The 50-year-old actor isn't ready to give up his spy life just yet.
Daniel Craig isn't ready to give up his spy life just yet.
On Friday, The Guardian confirmed in a statement from the production company behind the James Bond films that the 50-year-old actor has officially signed on for his fifth movie in the role of 007 with Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle on board to direct the sequel.
“We are delighted to announce that the exceptionally talented Danny Boyle will be directing Daniel Craig in his fifth outing as James Bond in the 25th installment of the franchise,” read the statement from Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli from EON Productions. "We will begin shooting Bond 25 at Pinewood Studios in December with our partners at MGM and are thrilled that Universal will be our international distributor."
While it seemed all but confirmed already that Craig would be returning to the film franchise, it still may come as somewhat of a surprise to fans after the actor claimed in a 2015 interview that he'd rather "slash my wrists" than do another Bond movie.
In an interview with Time Out magazine at the time, he confessed that the role was a "drag" for him. Craig has played the tuxedo-clad secret agent in four consecutive films -- Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre.
"The best acting is when you’re not concerned about the surface, and Bond is the opposite of that. You have to be bothered about how you’re looking. It’s a struggle," he explained. "I know that how Bond wears a suit and walks into a room is important. But as an actor I don’t want to give a f**k about what I look like! So I have to play with both things. In a way that works, as that’s Bond: he looks good and he doesn’t give a f**k what you think he looks like!"
However, in an August 2017 interview on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Craig declared that he would play the suave spy again, but added that this would likely be his last Bond movie.
"I think this is it. I just want to go out on a high note," he said. "I can’t wait."
As for the "slash my wrists" comment, he responded, "There's no point in making excuses about it. It was two days after I finished shooting the last movie. Instead of saying something with style and grace, I gave a really stupid answer."
The 25th installment in the James Bond franchise is expected to hit theaters in November 2019.
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