James Bond Director Confirms He Won't Make Any More 007 Movies

The question of who will star in next James Bond movie has been in some doubt over the past weeks, with Daniel Craig reportedly uninterested in playing the role any longer, and Tom Hiddleston rumoured to be in talks to take over. Now director Sam Mendes has revealed that he won't be making any further Bond movies.

Mendes, who directed the last two films in the long-running action series, confirmed the news at the Hay literary festival this weekend. "It was an incredible adventure, I loved every second of it," he said, via The Guardian. "But I think it’s time for somebody else."

"I’m a storyteller," he added. "And, at the end of the day, I want to make stories with new characters."

Mendes helped turn last year's Spectre and 2012's Skyfall into huge hits, together earning nearly $2 billion worldwide. Mendes's other films include the Oscar-winning American Beauty, Road to Perdition, and Revolutionary Road.

Last week, BDM reported that Hiddleston was in "advanced talks" to take over the role if Craig quits. Although producers EON are yet to comment on Craig's potential departure, "sources close to Hiddleston" stated that the Thor star had met with the company, and that the actor was keen to take on the role.

Last year, Craig made no secret of the fact that Spectre was a tough shoot and that he wasn't looking to dive straight back into another Bond production. "I'd rather break this glass and slash my wrists," he told TimeOut. "No, not at the moment. Not at all. That's fine. I'm over it at the moment. We're done [filming Spectre]. All I want to do is move on.

"At the moment, we've done it. I'm not in discussion with anybody about anything. If I did another Bond movie, it would only be for the money."