British actor Daniel Craig confirms he`s returning as James Bond 007 one last time

New York: Daniel Craig, the British actor who famously complained he`d rather slash his wrists than play James Bond a fifth time, has finally confirmed he`s returning as 007 after all... one last time.

The New York Times first reported last month that the 49-year-old`s return to the big screen in 2019 was a "done deal" for the 25th movie in a franchise that has thrilled generations of cinemagoers.

But the actor had previously stopped short of confirming the reports.

"I`ve been quite cagey about it," he admitted Tuesday to US television host Stephen Colbert on CBS`s "The Late Show."

"I`ve been doing interviews all day and people have been asking me and think I`ve been rather coy, but I kind of felt like if I was going to speak the truth, I should speak the truth to you," he said.

Asked if he was returning as Bond, Craig replied: "Yes" before standing up and shaking Colbert`s hand with a grin. 

"I couldn`t be happier," he added.

But the star said it would be his last outing as the fictional British secret agent: "I think this is it. This is it. I just want to go out on a high note."

Craig`s return had been subject to furious speculation for years. 

In 2015, he told Time Out magazine: "I`d rather break this glass and slash my wrists... We`re done. All I want to do is move on."

He has since distanced himself from those remarks, attributing them to being tired straight after a grueling shoot for the 2015 Bond movie "Spectre."

"Instead of saying something with style and grace, I gave a really stupid answer," he told Colbert.

Asked how long he had known he would be back for a fifth Bond, Craig said it had "been a couple of months."

"I always wanted to, I needed a break."

Bond is set return to US cinemas on November 8, 2019 with an earlier release in Britain and worldwide, says Eon Productions, which oversees everything Bond, and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, which holds rights to the franchise.

Craig is the seventh actor to play Bond, following Sean Connery, Roger Moore, David Niven, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.