LAST week Daniel Craig rejected a $A137 million offer to star as 007 in two more Bond films.
According to The Daily Mail, the mega-offer included “endorsements, profit shares, and a role for him working as a co-producer”.
But the 48-year-old passed on the offer having gone on the record previously as saying he’d rather “slash my wrists” than play the British Secret Service agent again.
Daniel Craig Quits Bond for US TV Show, Purity. 1:05
According to The Sun, Daniel Craig will not be returning to the James Bond franchise, and he has taken on a new role in the US TV show, Purity
Daniel Craig Quits Bond for US TV Show, Purity.
According to The Sun, Daniel Craig will not be returning to the James Bond franchise, and he has taken on a new role in the US TV show, PurityDaniel Craig is over playing James Bond.
Turning down $100 million ... what is the deal with that?
Passing on $50 million ... what a tool, man.
The stars of Breaking Bad: Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston.
ABBA: Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Annifrid Lyngstad and Benny Anderrson.
Adele has just reportedly signed a $A180 million record deal with Sony.
Craig’s not the only star though who has turned down an absurd amount of money. Here are some others:
JERRY SEINFELD
The star of the “show about nothing” was offered a staggering amount to extend the sitcom for a 10th season.
Former NBC President of Entertainment Warren Littlefield told Fox News that he thought the network’s offer was too good for Seinfeld to turn down.
“We offered him $US5 million an episode,” Littlefield said. “Over $100 million.”
“We didn’t mess around. What we put on the table was unheard of. We went in there with a staggering sum and there was tremendous confidence that no one could walk away from it.
“He came to me and said, ‘I don’t have a life, I’m not married, I don’t have kids’. We gave it everything we had, he was tempted, but in the end it was a quality of life decision.”
TIM ALLEN
Just like Seinfeld, Tim Allen was offered a huge amount of money to star in one more season of his hit sitcom, Home Improvement.
The show wrapped up after eight seasons in 1999, but Allen was reportedly offered $US50 million to return in 2000.
His co-star Patricia Richardson, who played Jill Taylor, was offered $US25 million to return for a ninth season.
BREAKING BAD
Millions of viewers around the world mourned in 2013 when Breaking Bad ended after five seasons.
But the CEO of DreamWorks Animation, Jeffrey Katzenberg, wanted to see three more episodes and offered the creators $US75 million to make them.
“I had this crazy idea,” he said in Cannes in 2013 according to Variety.
“I was nuts for the show. I had no idea where this season (season five) was going.”
Katzenberg planned to release the footage from the episodes online in six-minute segments over 30 days, charging people less than a dollar to watch each one.
“I said (to them), ‘I’m going to create the greatest pay-per-view television event for scripted programming anybody’s ever done’.”
Unfortunately for Katzenberg, the storyline in the final episode pretty much put an end to his hopes of bringing the show back to life.
ABBA
The Swedish foursome were reportedly offered $US1 billion back in 2000 by a British-American consortium to reunite for a series of concerts, but the band members refused to say I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do.
“It’s a hell of a lot of money to say no to, but we decided it wasn’t for us,” Benny Andersson said at the time to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
“We said no because they wanted 250 shows or something,” Agnetha Fältskog later said.
Band member Frida Lyngstad told RTE in 2014 that “No amount of money would change our minds”.
“We only have one answer and that is no,” she said, as she pointed to a photo of the group back in their prime.
“That’s how we looked at that time, with all the energy, excitement and motivation. It’s not exactly the same nowadays, if you know what I mean.”
ADELE
Before Adele released her album 25 and revealed her plans to tour in both Europe and the US, a number of Las Vegas casino’s tried to sign her up for a residency.
Caesars Palace and MGM Grand reportedly offered the Hello singer $A1 million per night and the Venetian upped the ante with an offer worth $A1.6 million every evening.
Rumour Has It Adele wasn’t interested though.
Originally published as Stars who rejected outrageous offers
