This foreign born A+/A list mostly movie actor burned every last bridge this past week to his role in the long long long running franchise.

He is getting paid twice as much for one quarter the work in a different role thanks to the streaming money laundering service.

Daniel Craig – James Bond

Netflix
Knives Out 2 and Knives Out 3

Netflix Spent Almost Half a Billion Dollars on Two Knives Out Sequels Starring Daniel Craig

Against all odds, Daniel Craig has found himself at the center of another hundred-million-dollar film franchise. Variety reported on Wednesday that Netflix has spent a whopping $450 million to secure the rights to Knives Out 2 and Knives Out 3, sequels to 2019’s murder-mystery sleeper hit, Knives Out. Craig will reprise his role as detective Benoit Blanc in the sequels, with the first set to begin shooting this summer. The films will reunite Craig with Knives Out director Rian Johnson, whose original film was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay.

Craig signs on to Netflix’s new tentpole after exiting another little franchise by the name of James Bond. Craig has worn the 007 moniker for five films, beginning with 2006’s Casino Royale. His final film as 007 and the 25th film in the Bond franchise, No Time to Die, has been delayed multiple times due to the pandemic; it’s currently set to hit theaters on October 8, 2021.

Craig has been vocal in the past about his distaste for large film franchises, telling Time Out London in 2015 that he’d rather “slash [his] wrists” than make another Bond movie. He would, in fact, go on to film one more. Craig reportedly earned upwards of $20 million on the Bond films toward the end of his time in the franchise, and this hefty paycheck may have played a role in the lofty sum Netflix doled out for the Knives Out sequels.

An executive at a Netflix competitor told Variety that the pretty penny Netflix paid for the Knives Out sequels “could involve millions in marketing commitments to eventize the film around the world.” The executive also mentioned Craig’s salary, noting that salary bumps for franchise stars can often “grow astronomically,” sometimes eclipsing the entire production budget of the film. The Lionsgate-distributed Knives Out had a budget of $40 million, going on to earn $311.4 million at the box office. – Source

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