James Bond 25: Daniel Craig reveals pick to direct final 007 outing

James Bond's next mission is a little over two years away, meaning producers are currently on the hunt for a man or woman to direct Daniel Craig's fifth and final outing as the iconic British secret agent.

Shortly after EON Productions officially announced Bond 25, a shortlist of potential directors emerged online. According to Deadline, producers are considering Yann Demange, David Mackenzie and Denis Villeneuve for the director's chair.

Craig reportedly has a favourite for the gig, and it is not widely touted frontrunner Demange, best known for Jack O'Connell film 71. According to The Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye, the 49-year-old Brit wants Villeneuve in the director's chair.

The Canadian is one of the hottest commodities in Hollywood following his critically acclaimed trifecta of Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival. He also directed Blade Runner 2049, set for release in October.

All we know about Bond 25 so far is that Craig will return, it will likely be his final outing as the character and that Bond regulars Neal Purvis and Robert Wade will pen the script, as they have done since 1999's The World Is Not Enough.

After much speculation, Craig confirmed his return in August on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The actor revealed he had know he would return for a couple of months prior to the announcement, adding: "I think this is it. I just want to go out on a high note."

He also said he "always wanted to [return]" despite saying ahead of the release of 2015's Spectre that he'd rather "slash his wrists" than play James Bond for a fifth time.

"There's no point in making excuses about it," he told Colbert, "but it was two days after we finished shooting the last movie and I went straight into an interview and someone said: 'Would you do another one?' And I went: 'No!' Instead of staying something with style and grace I gave a really stupid answer."

Craig first played Bond in 2006's reboot of the series in Casino Royale. He followed that up with Quantum of Solace two years later and Skyfall in 2012, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the film franchise.

He returned again for Spectre, another incredibly-successful outing. EON is currently courting studios about a distribution deal for Bond 25 and beyond, and may even be selling off the rights to the entire series.

Bond 25 is set for release in October/November 2019.