I thought Craig was starting to fall apart a bit in Spectre, and just felt less convincing as Bond. I think it was in part due to age and in part him getting tired of the role. The age difference also looked a bit creepy with the girl he ended up with. And the script ended being somewhat convoluted and over-long. Although it was beautifully and stylishly shot. From an artist's standpoint I can understand Craig's concern with not wanting to get typecast, but from a working actor's standpoint the chances are slim he'll ever see another payday like this. If I were him I'd jump at this or at least negotiate a one-movie deal for say $100m with an option to re-negotiate movie #2 which he could probably get another $100M+ if that one was a box office hit. Studios tend to panic and are risk-averse, especially with a tent pole franchise. They really should be trying to inject new life into the franchise and create a new Bond that reflects modern sensibilities. Ironically, that was one of the themes of Spectre, that Bond was essentially a relic. Which is in many respects true. So why not reinvent? With a new Bond (and I do like the idea of Bond being a code name rather than the agent's actual surname) they can do just that. Bond can once again be that ultimate and iconic male fantasy secret agent--with aristocratic good looks, style, sexiness, sophistication, education, and precision-honed skills, coupled with the lethal tactics, advanced tech and cutting edge support team you'd expect in a modern field agent. He needs to blow away Hunt, Bourne, etc. i personally don't care if Bond a white guy again or a minority or even a female as long as the role is well written and it retains the right touchstones. However to be honest, to retain those key touchstones I think it should be a white guy. For example, Idris Elba, the popular choice, is one of my favorite actors these days. He is just amazingly charismatic, talented and looks impeccable in a suit. But a 6'3" black guy would stick out like a neon sign in Russia, North Korea, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, etc. Not exactly the "blend in" look you want for a covert agent. However i do think they need to show more diversity in the team and other field agents. For example 006 could easily be a minority and 008 could be a woman and given assignments to locations and situations where they would blend in.. Rather than scrambling for the easy answer it would be cooler to see the studio rise to the challenge. Hire an up and coming hot shot director. Announce a worldwide search for the new Bond which would be a big story that would pique everyone's interest. Heck even get one of the royals, like prince Harry involved as a co-producer. Then one by one announce the cast members. M (an Oscar winner), Q (a popular character actor or comedian) the villain (another Oscar winner like Ben Kingsley or maybe Elba), the team, and finally the new Bond. By the time the movie hit there would be so much anticipation it would probably be a record breaker. And as long as the movie is good it would likely outperform Spectre. They could put the $75M/per flick they were going to pay Craig into the movie. If it's a fresh face, they would probably pay the new Bond $1M or $2M per picture. If Craig rejects the offer this might be what happens. However if I were him, I'd jump at it. With $150M in the bank he'll be able to spend the rest of his career picking and choosing whatever roles he wants.
Spectre was ok IMO.
