The next James Bond film will be Daniel Craig's last one as an MI6 agent with a license to kill. But the conversation about replacing him began when in an interview he said he'd rather slit his wrist than take up the role again.
After much hoopla, Craig is still attached to Bond 25. He will receive a big fat cheque of £50 million. He is also one of the executive producers. The film is likely to have a run time of around two hours and 20 minutes, meaning the actor will get £357,000 per minute of screen time.
But the conversation about the next Bond hasn't died down and former Bond Pierce Brosnan has his pick.
Brosnan played Ian Fleming's spy in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Die Another Day, and The World Is Not Enough. He told the Mail On Sunday's Event magazine, "I think a woman could play Bond but it wouldn’t be James Bond. Daniel Craig has been an incredible Bond. He’s very physical, he looks lethal. You genuinely believe this is someone who could kill a man."
Putting in a good word for The Dark Knight Rises star Tom Hardy, Brosnan said, "He will do the next movie, and then I think Tom Hardy could be a good Bond.
"I'd be happy to see him do it. You need an actor who can put a bit of wiggle into it – that's what makes Bond."
The yet untitled next Bond will be directed by Slumdog Millionaire helmer Danny Boyle. He is also developing the script for it. A film source in Los Angeles said, "Daniel is raring to go out with a bang alongside Danny. They have been talking already about their visions and the practicalities once the cameras start rolling in December at Pinewood.
Craig starts shooting for the film in December, which will go on until five months. His fifth outing as 007 is set to release on October 25, 2019.