Making Knives Out 2 made Daniel Craig happier than working on Spectre for James Bond

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Compared to Spectre, Daniel Craig was far more content when filming Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Craig’s portrayal of the MI6 secret agent from 2006’s Casino Royale to 2021’s No Time to Die was very taxing for the English actor. This was particularly true for the 2015 film Spectre since, during the filming of a fight sequence with Dave Bautista, who played an agent of the titular terrorist organization, Craig damaged his knee. In a follow-up to Knives Out, Craig is currently repeating his role as Benoit Blanc as his master investigator looks into a new mystery involving an influencer played by Bautista.

Bautista mentioned in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly how much more content Craig was filming Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery than Spectre. According to the former WWE star, Craig was put through the wringer on Bond, but the opposite was true for Knives Out, when the actor was always at ease, grinning, and pleased on set and socializing with the entire ensemble. The following is what Bautista said:

He was really put through it on Bond. You could feel that he was under a lot of pressure. He didn’t seem like the happiest person on Bond, but on Glass Onion, it was the complete opposite. He was just so much fun, and he was always smiling and happy and interacted a lot more. On Spectre, there wasn’t a whole lot of interaction with the whole cast. But Glass Onion was the complete opposite. We were always together. So I got to know him better as a person and actually see him do his thing.

Making Knives Out 2 made Daniel Craig happier than working on Spectre for James Bond 3

The Future of Daniel Craig After James Bond & Knives Out

Craig’s portrayal of Bond ended with No Time to Die because the character was uncharacteristically killed off in the movie’s closing seconds. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are presently looking for Craig’s replacement, thus it is likely that the long-running espionage franchise would reboot its continuity and cast a new actor as Bond, as it has done numerous times before. The renowned English actor is grateful for the possibilities provided by the Bond franchise. Still, he is relieved to put the role behind him given the toll it had on his body over the years while executing the required acrobatics.

Making Knives Out 2 made Daniel Craig happier than working on Spectre for James Bond 4

Craig chose to reprise his part as Benoit Blanc from 2019’s Knives Out for his first film since No Time to Die. This was a much more laid-back and less physically demanding role for the actor. In contrast to his perpetually somber and melancholy Bond, Benoit Blanc’s role allows Craig to have more fun and be unconventional. Following a competitive bidding process, Netflix acquired the rights to two Knives Out sequels in March 2021 for $469 million. Craig and writer/director Rian Johnson are required to return for one more Netflix sequel following Glass Onion as part of this agreement.

Craig thought about leaving the Bond franchise after Spectre, but he has already laid the character to rest, and Benoit Blanc may be the next role he plays for a while. Johnson has stated that he and Craig will continue to make Knives Out sequels as long as they enjoy it, even if just one is set in stone. As long as Johnson keeps coming up with murder mysteries, Craig is likely to stick around for future episodes because he is as content as a clam on set. On November 23, 2022, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will have a brief one-week theatrical run before being live on Netflix on December 23.

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