Even before the release of "Spectre" last fall, there have been plenty of rumors that Daniel Craig was done as James Bond, often spurred by the actor’s cranky press tour and open complaints about playing the role. And the talk that he might holster 007 buzzed even louder when Craig signed up to star in the limited series adaptation of Jonathan Franzen‘s "Purity," which is set to be directed by Todd Field, and would presumably eat up a significant chunk of his schedule. Now, more fuel has been added to the fire.
Mark Strong — a close friend of Craig, who is godfather to the actor’s oldest son — has told Shortlist he’s long dreamed of playing a Bond villain ("the absolute pinnacle" of roles), particularly opposite his pal, but unfortunately, "I think he’s come to the end of his Bond time and so it’s probably never going to happen, but that would have always been great."
Noting that there are "powers at work greater than us who make all these decisions," Strong added, "I think he feels like he’s mined it. He’s done what he wants with it."
Naturally, there’s still no official word either way, but maybe someone should announce something so we can move on and start focusing on the next Bond and where the franchise goes from here.