While it seems every other week brings some kind of speculation about the future of the James Bond franchise — usually spurred by U.K. bookmakers on slow business days, which is then picked up by U.K. press on slow news days — the truth is nobody knows anything. And while there has been all kinds of talk about who could replace Daniel Craig as 007, that presupposes that he’s done with the series. Certainly, he’s made it clear that playing the world famous secret agent is the worst, but even despite all of that, the franchise’s producers are still keen on Craig.
“We love Daniel. We would love Daniel to return as Bond. Without any question he is absolutely [Eon Productions‘] Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli’s first choice. I know they’re hoping for him to come back,” executive producer Callum McDougall told BBC Radio 4 today.
Maybe Craig has reached that point in his relationship to James Bond that he needs to be alone for a while, and lately, he’s left the tuxedo in the closet and booked a variety of gigs, including a role in Steven Soderbergh‘s currently filming “Logan Lucky.” And next year, the actor will gear up to shoot Todd Field‘s big Showtime series “Purity,” but remember, that won’t necessarily get in the way of him playing 007. People are willing to move mountains for Craig, but it remains to be seen if the actor himself is sufficiently moved to return to the franchise that made him a household name. [via Deadline]