Despite months of ongoing speculation and numerous replacement actors rumored to carry the torch for portraying the next James Bond, it’s official: Daniel Craig will be returning for one last time in the titular role.
Craig finally confirmed the rumors during his appearance on Tuesday night’s edition of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
Craig even cleared the air on the negative comments that went viral when he famously complained about the physical toll the Bond movies have taken on him, saying at the time he would, “rather break this glass and slash my wrists” than return in the role. Naturally many fans assumed this meant the actor was giving up and moving onto other projects.
Craig told Colbert he gave that interview two days after Spectre finished shooting, when he was still exhausted. “Instead of saying something with style and grace, I said something really stupid,” he said.
Craig also squashed any future appearances as James Bond after Bond 25 saying his fifth time around will be his last.
“I think this is it. I just want to go out on a high note,” he added. “I can’t wait.”
After 4 James Bond films, Craig certainly deserves admiration for bringing life back into the character and shepherding 007 into the modern age with gritty realism and a darker take on legendary spy. This all coming after the widely-panned dumpster fire, Die Another Day from his predecessor Pierce Brosnan.
There is still a lot of mystery tied the Bond 25 film and many questions remain unanswered. Namely will the story line continue with the arc the last 4 Bond movies established, will Christopher Waltz return as the main villain, and who will helm the director’s chair?
Regardless, Craig was obviously the big hurdle for the studio to lock down so it’s expected the rest of the details will work themselves out quickly as they move to ramp up production.
Variety recently confirmed Bond 25 will hit theaters on Nov. 8, 2019.