Last September the incumbent James Bond star announced he would return for a fifth and final 007 movie in 2019.
He may be 50-years-old, but fans were pretty sure Craig could pull off one more movie.
However studio heads have confirmed this morning that the star had changed his mind and wishes to bow out now.
A statement read: “We regrettably announce that Daniel Craig will not star in the upcoming Untitled Bond 25.”
It continued: “Daniel feels that 2015’s SPECTRE, his latest outing as James Bond, was in fact a better send off for his incarnation and acted as a satisfying conclusion to the story arc which began in Casino Royale.
“With great sadness we have accepted Daniel’s decision and have loved every moment working with him on the last four 007 films.
“Looking forward, we are pleased to announced that Tom Hardy has signed on to replace him Untitled Bond 25.
“Tom has had a talented and varied career and we very much look forward to introducing his Bond to the world.”
While the news will come as something of a shock to Bond fans, Hardy has been the bookies favourite at 3-1 for the best part of the last year.
At this stage it’s unknown if Danny Boyle will still direct, seeing as the script he had in mind was for the final film in Craig’s story arc – whereas now they’re dealing with a new 007 altogether.
Meanwhile Hardy has previously worked with Christopher Nolan, who has been in talks before to helm a Bond film.
Since the Dunkirk director has backed Hardy in the past, perhaps he’ll now be persuaded to take on the latest Bond outing?
It’s also unconfirmed if Bond 25 will still meet its release date of November 2019 following Craig’s sudden bowing out.
Although at this stage it would seem more likely to get a 2020 release.
