Daniel Craig confirms he is returning as James Bond

The announcement came, rather nonchalantly, during the star's appearance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night, where Craig was promoting his new film Logan Lucky.

When pressed on the issue by the host, Craig said: “I have been quite cagey about it. I have been doing interviews all day and people have been asking me and I think I’ve been rather coy. But kind of felt like if I was going to speak the truth I should speak truth to you.”

His answer?

As bad as today had been, Daniel Craig just stated that he is returning as James Bond, so there is still some good in the world.

— Paul Dellevigne (@pauliethesuit) August 16, 2017

Craig's return ends two years of speculation about who could be the next Bond, for now at least. However, the star also hinted that his next outing will be his last.

“I think this is it. I just want to go out on a high note and I can’t wait,” he said.

The move represents somewhat of a U-turn, after Craig told Time Out that he'd rather "slash" his wrists than return to the role, back in 2015.

In July, the New York Times announced that the next Bond film will be released on 8th November 2018, suggesting that Craig would return in the lead role – but this is the first confirmation from the man himself.