The man with the golden touch (or how Daniel Craig will earn £30m as Bond)

Hollywood studio MGM has tied the 39-year-old actor into a deal which could make him £30million over the next decade.

The contract will incorporate a sliding salary based on how much each consecutive film makes at the box office and, importantly, in merchandising.

His first film as 007, Casino Royale, made more than any other Bond movie when it was released in November.

The level of MGM's commitment to Craig represents its confidence that he will reinvigorate the franchise and become a global star.

The deal far eclipses those signed by any previous Bond actor, including most recently Pierce Brosnan, who parted company with the filmmaker in an argument over his financial worth.

Craig's tenure at the helm of the most profitable film franchise in history is estimated to make MGM hundreds of millions of pounds.

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It was already known that Craig would play Bond for a second time for the 22nd film, due out on November 7 next year, but his further plans had been unclear.

Now his future at MI6 seems assured.

According to movie industry bible the Hollywood Reporter, MGM's chief executive and chairman Harry Sloan "signed Daniel Craig to do four more James Bond films" because franchises are "the bases of any studio".

Craig's performance in Casino Royale was applauded by many critics who had previously written him off for not being good-looking enough for the role, and even for having blond hair.

The film made £13million in Britain on its opening weekend, smashing the £9.1million record set by Die Another Day, Pierce Brosnan's last film as Bond, in November 2002.

A further four films are likely to tie up Craig for the best part of a decade. It will mean that by the time he comes to the end of the contract, the actor will be pushing 50.