It’s Official: Daniel Craig Will Return As James Bond!

There’s only one thing we know for certain, that’s that James Bond, the character, isn’t going anywhere. The motion picture franchise has had ups and downs, and has taken the occasional breather, but it’s been part of the contemporary movie landscape for over 50 years. There will always be a James Bond, even though the actor changes after ten years or so.

But people still worry every time there’s a casting change. Shortly before the release of Casino Royale in 2006, fans of the franchise were even concerned that newcomer Daniel Craig was the wrong choice for the role, because he was blonde. Now, of course, fans have more-or-less accepted Daniel Craig as one of the best James Bonds ever, if not THE best, so the prospect of replacing him for the next film in the series was getting pretty stressful.

Last night, after years of rampant speculation, Daniel Craig has put those fears to rest, and confirmed in on The Late Show, to host Stephen Colbert, that he is indeed returning for the as-yet-untitled Bond 25.

Also: 4 Non Bonds | Our Favorite James Bond Knockoffs

Of course, there may or may not be cause for celebration. Daniel Craig is a great actor and he’s been a great James Bond, but the previous film in the serious – SPECTRE – was a bit of a let down. The dreary installment failed to ignite audiences the way that Skyfall did, relied on the most obvious twist in movie history, and by the end both James Bond and, in interviews, Daniel Craig himself… seemed tired.

Fortunately, Daniel Craig seems pretty energized about the project in his Stephen Colbert interview, and even claims that the interview where he said he’d rather slash his wrists than return to the series was conducted when he was exhausted, and that he regrets saying it.

Daniel Craig does say that he doesn’t expect to be back for any more films in the James Bond franchise after the long-awaited 25th installment (25th, that is, unless you include films like the original Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again). So after the new film comes out on November 8, 2017, we’ll be back at square one, worrying about who the next James Bond will be, all over again.

 

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Top Photo: Columbia Pictures

William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on Canceled Too Soon and watch him on the weekly YouTube series What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.

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