Daniel Craig Still First Choice to Play James Bond, Says 007 Producer

It is now a year since Spectre hit theaters, but despite much speculation it remains unknown if Daniel Craig will return to play James Bond for a fifth time. Now one of the franchise's producers has commented on the issue.

In an interview with the BBC, Callum McDougall, who has executively produced the last five 007 films, said that Craig remained his "first choice." "We would love Daniel to return as Bond, without any question", he said.

It is not surprising that producers want to retain Craig, and these comments do suggest that the issue has not yet been resolved. When asked if he was aware of Craig's intentions, McDougall said: "I wish I knew."

Last month it was rumoured that the star had been offered $150 million to play the iconic secret agent for another two films, which would be shot back-to-back. However, these reports remain unconfirmed by both Craig and Sony, who release the movies.

A number of names have been rumoured as possible replacements for Craig over the past few months, including Idris Elba, Michael Fassbender, and Tom Hiddleston.

Last year, Craig made no secret of the fact that Spectre was a tough shoot and that he wasn't looking to dive straight back into another Bond production. "I'd rather break this glass and slash my wrists," he told TimeOut. "No, not at the moment. Not at all. That's fine. I'm over it at the moment. We're done [filming Spectre]. All I want to do is move on.

"At the moment, we've done it. I'm not in discussion with anybody about anything. If I did another Bond movie, it would only be for the money."

Director Sam Mendes quit the franchise earlier this year having helmed Spectre and its predecessor Skyfall.