Daniel Craig finally confirms James Bond return

Daniel Craig has finally put the rumour mill to rest after confirming he will reprise his role as James Bond.

Craig, 49, announced the news on US chat show The Late Show, where he told fans the next film will be his last outing as the 007 agent.

“I’ve been quite cagey about it,” he said. “I’ve been doing interviews all day and people have been asking me and I think I’ve been rather coy.

“But I felt if I’m going to speak the truth I should speak the truth to you.”

Host Stephen Colbert asked him if he was going to play the British spy, to which Craig replied: “Yes.”

The actor – who revealed he has known for a “couple of months” – said: “We've been discussing it, we've just been trying to figure things out. I always wanted to, I needed a break.”

The as-of-yet untitled 25th film is set for release in November 2019, and will mark the end of Craig’s tenure as Bond.

“I just want to go out on a high note, and I can't wait,” he said.

Craig’s confirmation came hours after he denied signing a contract for two more films and claimed he was yet to make a “decision” about his future in the franchise.

Speaking to US radio station Morning Magic 106.7 on Tuesday he said: “There’s a lot of noise out there and nothing official has been confirmed and I’m not, like, holding out for more money or doing anything like that.

“It’s just all very personal decisions to be made at the moment. I know they’re desperate to get going and I would, in theory, love to do it, but there is no decision just yet.”