Daniel Craig ‘Doesn’t Care’ Who Plays James Bond, Can’t Remember How Many Films He’s Been In

While it seems like millions are invested in who the next James Bond will be, franchise alum Daniel Craig hasn’t paid much mind to the chatter.

Daniel, 56, sat down with Queer costar Drew Starkey for a joint interview with Variety on Tuesday, November 4. He was asked about who he hopes to take over for him as the next James Bond, and his answer was rather shocking.

“I don’t care,” Daniel said. The costars were then asked to try and figure out how many James Bond movies Daniel has been in. “I’m gonna get it wrong,” Daniel said, to which Drew responded, “Too many.”

“Exactly,” Daniel chimed in, causing both of them to laugh. “I don’t know either. I’d have to count. One, two, three… five? Five.”

Still, the official star of the next James Bond film has yet to be announced. However, a source told Closer in July that Daniel will in fact have a say in who will succeed him.

“Unlike every actor who has played Bond before him, Daniel is poised to have a significant vote in who ultimately succeeds him in the role,” an insider close to the situation said.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Henry Cavill are just two of the names floating around as to who fans would like to see in the next Bond film.

The source said that Daniel is close to coproducer Barbara Broccoli, which is “what puts him in this position of heavy influence.”

“They love each other and trust each other like a brother and sister, and they both want to stay in each other’s lives beyond Daniel’s time as James Bond,” the insider said. “Barbara never had this kind of relationship with the other Bond actors, even though she has been around these movies and on their sets since she was a high schooler.”

A few years ago, Barbara also previously assured fans that a person was yet to be chosen.

“Nobody’s in the running,” she told Deadline in June 2022. “We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through. There isn’t a script and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond. We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.”

Pierce Brosnan, who also portrayed James Bond in a number of films, was rather outright about who he would like to see lead the next film installment — Cillian Murphy.

“Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond on His Majesty’s Secret Service,” he told the BBC while attending the Oscar Wilde Awards in Los Angeles on March 7.

Cillian, 48, earned the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Oppenheimer in 2024. He ultimately said that he was not particularly interested in the role. “No. I think I’m a bit old for that,” he told reporters after Pierce threw his name into the hat for Bond.