Daniel Craig. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Daniel Craig will become the highest-paid James Bond
actor after signing on for two more films as the famous British
spy.
Craig, 44, who is in Australia driving the release of Skyfall
- his latest outing as 007 - will be paid £31 million to star
in two more titles of the 50-year-old franchise, The Sunday
Times reports.
As Skyfall continues to prove itself a box office scorcher
around the globe, plans are under way for a 2014 release of
the next 007 instalment, followed in 2016 by Craig's fifth
turn in the tuxedo.
Craig's pay packet has taken a steep climb since he first
appeared as Bond in the 2006 flick Casino Royale, for which
he received £3 million, the newspaper reported on Sunday.
Quantum of Solace, released in 2008, brought in £7 million
for the MI6 tough guy role, while Craig has collected £17
million for his latest appearance.
Craig's 007 predecessor Pierce Brosnan earned up to US$16.5
million for his third and final Bond film, Die Another Day.
Sean Connery, the original Bond, was paid an average of
£218,000 for each film, equating to about £3.2 million in
2012 terms.
The same calculations saw Australian George Lazenby paid
£468,000 for his one-off appearance, Roger Moore earn a £6.3
million on average per film and Timothy Dalton pocket £5.4
million per film for his efforts.
The latest deal offered to Craig means he will earn £9.6
million on average for each of his five Bond films.
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.