Sam Mendes Is Done Directing James Bond Films

Sam Mendes, the Oscar-winning filmmaker of Skyfall and Spectre, has decided to pass the director’s torch on any upcoming James Bond movies.

“It was an incredible adventure, I loved every second of it,” Mendes said at the Hay festival. “But I think it’s time for somebody else. I’m a storyteller. And at the end of the day, I want to make stories with new characters.”

It is still uncertain if Daniel Craig would be returning for a fifth installment as the super spy.

While Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba are among the few in the running to take over as the next 007 – others are suggesting a Bond of the opposite sex. This week, Gillian Anderson and Priyanka Chopra’s names were pitched to play a female James Bond. Both responded positively to the idea.

“It’s not a democracy,” Mendes said. “Barbara Broccoli decides who is going to be the next Bond, end of story.” Broccoli, the producer of the series, was the one who picked Craig way back when he was a little-known actor.

Mendes’ two Bond films, which were released in 2012 and 2015, grossed nearly $2 billion worldwide at the box office.