I am afraid you're exactly right. They very simply can't afford to continue with "craig's" kind of movies, very simply because well, while everyone was willing to give it a chance with CR, the same CANNOT be said about QoS given it booked a loss. So the real problem, as you said, is not to lose any more momentum. Thing is, Bond 23 is most definitely shaping up to be another QoS, because of the director they've picked and the WRITERS they have picked (I'm serious, my worries increased x1000 when I saw that they hired LOGAN of all people). We (we fans who want the franchise to actually survive and get back to what it is supposed to be, which means nothing like what Craig did as non-Bond) can't afford this to tank, either. And thing is, unless Mendes for some reason understands that he can't do what he seemingly has in mind, or he'll kill the franchise, I don't think there's an easy way out of this. Again, I really and I mean REALLY don't want Bond 23 to tank because I want the franchise to be handed over to Cavill, and if this tanks the franchise may just be dead... but I understand we need for Babs's pompous ego to take a serious beating (and that means a lesson at the box office) in order for this to freaking end. So I basically need to calculate how much they need to lose for the franchise to still survive but Babs to be finally taken out of the equation (which WILL happen if this doesn't do too well, since the war between MGM/Sony on the one side and EON on the other is ongoing already).It shouldn't come to this, meaning it probably will. Both times the franchise did a much need retool it was on the cusp being lost (after 1974 & 1989). Casino Royale was the first time they retooled and rebooted when the franchise was actually very healthy.
Casting Craig was a brave decision and looking back it maybe one of their greatest mistakes. They cemented themselves with Craig and do not have a lot of room to maneuver. With Craig the story can't go much further and it has already gone off the rails whit a second film! () For the sake of the future of the franchise they should recast and take a new direction. Honestly after Craig leaves they are not going to continue his kind of movies so they might as well move now before Bond loses any more momentum. And lose momentum is what a Mendes helmed film is likely to do. With another director I would be more willing to give them another chance.
Help Mazer? How much do you think we need them to lose at box office? This is just sad by the way... that we can't count on producers' sensibility AT ALL because the woman who picked Craig can't just be outnumbered STAT. (Especially considering she is NOT the sole owner...) It had to get to bankruptcy and Sony being back in the picture for MGM to finally be forced to show some backbone and start understanding that this can't go on. I just find it SAD.
If Cr-egg is in it, it will be pure dread anyway, so it really does not matter. Once he finishes bombing in Roy Rogers Meets The Jetsons, Hollywood will take heed and that will be it for his career once and for all.
I had MISSED the gem BJ. You're a genius. Roy Rogers Meets The Jetsons 
cregg sorta reminds Me of one of the thunderbird puppets in that poster with that expression, thinking of it he does seem to look a lot like one of the thunderbird puppets.
