They're both rumoured to be in the running to take over from Daniel Craig as 007, but that didn't stop Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston BONDing over dinner last week.

Idris, 43, and 35-year-old Tom were spotted leaving Anna Wintour's home on Sunday night, after attending the US Vogue editor's pre-Met Gala dinner with Taylor Swift and James Corden. The two actors looked very suave, with Idris wearing a black roll-neck and navy velvet blazer, and Tom in a maroon three-piece suit.

It seems both men can pull off James Bond's impeccable style: Idris was definitely channelling 007 in the casino, sipping on a martini (shaken not stirred, of course), while Tom looked more like the British spy in the field.

And despite the reports they've been going head-to-head in a bid to become 48-year-old Daniel's successor, the London-born actors shared a joke as they left Anna's house, looking like the best of friends.


Speculation started over the future of James Bond towards the end of last year, when Daniel seemed to confirm he would not be returning following the release of Spectre.

Asked by Time Out if he would be reprising the role of James in the next film, Daniel replied: "Now? I'd rather slash my wrists. No, not at the moment. Not at all. That's fine. I'm over it at the moment, we're done. All I want to do is move on."

This Morning presenter and former X Factor contestant Rylan Clark-Neal has recreated James Bond’s most iconic moments – including scenes from Skyfall, Casino Royale and Goldfinger.

But despite stepping into the tux and posing with a gold-painted model, Rylan admitted: “I think I’m more of a Dame Judi than a James Bond.”

The TV presenter, who is launching a new late night entertainment show, also has no plans to replace Daniel Craig any time soon.

He explained: “We’ve all seen them trunks, I think they need one more outing.”


He added: “Many of James Bond’s best moments happened late at night and with my brand new show Up Late with Rylan, I have been given a licence to entertain.”

Rylan, 27, posed at a poker table before enjoying a Martini – shaken not stirred, naturally.

He also posed with Bond’s gun-metal grey vintage Aston Martin DB5.

In a more risque shoot, Rylan stepped into Sean Connery’s shoes and recreated a scene from Goldfinger alongside a model playing Jill Masterson.

Mark Strong said that his friend Daniel Craig will not be returning to the role of James Bond.

The question of whether Daniel would be back for a fifth 007 film has been hanging in the air since he said he’d rather “slash his wrists” than play the role again – and it appears Mark has confirmed his exit from the franchise.

Speaking about his friendship with the 007 actor, Mark told Shortlist that Daniel has “come to the end of his Bond time”.


He said: ”Do you know what, I’d have loved to have played the villain in a Bond movie while Daniel was doing it because he’s a pal and that would have been great.

“But I think he’s come to the end of his Bond time and so it’s probably never going to happen, but that would have always been great.”

James Bond bosses are reportedly thinking about delaying the next movie in a bid to keep Daniel Craig.

Copyright [Ralf Succo/WENN.com]

The 47-year-old actor looks set to step down as 007 after four movies as the suave spy to star in 20-part TV series Purity, but executives at MGM, who produce the franchise, are thought to be prepared to push back the 25th Bond installment to keep him.

A source told The Sun: “Daniel has not told anyone yet if he will return definitively.

Copyright [WENN.com]

"They know he wants to do Purity and had hoped to get the new film in cinemas next year, but they have vowed to push it back a year to help make his schedule easier.”

Craig is said to have brought in “$2 billion” to the franchise during his time as Bond - which has seen him star in movies Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and last year’s Spectre - so MGM are keen to keep him in the role.

"He is a major draw and a key player in terms of raising money for the films. As Bond he has brought in $2billion.”

Pre-production on the next Bond movie is due to begin in the next few weeks, while Daniel is expected to begin shooting Purity - which will be an adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s novel of the same name - later this year.

Daniel Craig’s future as James Bond could be in jeopardy as he enters into talks to star in a new US television series.

It is reported that Craig will take the lead in Purity, an adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s novel, although it is understood no firm decision has been made on whether he will quit as 007.

A straight to series order of 20 episodes is expected for Purity, which is likely to place considerable time constraints on the 47-year-old.

Daniel has helmed the franchise for 10 years since 2006′s Casino Royale and made no secret in the past of his desire to quit Bond, telling Time Out magazine in October that he would rather “slash my wrists” than play the role again.

Last year he starred as the suave spy for the fourth time in Spectre, which became the second highest-grossing film at the UK box office in 2015 after Star Wars, pulling in £94.74m.

Spectre’s director Sam Mendes has already confirmed that he will not return for the next film, which will be the 25th in the series.

Sam Smith and his songwriting partner Jimmy Napes received the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song tonight for “Writing’s On The Wall,” their theme for the final Daniel Craig James Bond film Spectre. The award was presented by Katy Perry, and the other nominees were Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do” from 50 Shades Of Grey, Brian Wilson’s “One Kind Of Love” from Love & Mercy, Wiz Khalifa and Stereogum fave Charlie Puth’s “See You Again” from Furious 7, and Sumi Jo’s “Simple Song No. 3″ from Youth.

And in non-music but music-adjacent Golden Globes news, Lady Gaga took home the trophy for Best Actress In A Limited Series Or TV Movie for her role on American Horror Story: Hotel.

With New Year’s Eve upon us, we’re looking back at the best celebrity lip-locks of the year and are reminded that a kiss is never just a kiss. So pucker up and join us for this lip-smacking flashback…

It’s 007 going in for the double-handed kiss! Daniel Craig gave his wife, Rachel Weisz, the warmest of welcomes while also giving the world a rare glimpse of their, um, bond. (Photo: Getty Images)

We couldn’t leave out this little bit of sweetness when big brother Prince George gave his new sister, Princess Charlotte, a royal peck. (Photo: Getty Images)

Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden showed spectators at a Lakers game just how the Kiss Cam works. The face-sucking newlyweds barely came up for air. (Photo: Getty Images)

Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello shared several caliente kisses this year, but their best — hands down — was at their wedding. (Photo: Instagram)

Some married celebrity couples never walk the red carpet together. The adorable duo of Chris Pratt and Anna Faris? They go all in — even at a movie premiere — and we love them for it. (Photo: Getty Images)

Nothing inspires a hot kiss like some new bling! Eva Longoria accepted a marriage proposal — and a giant ruby-and-diamond ring — from Jose Antonio Baston right before she puckered up for this two-handed smoocheroo. (Photo: Instagram)

Taylor Swift is still dating Calvin Harris! And she brought him to an awards show! And she kissed him in public! There was a lot to like about this pic, but mostly we’re just happy she’s happy. (Photo: Getty Images)

Is it hot in here or is it just Nicki Minaj and her maybe fiancé, Meek Mill? En fuego. (“All Eyes on You”/YouTube) 

This kiss between Kanye West and Kim Kardashian was so hot, it was a buns grabber! (Photo: Getty Images)

Pretty soon John Legend and Chrissy Teigen will be showering their daughter with kisses, but here they were having some adult fun. (Photo: Getty Images)

There were a lot of people in attendance when Nicole Kidman won Best Actress at the 2015 London Evening Standard Theatre Awards, but she acted as if she and Keith Urban were the only two people in the room as they kissed on her way to the stage. (Photo: Getty Images)

Even though most “best dressed” lists, accumulated throughout the year from red carpet appearances, press junkets, and fashion shows are generally comprised of all women, we thought it was about time we let the guys shine—just this once. After all—variety is the spice of life.

Daniel Craig at the 'Spectre’ Premiere on Oct. 27, 2015 in Rome.

Wiz Khalifa at the American Music Awards on Nov. 22, 2015.

Eddie Redmayne at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 12, 2015.

Liam Hemsworth at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 14, 2015.

Justin Bieber at the MTV EMAs on Oct. 25, 2015.

Ewan McGregor at the 53rd New York Film Festival on Oct. 10, 2015.

When it comes to being perpetually peeved, nobody does it better than Daniel Craig. The 47-year-old actor has been playing James Bond for nearly a decade now, resulting in two very good movies (Casino Royale and Skyfall), one really bad one (Quantum of Solace), and this week’s Spectre, which has drawn mixed reviews, and resulted in several cantankerous interviews with its star, who often looks like he’d rather be drinking a herring-guts milkshake than promoting a movie. (Even Sir Crankypants himself, Timothy Dalton, opened up his pearly-white gates once in a while). With Craig dropping hints that he’s through with the franchise, here are 16 reminders of how Octopissy the actor can get while on the red carpet:

Daniel Craig in Madrid, ‘Casino Royale’ (2006)

Daniel Craig and Satsuki Mitchell, ‘Casino Royale’ (2006)

Daniel Craig, ‘Quantum of Solace’ (2008)

Daniel Craig and Olga Korylenko, ‘Quantum of Solace’ (2008)

Daniel Craig in Berlin, ‘Skyfall’ (2012)

Daniel Craig, Naomie Harris and Christoph Waltz, ‘Spectre’ (2015)

It says a lot about where the James Bond series has been over the last few years that yesterday’s announcement by director Sam Mendes — that he is stepping down from the franchise after having directed two entries — was greeted by Bond fans from around the world with something less than a collective cry of dismay. Opinion will differ as to the sort of job Mendes did (some believe that “Skyfall” was a Bondian apotheosis; this critic did not), but one thing should be clear: After four films with Daniel Craig, in what was meant to be not just a “reboot” or “relaunch” but a veritable reimagining of Bond for the 21st century, the series, overall, has not truly lived up to that billing. And that’s a serious fumble, since the kickoff film of the new era, “Casino Royale” (2006), was a Bondian apotheosis. I’m not alone in thinking that it was the greatest Bond adventure since “Goldfinger” and “Dr. No,” and it established Daniel Craig’s 007 as, potentially, the first genuinely worthy successor to the diamond-hard magic of Sean Connery. Craig’s Bond was more of a ruffian, but he needed to be — these are rougher times — and in place of the smirk of Roger Moore, the scowl of Timothy Dalton, or the precision-watch cunning of Pierce Brosnan, he brought the role a brusque sensuality that masked a glint of omnipotent awareness, a surveillance of the world around him.


Of course, the role of Bond is now up for grabs as well. Craig has indicated that he may well be done with it, and his rumored replacements include Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, and Jamie Bell. (I’d vote for them in that order.) So the reboot of the Bond series is now about to be rebooted. That raises an essential question: not just who’s going to be the next 007, or who’s going to direct the next film, but what will the series now become? And here’s the conundrum that underlies that question: What can — and should — the Bond series be in an age when almost everything it stands for has been absorbed and incorporated into other movies?

Let’s play “Name That Director” for a moment, since it’s such an easy and irresistible parlor game to play. Who should be the next Bond director? The answers are as multiplicitous as they are tempting. I’d love to see a wizard of hair-trigger logistics like Paul Greengrass have a crack at it (then again, the Bourne films already are his Bond series), or an old-school action master like John McTiernan or Wolfgang Peteresen, or — yes — Quentin Tarantino, who you might argue, after the grinding-gears insularity of “The Hateful Eight,” could benefit from taking over the toy shop of Bond every bit as much as the series could benefit from him.


QT sounds like a wild card, but my number-one choice would be an even wilder card: Kathryn Bigelow. She’s got the action virtuosity, the grasp of the ominous bureaucratic underworld in all its trap-door layers. But I believe that she could also restore the series to its glory in the realm where it has most dramatically slipped off track – namely, the hot-button arena of Bondian sexual politics. For let’s be honest: Without sex, without the erotic romance of James Bond’s mission in the world, what is 007, really, but another globe-trotting action hero (“Dateline: Grozny, 7:08 a.m.”) who happens to have a British accent and, for two or three scenes, wears a very posh tux? The truth is that the sexual politics of Bond — Bond as the ultimate mythical seducer, the master of women — cuts against the tenor of our age. That either makes Bond an anachronism, a bow-tied relic of the Connery/Hefner era, or it makes him something deeply subversive: a character who takes us back to a dream of erotic warfare, one that beneath our enlightened PC attitudes still reverberates like a primitive heartbeat.

James Bond is set to face off against a Russian villain for the first time in 20 years as the casting call reveals the upcoming roles.

The latest film in the Bond franchise will see Daniel Craig reprise his role as the 007 agent to battle it out with Moscow villains for the first time in two decades.

A casting call revealed details of how two characters will follow in the footsteps of enemies Rosa Klebb and General Orlov.

Producers of the spy film unveiled intriguing details on how they are seeking a 30 to 60 year-old leading male from Russia or the Balkans.

The criteria states that he must also be “charismatic, powerful, innovative, cold and vindictive.”

For the leading female role, the actress must be “very striking” with “strong physical combat skills.”

Her character is envisioned as “intelligent, brave, fierce, charming, she’s witty and skilful, a survivor.”

Production on James Bond 25 is expected to begin in December under the direction of Danny Boyle.

The film is reportedly set to be the fifth and final time Craig steps into Bond’s suit after 12 years of playing the mysterious Secret Service agent.

Craig first took to the big screen as Bond in 2016, following on from predecessor Pierce Brosnan.

It is expected to release in November next year.

James Bond star Daniel Craig is about to become fully-fledged film royalty as he’s set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year.

The British actor, 50, is among a new batch of A-list stars, including Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway, to be honoured with the accolade in 2019.

“Congratulations to Daniel Craig who has been selected as one of the recipients of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019,” tweeted the official James Bond Twitter account.

Other people to receive stars next year are Oscar-winning Shape of Water director Guillermo del Toro and Star Wars actress Lupita Nyong’o.

Tyler Perry, Alan Arkin and Gena Rowlands make up the Motion Pictures category.

Musicians including Pink, Michael Buble, Faith Hill, Teddy Riley and Cypress Hill will receive honours in the music category.

Chairman and Walk Of Famer Vin Di Bona said: “The Walk Of Fame Selection Committee is pleased to announce our newest honourees to the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

“The committee always tries to select a group of talented honourees that appeal in various genres of the entertainment world.

“I feel the committee has outdone themselves and I know the fans, tourists and the Hollywood community will be pleased with our selections. We are excited to see each and every honouree’s face as they unveil that majestic star on Hollywood’s most famous walkway.”

Craig is gearing up to shoot what is expected to be his final Bond film with director Danny Boyle, which is scheduled for release next year.

The Slumdog Millionaire director appeared to let the cat out of the bag back in March, when he revealed that he had been working on a script for Bond.

Speaking to Metro US at the premiere of drama Trust he said: “We are working on a script right now. And it all depends on that really.

“I am working on a Richard Curtis script at the moment. We hope to start shooting that in 6 or 7 weeks.

Craig is set to hang up his black jacket after the November 2019 release, with the rumour mill about his replacement in full swing.

Here’s Six more film folk who go the extra mile to ensure you enjoy every single dumb action flick they’re in.

Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise doesn’t seem happy unless he’s hanging off the edge of something, or leaping from one ledge to another from a massive great height.
But who else enjoys risking their life for the sake of cinema? Click through to find out!

Daniel Craig
The opening of Casino Royale is considered by many Bond fans to be the greatest stunt in the franchise’s long history.
That’s partly because Craig did it for real – yes, even that fight scene on top of a crane 200ft in the air.
Craig’s continued to do his own 007 stunts, even injuring his knee during Spectre’s fight scene with Dave Bautista.

Jason Statham
Statham’s pretty passionate about doing his own stunts. “I’m inspired by the people who could do their own work,” the actor said. “Bruce Lee never had stunt doubles and fight doubles, or Jackie Chan or Jet Li. I’ve been in action movies where there is a face replacement and I’m fighting with a double, and it’s embarrassing.
“But if you really are an aficionado of action movies, you know who’s doing what and who ain’t. To me it’s a little bit sad.”

Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz went shoulder-to-shoulder with Cruise when they made Knight & Day together. Diaz did her own stunt driving on the action flick – which means she was behind the wheel (and on the back of the bike) for some impressive sequences.

Christian Bale
Bale trained for months in order to be able to basically be Batman for Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, mastering the martial art know as Keysi. “It’s a very instinctive kind of martial art,” Bale said. “It’s not about choreography; it’s very much about using your adrenaline and becoming an animal in your fighting style.”
But it wasn’t just the fight sequences – that really is Bale standing on the edge of Hong Kong’s second tallest building.

Keanu Reeves
Someone, somewhere, please pay Keanu Reeves whatever he wants to appear in the next Mission Impossible movie.
After all, he did 90% of his own action scenes on John Wick (and if you’ve seen John Wick, you’ll know that’s a lot of action scenes), is an accomplished martial artist in his own right and, well, he’s Keanu Reeves.
Still, don’t tell him he does his own stunts. “I get to do some physical acting. I get involved in some action but they’re not stunts. I flip over guys, I get flipped, I run, I jump, I play.”

After months of negotiations and deal-making, Showtime has closed a deal for a 20-episode order to Purity, a limited drama series toplined by James Bond star Daniel Craig and produced by Todd Field and Scott Rudin. The project, based on the book of the same name by The Corrections author Jonathan Franzen, hit the cable and streaming marketplace in February, with Showtime emerging as an early frontrunner based on an aggressive offer. Field will direct all 20 hours of the limited series, which he will co-write with Franzen and David Hare (The Hours, The Reader). Craig, Field, Rudin, Franzen, Hare and EIi Bush executive produce. Purity will begin production in 2017 and will air in two installments over the course of two years.

Purity, which had been originally envisioned as a feature, is a morally complex story of youthful idealism, extreme loyalty and cold-blooded murder, featuring characters both hungry for the truth and desperate to hide it. From STASI offspring to Oakland anarchists, Franzen tracks his characters’ landscapes from East Berlin and the Bolivian jungle to East Harlem walk-ups and the California Redwoods in a decades-spanning tragicomedy that builds to a contemporary climax. The book, published last September, centers on Pip, a young American woman who does not know who she is, and Andreas Wolf, a charismatic German provocateur, who will be played by Craig. He heads a South America-based organization that traffics in all the secrets of the world where Pip gets an internship  in search of her identity.

“Jonathan Franzen’s Purity is an epic American novel that pulses with the energy of a psychological thriller. I whipped through it in a week,” said Showtime Networks president and CEO David Nevins. “His gripping and timely story has attracted a powerhouse team – Todd Field, Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, David Hare, along with Franzen himself, and the brilliant Daniel Craig who is perfectly cast as the charismatic, mysterious ‘Andreas Wolf.’”

This marks the second high-profile upcoming limited series for Showtime, joining David Lynch’s Twin Peaks followup.

The teaming of Craig and Rudin stems from their previous work together on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Mike Nichols’ Broadway production of Betrayal. Rudin previously worked with Field on a script that was set up at HBO under the producer’s deal there. (He now has a first-look deal with Fox Network Group.) Rudin and Hare are long-time collaborators in film and theater. Last year, the Rudin-produced staging of David Hare’s Skylight won a Tony award for best revival of a play.

This is Rudin’s first series for Showtime. Scott Rudin Prods. has been ramping up its TV efforts, headed by Garrett Basch, who will also oversee and produce Purity.

Craig recently reprised his role as 007 in the latest James Bond film Spectre but has yet to commit to anther Bond movie amid hints on his part that he is likely done playing the famous spy and amid speculation about his possible successor in the role. Craig is finalizing a deal to co-star in Steven Soderbergh’s heist film Logan Lucky, which starts production in the fall.

The person chosen to play the next James Bond will be an unexpected one, the franchise’s outgoing director has said.

British filmmaker Sam Mendes said the sole choice for the next star of the hugely successful franchise lies with producer Barbara Broccoli.

He also confirmed he will not be returning to direct the next film, saying he is ready to work on something new, the Telegraph reported.

Speaking at Hay Festival, Sam, who directed Skyfall and Spectre, said: “I’m a storyteller and at the end of the day I want to make stories with new characters.”

He said he had loved the “incredible adventure” of working on Bond, but added: “I think it’s time for somebody else to do a great job.”

Speculation is rife as to which actor will next step into the spy’s impeccably polished shoes to replace Daniel Craig 10 years after he first took the helm with Casino Royale.

Tom Hiddleston, Aidan Turner, Idris Elba, Damian Lewis and most recently Billy Elliot star Jamie Bell have all been touted as possible 007s.

Sam said both the choice of director and lead role is likely to be a little unexpected.

He said: “I can guarantee whatever happens with it, it will not be what you expect. That’s what she (Broccoli) has been brilliant at, and that’s how it’ll survive.

Billy Elliot star Jamie Bell is the latest actor to reportedly enter the race to become the next James Bond.

He joins Tom Hiddleston, Aidan Turner, Idris Elba and Damian Lewis among the names in the frame to play 007.

Jamie, 30, has held informal chats with producers about replacing Daniel Craig when he steps down from the role, The Sun reported.

He shot to fame as the ballet dancing schoolboy in Billy Elliot and is in pre-production on Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, the latest project of Bond producer Barbara Broccoli.

In the film he plays British actor Peter Turner, opposite Annette Bening and Julie Walters.

A source told the newspaper: “Barbara has been a fan of Jamie for a long time and has even thought about him playing another role in the franchise before.

“Everyone remembers Jamie as the little boy in Billy Elliot, but he’s now bulked up and got some serious roles under his belt.