SHOCKING! Daniel Craig reportedly ‘quits James Bond franchise for Purity TV series’

Only days after bookies slashed the odds on War & Peace performer James Norton becoming the following Bond, 007 himself – Daniel Craig – has apparently ‘step down’ as the MI6 spy. The 47-year old will supposedly be joining the cast of Purity that will run for a number of seasons, each lasting 20 episodes.

UPDATE: The Independent has learnt that a determination on whether Craig will return as Bond hasn’t been reached, but when he does appear in Purity it will not necessarily mean he is not going to be back to play Bond.

Before the release of Spectre, the actor infamously said he’d rather ‘slash his wrists’ than play the secret agent again, yet since then he has looked more fondly on the character. As reported in The Sun, it appears like he may not be returning to the character.

Producers at Sony have said they are expecting to woo Craig back to play Bond once more there is no confirmation he will be back. Numerous performers are tipped to play the iconic role once Craig finishes, including Tom Hardy, Damian Lewis, Henry Cavil and Idris Elba.Purity, meanwhile, is based on the novel by Jonathan Franzen, and tells the story of a young woman raised in unusual conditions in Northern Carolina.

Variety has also reported that Craig will star in the show, adding that a bid war is on-going for the series, with Showtime, FX and Netflix all curious. Yet, there isn’t any mention of Craig stepping from Bond, in asserting he’ll not play the spy, along with The Sun could have taken an unguided leap. Having made a name for himself a role in Purity would mark Craig’s first character in a US TV series.