For all of the excitement generated by yesterday’s announcement, one in which MGM and Eon slated the so-far untitled Bond 25 for a November 2019 release, the long-standing ‘will he, won’t he?’ debate surrounding Daniel Craig’s future as James Bond – or lack thereof – continues to rage online.
Having portrayed Ian Fleming’s super-spy four times already (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre), all signs currently point to Craig returning as Bond for one final outing. The British actor still has a two-picture contract to fulfill, after all, and though there has been much back-and-forth regarding his commitment to MGM’s flagship franchise – Kingsman: The Golden Circle star Mark Strong even went on record to claim that Daniel Craig was ready to retire his license to kill following the less-than-stellar Spectre – The New York Times now reports that the actor will indeed return in 2019 to take his total James Bond movie tally to five.
Citing anonymous sources close to Bond 25’s production, it’s worth treating NYT’s allegations with a heightened sense of caution. As part of yesterday’s press release, one which confirmed Neal Purvis and Robert Wade as the film’s writing duo, MGM noted that a full cast, director, and distributor will be announced at a later date.
If you’ve been keeping track of the James Bond series, you’ll know that Sony, Warner Bros, Annapurna, Fox, and Universal are all vying for distribution rights, after each studio submitted a pitch to long-time producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli in the hope of gaining the keys to the kingdom. And the Aston Martin.
Assuming The New York Times is on point, though, Daniel Craig will go on to become the third longest-serving James Bond in 2019 after Roger Moore (seven) and Sean Connery (six).
The 25th instalment in MGM’s legendary James Bond franchise hits U.S. theaters on November 8th, 2019 – with or without Daniel Craig in the title role. As things stand, it’s set to open alongside a live-action fairytale movie from Disney, the details of which are yet to be unveiled.