Daniel Craig Rumored To Be Done As James Bond

The movie rumor that just won’t die (another day) is back: is Daniel Craig finished as James Bond?

The actor, who appeared in his fourth James Bond film last year, has been counted out of the franchise numerous times since just before SPECTRE hit theaters, when he went on a press tour in which he said things like if he returned to the franchise, it would only be for the money.

And now, The Shortlist has it that Craig is definitively out, quoting actor Mark Strong, who appears in Our Friends in the North alongside Craig. He believes that Craig feels he’s said what he has to say as James Bond and doesn’t have anything of value to add.

“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,” Strong said. “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. Having played so many villains, it would have been wonderful to have done the villain of villains, if you like. Because a Bond villain has a status all of his own.”

SPECTRE is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. In the months since rumors of Craig’s departure first started, more than a dozen names have been bandied about as potential replacements for the actor, although nobody seems to have emerged as a clear frontrunner.