Daniel Craig is proving just how far he’s traveled from the world’s most famous spy. Four years after his final appearance as 007, the 57-year-old actor surprised fans with a noticeably different look while attending a Variety Studio event during the Toronto International Film Festival, where he appeared alongside his Knives Out co-stars Mila Kunis and Andrew Scott.
Gone is the sharp, dark haircut long associated with James Bond. In its place, Craig debuted silver hair styled back with ease, paired with a relaxed yet polished outfit—cropped jeans, a blue T-shirt, a black blazer, and white sneakers. The transformation signaled a clear break from the rigid aesthetic of his former secret-agent days.
Craig first took on the role of Bond in Casino Royale in 2006 and went on to headline four more films in the franchise, concluding his run with No Time to Die in 2021, which he also helped produce. Looking back on that chapter, the actor has spoken openly about the physical and emotional toll the role took on him, admitting that each film left him drained and in need of months to fully recover.
He has since emphasized that stepping away was about reclaiming balance. While the Bond years brought fame, opportunity, and financial success, Craig has said there came a point when work began to overshadow life itself—something he was no longer willing to accept.
Now firmly focused on new creative paths, Craig is set to return as detective Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man, the third installment in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out series. Netflix recently revealed the film’s release timeline, confirming a late-November theatrical debut followed by a December streaming release.
The upcoming mystery boasts an all-star ensemble, including Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church. The story sends Blanc to a small New York village, where a shocking murder draws him into an investigation that challenges logic, belief, and moral certainty.
According to Netflix, the case begins with an apparently impossible crime, prompting local authorities to team up with Blanc in a puzzle that blurs the line between faith and reason. Craig has hinted that, like its predecessors, the film plays with genre expectations—starting as a classic whodunit before evolving into something far less predictable.
Early promotional images show Craig’s detective sporting longer hair and a more rugged appearance, reinforcing the idea that both actor and character are entering a new phase. With Wake Up Dead Man, Craig continues to redefine his post-Bond identity—on screen and off.
