Daniel Craig has officially announced that he will not star in any more James Bond films.
The actor had his debut outing as the British secret agent in 2006’s Casino Royale and has starred in three further films, with the most recent being Spectre in 2015.
But the star, 51, who once said he would rather ‘slit my own wrists’ than play Bond again, confirmed the upcoming No Time To Die film will be his last and said he was ‘really happy’ he signed up for a final time.
Final chapter: Daniel Craig, 51, has announced he will not star in any more James Bond films (pictured in New York City on Thursday)
The Skyfall star gave the definitive answer when asked by German website Express, he said: ‘Yes – someone else needs to have a go.’
And now that filming recently finished on the latest instalment in the franchise, which will be released in cinemas in April 2020, Daniel was far more positive about the project and said he was ‘really happy’ that he signed up again.
‘It’s been, as they always are, incredibly hard work, but it’s a massive collaboration.
Ice cool: The actor had his debut outing as the British secret agent in 2006’s Casino Royale and has starred in three further films, with the most recent being Spectre in 2015 (pictured)
Happy I did it: Daniel was more positive after filming finished for No Time To Die and said he was ‘really happy’ that he signed up again (pictured in Skyfall in 2012)
‘One of the most moving things for me about finishing the film is that I have been working with some of the people for 30 years.’
He also suggested that working alongside colleagues was ‘what it was all about’, and so to sign up again was partly to ‘say goodbye’ to ‘those people’.
His comments starkly contrast with his response about signing up again when he was asked in 2015, shortly before the release of Spectre.
Happy: Daniel is happy that he signed up for another Bond film (pictured arriving for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in New York on Thursday)
Star quality: Craig has had some iconic moments as the British super spy, including when he played the secret agent alongside The Queen in a scene filmed for the London 2012 Olympics (pictured)
‘I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists,’ he said during an interview with London’s Time Out magazine.
‘We’re done. All I want to do is move on.’
The Layer Cake star added that if he were to sign up again, it would only be for the money.
Collaboration: Bond will be starring alongside Léa Seydoux, 34, in No Time To Die (pictured last month)
It’s a wrap! The film star recently wrapped filming for the latest Bond instalment (pictured)
But Daniel did agree to star in the much-anticipated No Time To Die, for a reported fee of £18.4 million ($25million).
As well as Casino Royale, Skyfall in 2012 and Spectre, Daniel also appeared in Quantum of Solace in 2008.
Daniel, who has a baby daughter with his wife Rachel Weisz, 49, and another daughter, Ella, with ex-wife Fiona Loudon, also said it has taken him ’20 years’ to get used to the ‘disturbing’ nature of being famous.
In an interview with The I newspaper, Daniel said: ‘It takes a long time to get your head around. Becoming famous is disturbing, a shock to the system, and learning to remember why you do the job can take … well, it’s taken me 20 years.’
Mega bucks: Daniel’s fee for No Time To Die was a reported £18.4 million
He added: ‘But hand on heart, I can say I love my job more now than I’ve ever done.’
The news comes after Daniel said he was ‘proud’ to possess an American passport.
Speaking at the ‘Knives Out’ premiere in Los Angeles, he told People magazine: ‘Everybody in this country’s an immigrant. That’s what the country’s built upon. We can’t forget it.
Good times: The star also said he now ‘loves his job more than I have ever done’ (pictured on the No Time To Die set)
‘We can’t just dismiss it … but it’s difficult, and it takes thought, and it takes smart people thinking about it instead of dividing people along party lines … and also along this anger that kind of builds up. It needs to be discussed… and that’s hard.
‘Good things are hard to do. I’m incredibly proud to be part of this, to have an American passport and call myself an immigrant in this country.’
He added: ‘I’m part of an amazing period in history that created this country and I’m proud to be a part of it.’
Married: Meanwhile, Daniel – who has daughter Ella with ex-wife Fiona Loudon and another daughter with wife Rachel Weisz – recently insisted he doesn’t ‘look for approval’