What price for a new James Bond?

Yes, Daniel Craig has come a long way since he first received the phone call to say he’d won the part of James Bond.

Apparently, he was buying “dishwasher tablets” when he took the call from Barbara Broccolli. He promptly dropped them and bought a bottle of vodka instead.

These days, he’s being offered $150 million to reprise the role of the world’s most famous spy. Nice work if you can get it.

And let’s face it, it’s easy to see why he’s such an asset.

Stylish, effortlessly cool, ruggedly handsome, athletic, ever the gentleman... sigh.

Ah, yes, Mr Craig ticks all the James Bond/Sean Connery boxes then adds a few of his own for good measure; good actor, unpretentious, looks good tied to a chair naked ...

No wonder the producers are desperate to retain his services as 007.

But Daniel, it seems, isn’t keen.

After the last one finished filming he told that he would rather “break this glass here and slash my wrists” than play James Bond again.

And it’s because I love Daniel as James Bond that I’d have to agree with him.

His first role in Casino Royale helped to redefine Bond for a new generation. Forget the suave, jokey urbanity of Roger Moore. Craig offered more than a hint of danger and a glimpse seething emotions underneath the cool exterior. Coupled with the fact he looks good tied to a chair naked – it’s an important part of the plot, after all – the new James Bond was a hit.

Women loved him, men wanted to be him – this was a Bond that was a world away from silly exploding pens and smutty one-liners.

The trouble is, it’s not Shakespeare and brooding manliness can only be interesting for so long. Like one film.

By the time we reached Skyfall, even the combined talents of Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes couldn’t rescue a ridiculous story.

The plot had been seen before: Home Alone. Why take on the world’s most ruthless, most well-equipped baddie in the world with a broken light bulb and a piece of string.

After that, it just went from bad to worse, from silly plot to sillier. So, don’t do it – even for $150 million.

And if that means we’ll never see DC tied to a chair naked again ... well, on second thoughts, let’s not be too hasty. Come on, Daniel. You could do with the cash ...