Daniel Craig to return as James Bond - report

Daniel Craig is ready to sign on to return as James Bond.

Speculation has been rife that the 49-year-old actor was set to walk away from the role of 007 after four outings, after he refused to publicly commit himself to the franchise's future.

Craig has now been convinced to don the British spy's tuxedo one more time after working with Bond producer Barbara Broccoli - the daughter of Albert R 'Cubby' Broccoli, the man who created the franchise from Ian Flemming's books - on the hit off-Broadway production of Othello and being convinced of her vision for the next film.

A source told the New York Post newspaper's Page Six: "Daniel was very pleased with how Othello went and the great reviews. Now Daniel's talks with Barbara are going in the right direction.

"They have a script - screenwriting duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who have penned several Bond movies, are writing and they'll go into production as soon as Daniel is ready to commit."

Craig is currently the second-longest serving Bond in history having officially starred as the spy for over 11 years. Sir Roger Moore is the longest serving 007 spending 12 years in the role and starring in seven films, including The Man with the Golden Gun, Live and Let Die and A View To A Kill.

Back in 2015 after Spectre had hit the big screen Craig admitted he'd "rather slash" his wrists than step back into the role due to the fatigue he felt from the shooting process.

But in 2016 he described Bond as the best job in the world sparking hopes for MGM that Craig would return for a fifth film.

Speaking at the New Yorker Festival, he said: "I've got the best job in the world doing Bond. The things I get to do on a Bond movie and the type of work it is, there's no other job like it. If I were to stop doing it - just say - I'd miss it terribly.

"It's one of the most thrilling things as an actor you can do. I love this job. I get a massive kick out of it. And, if I can keep getting a kick out of it, I will."

- Bang! Showbiz