Battle of the Bonds: How does Daniel Craig's time as 007 stack up against his predecessors?
How do Craig's vital statistics - time in the role, screen minutes and number of films - compare with Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton and Brosnan?
Daniel Craig's future as James Bond remains uncertain. After "joking" post-Spectre that he'd "rather slit my wrists" than do another 007, Craig pulled a screeching U-turn telling fans during a panel discussion in late 2016 “I’ve got the best job in the world doing Bond. If I were to stop doing it, I would miss it terribly. I love this job. I get a massive kick out of if and if I can keep getting a kick out of it, I will.”
But whether or not he does pull on Bond's well-tailored dinner jacket once again, when it comes to his place in the pantheon of 007 actors, Craig is already looking good.
Below, I've compared the various Bonds in terms of number of films made, screen minutes spent in the role* and the length of their tenures (now, now, Moneypenny).
In terms of both days spent in the role and screen minutes, the 48-year-old Craig is second only to the mighty (if creaky) Roger Moore, who racked up 851 minutes over a period of 5,118 days and was still putting it about at the ripe old age of 57.
And when it comes to films made, Craig outguns George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton and is the equal of Pierce Brosnan, with only Moore's 7 films and Sean Connery's 6 (and a bit) ahead of him.
So if Spectre really does prove to be his final mission, it's fair to say Craig can hang up his holster with the satisfaction of having served Queen, country and film fans with real dedication. And if there's more to come, Sir Roger may have to watch his back...
Sean Connery
Days as Bond: 3,049 (1962-67)
Screen minutes: 672 (or 806 if you count Never Say Never Again, which you shouldn’t)
Films: 6 – Dr No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever (or 7 if you insist on counting Never Say Never Again)
George Lazenby
Days as Bond: 875 (1969)
Screen minutes: 136
Films: 1 – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Roger Moore
Days as Bond: 5,118 (1973-85)
Screen minutes: 851
Films: 7 – Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill
Timothy Dalton
Days as Bond: 2,863 (1987-89)
Screen minutes: 252
Films: 2 – The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill
Pierce Brosnan
Days as Bond: 4,146 (1995-2002)
Screen minutes: 494
Films: 4 – Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day
Daniel Craig
Days as Bond: 4,147+ (2006-17) as of 20/02/17
Screen minutes: 538
Films: 4 – Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre
NB: Screen minutes means total minutes of each actor's Bond films, not the amount of time the actor himself actually appeared on screen