Daniel Craig to Return as James Bond in 2019

The New York Times Brooks Barnes reports that Daniel Craig will be returning as James Bond in the franchise’s 25th film, due in theaters in November 8, 2019. Barnes writes that Eon Productions, the London-based company that holds the rights to the Bond franchise, said the script will be penned by longtime Bond scribes Robert Wade and Neal Purvis. The two have written every Bond script sicne 1999’s The World is Not Enough. 

While the next installment still needs to find a director, Craig’s return is apparently a done deal. This comes after a tough shoot on Spectre, which had Craig openly wondering if he had another Bond film in him (in much more colorful language). With Craig now returning for his fifth Bond film, making him the third-longest serving Bond, after Roger Moore (seven films) and Sean Connery (six).  Craig has stated that Connery is his favorite Bond, but that rather than try to copy the legendary Scottish actor’s take on the role, Craig’s Bond is more of an anti-hero. As he told Parade Magazine, shortly after the release of his first Bond film, Casino Royale, his version of 007 doesn’t shy away from the fact that this is a man who is paid to kill people:

“Am I the good guy or just a bad guy who works for the good side?’ Bond’s role, after all, is that of an assassin when you come down to it. I have never played a role in which someone’s dark side shouldn’t be explored. I don’t think it should be confusing by the end of the film, but during the film you should be questioning who he is.”

In Bond 25, this question will likely still be a part of Craig’s calculus when he returns to one of the most iconic film roles of all time.

Featurd image: Daniel Craig in Spectre. Courtesy Sony Pictures.