Daniel Craig on board for "Casino Royale" follow-up

The latest installment in the James Bond series won't be released until later this year, yet producers already have the next film in the works.

Producers said Thursday Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond in this fall's "Casino Royale," would be continuing his role in the franchise's next film due May 2, 2008.

The film will be the 22nd in the series. Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton have all played the British super-spy role.

"As we wrap production on 'Casino Royale,' we couldn't be more excited about the direction the franchise is heading with Daniel Craig," producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said in a news release. "Daniel has taken the origins of Ian Fleming's James Bond portraying, with emotional complexity, a darker and edgier 007."

No director for the film has been brought in yet, although Roger Michell is rumored to be in negotiations. Michell previously worked with Craig in 2004's "Enduring Love."