While Spectre proved to be a critical disappointment, the film has proven to be yet another hit for Daniel Craig as James Bond. But it also had the appearance of a concluding chapter, as the storyline wrapped up nearly all of the dangling plot threads since Craig's debut in Casino Royale a decade (!!!) ago. So was Craig's fourth outing as 007 also his last? It would appear so, at least according to his buddy, Mark Strong.
Strong, who is so close to Craig that he's godparent to his son, was talking to Shortlist about his desire to play a Bond villain while his pal was still in the iconic role. But he concludes it will never happen because Craig is ready to move on...
"Do you know what, I’d have loved to have played the villain in a Bond movie while Daniel was doing it because he’s a pal and that would have been great. But 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."
Strong went on to add that "there are powers at work greater than us who make all these decisions", but feels that Craig has made up his mind already.
"He has been [wonderful] and he’s loved it. But I think he feels like he’s mined it. He’s done what he wants with it. That point has come."
While this can hardly be seen as a confirmation of anything, it's worth noting that Craig has already chosen what he'll do next. He's agreed to star in a limited series adaptation of Jonathan Franzen's book, "Purity", with Todd Field (Little Children) set to direct at least some episodes. So if we've truly seen the last of Craig as James Bond, get ready for rumors to start swirling about who could replace him. Is Idris Elba on the horn yet?
