I hope you like Daniel Craig as James Bond, becasue he’s just signed up for two additional Bond films. This year will see the release of Skyfall, Bond’s twenty-third adventure. Craig has agreed to play 007 up to his twenty-fifth film.

How do you feel about this? Personally I like Craig in the role, but I’m far from a Bond aficionado and I don’t have the affection for the character that a lot of people do. I think Craig has done a great job of rebooting the Bond films, and I welcome him in the role for as long as he likes.

Here’s a brief history of Bond from MI6:

Sean Connery originally signed up to play 007 in six films starting with “Dr No‘ (1962), but was released from his contract one film early following “You Only Live Twice” (1967). George Lazenby was then cast as the first replacement, completing “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969) before walking away from a contract for more. Connery was lured back to the role for “Diamonds Are Forever” (1971) and a record fee of £1.25 million which he donated to charity. Roger Moore then took the helm with “Live And Let Die” (1973), the third successive film in the series that had a change in the lead role. Moore steadied the ship and went on to complete a record total of seven outings, culminating in “A View To A Kill” (1985). His contract was originally for four films, but Moore and Broccoli negotiated on a per-film basis thereafter. Timothy Dalton, who had been previously considered for the role, was cast for three films, starting with “The Living Daylights” (1987). After “Licence To Kill” (1989), a six year hiatus followed due to studio legal disputes, leaving Dalton walked away from a possible third film. Pierce Brosnan – who had narrowly missed out on the role in 1987 due to an NBC contract renewal – debuted as 007 in “GoldenEye” (1995). His tenure was set for three films with an option for a fourth, which he completed with “Die Another Day” in 2002. Brosnan was not recalled, and after a four year break, Daniel Craig made his debut in “Casino Royale“

Skyfall is a the first Bond film since Quantum of Solace in 2008. Usually there is only a two year gap between films, and this is something Sony is hoping to go back to.

Skyfall hits theatres November 9th.

SOURCE: MI6