting down everyone responsible.  It gave him a main villain or organization to chase.

They've already shown that there is real continuity between the two movies Craig has starred in, but they should push it further.  I feel like they've already set things in motion, and now they're getting ready to really pay it off.

I'm excited that they're excited.  To me, that's what the Bond franchise needs… energy.  That's what made "Casino Royale" such a breath of fresh air.  It felt like everyone involved was determined to get it right.  And by all accounts, Craig is very vocal about what he expects on these films.  He's one of the reasons that you've got Sam Mendes onboard directing the new one, and I'm thrilled to see EON stepping up with at least some sort of game plan.

"Skyfall" will arrive in theaters November 9, 2012.

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    Fawst

    Even Drew can fall victim to the dreaded double post :D This is exciting news, but I don't know that Craig will want to commit to this. On the one hand, it's like having a Major League player get offered an insane contract, but on the other hand, it would seriously affect his future choices when it comes to other films. I think the real test will be with how "Skyfall" does. I haven't seen "Quantum..." yet, but I plan to re-watch "Casino Royale" and "Quantum..." back to back.

    December 19, 2011 at 12:11PM EST Reply to Comment
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    Bananaman

    I'm happy for Craig to do a few more films, before Fassbender takes over the role.

    December 19, 2011 at 3:43PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Holy moly, what an amazing idea. Fassbender would be awesome.

      December 19, 2011 at 4:25PM EST
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    jezzleffezzle

    For such an big action movie, it always seemed so odd to me that "Quantum of Solace" completely lacked energy. Felt like a total misfire after the freshness of "Casino Royale." Hope they rectify the momentum for the next one. If they manage to lock in Craig for five more, even better. He's a fantastic Bond.

    December 19, 2011 at 4:24PM EST Reply to Comment
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    nick_r

    Unlike any other Bond to date, Craig has already proven adept at having a fully functional acting career outside the 007 franchise -- in the midst of doing Bond films. For that reason, I could see him being less daunted by the prospect of committing to a bunch of them.

    Another great aspect of him doing that would be the privilege of, hopefully, getting to see Bond age realistically in the role. If Craig does 5 more films after Skyfall, and we figure on one every three years, he'll be 59 by the time he does the last one -- even older than Roger Moore was in A View to a Kill. Assuming the movies continue to be successful, the producers might be able to take greater creative risks and have the films gradually become less action-oriented and more introspective, which would be awesome.

    December 19, 2011 at 7:42PM EST Reply to Comment

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