Daniel Craig confirms he'll be back as Bond

Daniel Craig will return as 007.

On Tuesday's installment of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Craig confirmed what has been rumored for months — that he'll reprise the iconic role for a fifth time on the big screen.

"Yes," he told the late-night star on CBS. "I couldn't be happier."

The confirmation capped a summer of rumors that started in July when the 25th James Bond film was given a release date — but no cast. Shortly after, The New York Times reported that Craig's days in the franchise weren't over, citing "two people briefed on the matter." But Craig never confirmed it publicly — and went so far as to claim no decisions have been made in a series of radio interviews on Tuesday before his Colbert appearance.

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"I hate to burst the bubble on that one. There's no decision made just yet," Craig told WMMR's Preston & Steve show. "I'm not trying to be coy with you, but there's a lot of noise out there at the moment and I'm trying to stay out of it. There's a lot of nonsense being said and I'm just like — I read the papers, like, 'I said, what?' It's all news to me."

Speaking Tuesday night, however, Craig admitted he had been "quite cagey" about his return during the press rounds for his new film Logan Lucky. "I kind of felt like if I should speak the truth I should speak the truth to you," he told Colbert, while also apologizing to the previous interviewers.

According to the 49-year-old star, plans have been in the works on his Bond return for "a couple of months."

"We've been discussing it. We've just been trying to figure things out," he said. Craig later said he felt this will be his last outing as the MI6 agent. "I think this is it. I just want to go out on a high note. I can't wait."

Of course, he's said that before. In 2015, the actor infamously claimed he'd "rather break this glass and slash my wrists" than return for another film. When Colbert pressed the Craig about his prior comments, the Bond actor said he made those remarks just a couple days after he finished filming Spectre. "Instead of saying something with style and grace, I gave a really stupid answer," he explained, claiming he always wanted to return but he "just needed a break."

A director, cast, and title have yet to be announced for 25th Bond movie, though it has been scheduled for release in U.S. theaters on Nov. 8, 2019, following an earlier debut in the U.K. and select international markets.