Daniel Craig Drops Cryptic Hint About Next James Bond Star

Daniel Craig seemed to drop a hint about his James Bond successor at the 15th annual Governors Awards on Sunday night. Craig, who played the superspy in four installments culminating with 2021’s No Time to Die, was on hand to honor 007 producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson with the Irving G. Thalberg award.

"Let's just get something out of the way," Craig said as he reached the podium. "If you came here this evening to find out who the next James Bond is, don't look at me,” he cracked, before adding: “But he might be in the room. I'm just joking. Maybe I'm not," he said enigmatically.

Talk of who might become the new James Bond has swirled since No Time to Die debuted, but it’s ramped up in recent months. Considering (spoiler alert) Craig’s iteration of Bond conclusively died at the end of that film, the next installment will presumably function as a reboot. “Every time we cast a new actor, the films change. It’s the excitement of a new Bond, a new direction,” Wilson told The Associated Press ahead of the ceremony. “Every one of these people who took on the role offered something new and different.”

Earlier this month, Craig surprised fans with a more-distinct take, saying "I don't care" in an interview with Variety. 

Bond casting was presumably on the mind of more than a few attendees, with Oscar-nominee Colman Domingo half-jokingly pitching himself as either the new 007 or a bad guy. “I know that there's a list of phenomenal, handsome, athletic, suave and debonair actors vying to be the next James Bond," Domingo said. "Now if you're thinking of me, I don't know what to tell you: Bond or Bond villain? You decide...I will leave my headshots on your table.”

Though it feels like Broccoli and Wilson may be ramping up to make a casting announcement, for now there’s been no confirmed news about the future of James Bond.