'Talks are going in the right direction': Daniel Craig is 'poised to return' as James Bond... after producers claimed Tom Hiddleston is 'too smug' to play British secret agent

Published: 02:00 BST, 5 April 2017 | Updated: 03:34 BST, 5 April 2017

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Daniel Craig is reportedly poised to make his fifth appearance as James Bond following talks with franchise producer Barbara Broccoli.

The British actor, 49, prompted speculation over the identity of his successor by insisting he would prefer ‘slash his own wrists’ rather than reprise the role after completing work on his last appearance as the secret agent in 2015 blockbuster Spectre.

But Page Six report his potential replacement Tom Hiddleston, once a front runner for the coveted role, has effectively been ruled out by Broccoli following a series of encouraging talks with Craig – who she recently produced in a contemporary, off-Broadway revival of Shakespeare’s Othello.

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Welcome back, Mr. Bond: Daniel Craig is reportedly poised to make his fifth appearance as James Bond following talks with franchise producer Barbara Broccoli

‘Daniel was very pleased with how Othello went and the great reviews,’ a source told the publication.

‘Now Daniel’s talks with Barbara are going in the right direction. They have a script -screenwriting duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are writing and they’ll go into production as soon as Daniel is ready to commit.

‘Plus, Barbara Broccoli doesn’t like Tom Hiddleston, he’s a bit too smug and not tough enough to play James Bond.’

Enough is enough: The British actor, 49, prompted speculation over the identity of his successor by insisting he would prefer ‘slash his own wrists’ rather than reprise the role

Sources claim Hiddleston's high profile romance with American pop star Taylor Swift, coupled with a bizarre acceptance speech at the 74th annual Golden Globes, during which he relayed an awkwardly expressed anecdote about aid workers in impoverished south Sudan warmly greeting him after watching his TV drama The Night Manager, also failed to impress Broccoli.

Craig enjoyed enormous success in the years following his first appearance as Bond in 2005 hit Casino Royale.

The actor has played 007 on three further occasions, but he appeared adamant that the Sam Mendes directed Spectre, in which all four of Craig's Bond film's are neatly tied together, would be his last during an interview with Time Out.

Unimpressed: Page Six report his potential replacement Tom Hiddleston, once a front runner for the coveted role, has effectively been ruled out by Broccoli following a series of encouraging talks with Craig

'I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists,' he told the magazine in 2015. 'We’re done. All I want to do is move on,'

He added that if he did another movie, 'it would only be for the money.’

Craig was paid $10.7 million for 2012 smash Skyfall, making him the highest-paid Bond actor ever; the film was the first Bond movie to break the one billion dollar mark.

Its enormous success led to Craig reportedly brokering a deal to be paid £31 million for his next two 007 films, including Spectre, the 24th film in the franchise.

'I’m contracted for one more but I’m not going to make predictions,' he told Event in September 2014.

MailOnline has contacted Craig's representatives for further comment.