Daniel Craig will return in the shoes of James Bond, in a film directed by Danny Boyle whose release is scheduled for 2019, confirmed the producers.
Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions announced Thursday that production of the 25th official James Bond movie will begin in December at Pinewood Studios in London.
Daniel Craig will resume his role as agent 007 and Danny Boyle ( Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire ) will perform from a screenplay of his frequent collaborator John Hodge.
The confirmation of Daniel Craig’s fifth participation in a James Bond movie comes as many believed that the 50-year-old actor would hang on to his tuxedo for good. Daniel Craig had said in 2015 that he would rather “slash his wrists” rather than resume the role, but he was later retracted his remarks, held just after the end of the filming of his fourth film James Bond, Specter.
Danny Boyle has previously led Daniel Craig as James Bond in a 007 themed segment for the opening of the 2012 London Olympics.
EON said that after more than a decade at Sony Pictures, the next installment of the franchise will be offered by Universal Pictures internationally. MGM will handle distribution in the United States.
Sony’s rights to the James Bond franchise expired in 2015, and several major studios have been vying for the chance to distribute the lucrative franchise.
According to tradition, the film will be released in the UK on October 25, 2019, before taking to the US on November 8, 2019.