Daniel Craig is all set to reprise his role as the iconic James Bond inBond 25after reportedly reaching a deal with producer Barbara Broccoli. Rumors have been swirling about Craig’s return for a fifth movie even after he stated that he’d “slash his wrists” than do anotherBond movieafter the release of 2015’sSpectre. It has previously been reported that theJames Bondfranchise is close to closing a deal to shoot the next movie in Croatia, which would make the news of Craig’s return make much more sense.
The news comes after rumors were circulating about new actors stepping into the Bond role to replaceDaniel Craig. Many names were brought up including Idris Elba (The Dark Tower,Avengers: Age of Ultron), who in a hacked Sony email was said to be a top choice with Steven Spielberg even declared that Elba would be his “first choice” in an interview. Tom Hardy (Mad Max,The Dark Knight Rises) has also been rumored to be on the shortlist alongside director Christopher Nolan. Damian Lewis, Aiden Turner, and James Norton are also names that have been rumored to replace Craig asJames Bond, but it appears that it is not time to pick a newBondquite yet.
The news comes via the U.K.‘sThe Mirrorwho reports that Daniel Craig and Barbara Broccoli have reached and that the movie may start filming next year for a 2019 release. The source even went on to say that Craig’s wife Rachel Weisz is “on board with the decision” for him to spend a year away filmingBond 25. The Mirror’s source appears to be anonymous, so we should take this news with a grain of salt as you would anything that comes from an anonymous source. The source is also claiming that Adele is being courted for a return to theBondtheme as well, which could very well ring true as the singer has informally announced her retirement from the stage. The source had this to say.
“Craig and Adele together are a winning team, the ultimate choice, the money spinners. It’s taken time, but Daniel has come round and the strong con-sensus (sic) in theBondoffices is that Mr. Craig is007again. As for Adele, she’s more of an unknown quantity but loved being a part of Bond, so the signs are positive.”
It would make perfect sense for Daniel Craig to return forBond 25asSpectreleft James Bond ready (in an unorthodox way) for the next movie. PlusNeal Purvis and Robert Wadeare back to writeBond 25, which would also make a lot of sense for the return of Craig. In addition, Craig has stated before that he would return if the money were right and it is rumored that he is still under contract forBond 25, so maybe this was all just a hold out for more money in a really long contract dispute.
The news of the return of Daniel Craig and Adele is still speculation at this point. No official word has come from Broccoli or Craig’s camps nor has there been a studio announced to take over financial backing, though Warner Bros. is strongly rumored to be close to a deal through Christopher Nolan’s Syncopy involved. There’s a lot up in the air at this point, but if the speculation is correct, we could seeJames Bond 25as soon as 2019 with Daniel Craig back as 007 one last time.
