James Norton wants Daniel Craig to do at least another "three" ‘James Bond’ films.
The ‘Happy Valley’ actor is one of the many who are hotly-tipped to become the next suit-wearing spy but he has admitted, although he’s thrilled that his name has been put forward, he’s devastated that the hunk – who has played the titular role in four movies since 2006 – is toying with the idea of walking away from the franchise.
Speaking ‘This Morning’ on Thursday (20.04.2017), Norton said: "It’s difficult, it’s lovely to be part of that whole conversation because it’s big and a lot of people pay a lot of attention to it but I’m a great fan of Daniel Craig and selfishly hope he makes two or three more films."
However, the 31-year-old star will have to fight off some stiff competition from the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Aidan Turner, Tom Hardy and Damian Lewis who are also all in the running to take over the as the Secret Service agent 007.
However, Hiddleston was seemingly axed by the franchise producer Barbara Broccoli, who discounted the 36-year-old heartthrob because she thought he was too smug for the role.
A source explained: "Barbara Broccoli doesn’t like Tom Hiddleston, he’s a bit too smug and not tough enough to play James Bond."
The actor’s brief relationship with singer Taylor Swift in 2016 undermined his chances of getting the role, while Broccoli is also said to have been unimpressed by his speech at the Golden Globes, in which he spoke about his trip to South Sudan.
Meanwhile, Broccoli has reportedly convinced Craig to star in another Bond movie, after the duo successfully worked together on an off-Broadway production of William Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, which won him the appreciation he has been seeking.
Craig has previously suggested he would walk away from the money-spinning franchise after starring in ‘Spectre’ in 2015 – but it appears he may have since changed his mind.
A source told the New York Post newspaper’s Page Six column: "Daniel was very pleased with how ‘Othello’ went and the great reviews. Now Daniel’s talks with Barbara are going in the right direction.
"They have a script – screenwriting duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade [who’ve penned several Bond movies] are writing and they’ll go into production as soon as Daniel is ready to commit."
James Norton wants Daniel Craig to continue as Bond
