Daniel Craig, back as Bond, keeps 007 fans on edge
NEW YORK — Daniel Craig’s 007-era will die another day.
After months of gossip and denials, Craig on Tuesday night confirmed to Stephen Colbert on the “Late Show” that he will indeed return for another James Bond movie. The yet-titled film is due out November 2019.
“We’ve just been trying to figure things out,” Craig told Colbert. “I always wanted to. I needed a break.”
The 49-year-old actor’s stewardship of James Bond has spanned four films — and now will go for a fifth — but it has generated enough rumors to power the kind of doomsday device Bond is usually trying to stop.
Craig’s time as Bond has been distinguished. His “Skyfall” remains a highpoint in both dollars and quality for the 55-year-old franchise. His last one, 2015’s “Spectre,” grossed $880 million worldwide. Most consider him a terrific Bond who has raised the bar for the franchise, and his official return was greeted warmly on Wednesday.
But the Craig-era, far more than its predecessors, has been characterized by a steady supply of Bond drama. Rumors and debates over who should be the next 007 have been nonstop for years, as has Craig’s frequent hints about calling it quits.
Yet even while Craig keeps donning the tux, the next-Bond handicapping has been a year-round business. Tom Hardy, Tom Hiddleston, Jack Huston and Riz Ahmed are just some of the actors who have been linked to the role — some of them for the better part of the decade.
Others have lobbied for a female 007, like Charlize Theron. Idris Elba has been a favorite for at least two years, going to back to when Bond author Anthony Horowitz suggested he was “too street” for the part.