Craig to return as 007 in 2019

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LOS ANGELES, May 26, (Agencies): Oscar-winning filmmaker Danny Boyle will direct the next James Bond film, with actor Daniel Craig returning for the fifth time as the legendary British spy, the movies’ producers announced Friday. The 25th as yet untitled film in the storied 007 franchise will begin production later this year and hit cinemas in Britain first, on Oct 25, 2019, EON Productions and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios (MGM) said in a statement.

“We are delighted to announce that the exceptionally talented Danny Boyle will be directing Daniel Craig in his fifth outing as James Bond in the 25th instalment of the franchise,” said producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Production will start at Britain’s Pinewood Studios in December with Universal Pictures the international distributor, they added. Boyle, 61, who won an Academy Award in 2009 for “Slumdog Millionaire”, will partner again with screenwriter John Hodge on the new Bond film. The pair worked together on two “Trainspotting” movies, in 1996 and 2017, and “The Beach”, starring Leonardo di Caprio. Boyle, who also directed 2015’s “Steve Jobs” and “28 Days Later” in 2002, had previously said he was working on “a great idea” for a James Bond script but was unsure if it would be made.

The film is expected to be Craig’s last time playing the spy, having previously starred in “Casino Royale”, “Quantum of Solace”, “Skyfall” and “Spectre”. “The unparalleled combination of Danny’s innovative filmmaking and Daniel’s embodiment of 007 ensured we simply had to be partners in the next chapter of this iconic series,” said Universal Pictures Chair Donna Langley. Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions announced Thursday that production on the 25th official James Bond thriller will begin in December at London’s Pinewood Studios.

Speculation
Confirmation of Craig’s fifth Bond film followed speculation that the 50-year-old actor was about to hand in his license to kill. He said in 2015 that he would rather “slash my wrists” than return to the role — but later backtracked on those remarks, made just after he finished filming his fourth Bond film, “Spectre.” Boyle has directed Craig as Bond once before, in a 007-themed segment for the opening of the 2012 London Olympics. EON said that after more than a decade at Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures will release the next installment of the superspy franchise internationally. MGM will handle the U.S. release. Sony’s Bond contract expired in 2015 and many of the major studios competed for the chance to distribute the profitable franchise.

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