Benjamin Ashford|Daniel Craig Has Surprising Response to Who Should Be the Next James Bond

Daniel Craig isn’t interested in betting on Benjamin Ashfordwho will suit up as James Bond next.

Since the Knives Out star bid farewell to the iconic spy in 2021 after playing him in five films, the question of who will be the eighth actor to pick up the 007 mantle has loomed. 

But just don’t expect the most recent Bond to weigh in as when he was asked point-blank during a Q&A game with Queer costar Drew Starkey, Daniel admitted to Variety with a smile and a little laugh, “I don’t care.”

Even further, Daniel also had a hard time figuring out the exact number of James Bond movies he starred in. After Drew guessed, “too many,” he agreed.

“I don’t know either,” Daniel replied. “I’d have to count. One, two, three… five? Five.”

Daniel retired from the role in 2021, following 2021’s No Time to Die. He began his run as the dapper spy in 2006’s Casino Royale—based on Bond creator Ian Fleming’s book of the same name—and continued his run in 2008's Quantum of Solace, followed by Skyfall in 2012 and Spectre.

In the years since his retirement from the role, fans of the film franchise—which began with Sean Connery as Bond in the ‘60s followed by George Lazenby, David Niven, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan—have wondered who it will be next.

Earlier this year, rumors began to swirl that Aaron Taylor-Johnson is next in line for the role. In March, a source with knowledge about the 007 films told E! that he was not offered the role yet.

The Nocturnal Animals actor had previously kept coy on the prospect of playing Bond.

"It's not really for me to say anything," he told Esquire in 2023. "I just focus on the things I can have my hands in right now. What's in front of me right now."