Daniel Craig has had the longest tenure as James Bond, starring in five films beginning with Casino Royale in 2006 and concluding with No Time To Die in 2021. His stint as the sixth Bond actor has been well-received by fans, with many proclaiming him the best 007. It's no surprise that Barbara Broccoli & Co. will face a challenging task in replacing the 56-year-old. Rumors abound about who will step into the iconic role, with names like Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, and Michael Fassbender often mentioned. Currently, 33-year-old actor Aaron-Taylor Johnson is the speculated favorite. However, fans will have to wait longer for an official announcement for the 26th Bond film, fueling further speculation.

In a recent interview with Variety, when asked, "If you were to pass the James Bond torch, who would you love to see play him?," Craig gave a candid (but honest) response: "I don’t care." Craig has moved on from his Bond days and is now promoting his new movie, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year. The film, an adaptation of the William S. Burroughs novel, features Craig as a needy, restless, and awkwardly grandiloquent Burroughs avatar, William Lee. He plays an outcast American expat yearning for an elusive younger man (Drew Starkey) in 1940s Mexico.

Our review stated: "When it comes to best male lead performances this year on the Lido, Daniel Craig was the one to beat. He surprisingly missed out on the top acting prize, which went to Vincent Lindon in The Quiet Son. However, don’t be surprised if Oscar nominations are on the horizon for the former James Bond actor." Queer, with its sensuality, mesmerizing visuals, and anachronistic music, is daring and utterly fascinating to watch. Queer is set to release in limited US theaters on 27 November and in the UK on 13 December. Mainland Europe will have to wait until early 2025.

Elsewhere, Craig is set to reprise his role as detective Benoit Blanc in the upcoming Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, due for release next year. The release of the third installment in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out saga has become a point of contention for Craig, who is urging Netflix to opt for a theatrical release instead of a streaming drop. Craig told Variety: "Hopefully, Netflix will push it out a bit, and people will get to see it. The fans I speak to just want to take their families and watch it in cinemas. That’s all they want. Hopefully, we can provide them that experience." The first film, Knives Out, was a box office success in 2019. Netflix’s deal with Johnson led to two sequels, with the first follow-up, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, making history as the first Netflix movie to screen in AMC and Regal locations. Let’s hope Craig’s wish for a theatrical release of the third Knives Out film comes true... and that an official Bond announcement is on the horizon. However, we’re not holding our breath.

Source link:   https://www.euronews.com