Late last year, it seemed the Bond franchise would be sticking with it’s leading man for some time as producer Michael G. Wilson commented that he’d love for Daniel Craig to stay on for at least five more films. Since then, however, Craig’s future as the most famous super spy in film history has yet to really solidify itself. With the next installment Skyfall hitting theaters in just a matter of weeks, buzz around the next high octane action adventure has been quite positive. Now, it seems James Bond will continue forward as Sony has begun to lay out plans for the series’ future with Craig reportedly back for at least a couple more outings.
Bond site MI6 says that they can confirm Daniel Craig has signed on to star in at least two more Bonds film for Sony and EON Productions. If Craig does indeed stay for five total films, this will make him the third longest Bond in cinema history. Actors like Timothy Dalton and Sean Connery have both opted out of set contracts before, so it’s unclear whether or not Craig will stick with the commitment for the next four years.
Sony will continue their partnership with MGM on the films, while the distributor is interested in returning ”to the two-year cycle to produce the 007 adventures, which would peg Bond 24 as a late 2014 release”. Also, it’s said that “behind the scenes, EON recently started inking screenwriting contracts for Craig’s next two Bond movies”. This would mean that the next two Bond adventures are in the works somewhere in hiding, while EON is a bit disappointed that the return to the bi-annual schedule won’t allow them the same creative process they savored for Skyfall.
Craig recently told press that due to Skyfall‘s promotional circuit, he would not be tackling any other film until 2013. It’s assumed that should Sony be on the right track the actor will return to shoot the sequel to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, while he could then transition to a Bond film at the end of the year. Earlier this summer Christopher Nolan expressed interest in directing the next outing, with a working title of Bond 24, though as of right now Sony and MGM’s candidate field is wide open.
Skyfall hits theaters in the U.K. on October 26th, while it will hit the States here in November.
